That Monday, I expected nothing, we’d signed Di Maria which was simply unreal, we’d wrapped up a deal for Blind who possess many of the qualities we’re lacking in our squad, I put my phone on airplane mode on the first day in a new office convinced this was the best transfer window I’d seen Manchester United have since the bureaucrats forced the rule on us.
At lunch time I logged on to the wifi to make sure my credentials worked, PING, Utd have agreed a loan de… PING, Jesus JB, Fal… PING, Falcao’s a red, unbelievable… PING, PING, PING and so on, it took some time to sink in, it took a few reads of the BBC website, but there it was, a deal agreed, Falcao, one of the very best strikers of the modern game is a red.
I saw the interview before the home game against QPR, his passion for the club, his appreciation of our history & desire to contribute to a bright future was in everything he said, this didn’t feel like a press training exercise, his body language reinforced his words, this was a man desperate to deliver his best form again in a shirt that has great meaning to him.
He’s delivered great hope at times where’s he’s been fit to play, his goals have come in dribs and drabs so far in his United career, but it’s unquestionable that he’s now getting up to something like classic form in how he’s attacking the box and hitting the areas that he needs to be in to do what he’s done throughout his career, I know 1 goal in 3 games since being left out against Southampton doesn’t scream “43 million’s a bargain”, but when you’re coming back from the kind of injury this man suffered, you need the chance to play week in week out when fit to regain the fitness level that allows the gifts he has to be used to their greatest potential, this’s where he’s been let down to an extent this season.
There he is, a man who has a reputation as a final third predator, but you look at his touch map and he’s going deeper than boy band lyrics over and over again just to get involved in a game that he should be given the chances to win, but he isn’t, he’s feeding off scraps, the ghost of scraps even most games, and why’s that? A look to the bench best answers that question for me.
You look at that bench, and there’s more creative talent on it than there is in the starting 11 most days, the continued lack of Herrera & Mata involvement is baffling, there are 2 players that are footballers who could pass the chastity belt of a preachers daughter, just the supply line a man like Radamel is crying out for, but the other significant figure on that bench is a man who’s responsible for managing the team and he may occasionally choose to show faith in Juan, but for some reason, despite what I’ve seen when he plays, young Anders is as welcome in Louis’s first choice starting 11 as salad at a BBQ, the justification for this is beyond me and sure it’s also beyond the majority of you reading this, it must also be on the mind of the man who needs to deliver a run of performances that allow him to become a permanent red in the summer, how’s he to possibly achieve that when those most capable of supplying him with the chances to achieve that are constantly being overlooked by a manager who in the short term at least is prioritising the avoidance of defeat over the pursuit of victory.
Hopefully Sunday’s dire performance at West Ham, and points dropped in a weekend where we once again failed to make the most of all around us dropping points will for Mr Van Gaal to rethink his approach to using some of the attacking threat he’s currently neglecting, I know we as fans would love to see that happen, but none of us would be as keen on it as Radamel, I’ve no doubts about that!
