NK86
Full Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2012
- Messages
- 10,605
Thought he was brilliant in the second half. People slate him because he has a few (admittedly all of them) bad crosses, but out attacking play came from him and Evra, and then Mata when he came on. Remove Rooney's two goals and he would have been a 5 performance - one which was a penalty. Valencia drove our attack again and again. His link-up in front of goal was also terrific. In the second half he also started running at the defense at full speed, which was lovely to see.
Almost everyone was excellent in the second half, but when we needed that quality in the first, he kept fecking up good opportunities. Says all about him really at the moment. We cannot rely on him to help us open up defenses and put some good crosses into the box for us to benefit. When we are as great as we were second half, he comes into his own (well, sort of). Has been the story this season. All his decent performances have coincided when we have a couple of goals for cushion.
But to expect him to help us get the first goal or break a defense down like we needed in the first half, and he is nowhere to be seen except for when he tries to go through the defender's shin.