Had to deal with precisely one shot on target before United scored. Dealt with it.
Hedwiges Naduro - 6
Kept Dimitar Berbatov quiet for most of the game but his failure to react quickly enough resulted in United's goal.
David Navarro - 6
Rarely threatened by a lacklustre United side. It was solid rather than a spectacular display by Navarro.
Jérémy Mathieu - 7.5
Was superb against Nani, winning most of the battles with the winger and making sure his mazy runs did not hurt Valencia too much. Helped out his central defenders more than once as well.
Miguel - 7
Played well with Pablo on the right - overlapping the winger and pumping in some useful balls, especially in the second-half. An off-colour Ji-Sung Park rarely troubled him in defence.
Alberto Costa (off 74') - 6
Kept possession well for the Spaniards and seemed to always be around to pick up the loose balls. Strangely reluctant to venture into United's final third though and Valencia suffered because of that.
David Albelda (off 88') - 5
Worked his socks off in midfield and won his fair share of the balls against Anderson and Carrick. Very limited range of passing meant he could not do much with though.
Juan Mata - 4
Failed to show much evidence of the class that he undoubtedly possesses. In fact, the only evidence of his quality was one defence-splitting pass that Valencia failed to take advantage of. Usually chose the wrong option most of the time.
Pablo Hernandez - 8
The best player on the pitch by a distance. Pablo tormented Patrice Evra, skipping past the Frenchman quite easily. Too bad Valencia strikers didn't think it worth their while to make runs into the penalty area and meet the winger's crosses.
Alejandro Damian Dominguez (off 59') - 2
Pathetic. Failed to provide any support whatsoever to Roberto Soldado and was rightly subbed early in the second-half.
Roberto Soldado - 5
Was isolated up front as Valencia, apart from Hernandez, failed to get players into the United box. Looked more comfortable after Adruiz came on - linking up well with the wide man on the left.
Subs
Aritz Adruiz (on 59') - 7
Opened up previously unused areas of the pitch for the Spaniards and drew defenders with him as well. Allowed Soldado to at least get some breathing space around the penalty area.
Manuel Fernandes (on 74') - n.a
Mehmet Topal (on 88')- n.a
Man United
Edwin van der Sar - 5
Had even less to do than the Valencia keeper.
Nemanja Vidic - 7
Kept Soldado under control and cleared Pablo's dangerous crosses more often than not. Not the most difficult game the Serbian has played in his career.
Rio Ferdinand - 7
It was a good return to action for the central-defender. Made a couple of absolutely crucial interceptions as Valencia stepped up the tempo in the second-half. Will be pleased to have lasted the full 90 minutes.
Patrice Evra - 2.5
A shocking performance by the Frenchman. Forget the lethal runs that he normally makes, Evra was very poor in defence as well. Valencia identified this weakness and most of their attacks came down his flank. United were lucky they were not punished for Evra's lackadaisical form.
Rafael (off 90') - 6.5
Managed to keep the dangerous Mata quiet for large periods of the game. However, there was barely any forward thrust from the youngster.
Michael Carrick - 5
Was poor in the first-half, but started winning more balls later in the game - making sure Valencia never threatened down the centre of the pitch.
Anderson (off 77') - 6
Provided a couple of pleasing cross-field passes to Nani - the sole highlights in what was an eminently forgettable first half for United. Almost nothing to speak of in the second-half though.
Darren Fletcher - 4
There were a couple of neat triangles with Nani and Park, but they were sandwiched by some really poor control in midfield. A more attack-minded team would have taken advantage of Fletcher's carelessness.
Park Ji-Sung - 3.5
Where is the Park who finished off last season in such great form? The South Korean's slow start to the season continued with another poor performance. Wasted possession and failed to support Nani up front.
Nani - 7
Was a distinct second-best to Mathieu for about 75 minutes of the game. However, as the full-back began to tire, Nani began to get past him easily. A couple of great balls served Valencia a warning before a searing run down the right resulted in the United goal.
Dimitar Berbatov (off 85') - 5
There were occasional flashes of brilliance from the Bulgarian but he lacked support up front as United kept losing possession in midfield.
Subs
Javier Hernandez (on 77') - 8.5
Talk about an impact sub! Linked up well with Nani after coming on and even hit the post before superb control and finish four minutes from time handed United the game.
Federico Macheda (on 85') - 7
Assisted in Hernandez's goal with a square ball that Hernandez controlled and buried in the net.
ohn O’Shea says it’s vital Manchester United approach Saturday’s match at the Stadium of Light in the right frame of mind. If not, he warns, Sunderland will claim another big-name scalp.
The Black Cats have already taken points off Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool this season, while Sir Alex’s men are yet to win away from home in the league.
“We know it’s going to be difficult,” John O’Shea said. “The last few seasons we’ve had some very tough games up there.
“We have to go up to Sunderland with the right attitude and the right physical approach. If we don’t do that then they’ll come out on top. If we have the right physical and mental attitude we should get three points. We know we should definitely have a couple of away wins on the board by now.”
Winning at Sunderland is certainly no formality. Steve Bruce’s side have only lost one of their last 13 home games in the league, although that was to United back in May.
O’Shea isn’t surprised by Sunderland’s impressive home form, though. He says the Sunderland fans make the Stadium of Light an intimidating place to play football.
“If we under-perform it’s going to be tough. We know all about the atmosphere there – if Sunderland win a throw-in or a free-kick their fans cheer as if they’ve scored. We have to control the crowd, keep possession and make sure we keep Sunderland pushed back as much as we can.
“We know they’re going to get free-kicks and corners and that’s where we hope we do our jobs defensively.
“It’s only a matter of time before we start keeping clean sheets away from home. Teams haven’t been tearing us apart. At times it’s just been the bounce of a ball going against us – little things like that.”
Despite helping navigate United to a historic 1-0 win over Valencia in the Champions League, only the club’s second on Spanish soil in 19 attempts, Ji-sung Park is not happy.
The South Korea captain was brutally honest when reflecting upon his own performance at the Mestalla Stadium, yet is adamant he can turn his frown upside down with plenty of hard graft on the training pitch.
“I am not satisfied with my performances this season.” Park told MUTV: “I have to improve. I have to show more on the pitch. Particularly in the first-half my performance was bad. The second-half was better.
“I don't know why my performances have not been good. Maybe I was not ready for the season. I am still looking forward to the future. I have to show I can do better.”
He added: “Mentally I have been weak. But I missed a couple of games and then played again. It is always difficult to balance the performance. But since I joined Manchester United it has been like that. I know how to deal with that. I have to improve.”
Victory in Valencia places United top of Champions League Group C and is a much-needed confidence boost for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, who despite maintaining an unbeaten record have stumbled somewhat away from Old Trafford, where lapses in concentration have seen three points dramatically turn to one.
Park, however, remains bullish and is certain the Reds can overcome any obstacle placed in the way of their quest for more silverware and glory.
“Throughout Manchester United's history we always come up with answers to problems. Big stars come and go but still Manchester United keep producing the same performances. We just concentrate on that to make sure we show our quality on the pitch.”
Park declared: “The past has gone. We look forward to the future. Maybe the Valencia win is another step towards improvement.
“We needed three points. We knew Valencia had been doing well this season but we were sharp defensively and we prepared well. At the end of the game we managed to score. It was enough to win and get three points.”
p/s : yup,ah park lu manyak lemau r lari2 saje tarak guna maa.. lu bukan muda sangat pon.. tp sikap rajin lu tu yg wa suke.. position kena control dulu baru pikir nak speed up or attack.. stamina pon dah byk drop since lepas WC.. so ah park lu kena belajar dgn unkel giggs cara2 mau kekal bertenaga..
Post time 30-9-2010 12:31 PM
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