Man United win is a message

Sunday, 08/01/2012

by Amit Mistry, Shoot's Man United blogger

An important win for United in the F.A Cup was observed, as a 3-2 victory against title-rivals, Manchester City could re-galvanise United’s season after successive league defeats against Blackburn and Newcastle.

This will send out a strong message to the rest of the league to not write off United just yet.

Albeit that City chose to field Pantilimon instead of Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany was unfairly sent off earlier in the game and the Toure brothers were unavailable, United will claim this victory as a positive step towards turning their season around.

However Ferguson will have been disappointed with the scare that City provided in a possible comeback during that game, and that United were not as potent in the second half. Sir Alex will want that killer instinct back, where United can finish off their opponents and make them a feared team once again.

The fact remains that it is Manchester City who sit at the top of the table with a three point advantage. Many people still place City as favourites to win the league, but we are in the second half of the season and United and Ferguson are well experienced in producing their best form in this part of the campaign.

City will continue with their charge to retain the top spot in the league. However, should their key players like Kompany, Silva and Aguero succumb to long-term injuries or suspension, City will have lost their spark and advantage of quality against United.

Yaya Toure has proven to be a key player as the holding midfielder and is City’s midfield general. He will be sorely missed, but Nigel De Jong can easily come in for him whilst he is at the African Cup of Nations.

It was also interesting to see that Ferguson has called upon Paul Scholes back to the squad. Luring him back from retirement provides no doubt that his presence will create a morale boost to the side, but the question remains as to whether he can make an impact on the pitch. This may indicate a sign of desperation by the Scotsman, but it could also turn out to be one of his best managerial decisions in such testing times.

United will also be looking forward to having Cleverley and Young returning to the squad. Cleverley has been greatly missed by United, but his return should not anticipate a great turnaround in the team. By having such expectations of the young midfielder, the pressure will be on him to produce results as soon as he steps back into the side.

Ferguson has asserted that he will not buy any players in this January transfer window, whilst Mancini has kept his cards close to his chest. It is possible that the Italian may bring in a player or two, but I suspect they will not be big marquee signings.

Despite crashing out of the FA Cup to United, City are still on a high and remain the team to beat this season. The 6-1 scoreline is still etched in the minds of the United players, and this result will only be forgiven if United can retain the Premier League title this season.

And if City do win the title this season, then this could pave the way for United to live in the blue shadows of Manchester City for the next few years.

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