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United Kop Out of Anfield

Admittedly the higher you go, the further you fall... and in this case, the loss at Anfield was triply hard to take because not only were we the weaker side in a game we expected to win, we deserved to lose this!

With the possible exception of Hernandez who battled on to score a consolation goal, no one in the white away jersey did anything to warrant defending. And talking about defending, Wes Brown showed just how rusty he has become and may well have been the biggest selection mistake of the night. O'Shea may not be a natural central defender, but at least the lad has seem some serious action in recent weeks. Deprived of the talents of Vidic, Ferdinand, Evans and to an extent Gary Neville, this was always going to be the chink in the armor that Liverpool could exploit.

This game also exposes the worst kept secret in the Barclays Premier League - that Wolves has a better midfield that ours! Why did we start with Carrick and Scholes? Fletcher hasn't exactly been delivering despite his best intentions, while Anderson is out injured. Giggs too has been a pale shadow of himself in recent weeks, while Rooney, Berbatov and Nani flattered to deceive. In fact, at one point, I was even doubting the mercurial w(h)inger's injury, expecting him to return to play... but that never materialized... and so we lost, to a better team last night.

But all is not lost... yet. We need to refresh the team a bit, try to channel our strengths into a winning team effort. I think despite his hotheadedness, Rafael is good for the team... he is a reminder that we do not like to lose. I'd stick with Smalling and play him alongside O'Shea if Vidic is out. As soon as we can, I'd like to see the return of Danny Wellbeck. We need new blood, and we need it soon or we are going to lose this title chase in a very painful manner...

Manchester United Transfer Speculation

It's hard to believe that the World Cup came and went the way of the Spaniards in but a blink of an eye. It's hard to believe that we are now in pre-season and harder still to believe that despite losing the title to Stamford Bridge, no major player purchase is on the cards save, Smailing and Hernandez (who aren't the typical 300 pound gorilla one would associated with the Red Devils, especially on a rebound).

But let's consider the reality;
1. Alex Ferguson does not like to lose.
2. And each time he has lost the title, he has been nothing short of ruthless in spending on impact players.
3. He has a proven track record in blooding in young players.
4. The darn Americans are still bleeding club money on interest payments.
5. Alex Ferguson does not like to lose.

So, with this in mind, I believe SAF will take the middle road. I think he will wait on the purchase of a hitman after the 30th of July, when Hernandez will don United colors for the first time against his former club. If he does well, Berbatov will win a season's respite. If SAF is unconvinced, the Bulgarian will make way for Edin Dzeko although it will almost surely require some monetary adjustments.

Another option is for Vidic to go, which would make Real Madrid the probable destination unless Benzema digs in his heels and forces a stay at Madrid. A straight swap will suit both teams fine.

This will mean that Macheda will emerge into contention as 3rd choice striker to partner Owen. For Wellbeck, it will probably signal his departure as Rooney, Benzema (or Dzeko) and Hernandez are still young.

Potentially that leaves a hole at centreback, but I think United have enough personnel to weather the storm with the likes of Ferdinand, Evans, Smailing, Evra, the Da Silva twins and Neville. There's also Oliver Gill who's coming along nicely in the reserves team.

Expect the Red Devils to sign a major keeper next season as they focus on the more urgent matter of midfield reinforcements. Up to this point, it's been largely cash free, well, if one ignores the 10 million Euros to be paid if Berbatov is replaced by Dzeko.

So, who will it be? I think if we are making a statement of intent, the midfield player will need to be someone the likes of Kaka (who would probably opt for Chelsea), Sneijder, Schweinsteiger (unlikely) or Xavi (unlikelier).

BUT given the obvious financial distress of the club, I am not so sure that would come to pass. As a mid-term solution, I think someone along the lines of Mahamadou Diarra would be good. He is in the prime of his career at 29, and will buy some time for Paul Pogba and Rodrigo Possebon to reach their potential. Mesut Özil‎ or Stephen Ireland could be longer options, both intelligent players and will not involve breaking the bank.

All the same, in Fergie we trust.

Here's how I think the team could look like: