The good news is, the community shield is not encrusted in diamond and gold. The bad news? Chelsea comprehensively outplayed United in the second half and exposed their bare deficiencies, but for a rare moment of brilliance by Giggs and Rooney. And an inattentive linesman.
So what ailed United, you ask?
1 – Vroom Vroom Vidic. In the second half, Drogba got better service and was able to turn and run at United’s backline. I like both Evans and Ferdinand, but sometimes you need a coal miner’s son to punch a fist through a glass window. Neither Evans nor Ferdinand are the son of a coal miner.
2 – Ronaldo he is not. Nani had a moment of brilliance, hypnotizing Ivanovich before blasting a low shot that narrowly evaded Petr Cech. He also had one other strong moment – a barnstorming run into the Blues box in the 35th minute. But the rest of the game? He was a blackhole , drawing comparison to the Ronaldo of three years ago, not the CRo of two years ago.
3 – Park the Car-rick. Park and Carrick picked up right where they left off – turning in indifferent performances in a losing effort. Giggs through-ball that sprang Rooney in the 90th minute highlighted what is missing in Carrick’s game – a touch of invention, a risk-averse pass to space. Sir Alex may soon have to turn his eye towards the defensively deficient Anderson.
4 – Foster Caring. The clock is ticking on Ben Foster’s stay at Old Trafford. Twice Drogba almost picked his pocket, and Carvahlo’s goal resulted from his indecision – punch or snag, but not in between. Or, of course, you just hold your line, also known as the Van Der Sar specialty.
5 – The Sputtering Offense. Two years ago, the offensive gameplan was simple: give the ball to Ronaldo and he scores. Last year, the plan was tweaked: give the ball to Ronaldo, he gets triple teamed, pass to someone else, and he scores. But without Ronaldo, United struggled to create moments of danger.
Can this hole be filled in our hearts and on the field of play? Nani showed a flash of brilliance, but Berbatov sulked too long and Owen looked like a Newcastle player in a United jersey.
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