Spurs are a weird case. Before their last match, they were 5th on a goal difference of 0. That's just weird, however you look at it. Looks like they've hit a bit of form now. But yeah, still weird. I mean, we've had a shocking season where you may as well flip a three sided coin in order to predict the result regardless of what team we're facing (lose against the bottom team, win against the top team... make what you will of that). But despite that, Spurs were positions and points ahead of us with (before last game) a goal difference of 0! Crazy.
I'm not expecting CL next season at the moment, but I do feel that Moyes needs to move us into a good run of form or this summer will be very interesting or very worrying. Or both.
As for the Liverpool game at Old Trafford, I'll say it again: Flip a coin, that'll be the result. xD
I believe if we win the CL (ha!) and you finish fourth then England just get five teams in the CL. Not sure if that's a certainty but I'm sure they mentioned that possibility in UEFA somewhere along the line. As for both teams playing for draws, I didn't see it that way - I think both teams had attacking intent but it was a poor game regardless, if not for the lack of goals then for the general scrappiness all over the pitch. There was the occasional bit of good football being played but it was generally outside the box, which is a shame. Shocking developtment, though. Vidic to play a full game (and Rio half of it) and we kept a clean sheet. Did Not Expect.
Our form is rubbish points-wise, but our play last weekend was really good and to get a point away at Arsenal isn't a terrible result, although you'd still hope for better in the circumstances. I think Ince has echoed my thoughts recently in that we have no leaders on the pitch, and I do feel that is the big issue right now. There is definite talent, although the Rio, Vidic, Giggs and Scholes of last season simply aren't good enough this season (or in Scholes' case, aren't playing at all). If you look at the games we've lost this season, we haven't been battered by any means, with the possible exception of Chelsea away and City away, the two hardest games we'll get. When you are losing by a scrappy goal or having draws pounced on you at the last minute (we've lost a lot of points late in games this season) then you have to say that the mentality of the players is getting weaker than what we're used to.
We control matches and lose them because the players don't know when to slow a game down, when to time-waste (we never do this anymore, at all - it's weird when you miss Giggs messing around with a foot on the ball in the far corner of the pitch). If half of those losses were draws and half of our draws were wins, we'd have eight more points. Surely some good strong leaders on the pitch could have managed us that.
One incredible scene was right at the end of the Arsenal match. BT Sport had Moyes inset on the corner of the screen while showing what the players were doing. It was the 93rd minute with three minutes of extra time, and we were just on the edge of Arsenal's third of the pitch with the ball at our feet. Moyes was yelling at the players to attack. The next thing you see is him holding his arms wide with a dumbfounded expression when the players instead slowed the play down and started pushing the ball back to the keeper. Admittedly they were on the far side of the pitch and probably couldn't see or hear him, but you my reaction was pretty much the same as Moyes'. Where is the late hammering of the goal? We could have snatched something at the final minute but instead Young, Rooney, Carrick and Evra - all champions last year - were looking around and then passing back into our own half. Shocking.
