For me we had three players yesterday who were absolute passengers and you can't possibly win a game against United with 8 players. I don't know what has happened to Gael Clichy but it's obvious he's struggling badly. United knew it, they went at him from the first whistle and it worked for them. He is playing so poorly, he has been all season really, and I've got huge doubts about him now. The problem is the alternative, Traore, is not much better. However, while Clichy's form might be as dodgy as anything, I won't ever fault him for application. He tries and he works hard.
Which brings me to Denilson. If you had hoped he might learn a lesson from the second goal against Stoke last weekend then watching him yesterday was even more painful. Lack of ability is one thing, it's not a player's fault if he's picked, but lack of effort is unforgivable. Denilson is just plain lazy and stupid at this moment in time. I've already highlighted his lack of awareness for Rooney's run. Contrast the two. Rooney is going flat out to try and score. At the very least Denilson should be doing the same to stop him. Problem is he has no clue he's even there and after more than 150 games for us he does not have the excuse of inexperience. He gave the ball away for the third then didn't even try. The ref, a 40-something year old man, ran faster than him. Get Aaron Ramsey in this team now. Let Denilson be the squad fodder he is. He said he'd show Evra and United he was man, it wasn't men against boys. He was a boy.
Finally, the goalkeeper. Can anyone look at him and not see a man who is broken? His head is melted. There are those who will say he didn't have much chance with the first but flapping into the net like that is symptomatic of his season. It's his second own goal and after the one against Man City he had that 'chest infection' and didn't play for some time. The kick out late in the second half straight to a United player would have been comical if it had been another keeper for another team ... but it was our keeper. It was the kick of a man who doesn't really care anymore, or can't care. He is a nervous wreck and I'll continue to say it transmits itself to rest of the defence. Goodplaya reckons he and Gallas don't even make eye contact anymore. How is this being allowed to continue?
