It’s been said many times. We can all be the greatest managers in the world AFTER the game yet there are still some uncomfortable questions which keeps arising after Manchester United’s defeat at Molineux. Let me make it absolutely clear from the start that nobody has a higher respect for Sir Alex Fergusons judgement than I do. After all, who the hell am I to question his decisions? No doubt, there are times when gambles have to be taken by football managers, some are won, others lost and let’s face it, Sir Alex has come up trumps far more often than not over a long period of time. Even with the benefit of hindsight however, some questions still cannot help but go through my mind.
Ji-Sung Park had been one of the most impressive midfield players before going to the Asian Cup. He has been back for a full week with no apparent fitness concerns. Why was he not even on the bench?
- Anderson has put in some quite impressive shifts in midfield recently. Why did he not come on for Michael Carrick instead of – please forgive me, Paul Scholes?
- Two first half headed goals did the trick for Wolves! Did we not see that same act at Bloomfield Road only a couple of weeks ago? Rio Ferdinand was not on the field on both occasions but with the presence of the imposing Nemanja Vidic should United have conceded FOUR times?
- The longer the game went the more obvious it became that just one flash of unorthodox brilliance was what was required. Wayne Rooney was never going to provide it and Dimitar Berbatov was the most likely to, so why not Chicharito for Rooney. Did Berba pick up a knock that we are not aware of?
- As we all know, football can do your head in at times. An early goal SHOULD set you up for a good result but it can also sometimes work against you. Did Nani give United the lead too early? Could it have been a different result had his strike break the deadlock sometime in the second half instead?
All this must no doubt sound like a cat crying over spilled milk, I fully acknowledge it, but that’s far from the case. The brave, highly committed Wolves earned every one of those three points, United got and deserved nothing more than zilch. So why the hell do those questions continue to run through my mind?
Are you surprised that the unbeaten record came to an end when least expected?
