A win? At Old Trafford? Something must be wrong, or probably finally going right for David Moyes and Manchester United. More consistency in the lineup, making the right choices, while the Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck partnership is working out quite well up front, and Adnan Januzaj continues to show his fantastic development into what might be someday a world class left winger.
A 3-1 win over West Ham (and it wasn’t that close) doesn’t take the team back into the title race, but with some clubs it only takes the beginning of a streak to get everyone excited and feeling like things are going to change. The mistreatment of Shinji Kagawa aside, Wayne Rooney is perfect for the team in his role of playing behind the striker, giving him a lot of freedom and space to operate. There’s no one who does it better in the Premier League, and it’s better for Manchester United when he’s not concentrated on scoring for them, but on creating chances for others while being in a position that enables him to help the midfield.
The Phil Jones – Tom Cleverley duo might not be the most impressive in the land when you first look at the name-sheet, but the formation of a trio along with Rooney when he drops down gives Manchester United some very nice balance, at least against teams that don’t offer too much of a threat in the middle of the park like lowly West Ham. Michael Carrick shouldn’t be worried about his place in the lineup when he makes his return, but it’s good to know there is actually an option out there for Moyes to feel confident about.
It’s useless talking about a defense that was barely tested by West Ham, playing only not to concede, unlike their successful White Hart Lane visit in the middle of the week, performing quite well in the League Cup. It’s a matter of confidence, and smelling blood. West Ham are out there not to lose in the league, but it’s different in a cup tie, especially against a broken down team like Spurs are at the moment, struggling to find a manager.
Patrice Evra is the only defender worth mentioning because of the unusual sight of him staying back when we’ve gotten used to seeing him mirror Rafael on the left wing. It didn’t really stop Manchester United from being very decisive early on, as Januzaj had plenty of freedom and no need to worry about lack of space on the left wing. If only he’d stop his pathetic diving.
From one diver to the next, Ashley Young is finding himself becoming more and more involved. After his brace against Stoke he added a wonderful goal to make it 3-0 against West Ham. It seems that he’s still very frustrating to watch, just like Antonio Valencia is for so many minutes, but the system Moyes is using calls for true wingers, and he can’t forget completely about players who can become of use to him, even if means dealing with the bad side of their game as well.