Sunderland 1 Man Utd 2THE CHANT was familiar, but seemed infused with a newly plaintive twist. "Keano, there's only one Keano," sang Manchester United's travelling support as their side struggled to control both central midfield and the game's tempo. By Saturday tea-time those visiting fans were exultantly hailing Federico "Kiko" Macheda and his latest match-winning intervention, but the emergence of yet another United attacking hero cannot quite camouflage a worrying fragility in Roy Keane's old department.
With Keane’s effective successor, Owen Hargreaves, a casualty of long-term injury, the fact Alex Ferguson, for a second consecutive Premier League fixture, had the 17-year-old Macheda to thank for preserving United’s title hopes merely emphasised their alarming lack of a midfielder enforcer in the Corkman’s indomitable mould.
At a time when Michael Carrick’s game appears to be experiencing one of its periodic regressions, this structural flaw threatens Ferguson’s ambitions of Champions League progression at Porto on Wednesday.
Much has been made of United’s new-found defensive fallibilities – they have gone five games without a clean sheet – but the source of such problems often lies farther forward, where the absence of a midfield anchor sometimes placed Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans under excessive pressure.
Porto’s scouts cannot fail to have noticed the ease with which Sunderland’s own impressive midfield enforcer, Teemu Tainio, regularly broke up United passing triangles. Or the visitors’ failure to prevent Ricky Sbragia’s side repeatedly feeding outlet balls to their influential right winger, Carlos Edwards.
Keane the player left Old Trafford more than three years ago, but it is just four months since he abruptly quit as Sunderland’s manager. His erstwhile chairman, Niall Quinn claims Wearsiders are “still grieving for Roy” and the home crowd certainly remain far too cross with him for cutting and running to have joined in those “Keano” choruses.
Sbragia’s relegation imperilled side have now gone seven games without a win and entertain similarly struggling Hull City on Saturday after suffering four straight defeats. The sole consolation is that this ranked as one of their better performances.
After falling behind when Paul Scholes concluded a move he had initiated, by out-leaping Anton Ferdinand, to connect with a cross from the excellent Wayne Rooney and direct a glancing header beyond Craig Gordon, Sunderland deservedly equalised when Kenwyne Jones forced home Tainio’s cross.
Yet whereas Keane’s managerial tenure was characterised by an often justified willingness to take tactical risks, Sbragia’s instinctive conservatism has arguably cost the team dear. His inclination is to contain rather than gamble and when Cristiano Ronaldo unzipped his tracksuit top, Sunderland were duly ordered to sit back. The Portuguese was surely rested ahead of Wednesday night, rather than dropped.
Preoccupied by Ronaldo’s 69th-minute entrance, Sunderland seemed near oblivious to the threat posed by Macheda when he replaced the injured Dimitar Berbatov, but with his first touch, intended or otherwise, the boy wonder diverted a Carrick shot into the bottom corner.
It was slightly harsh on the Wearsiders and especially their former United right back, Phil Bardsley, who had battled manfully against Rooney. Bardsley believes Ferguson has produced a masterstroke in blooding Macheda now.
“It just shows what a great manager Sir Alex is,” he enthused. “I’m not sure every manager in Europe would give a young lad like that such an opportunity at this stage of the season. But a fresh face can give a team a lift at an important time like this and what’s what Macheda is doing. He gives United something different.”
Moreover, Bardsley recognises that the teenager is playing without the fear that so often inhibits senior colleagues when trophies are within touching distance. “Youngsters don’t really give a damn. They just get on with it,” said Bardsley,
While Keane could have only applauded Macheda’s courage and cleverness, United’s former captain would surely have told his old team-mates they had enjoyed a lucky escape. Whether he will ever admit that walking out on Sunderland was a huge mistake is another matter entirely.
