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Manchester United can do it on a cold, windy Wednesday night in Stoke
Under Tony Pulis, Stoke City’s game was universally known – it was physical and aggressive. When Barcelona won it all and were being touted as the best club in the world, one of the oft repeated quotes, was “can they do it on a cold, windy Wednesday night in Stoke?” Unfortunately that was never really put to the test, but at least on Wednesday night’s evidence, Manchester United certainly can. Even if the current Stoke side are far from similar to the one that played under Pulis.
With Mark Hughes trying to lay the foot down and play football, there has certainly been a difference, albeit an inconsistent one. Against United, the game was stopped for 10 minutes around the half-hour after the referee Mark Clattenburg complained that he couldn’t see a thing. It was raining as if there was no tomorrow, and the hailstones were the size of golf balls. Although the players reemerged in a little while, that analogy of it being a difficult night in Stoke was certainly true. Whatever the case, United came through in the end.
Young proves his detractors wrong
One of the scapegoats for Manchester United, so far this season has been Ashley Young. Often, his reputation of diving precedes him and doesn’t do him too many favors. In the game against Shakhtar, he was wasteful in his finishing and there were those who were calling for his head. But against Stoke, Young showed just how good he can be, if he stays on his feet.
The English winger put in a man of the match performance, scoring one goal and creating the other for Evra. His goal, the one that effectively swung the tide in United’s favour was a thing of beauty. After some clever attacking play, Hernandez with his back to goal, gave Young the perfect pass to hit one from the edge of the D. And hit it he did, as Young’s first-time rising drive was hit with such ferocity that it almost took the net out. If he continues to play like he did against Stoke, United won’t miss their strikers all that much.
Will the Capital One Cup be Moyes’s best chance of silverware this season?
Before the game, Moyes said in an interview that his desire to win ever competition that they are a part of stills remains. “We want to win all the competitions that we are involved in and we’ll do everything we can to remain in them. I always try to win every trophy I can and the Capital One Cup is no different.” After the win against Stoke, United were drawn with Sunderland in the semi-final, a side whose best result in the competition was reaching the final in 1985, the same year they got relegated.
A victory against Sunderland will mean that it will either be City or West Ham in the final and Moyes will be one step closer to adding a second piece of silverware to his kitty this season. And although United can’t boast of a squad on the same level as City, in a final, anything can happen, as was evident from Wigan’s victory in the FA Cup final last time out. And if he does win it that will go a long way towards helping Moyes ease into his seat.
United look like they are ready to mount a comeback again
Just when it looked like United were slowly sorting themselves out in the League, back-to-back home defeats against Everton and Newcastle hardly helped matters. But the last week has certainly been favorable for Moyes, has it has seen his side not only get through to the knockout stage of the Champions League as winners, but also get a favorable draw and victory over Stoke meant that they are two wins away from a piece of silverware.
What is all the more reassuring for Moyes is that, his side have won the last three games in three different competitions, scoring 6 goals and conceding none. That is certainly a welcome sign for Moyes as injuries to his two leading strikers means that the attack isn’t at full strength as of now. But, with a favorable set of fixtures going into the New Year, if United can claim maximum points from all of them, they might still be in with a shout for the title.
Returning Rafael adds stability to the defence
It should come as no surprise that United’s run of three clean sheets in a row in all competitions has coincided with the return of Rafael to the starting lineup. Because, as good as Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were, at right back, it was not their natural position and the return of the Brazilian has given them both a license to play in their natural position.
One of the striking aspects of Rafael’s play is his link-up play with Valencia. Against Aston Villa, the duo sliced open the Villa defense at every opportunity and gave them all sorts of problems. Although the duo weren’t up to the same level against Stoke, their understanding meant that once again, United tended to attack down the right flank. The Brazilian bombs forward at every opportunity and has also become a lot more mature, when it comes to his defensive play. This means that, for the first time this season, Moyes has had both fullbacks pushing on and supporting the attack and creating plenty of chances. And that certainly bodes well, with the games coming thick and fast.
