Another weekend and another insipid, uninspired performance from Manchester United.
It is not enough we have to endure a 90-minute bore-a-thon each week in the Premier League but Louis van Gaal’s side have even managed to transfer their sleep-inducing brand of football to the FA Cup, needing a 94th-minute penalty to beat Sheffield United, a third division side, to secure safe passage to the competition’s fourth round.
Wayne Rooney, the scorer of said penalty that guarantees us at least another 90 minutes of tedium, has been largely singled out for criticism – behind the manager – as the reason United can string 100 passes together but can barely muster a shot at goal.
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But Rooney is not the only reason United lack penetration in the final third, the chief culprit is Bastian Schweinsteiger.
You can see why United’s revered German World Cup-winning captain and midfielder was allowed to move to Old Trafford by Bayern Munich, the club where he is held in such high esteem having led the Bavarians to every major domestic and European title in a 13-year playing career, last summer; he simply is just no longer the dominant force he once was.
It is quite a fall from grace for Schweinsteiger, the inspiration and driving force as Germany lifted the World Cup in Brazil two years ago, where he was voted man of the match in the final against Argentina. The most complimentary thing you can say about the 2016 Schweinsteiger is that he is economic with the ball, rarely giving it away but never offering a killer pass.
With Van Gaal persisting with playing Juan Mata out wide, United are denied a genuine No 10 playmaker in a central role, someone with the ability to unlock the tightest of defences. Schweinsteiger, once the dominant force in European football, offers solidity and security when the fans are screaming out for energy and excitement.
The one time Schweinsteiger ventured forward against Sheffield United he ended in a crumpled heap after a defender easily dispossessed him, a sight that encapsulated both Schweinsteiger’s and United’s season so far.
Punish all handballs
The most shocking decision of the weekend’s FA Cup action undoubtedly goes to the awarding Tottenham Hotspur a last-minute penalty against Leciester City.
Tottenham left-back Danny Rose ventured forward into the Leicester area and as he attempted to go down the outside of Nathan Dyer, the ball looped up and the Leicester winger inadvertedly nudged the ball with his arm as he turned.
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It was truly a horror show. As much as anything, Rose’s reaction won the referee, Robert Madley, over, jumping around like he had just walked over hot coals barefoot. Substitute Harry Kane hammered home the resulting penalty to secure a 2-2 draw and a replay.
While most people will advocate the use of technology to determine whether there was any intent on Dyer’s part, there is an even simpler solution: every handball, whether deliberate or accidental is adjudged to be an infringement, resulting in either a penalty of a free kick.
This way all incidents are punished the same and will result in more scoring opportunities, too.
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