Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
Well, I don’t think many of us would have backed Cluj to beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Hands up if you did?
Anyone, OK then I’ll continue. Not many fans would have backed the Romanian champions to have won this game, even with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and David De Gea all in the starting line-up.
However it’s happened now and there’s not a lot that we can do about it now, not that any of us could have done anything to change the game in the first place. After all we’re not Sir Alex Ferguson and if we were him, then we’d probably right-now be regretting the header that Chris Smalling somehow missed in the first-half.
Cluj fought hard for the victory and neutrals will probably feel sorry for them that despite doing what they needed to do (winning at Old Trafford) that the other result in the group went against them as Galatasaray’s win over Braga saw the Turkish side advance through to the Last 16 of the Champions League at the expense of Paulo Sergio’s gutsy outfit.
It was one of those nights which United never really got going. Perhaps the fact it was a meaningless game got to them and the tempo wasn’t really there for United the whole game. Danny Welbeck worked hard along with Javier Hernandez but with Rooney and Giggs off-key there was never any fluidity to United’s attacks. You never really believed they’d score.
The positives on the night were the trio of Scott Wootton, Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell. All three looked comfortable on the night with Buttner showing great urgency and athleticism going forwards.
Buttner is by no means anywhere near Patrice Evra’s league yet in terms of an all-round game as a left-back and why should he be, after all he’s still coming to terms with the English game, but he looks hungry to impress and eager to learn and there are signs that perhaps, he could turn out to be an excellent player for the club.
So yes whilst it’s disappointing to lose at Old Trafford to a small Romanian team who we’re unlikley to play ever again, let’s sit in comfort knowing that it could be a lot worse. After all isn’t it great when we can afford to lose our last two games in the group stage when both Chelsea and Manchester City have crashed out of the competition.
In a way though perhaps a defeat will be a kick up the backside that will give our lads extra motivation to go out on Sunday and make up for last season’s two dismal defeats against Roberto Mancini’s side by coming away from the Etihad unbeaten. We’d all take losing to Cluj like we’ve done if that can be done this weekend.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
United Should beat Cluj at home even with a shadow side.
Rooney is playing poorly and this was a chance to impress, he didn't.
De Gea was in a warm up game after the other keeper had a nightmare at Reading. Smalling needed game time and Rafael's dummy spit might end his run in the first team.
Otherwise this was not value for money for the OT faithful, and this is a game of entertainment.
SAF said God help us on Sunday if we defend like at Reading but City's Champions League exit shows they are nothing to fear at this level.
We scraped into the knock phase unconvincing against anyone. Lucky United, nobody will fear us on the basis of the group stage.