Manchester Derby is a season finale

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

- Anton Ego, Ratatouille

The statement maybe from an animated movie, but it holds true in football, especially with Manchester United. United fans in the past decade have grown up getting used to unbelievable comebacks and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. No commentator ever writes off United – there is always ‘still enough time’, even when we’re 2-0 down at Sports Direct whateveritscallednow with 10 minutes to go. I did not walk away in disgust when Johnny Evans was sent off against City, because heck, it was still only one goal. We almost sat back contentedly when we made it 2-2 against Blackburn thinking, Ah this looks familiar, the third is coming.

But it did not. Just like there was not ‘enough time’ after all at Newcastle. Just like we completely imploded against City. All those games were not only demoralizing because of the defeat, they also prompted incongruity – this was not a Man United experience. There had been no will to fight, or the quiet confidence that Man United always score. Which is why this third round FA Cup game is now practically a season finale for United.

Phil Jones must be a scared boy

When I first saw him striding out from our defence in the friendly against Barcelona at Washington DC, my initial thought was ‘Wow, he covers a lot of ground’. On that day, as we played Barcelona ‘C’, three players stood out – Jones, Cleverley and Smalling. All three were full of energy, running around on the pitch ravenously craving the ball and constantly egging the team forward. They carried on through the first half of the season, Cleverley especially impressive in the Community Shield game against City playing a part in our wonderful second goal which we shall henceforth call ‘Sex against The City’.

Phil Jones started strong and full of striding and setting up a lot of opportunities playing Center back. There were a few obvious flaws, with Torres’ comedy miss of the century actually resulting from Jones being caught out of position. But an England game and a Cleverley injury later (which is where it all started going wrong), Jones made the central midfield position his own. His energy, same as Cleverley’s, helped Carrick relax and concentrate solely on controlling the game. The Carrick problem is essentially one of multi-tasking. He can be a great deep-sitting orchestrator or a creative playmaker, but not both at the same time. Once he is sure that he can do one thing and one thing only throughout the game, he performs so much better.

Unfortunately along came the injury which is a prime cause for United’s downturn right now – Nemanja Vidic. With @rioferdy5 growing old and Johnny Evans (only the greatest footballer ever) always injured/suspended/not good enough, the onus fell on Phil Jones to step back into defence. And immediately, and totally coincidentally, things started going wrong. United couldn’t stop conceding, and with Young’s injury and Rooney misfiring, couldn’t score either. Suddenly Phil Jones’s world was crumbling around him.

The Unforgiven

Spare a thought for this lad. He is 19. Most of us at 19 are still trying to figure out such mundane things as living by yourself, or thinking of the ‘opposite sex’ question. He has just had a meteoric boost to his career. Suddenly he’s the darling of two of the most experienced managers, and two of the most demanding fanbases in the world.  Everything that was so bright and beautiful when you were thumping long-time rivals 8-2 suddenly feels overwhelming. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Phil Jones, before the Derby and after the last two months, isn’t just a bit scared.

This is why the game has taken on the trappings of being a League AND Cup final. Most at stake against City is the belief of United’s newest generation, and if they will eventually become Fergie’s fourth (or fifth?) great team. Today is the chance for De Gea, Phil Jones, Smalling, Cleverley and Welbeck to be infused with the confidence to kick on in the league after the latest series of results. A defeat here, and one feels that there will be no morale left in the team for a League run after that. And the onus is on the senior players too, a list that includes Rooney and Nani, to provide that belief. Sure they have to do it for the fans, and the managers, and the club itself but most of all, they have to do it for these lads.

Because at Man United, there is always one overriding emotion.