United vs. Wolves: Positives to Take from the Game

Losing to Wolves is obviously a blow to our title aspirations, but we have to put it into perspective and realize that it’s not all as bad as our title rives are desperate to make it out to be.

Of course, today it is very easy to put things into perspective. RIP Flowers of Manchester. Never forgotten.

It is very important that we do so. Things are not half as bad as they may seem, and you shouldn’t feel anywhere near as bad as you probably do (and I do) after the final whistle yesterday.

If we go another 29 games before losing again, we can do whatever we like with the 30th. Plus, we will also have No. 19 along with a whole host of other goodies.

Arsenal threw points away, and Chelsea still has to pick theirs up this weekend. Only City won, and we have a chance to put them to bed next weekend.

The psychological damage that the Arsenal result will do cannot be overstated. This is a mentally fragile Arsenal team—we saw it last weekend with Fabregas throwing a tantrum, and this week with Diaby getting stupidly sent off and everyone blaming the referee for their own inadequacies.

Their title challenge ends here.

Wolves, to their credit, played extremely well and, although you can argue that we didn’t create enough chances, that’s because they defended so well. Doyle had an absolute stormer. If we’re going to lose, it might as well be to a team that deserves to take something from the game.

The unnecessary pressure that was building on us to go unbeaten is now off. I shudder to think what would have happened if, five games closer to the end of the season, we suddenly lost the record unexpectedly. Heads would drop, hearts would sink, and we’d be in danger of throwing it all away.

Let Arsenal continue to claim that their side that won just one trophy that season was invincible. An invincible tank doesn’t necessarily kill anything. Going unbeaten is now a non-issue, and one less thing to worry about.

Unfortunately, one less savoury point to take from the game is, once again, the performance of Wayne Rooney. If we win the title this year, it will be in spite of everything he has done. It’s almost as if he’s deliberately gone out of his way to rock the boat and unsettle us as much as possible, while playing absolutely crappy in the meantime.

I had my hopes that, after his two goals against Villa, he would suddenly come to life and be the Rooney that we know. Unfortunately, he just looks uninterested again, and that’s the worst part of it.

He can have absolutely no excuses now about not being sharp, or being on a run of bad form. He just isn’t trying.

Then again, I suppose when you’re taking £250k a week out of a club you don’t give a hoot about, it’s difficult to motivate yourself, eh Wayne?

The retirement of Gary Neville this week has been met with the sort of positive press you would expect from a true Red, a man who devoted the best years of his life to the club, the badge and the Flowers of Munich.

Quite what they must think looking down on a petulant, selfish Rooney, is anyone’s guess.