Abhranil Roy
Yet another 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, yet another weekend during which social media go crazy while criticizing van Gaal. However, was it really as bad as they are making it out to be? Here are our 3 talking points from the game:
1. Fellaini has the physicality but not the intelligence
Maroune Fellaini was our saviour on numerous occasions last seasons, and he was thrown in today as a central attacking midfielder in the absence of Wayne Rooney to pose a physical threat to West Ham’s defence. However, the Hammers’ centre back, Winston Reid nullified his threat and because he is not a natural forward, the Belgian could not make a mark. Moreover, he also fluffed a gem of a chance and failed to take up the correct position on other occasions.
2. Juan Mata is not doing enough
Juan Mata has a habit of remaining anonymous for most of the game and then setting up or scoring the deciding goal in the dying minutes. However, of late the Spaniard has failed miserably in doing anything noteworthy and although today he did try to get involved in the game more centrally, yet he did not really pose enough of a threat. Once again.
3. The kids need time
Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial showed great will in attacking the West Ham defence today while Memphis Depay was excellent when he came on. The young fullbacks Paddy McNair and Varela were pretty decent too, with McNair putting in a couple of impressive crosses during his time on the field. United have got a host of young players and van Gaal is handing them debuts every other game, but one needs to have patience with them. Most of these young guns have a lot of promise, but they need a season or two to hone their skills properly.
