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Crushing defeat

Comment: 0 November 1st, 2011 by: admin
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A SIMPLE loss would have been forgivable.

But with the way it was delivered, it would be hard to forget.

The final score read: Manchester United 1, Manchester City 6.

To the horror of United faithful, their team had just suffered their worst home defeat, and no less than their bitterest of foes – City – would inflict that damage.

The devastating loss was delivered right in their very door at Old Trafford, last Sunday, in what turned out to be a one-sided Premier League clash pitting for the first time the two sides when they were running 1-2 in the league.

Unwelcome sight

It was a sight United fans thought they would never see. But there it was, telling them how their icons were roundly mauled by their hated neighbours.

While home fans wore long faces trying to fathom what happened, City backers whooped and hollered at enemy territory – a painful sight for the latter to see..

It was the “worst day’’ in Sir Alex Ferguson’s football career as he himself said he couldn’t believe the scoreline. It was the first time since the 1930s that United have conceded six goals at home and to make matters worse,, it was the worst home debacle for the club since they were clobbered 5-0 by City in 1955.

Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko each netted two goals while David Silva and Sergio Aguero had one apiece to muscle City to the full three points. Darren Fletcher scoring the consolation goal United.

For Ferguson, the banishment of defender Jonny Evans early in the second half did them in.

Sounds like a whinge from a cry baby but that excuse or resentment went to naught as City simply showed who’s boss that day.

Roberto Mancini’s men bluntly proved they were not yet ready to relinquish the lead at this point, much so to their arch nemesis.

Irked by the debacle, Ferguson lashed out at his players inside the gloomy United dugout, and labelled his stars, notably his senior players, as “fucking idiots.’’

Out of sorts

Patrice Evra and former England captain Rio Ferdinand were blamed by Sir Alex for their failure to put the team in order after they were downed to 10 men. Ferdinand, Evra and Evans played listlessly, a far cry from the City counterparts in defence Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany who pooled their resources together to thwart United attacks.

The United midfield was also in a mess as Darren Fletcher and Anderson did not find their intended targets, underscoring their terrible passes that prompted Ferguson to describe their shambolic show as a “lack of common sense.’’

It was undeniably not acceptable for United fans that their team who looked every bit unbeatable following a searing start this season could just crumble that easily against a side who has not beaten them at home in the past two years.

In spite of their “worst day ever,’’ Ferguson promised to recoil from the loss. It is still a long way to go and he wants give a new direction to his team’s focus so they can put their feet on the normal path again.
City surely know what’s on Ferguson’s mind so they should not be too confident. The five-point lead they are nursing is still flimsy as there are many more matches left to play. Hurdling United is just a small step completed in their bid to nail a silverware this term.

A team like United that has a heart of a champion won’t just fold up that easily. Mancini’s men should be on the alert and bear in mind that their morale-boosting would inspire them to be on the attack mode at all times in order to keep the rest of the field at bay.

For the Red Devils, they must stop thinking about the loss. They must respond in positively like what they did in their 3-0 swamping of fourth-tier club Aldershot in the League Cup on Tuesday night. It was a relief of sorts and they needed that.

United fans believe the disenchantment brought about by the defeat to City will be gone soon. But can Ferguson fulfil his promise that they will be fine by January?

Crucial stretch

The second half of the season would be decisive. It is at that juncture when teams launch their do-or-die bids and pave the way for another frenzied race to the finish.

For Ferguson, it will be a challenge that his team would tackle as they try to regroup and pick up the thorn pieces of that most recent failure in order to regain their shattered confidence.

Ferguson’s men are aiming to extend their title haul to 20 but at this point that goal looks uncertain as they are already mired in a quandary whether they could still reign supreme when the smoke of battle clears.

The Red Devils may have taken a fall this early phase of the season. It is now time for them to show that united they must stand the rest of the way.

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