pieces of the jigsaw

At the start of the season, there was much anxiety. We have just lost Ruud, an accomplished goalscorer. Alan Smith, for all his achevements at Leeds, looked more capable of defending rather than scoring. And Rossi was loaned out. And we bought a defensive midfielder, of all types of midfielders. And hardly the one who scored lots of goals. Or as commanding as Keano (to be fair, and compliments to Keano, I don't think anyone is that commanding). Mahal pulak tu.

Then we saw how Saha and Rooney benefitted from playing together a lot (and alhamdulillah, there weren't many injuries). And people were actually talking of how Man United have actually benefitted from the departure of Ruud; we have become more dynamic, using the entire field, producing the most entertainment in the league aside from Arsenal.

And then came Larsson. I've great respect for this man. Like Rooney, he's quick and hardworking. Like Ruud, his positional play is superb. And because of his stint at Barca, I think, he has a taste for these cheeky flicks and occasional dribbles. And aside from Van der Sar, none in the team can match his experience.

And here's another plus point: Larsson is the kind of player that won't mind being benched. That's the thing with the current squad. Such is the harmony that I don't think any of the lads mind being benched. This is not to say that they won't be working hard to have a crack at the starting lineup, but since those on the field have so much capabilities to dazzle, the ones on the bench can enjoy watching. And when called upon, they can enjoy playing.

And this weekend it all seemed so..easy. It was like an exhibition match (although Aston Villa helped a lot with their defending). And a glance at the bench will tell you just how much ground we've gained since the start of the season, playing staffs-wise; Giggs, Solksjaer, Saha, O'Shea, Kuszczak. And we still have Fletcher, Gaby Heinze, Richardson, Silvestre, Smith and Rossi outside of the squad.

January is a good time to be a devil.