The starting line up was about right although I would have started with Aurelio and Crouch instead of Riise and the woeful Kuyt. This game panned out the way they always do. We dominated in every area apart from the ones that didn't matter, we sweated for ages and then they get the only goal. Pepe was so quiet that he could have a night on the town wearing the same shirt tonight and his deodorant would still be fresh.
I won't go to United games anymore so I had to make do with Sky. I thought at one point that they had replayed last year's game by mistake as it bore all the hallmarks. Lots of possession but never having the wit or guile to get behind them, and a streaky dodgy goal from the visitors. These games tend to have a "first goal wins" feeling to them so I feared the worst by the break and, judging by the slow and turgid display in the second half, so did the team. Only Ryan Babel can claim any credit for his efforts.
It's hard to blame one player as such when the entire team showed a lack of urgency and, tellingly, a respect for the United team that was massively exaggerated. Any team wilts when the weaker opponents decide to see how they react to constant pressure. See the home Marseille game.
I refuse to blame the manager too much as that'll be the job of the red tops but I take umbrage at Kuyt's role. Having a player on the pitch because he works hard is not enough to guarantee a role in the first team. I like my strikers to score and, despite his goal in midweek, he doesn't have that ability at this level. Is there an opposing manager in the country who thinks "Jesus, I hope they don't bring Kuyt on"? If there was ever a game for Crouch to start it was this one but he sat on the bench as usual.
In the long term, I expect Rafa to have a minor censure about his remarks to Bill and Ted and then for it to be over. It'll be business as usual for Portsmouth next Saturday. This game will be debated well into the New Year but I wonder how long the Reading surrender will live in the memory. That was Rafa's lowest point in the League - his "Burnley," so to speak. It was then where we saw Rafa gamble and lose. Today we only saw him take the long walk home from the casino, too skint to take a cab, whereas it was his bizarre team selection last week that saw us move from contenders to also-rans in the League.