all about stars and their alignment

The stars don't align all that often, but when they do, it is pure ecstasy. Assuming that if it is ecstasy, then the stars must have lined up, it can be said that they do so fairly often for Manchester United. Still, they haven't ever done so like they did today. One might wonder what could have been missing from when they defeated Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford last year. The answer is slightly complicated but definitely explainable. That match was shown live at around noon on ESPN and was played on a working day. All of this meant that there was a very high probability that I would watch it. And indeed, I did. So, it did not necessarily require the stars to lineup. It just needed Man United to turn on the style. I was going to be glued in front of the TV anyway.

Today, with United in the midst of a mini-slump, hosting the Premier League leaders Arsenal in a 5th round FA cup tie, the signs certainly were not the best. Further, it was going to be played at 9am on a Saturday morning. Who wakes up that early on a Saturday?! Not me! Most importantly, the game was not going to be shown on Fox Soccer Channel, the only channel dedicated to football here in the United States. Previously, I have tried finding links to watch such games live on the internet. Those attempts always ended in failure. So, to sum things up, neither was Man United in great shape going in this match, nor did I have much of a chance to watch whatever unfolded. Essentially, the stars seemed to be scattered all over the place.

One also vividly remembers a similar situation from the past season, when I woke up earlier than is humanly possible, to watch a game featuring the same matchup and the depressing sensation I was left with, at the end of 90 minutes. So, frankly, when I was going to bed at 2am, I had no motivation to wake up for the game. While hoping for a win, I just resigned myself to read the report on BBC and take whatever came with it. That was the plan.

The room was perfectly dark, but the eyes fluttered and soon enough stayed open. No alarm had gone off, neither was the phone ringing, but I was awake, with not a clue about the time. It could very well have been noon. Opening the laptop and getting on to BBC Sport is always a nervous event on Saturday mornings. A quick desperate scan indicated that the game hadn't started and that Liverpool were tied with Barnsley, a bottom dweller in the Championship. Good start to the day! While catching up on what RP Singh had to say on Cricinfo, a news flash showed that Mr.Howard had scored an injury time winner to send Liverpool packing from the FA Cup. This made one thing certain. Whatever happened from here on, the day was not going to be a disaster.

Remember all the talk about stars earlier? Well, obviously, there was daylight outside, so, I could not see if the stars were in a line or something, but I found a way to watch the game online. With English commentary! So, to sum it up, I had woken up and found a way to watch the game in spite of the insurmountable odds. The onus was on the players now.

When the team lineup was revealed, what made my jaw drop was not the names there were playing, but the ones that weren't. Ronaldo rested. Scholes rested. Giggs nowhere to be seen. I wondered what kind of a display Man United were going to put up. To present a balanced view, let me state that Arsenal were hardly in the pink of health. In Arsene Wenger's own words, they were "down to bare bones" with regard to the players available to play.

The game started, and so did the attacks. Wave after wave of them. All of them aimed at the Arsenal goal. It was exciting. It always is, when a handful of players rush at full throttle down a crowded field, threading the ball between bodies, always reaching the intended target, before the inevitable strike on goal. Disregard the end result, for there is almost never a goal. That is football, but the process is pure symphony. Anyway, let me stop the singing and present the report.

United are one of the very few teams capable of being rampantly dominant against the top sides. But like I said, dominance doesn't necessarily translate itself into goals. Make no mistake. It does for United, more often than it does for other sides, however, in a matchup between top sides, it is often an odd goal that decides the game, and almost as often, that odd one is an ugly goal mouth scramble that gets pushed in off a shoulder or a bum even. So, there was no point in getting excited as yet, for the clock showed 15 minutes and the score remained nil-nil.

During the 16th minute, as Anderson's headed pass looped towards Rooney, it was hard to remain unexcited. Even when Rooney headed in a goal, the situation called for calm and pragmatism. For, this was Arsenal. Even at the best of times, in a Man United - Arsenal game, one strike is followed by a counter strike, and everything remains even, until at the very end, when the very same ugly strike spoken about earlier, would settle the issue one way or the other (A draw at the enemy's base counts as victory. So, really, there are no draws!).

Fletcher's strike 4 minutes later brought out chants of 'Ole' from the Old Trafford faithful, but I stayed sober. 2-0 was unreal, but then, I expertly noted that Man United had made the classic mistake of giving the Gunners about 70 minutes to get something out of the game. I thought that United would sit back from thereon, and allow Arsenal back into the game. It never happened. The waves continued unabated. That made me breathe easy. I thought of the stars once again.

Rooney was on the pitch for a total of 72 minutes, and for most of it, he was in front of the Arsenal goal with ball at his feet, and had either just the keeper to beat, or a couple of defenders to beat. With the quality of service he was receiving, he really should have scored more. If not for the Manchester United cause, at least for the fact that England boss Fabio Capello was an avid spectator in the stadium keeping a keen eye on him. Anyway, while he did not score after the first, he did not letup either. He was always running at the heart of Arsenal's defense and creating havoc. I don't think that he should ever play as sole striker. He is not clinical enough for that, but as a forward that plays just behind the striker, he has no peer. Sir Alex knows. Capello must know, by now.

Fletcher scored 2 goals. Unsurprisingly, he will get a lot of attention. He can have it. But in my eyes, Nani, Anderson, Carrick and Rooney were the stars of the day.

Carrick infuriates often. On a bad day, he makes successful 10 yard passes to the side and behind. On an average day, he succeeds in making 15 yard passes to the side. On a good day though, there is no limit to the yardage or the accuracy and needless to mention, they are all made in the forward direction. Seriously, is there a mortal explanation for his pass to Nani that lead to the third goal?! I have watched the replay, but I can't come up with one. I was reminded of Ronaldinho. Unsurprisingly enough, someone else also thought so, and sent a comment to BBC Sport. He filled the game with perfectly weighted passes to the forward line. I don't know about winning, but United will score goals if he plays like today.

With television coverage as it is in the US, it is hard to watch one's favorite team play every week. It leads to a slight dulling of the enthusiasm. Essentially, that is what has happened to me this season. I caught a couple of the initial games, but haven't watched United in action for the past couple of months. From what I gathered based on early season action, Nani and Anderson had a long way to go before they became a force at the Premiership level. In the meantime, I've read reports about their usefulness to the side. I remained a skeptic. Today, I stand converted. One could say, that from being an agnostic, I have become a believer!

The advantage of a nightmare, if ever there is one, is that, one can wake up from it. The trouble for Hoyte was that, he was wide awake, sweating profusely and running his lungs out, but the nightmare just wouldn't go away. For Nani was a defender's worst nightmare, but as real as they come. He kept running at Hoyte, past him and around him. Anderson did the same to everyone else on the field. He was utterly dominating the midfield, bossing over Cesc and co., while blowing holes in the Arsenal defense, that made it appear like a sieve by the end of the game.

By no means are Nani and Anderson finished products, but their progress from newbies to dominant midfielder and winger in a game against Arsenal is nothing short of spectacular. Peter Roebuck, in an article about the perils faced by youngsters in sport, alluding specifically to cricket's Ishant Sharma, India's latest superstar fast bowler, mentions that the BCCI ought to consult Sir Alex Ferguson to learn how to shepherd their raw diamond through the minefield, that fame often is. Ishant of today is the Ronaldo of 2 years ago. If two years hence, India needs Ishant to be the Ronaldo of today, they might as well do so. And if they do, look out Australia!

Coming back to football, the 4-0 scoreline is an accurate reflection of how lucky Arsenal were today. Rooney himself should have had 4. Anyway, that is football, and the scoreline, does not matter all that much, once you realize that on this day, the stars aligned for you and your team.

Lastly, I have a question I need to ask before I finish up with this post actually. Its been on top of my mind ever since I started writing this one. I mean, what the hell have the stars or their orientation got to do with anything that happens on a football pitch??!!!


PS: With Argentine Mascherano playing for Liverpool and Brazilian Anderson playing for Manchester United, I used to dream in vain that it would be so much better if they swapped clubs. Now, while being fully aware that they will continue to play for their current clubs, I dream in vain that Mascherano was Brazilian and Anderson was Argentine! Ahhhh, football.....