It has been nearly 48 hours and I still cannot believe we conceded a last minute equaliser. But what concerns me more is the manner in which we conceded and also the performance which was devoid of any passion or commitment. With all due respect a 2-2 home draw against Porto is not a result that would have pleased most fans and if you listen to the Manchester United Football FanCast, you will get a sense of the disbelief Mariano Gonzalez has induced on three passionate fans.
Manchester United went into the Champions League Quarter-Final with a renewed sense of optimism. Federico Macheda and his wonder strike lifted the mood amongst the Old Trafford faithful after two back-to-back defeats. However, I believe it merely papered over the cracks of a disintegrating defence. Poor performances against Liverpool, Fulham, Aston Villa and now Porto has many United fans scratching their heads in disbelief, as their side only one month ago looked unbeatable.
Before Liverpool visited the Theatre of Dreams, United were indeed riding the crest of a wave. They hadn't been beaten since 2008 and had not conceded a goal in five million games, then suddenly Steven Gerrard is kissing the camera and United look five million miles from the team that broke so many records. Some said this was a one off, Fulham proved everyone wrong.
After the much needed international break, Aston Villa travelled to Old Trafford and after being humbled by Liverpool 5-0 in their last game, few would have backed them against United. Watching in amazement, it seemed as though no one in red cared about the game, result or title. The lack of fight in the first 70 minutes was, in a word, shocking. Ultimately United did not deserve the victory but credit must go to their young Italian for producing a moment of magic.
Enter FC Porto, beaten twice in 24 games but still perceived as one of the weaker sides. They passed the ball around a poor trio of Carrick, Scholes and Fletcher as if they weren't present. The Portuguese side counter-attacked with a vigour that most teams would have found difficult to cope with and defended resolutely (disregarding Rooney's first goal).
Assessing these four games, it would appear we have had or are in the middle of our ‘blip' but most of all deficiencies have been shown at the back and in centre midfield. I feel we have missed Owen Hargreaves, as a player who could harass the opposition would have been very handy, especially against Porto.
The form over the last 3 weeks or so has been woeful and there is not one single player who can be considered immune from criticism. It is now that the team need to find that little bit extra as they have come so far and look as if they want to fall at the final hurdle. Not much talk of quintuples now is there.
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