We've become draw specialists, like Aston Villa and our friend David O'Leary. The teams differ here and there, but no one is able to gain an advantage.
If I had had Anelka instead of van Nistelrooy, I could be challenging for the top spots in the group. Or Mellberg for Watson. Or anyone for Koumas. As it is, this week was a case of 2 steps forward, 2 steps back.
As for Manchester United and Mr. Rooney, in the absence of Paul Scholes he was always going to be asked to drop back and create out of the midfield. That means he gets the early ball and sends it along to Giggs or Ronaldo running down the wings or be clattered by Boateng. And that was how the game went. I thought that this pattern of play would favor Ruud as he would be the target of crosses from the wingers. It did, but Ruud was never able to set his sights and he sent balls high, wide and into the crossbar. Everywhere but into the back of the net. Kudos to Boro who worked really hard and who's youngsters attacked and defended with the same enthusiasm and skill. In fact it was the more experienced players on that team, Zenden, Nemeth and Mendieta, who often ran and passed into no-man's-land, stifling good moves started by the likes of MacMahon, Morrison and Downing.
And now we have an international break. Nothing to do for two weeks save for watching the injury lists grow. Wake me when it's next Friday.
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