‘One by one the old certainties that defined Manchester United are falling away. One of the great givens of Sir Alex Ferguson's sides was that they were lethally dangerous as a match neared its end.
And yet on Saturday, Old Trafford watched as Tottenham pressed for a winner that, but for Michael Carrick thumping a free-kick against the crossbar, they might have achieved.
In 2000-01, the season when
It is a subtle change perhaps, but it may be like noticing a heavy frost before an ice age descends.
Jol thought United had too many inexperienced players: "It is difficult for someone like Park, who is in his first season at Manchester United; Fletcher was supposed to play on the flank but didn't and Bardsley is a young player. Manchester United have a lot of young players and they need to improve. Maybe they are having the same problems Arsenal had last season."
He meant that inexperienced footballers need time to bed in but there are other similarities. If Arsene Wenger talked about his side's dependency on Thierry Henry last week, then Old Trafford surely expects too much of Wayne Rooney, a player who ceased being a teenager this morning.
By no means did Rooney play badly; there was one gorgeous back-flick that took out Ledley King and would have given Ruud van Nistelrooy a clear opening but for a superb tackle from Michael Dawson. But this was not one of his lovely days and neither was it Manchester United's.’