Watched the game on BT today, all they went on about is guess who - Man U. We get the same down here at Southampton. Anyway well done today.
Although we played well enough( a lot better than I thought we'ed play) , I thinka lot of teams might have went into Old Trafford and got something from it considering the presure on them and injuries ... but we won the lottery first game out
Cheers Rob. All the best v Liverpool tomorrow, bet it will be strange seeing your former players against you.
We were lucky to play them first as they MUST bring in the world class players they need otherwise they will not make top 6 this season again.
My take (as we are 13 pages in I'm guessing I'm not going to say anything that hasn't already been said but here goes).... Fabianski Didn't have a lot to do but was commanding of his area, made good decisions about when to come and caught all(?) crosses. Very good debut. - 8 Rangel Solid enough. Was helped out by Ashley Young being moved to left back, Nani didn't really make any in roads against him. - 7 Taylor Was tempted to give him a 6 for his doggedness and some good passing but there's no getting away from it he was getting done time and again....on the inside as well. Januzaj was electric though so maybe Taylor will grow into it over the coming weeks. - 5 Amat Turned in what has become a typical performance from him. Yes there were mistakes (giving the ball away cheaply one or 2 times, getting caught in possession and giving away unecessary free-kicks in dangerous places) but you cannot help but be endeared and encouraged by the way he goes about his defending. Solid in the tackle, rarely loses his man, 100%er. - 7 Ash Gave the ball away often (but I think that was down to the tactics) but defended magnificently. One of his very best performances, competing aggressively for the ball both in the air and on the ground. Got in some decent blocks. - 9 Ki Very good performance. Got shrugged off the ball a few times (don't think he'll ever be the strongest) but concentrated for the 90, kept his shape within the team, closed down and competed for the ball....and some excellent passing, probably the best passer on the day. He took his goal very well - 8 Shelvey Not his best performance but kept working for the team and screened the back 4 very well with Ki. - 6 Dyer Didn't pull up any trees but he did keep working for the team and made some telling interceptions turning over ball in the final third. - 6 Siggy Very good "debut". Passed the ball well, made runs into danger areas, always looking to shoot. Got an assist and did well to control the volley from which he scored from. Not as influential as some others but made telling contributions - 8 Routledge Carried on from where he left off. Very good performance. He is frightening the life out of full backs, never stops asking questions of his marker in a variety of different ways. Excellent understanding with Bony. Worked back too (although sometimes his defensive interventions are comically bad he is showing willing). - 8 Bony It is clear that he is going to be receiving extra attention from defenders this season. United targeted him when he was trying to hold up the ball (anticipating exactly what he was trying to do and finding a way around his muscle). Typically his 1st touch was hit and miss...but maybe a bit more miss than hit, which is unusual. Despite this he had a big hand in both goals. For the first it was he who blocked off the defender (probably illegally) which gave Ki the room to place it....and the second goal simply wouldn't have come without his quick thinking and well executed quick free-kick. - 6/7...ok 6 Subs Tiendalli Did very well (and I'm someone who didn't want him re-signed and saw him as surplus this summer). Put a stop to the supply coming down our left. - 7 Montero Very encouraging....bloody exciting to be honest. Not everything came off but he kept trying and beating his man, making things happen...excellent cross to Routledge on the 2nd goal. Played with a smile on his face and put a smile on my face. - 8 Gomis I was against his signing as I believed it to be too risky (29 year old - 4yr contract - big money). In pre-season he showed he has all the right attributes for a Premier League striker but today's cameo was simply fantastic (and the biggest positive from today for me....as if Bony goes I am now satisfied we have a similar standard centre-forward on the books already). He did everything bar score. He won ball in the air. He took it on his chest and laid up team mates. He was strong enough to do this under pressure from defenders. He played intelligent passes. He took up good positions. When he had the ball at his feet he frightened the life out of them with his surging runs. He looked very competent and very dangerous. If he keeps this up I will be pleased to admit I was wrong on his signing. - 9 Overall performance Very difficult to judge where we are, just got to be pleased with a historic 3 points. Hard to tell how good the opposition was (with injuries, youngsters and a new system - we could have just ran into a team with teething problems at the right time)....they had so much possession in the 2nd half but created nothing. We did very well in defence but it is impossible to judge how good/bad they were. From our point of view it was almost the perfect away performance. Monk seems to have organised us very well. The players played for each other, concentrated and kept their shape. When we did have the ball we moved it forward with a purpose and looked dangerous. We didn't get many chances but when they came we took them. I think the lack of possession can, on this occasion, be put down to the overall strategy....and that strategy worked. We sat tight, defended stoutly, and hit early balls when Utd tried to use the high pressing tactic. When United didn't press and picked up our boys in midfield we were happy to knock it around at the back and wait for someone from their lines to come out too far. We did this competently It's too early to say whether the summer rebuild has been successful or whether we have improved or deteriorated until at least 10 games in imo. It would have been ridiculous for a Monk doubter like myself to have castigated him after a loss today and it is equally ridiculous to claim we are going to have a great season on the back of 1 game. BUT I will say this, I am now a lot more confident about this season having a chance of being a good one. 3pts after 1 game breeds confidence in the players. 3pts after Old Trafford breeds even more confidence. Ki scoring today should have a positive effect on the lad. The new signings looked good (in terms of ability). The good feeling around the club might have an effect on any decision Bony might have to make. Those proposed new signings will have been watching and that can only help. If we take this confidence into the next 2 games we could make a great start and have approx. 25% of the points required to stay up already. So well done the boys and well done Garry Monk. Let's grasp the moment and build on this start.
Two assists for Bony - he held off defender for Ki's goal and stood in front of goalie unsighting him for Siggy's http://footygoals.net/manchester-united-1-2-swansea-city/
The eleven that finished the game had been capped by 9 different countries. Must be a record. Well done to Garry and Huw in helping us get that calibre of players. That big-profile win yesterday will have made us even more attractive a prospect for players.
Coming up the M4 last week from Tenby, I saw a silver car with a Swansea black swan logo on each side at the back. I should have seen that omen and stuck it all on 2-1 or 2-0. That was a great start to the season for you guys.
OK one game don't make a season but i look at it as a game that we were odds on to lose by every football pundit anywhere on this planet and we beat the odds, this win was not only 3 valuable points but an eye opener to other clubs that had written us off this season and a warning that we will compete with the best of them this season. yes there will be disappointments but there will be more highs than lows this season for sure. We are already 3 points ahead of where most fans thought we would be and that is a feather in the clubs hat and a confidence boost other teams can only dream about....Im one proud jack today...
Excellent post from Terror though I don't necessarily agree with all the ratings. Bony was poor but redeemed himself imo with the assist to an extent, and I'd give Ki a 9. But your comment: "It's too early to say whether the summer rebuild has been successful or whether we have improved or deteriorated until at least 10 games in imo. It would have been ridiculous for a Monk doubter like myself to have castigated him after a loss today and it is equally ridiculous to claim we are going to have a great season on the back of 1 game." .....has been echoed many times by me - shame some still don't understand the sentiments. Have to add that your posts Daiswan have been excellent following yesterday's win.
