No room for improvisation

No room for improvisation as leading lights follow the script

by Stuart Jones of "The Times"

Perhaps expectations were unjustifiably high. After confirming in midweek that they were considered among the leading lights in Europe, Manchester United and Liverpool were playing on Saturday in front of probably the biggest domestic audience of the season. In one afternoon on Old Trafford's stage, they could put on show the brightest characteristics of the English game.

Instead they illustrated the flaw that runs through it. Scripts have become so polished that there is scarcely any room left for either spontaneity or inspiration. Performances are too often wooden and predictable. The feelings they evoke are more of admiration, particularly in Continental observers, rather than of excitement.

There were odd moments to savour. The astonishing save of Grobbelaar, who defied gravity and reason to reach a Robson drive for the angle between bar and post, was the most memorable. The touches of Olsen, graceful and simple. and Strachan, busy and complicated, lifted the first half as much as the vision of Dalglish and the balance of Walsh.

But the positive was outweighed by the negative. Robson and Wark, two of the most dangerous predators, destroyed each other's freedom; Hughes and Whiteside need not have emerged for the second half so firmly were they held in the vices of Lawrenson and Hansen; the midfield, ideally a spacious playground, was so cramped that red and yellow became almost indistinguishable.

Even the goals were matching in their untidiness, Strachan's attempt to open Liverpool's side door on the right was reduced to a sprawling mess by Kennedy inside the area. When he missed his first penalty in practice, Strachan joked that he could convert them "only if there was a crowd of 50,000". On Saturday there was a surplus of almost 7,000.

Liverpool's equaliser was created by Nicol. Although he is supposed to be standing in for Molby, he emerged as their most influential figure, especially so a dozen minutes from the end, when his cross was headed back beyond the far post by Whelan and Walsh, otherwise notably wayward in his aim, bundled it home. Hogg claimed he did so with a helping hand.

United suffered further damage through another collision between Moran and Dalglish. Last season Dalglish fractured a cheek bone. This time Moran was helped away with a badly bruised shin. Since McQueen broke down in a reserve game a couple of hours earlier and McGrath is injured as well, their list of recognised central defenders is suddenly alarmingly short.

Neither United, without Stapleton, nor Liverpool, without Rush, have been at full strength so far, but the foundations of the championship ambitions of both clubs are built on the depths of their reserves. Only those who can afford similarly to keep internationals in the background will be able to rise with them above the mud flats of mediocrity.

Even at this early stage the waterline has already been drawn across the first division. Sheffield Wednesday, leaning heavily on their success at home and defensive organisation, are the only surprising members of the elite group of eight at the top.

The contrast would doubtless be even sharper if the likes of United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Everton were not engaged in other distractions.

Copyright -The Times