We could have played really well and still lost but as it is we didn’t turn up but also finished the game without adding to the casualty list.

By: Nick

Well we were thumped, which looked on the cards from the off and was confirmed with the softest of goals conceded to that constant thorn in our side, Wayne Rooney. I hate to have a go at Justin Hoyte as I’ve always wanted him to be a good player and bolster our English credentials but he was shown up today. He’s simply not good enough (though why it was left to him to mark the lone striker on the 6-yard line, I’m not sure). When Flamini played left-back for the best part of a season he never looked at home, but at least he was solid and put everything into it. Hoyte can’t defend convincingly and his attacking passes today were all too often misplaced in dangerous areas.

However, as Le Boss said, we had an off day. We could have played really well and still lost but as it is we didn’t turn up but also finished the game without adding to the casualty list. Hopefully we’ll be able to field a starting XI on Wednesday which will look something like our best and we’ll be able to have a go at Milan.

But even if we go out of the Champions League, there is always the bonus of reducing the fixture list, which is the silver lining today. There was a lot of pre-match talk about psychological advantages from this game and how it could have a bearing on the title but to be frank, with our injury-hit squad, the less games we have to play the better and this season, for the first time in a long while, we are in the driving seat in the Premiership. This has to be the priority, and whilst we will obviously field our strongest XI against Milan, I can’t feel too bad about losing today when we’re 5 points ahead of Tampa Bay United.