United played Liverpool this weekend. Even going by the thumb rule that it never is just a game when these two teams meet, the occasion was pregnant with a full litter of meaning.
Liverpool made United turn a corner this season. The result at Anfield got JM sacked, opening the door for history to eerily repeat itself. An under-performing team, some years past its glory days, hires a youngish manager with a reasonably successful record in another league. SAF took a few years to get things going, rope almost no EPL manager will be given these days. But he immediately addressed the dressing room culture issue, just like OGS did. And, remember that SAF inherited just the nucleus of a great side, building it with some excellent buys and bringing it to life with the Class of '92, a batch of gifted home-grown players; the coming together of a set of people and circumstances that probably will never be repeated.
What was OGS looking at? A side with a core of undeniably gifted young individuals and squad players, collectively struggling to work with a man whose psychological strategies have, according to the weight of evidence, only worked in the short-term. Consider United's desperate mindset. To hire JM not for his stunning winning record but despite his stunningly odious management pattern. The club still hungry for titles but unable to recall the correct recipe to whet the appetite.
To cut a long story short, United lose at Anfield in December 2018 and something finally breaks. OGS comes in, chewing the slightly bitter pill of caretaker manager. The man who gave United the greatest moment in their history knows how to win... with this club. OGS does what he must and the team begins to put together a wish-fulfilling winning streak. Naturally, this divides observers. Some opine that the opponents were weak, implying that victory is the only expected result. Others say tougher tests are waiting and true colours will only be revealed after those games. United cannot win everyone over but they can win games or stop losing them.
United draw against Burnley and they lose to PSG. Here's where we experience something interesting and familiar - greed. Having tasted consistent victory again, we now want United to keep giving us this winning feeling. But the PSG game is a gentle reality check. That only the core of a potentially great United team currently exists. That the opponent was a cut above, in terms of individuals and as a team. That only City are the complete article and, as I write this, the only team who could potentially win not only a treble but a quadruple this season. Either would be an immortal achievement simply because of how little time it'd have taken a group of people to come together under one gaming philosophy to win it all. Sure, it took a hell of a lot of money. But, City also brought in the right manager and gave him some time to instill the team with his style of play.
This United team cannot be called as good as City's. So, when they come up against a traditional rival who, for once, actually has a chance to win the league, the ramifications of the result are fascinatingly endless. To have beaten Liverpool despite losing three mainstays in the first half itself would have been an astonishing result albeit a lucky one. OGS knows that this United team isn't lucky enough to eke out a win despite being hamstrung in such bizarre fashion. Yet.
Yesterday's result against Liverpool is neatly bracketed proof as good as any that United turned a corner in December. Will they beat PSG in the return leg? No. Can they finish in the top four this season. Yes. Can they win the FA Cup? If they remain consistent until the final, where it looks like they'll have to beat City.
It's going to be incredibly tough but United fans need to stop craving old feelings. And, start preparing to taste new ones. There are more corners to be negotiated by this team. It's not SAF but Ole who is at the wheel so there will be many new emotions to feel. It'll take some time but one day, a particular corner may be turned and the players will look at each other and believe...
Song for the moment: In our prime - The Black Keys
Liverpool made United turn a corner this season. The result at Anfield got JM sacked, opening the door for history to eerily repeat itself. An under-performing team, some years past its glory days, hires a youngish manager with a reasonably successful record in another league. SAF took a few years to get things going, rope almost no EPL manager will be given these days. But he immediately addressed the dressing room culture issue, just like OGS did. And, remember that SAF inherited just the nucleus of a great side, building it with some excellent buys and bringing it to life with the Class of '92, a batch of gifted home-grown players; the coming together of a set of people and circumstances that probably will never be repeated.
What was OGS looking at? A side with a core of undeniably gifted young individuals and squad players, collectively struggling to work with a man whose psychological strategies have, according to the weight of evidence, only worked in the short-term. Consider United's desperate mindset. To hire JM not for his stunning winning record but despite his stunningly odious management pattern. The club still hungry for titles but unable to recall the correct recipe to whet the appetite.
To cut a long story short, United lose at Anfield in December 2018 and something finally breaks. OGS comes in, chewing the slightly bitter pill of caretaker manager. The man who gave United the greatest moment in their history knows how to win... with this club. OGS does what he must and the team begins to put together a wish-fulfilling winning streak. Naturally, this divides observers. Some opine that the opponents were weak, implying that victory is the only expected result. Others say tougher tests are waiting and true colours will only be revealed after those games. United cannot win everyone over but they can win games or stop losing them.
United draw against Burnley and they lose to PSG. Here's where we experience something interesting and familiar - greed. Having tasted consistent victory again, we now want United to keep giving us this winning feeling. But the PSG game is a gentle reality check. That only the core of a potentially great United team currently exists. That the opponent was a cut above, in terms of individuals and as a team. That only City are the complete article and, as I write this, the only team who could potentially win not only a treble but a quadruple this season. Either would be an immortal achievement simply because of how little time it'd have taken a group of people to come together under one gaming philosophy to win it all. Sure, it took a hell of a lot of money. But, City also brought in the right manager and gave him some time to instill the team with his style of play.
This United team cannot be called as good as City's. So, when they come up against a traditional rival who, for once, actually has a chance to win the league, the ramifications of the result are fascinatingly endless. To have beaten Liverpool despite losing three mainstays in the first half itself would have been an astonishing result albeit a lucky one. OGS knows that this United team isn't lucky enough to eke out a win despite being hamstrung in such bizarre fashion. Yet.
Yesterday's result against Liverpool is neatly bracketed proof as good as any that United turned a corner in December. Will they beat PSG in the return leg? No. Can they finish in the top four this season. Yes. Can they win the FA Cup? If they remain consistent until the final, where it looks like they'll have to beat City.
It's going to be incredibly tough but United fans need to stop craving old feelings. And, start preparing to taste new ones. There are more corners to be negotiated by this team. It's not SAF but Ole who is at the wheel so there will be many new emotions to feel. It'll take some time but one day, a particular corner may be turned and the players will look at each other and believe...
Song for the moment: In our prime - The Black Keys
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