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Man United return to losing ways and England play a game nobody wants

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Wayne Rooney (2)

Guest writer Iain Anderson, of Why Say Anything fame, gives his take on Manchester United’s first defeat and the dreaded international break.

United’s failings return.

Having managed to scrape 7 points from their first three Premier league games, two of which were at home against mediocre opposition and one away against mediocre opposition, they came up against a half decent team for the first time this season when they met Swansea. They lost.

Having beaten Tottenham by a goal scored by Tottenham, then having beaten Aston Villa by a deflected goal from Januzaj, they failed to score at home against Newcastle.

This, unfortunately, gave rise to the opinion that United had miraculously acquired a good defence. They had kept three clean sheets against teams who, in fairness, didn’t look like scoring.

What has actually happened is that these results have papered over the cracks. Schneiderlin, Carrick and Schweinsteiger have done a reasonable job protecting the defence which has seen Daley Blind transformed into a centre half, which he certainly is not. Blind is better at protecting the defence along with the other three.

When left to actually do some defending against Swansea, United were woefully short. Andre Ayew’s equalising goal was from a free header on the edge of the six yard box. Where were Smalling and Blind? Surely one of them should have picked him up in the middle of the area.

The winning goal was a comedy of errors. The ball was played between Smalling and Darmian for Gomis to score at the near post. Firstly, Smalling was too slow to react, secondly, where was Romero? I still believe goalkeepers should never be beaten at the near post.

United’s problem is that they play possession football when they are leading one-nil, as though they are leading three-nil.

Instead of going for the confidence sapping second goal, United continued to pass the ball. Backwards, forwards, sideways and any other way. They didn’t achieve anything other than making their possession statistics look very good. Unfortunately for van Gaal and his philosophy, possession does not win games. Goals win games.

On the subject of goals, Rooney returned to his lacklustre ways. At the moment he doesn’t look as though he’s going to score unless he plays against a Belgian team that has to come out and score, leaving space behind.

Fellaini came on, as he usually does when United need a goal, and became the target of long high balls very few of which actually reached him.

Shortly after the transfer window closes, the misfiring Rooney will get his chance to break another goalscoring record for England when they play another meaningless international, (having already qualified), against San Marino.

Can somebody please explain why all Premier League fixtures are suspended when England play? Even if they play on a Wednesday, the previous weekends fixtures are suspended. It isn’t as though it makes any difference. England still has a very poor team. In fact, the last time England had a reasonable team, in 1966, they managed to win a trophy and play several friendlies in the lead up without suspending any domestic fixtures.

Could it be, by any chance, that interest in England is that non-existent that the FA don’t want anything to affect the number of people who will attend the game, or watch it on TV, so they make sure there is nothing else to see?

I doubt it, but it is a slight possibility.

Like this article? Read more at Iain’s personal blog.

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