Man Utd was at their free flowing best in the first half of the Shield. For a moment, Nani gave hope to all Man Utd fans of forgetting Cristiano Ronaldo when he struck a sweetly taken goal after cutting in from the left. He has scored a few times from that exact position, and I think it will not be his last.
Nani is no Ronaldo and we know that. Clearly, Man Utd is still adaping to play without a winger who gives you penetration from all over the field. You could kind of see clearly now that Man Utd is more about passing and finding the best positions to threaten defenders. Players are working harder to run into spaces and also slow down play when options are few. Finding the right player in the right position in a classic 4-4-2 formation, with Rooney and Berbatov switching places throughout the match in a staggered front two is the key to Man Utd's attacking play now that there is no Ronaldo to go to when looking for a spark.
The keyword is spark. Ronaldo was the spark for Man Utd in the entire 90 minutes he plays on the field. Now the team has to share that responisbility. Nani provided it in the first half. The evergreen Ryan Giggs provided it in the second. Berbatov made intelligent runs and linkplay while Park was his usual industrious self, finding himself in good scoring positions more than a few times. It is a more balanced footballing side now at Man Utd. Yes, the lack of a go-to man can be less of an advantage to Man Utd now, but the teamplay has improved as a whole with Ronaldo gone. While he used to hog the play of Man Utd, his absence now has given Man Utd an edge in unpredictability. The team showed more variety and the linkplay within the first half was exquisite to say the least.
Chelsea did came back stronger in the second half. Man Utd will have to improve their defensive awareness in the coming week, especially that of the custodian Ben Foster whose kicking leaves more to be desired if he is to replace the excellent kicker that is Edwin Van der Sar.
The most encouraging sign of the day for Sir Alex must be the equalising goal by Rooney in the last minute of the game. It showed that the team has not lost any of its winning appetite and fighting spirit that they are famed for, and that without Ronaldo, other players like Giggs and Rooney are still capable of coming up with the goods when crunch time is on. The coaches and players will be encouraged to see that they did not look out of sorts against a top four rival than what many will have predicted them to be without a certain star player in Ronaldo.
Man Utd can adapt to play without Ronaldo. The thing that Sir Alex will be worried about though is the lack of players who can play behind the opposing defence. Ronaldo use to do that many times against slower defenders on the turn like John Terry when Carrick punted those searching long balls from midfield. Micheal Owen was the best at it during his heydays but he has lost some of the pace that allowed him to beat the fullbacks now. Rooney and Berbatov generally prefer to play with the ball to their feet. Sir Alex will look to rectify that during this last week leading up to the new competitive season. Owen will probably fulfill the role of chasing down long balls now but at his age of 29, Sir Alex and his coaching team needs to find the right balance in Owen's game to utilise him fully.
This season is a test of wits and tactical acumen for the coaching team at Man Utd. To replace Ronaldo, you need more than a like-for-like player, you need to change a system. The team does look like they are up to it, but they need to sustain momentum for a longer period than just a half if this match is anything to go by.
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