MAnchester United Vs Wigan

Manchester United obtained only their 4th away win of the league season on Saturday on what proved ultimately to be a comfortable afternoon. With the decisive second goal only appearing in the 74th minute, the previous action had been fairly even with the relegation threatened side holding their own against their title chasing opposition.

Ultimately there were various reasons for the eventual result and below are my thoughts on the main talking points.

Javier Hernandez - Baby faced assassin Mark II
Following his introduction onto the global stage during last summer's World Cup in South Africa, the "Little Pea" settled immediately into life in the goldfish bowl that is Manchester United on the pre-season American tour. He completed the rare feat of playing against and for United in the same game when he played for his old team Chivas in the first half and then swapped sides after half time.

What is impressive about Hernandez is the quality of his all round games at such an early stage of his career. He is adept with either foot, has immense pace, good spring for someone of 5ft 9" and the well used phrase "natural goalscorer" seems to fit his abilities comfortably. He also appears to have a fantastic attitude to the game. Stories abound how he is often first into training and the last to leave and it is very noticeable how he promotes the team ethic rather than concentrate on his own performances. All in all, it brings back memories of a certain Norwegian who arrived at Old Trafford as an unheralded youngster but left as a genuine club legend having beguiled everyone who encountered him with his sincerity and focus.

The one trait that has impressed me the most has been his movement. Both on and off the ball, he is never still, always looking to play on the shoulder of the last defender and then use his lightening pace to get away from the last man. Once through on goal, he seems to have ice running through his veins and invariably outwits the keeper to slot the ball home with either foot.

A perfect example of his movement to create goal scoring opportunities was seen at the DW Stadium on Saturday during the build up to his two goals.

Figure 1 below shows Hernandez on the edge of the box (circled) with the ball about to be picked up by Nani. At this point in the move, he is lurking behind Maynor Figueroa and about to make his decisive break. The defender will know he is there but will be happy that he has the danger covered.

Figure 1

Hernandez currently behind Figueroa heading towards goal anticipating a Nani cross

Figure 2 below is taken just three seconds later and look at the difference in positions of the two players. Hernandez has darted past Figueroa to the near post anticipating the cross from Nani while the defender was unable to react to the movement and is now a good distance away from the player that was in his pocket a few seconds ago.

Figure 2

Just three seconds later, he is at the near post applying the finishing touch and defender has lost him completely

The second example was seen in the Mexican's second goal. A long punt down field from Van Der Sar saw Hernandez deflect the ball off to Rooney and then he was alive to the prospect of a goal scoring opportunity as he darts towards the penalty box. Look at the distance at this point between the little Mexican and the last man Gary Caldwell shown by the arrow.

Figure 3

Laying the ball off and then "on his bike" towards goal

Figure 4 below is once again taken just three seconds later. By this time, Hernandez has collected the return pass from Rooney and is away towards goal with Caldwell struggling. A calm assured finish puts United two up and on the way to a valuable three points.

Figure 4

Three seconds later, clear of the last defender and on the way to his 2nd goal.

No doubt Hernandez will be back on the bench when Tuesday's match against Chelsea rolls around but he is certainly given the manager plenty of food for thought as he looks to how best to rotate his squad as the climax to the season approaches.

More United positives
Edwin Van Der Sar continues to defy the ageing process with yet another vital contribution. Key saves from Moses and McCarthy kept the home side at bay at a time when the destiny of the game could have gone either way. It could be argued that the giant Dutchman like a fine wine, is getting better with age. After a spell a few seasons ago when his powers seemed to be on the wane, he has recovered and is now arguably the form keeper in the league. His retirement will leave a massive void at the end of the season and he deserves a trophy laden end to a career that places him in the higher echelons in the world game.

Darron Gibson has been much maligned over the course of this season. Some of this criticism has been justified as he has struggled to make any impression but the last few games have offered a glimpse to a certain improvement. He clearly has ability and needs to capitalise on this over a longer period of time in the hope of winning over his critics.

Clearly the key to success this season is going to be based on our defensive solidity. Vidic has been a mainstay in the side and has visibly grown with the responsibility that being awarded the captaincy has brought. Smalling once more continued to show his composure and maturity deputising for the injured Ferdinand. The full backs Evra and O'Shea have been solid for the last few games and have done well to supplement the attack whenever possible. This solid base will be essential in the games to come as the ability to notch up regular clean sheets will result in victories in the vast proportion of matches.

Wayne Rooney - Elbow incident
If Rooney escapes without punishment for this incident then he will be a lucky boy indeed. To commit such an offence late in the game could be described as irresponsible but to do so as early in such an important game as he did is reckless in the extreme. He is on thin ice with many fans at the present time anyway and reducing his team to ten men would have brought a serious examination of his credibility as a United player seeing as he has been "rewarded" with the biggest contract in the club's history.

Obertan & Bebe


The image of Gabriel Obertan and Bebe in the stands at the DW Stadium seemingly more engrossed in an Ipod and a phone respectively, provoked a surge of messages to my twitter timeline. In some ways,the image was symbolic of many of the fears that the United faithful have in these two characters. The feeling is that they do not yet fully understand the privilege and responsibility that comes with being connected to Manchester United. It is widely thought that they do not have a sound grasp of the finer points of the game of football and that they would be well served taking the chance to listen to the observations of Ryan Giggs sandwiched between them. The image became even more iconic due to the presence of Sir Bobby Charlton in the row in front who would surely not have been impressed by their lack of enthusiasm for the match in front of them. I can give Bebe the benefit of the doubt as it may have simply been poor timing to catch him the exact moment that a message came through. There is however, no excuse for the Frenchman sat there in massive headphones looking distinctly bored. This is a player let's not forget, schooled at the much famed Clairefontaine academy in France that has produced numerous examples of quality over the years. I would imagine that the management will have a quiet word in his ear to explain the situation and why it looks disrespectful to his team mates.