Manchester United vs. Norwich: Unimpressive Win Will Suit Red Devils Fine

Manchester United defeated Norwich City 2-0 today, breaking a streak of two matches where United had failed to win.

Now, the Red Devils still haven't lost a match, but a 1-1 draw to Stoke City and 3-3 home draw to FC Basel in Champions League play wasn't exactly what Manchester United had in mind.

So, even though their win today was hardly the dominant performance that United fans have come to expect, it was more than good enough.

EPL is a professional league. Style points only really matter in leagues where you're trying to impress pollsters.

While total goals are a tiebreaker, a 2-0 win in a professional league is not any different than an 8-0 win. As a matter of fact, it might be better.

Obviously, an 8-0 win is going to have you feeling better about how your team is playing. If you could do it, you would want to win every match that way.

But even for the best teams in the world, that's not a realistic goal. However, not playing your best and still managing to win by two goals has to bode well for the mental aspect of the game.

The argument back is simple.

Norwich isn't awful, but they're certainly not a good club. Manchester United will have to beat far better clubs than them if they are going to get where they want to go.

If they faced significant struggles against Norwich, what does that say about their future chances?

Well, unless someone gets hurt, these matches exist in a bubble. Who really cares if they didn't dominate Norwich from start to finish? That means absolutely nothing as it relates to future matches.

While I am sure today's match was not especially fun for United fans to sit through, the fact is that they got the only thing they needed.

Again, an 8-0 laugher would have been much more enjoyable, but it's far from necessary.

The Red Devils didn't play their best and still managed a win. That bodes well for their future.