Vince – The most frustrating team in the Premier League
Manchester United might be the most frustrating team in the Premier League. Last night’s 4-4 draw with Aston Villa perfectly summed up everything wrong with this team. Somehow, United managed to concede four goals within the opening two minutes of each half combined, yet still showed enough attacking quality to score four of their own. How does a team look so completely lost one minute and so dangerous the next?
That’s what makes this team so maddening. The talent is clearly there. We’ve seen what they’re
capable of when they actually show up and play with some urgency. But the lack of concentration, defensive discipline, and consistency is absolutely ridiculous. One minute you’re wondering how this team can compete with anyone, and the next you’re wondering why they aren’t competing for the top four.
Manchester United aren’t frustrating because they lack talent. They’re frustrating because they keep showing us how good they could be, only to remind us how far away they really are.
Colin – Fans are right, new stadium serves no one but ownership
The MVP for Manchester United this season is the Old Trafford crowd. Every bit of joy that could be taken from this miserable start to the campaign has been a credit to them in some fashion or another, and that came to life last week in the Champions League. The comeback win over Roma did not present long term solutions to the team on the pitch, but it demonstrated what makes it all worthwhile.
The crowd backed Michael Carrick in the disastrous loss to Bournemouth two weeks ago and has continued to do so since then, but it all felt much more a riposte to the owners and executives who have continued to bleed the club of both money and talent while covering holes with scotch tape.
On Sunday, those that did stay were rewarded for their efforts with another dramatic close. It was a strange feeling after the draw, overcoming a two-goal deficit twice to earn a point, but it showed once again that what made Old Trafford a force in spirit was the crowd. The mental edge built over decades of success and special moments. The club simply doesn’t have the team to back that up, and hasn’t for some time, but what certainly won’t help is spending resources on a new ground. Fix the roof and keep the ones who matter dry, and sort out the rest before spending big on anything else.
