The Table Does Lie
The early season form-book may have been turned on its head, but normal service will soon be resumed.
Tony Cascarino, 29 Aug 2007
"Sack Fergie and Sven for England!” seems to be the consensus after the Manchester derby, but I still think City will struggle, and United will run Chelsea right to the wire this season.
Everyone but Stevie Wonder could see that Man City were totally outclassed on Sunday and, apart from Geovanni’s goal, didn’t trouble Van der Sar once. They surrendered possession so cheaply that, on another day, United could have stuck four or five past them.
Nine points out of nine and no goals conceded are impressive stats, but West Ham were shocking against City at Upton Park, and Derby County look every bit as far off the Premiership pace this season as Watford were last.
That said, a couple of Sven’s foreign signings look useful, and in Richard Dunne and Micah Richards they’ve a central defensive partnership that should keep them out of the relegation mire.
No one’s seriously suggesting that Alex Ferguson will be the first Premiership manager to get his P45 this season – that dubious honour is likely to go to Sammy Lee at Bolton – but he has been getting stick for United’s poor start to the campaign.
You have to bear in mind that Wayne Rooney and four or five other key players are injured: Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves aren’t match fit; and that they’re without Ronaldo because of his abject stupidity in the Portsmouth game.
He may have stuck up for the young lad publicly, but in private Alex will have given him an almighty bollocking, and told him that opponents winding you up is part and parcel of being a flair player. If I’d twatted every opposition defender who’d slagged off my wife, told me I was shit or questioned my parentage, I’d have ended up in jail.
I do think that Man U’s play this season has been too tip-tappy and lacking in variation. Given Saha’s history of injuries, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex puts a £10 million-plus bid in for Nicolas Anelka who won’t want to stick around at Bolton if there’s a relegation battle brewing. Another player who’d spice up their attack and give them different options is Peter Crouch, but given the tug-o-war over Gabriel Heinze there’s no way that Rafael Benitez is going to let him to go to Old Trafford.
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