It was disappointing to lose Sunday's game in the manner we did because
we paid the price for being too tentative and nervous in the first half.
We didn't play our normal game and that was a pity because I felt that
Man United were nervous too, a bit insecure, and we gave them some
comfort by making a mistake for the goal.
We controlled the second half while United played on the counter-attack
but we couldn't quite find an equaliser. It was a matter of inches at
times, especially when Bacary Sagna's crosses went across the box.
Overall it's disappointing to lose the game like that because I think we had the opportunity to get a draw at least.
Some of the players have been unwell but we can't use that as an excuse.
Maybe we lacked something physically but more importantly we lacked a
little bit of quality in our final ball.
It's hard to say whether our recent record at Old Trafford was a factor.
But it was a tight game, it could have gone either way and it was
decided by a set-piece rather than a goal in open play. We can take
heart from our response in the second half.
We go into another international break now and I have to say it is not
welcome because when you lose a game like Sunday's you want to play
again straight away.
We have some players who play massive games under massive pressure in
the next week or so and some of them will not come back refreshed.
Indeed, we have a number of France internationals who play Ukraine in a
World Cup play-off - they will be tired after those two games.
Our next game is against Southampton and they have been one of the
surprises of the season so far. They have three international players in
the England squad and I don't think Luke Shaw or Nathaniel Clyne are
too far away either.
Some people are questioning the quality of the Premier League but I
think the whole quality has gone up. What we have learnt again on Sunday
is that everybody can beat everybody. Sunderland beat Manchester City
and that shows you how much excitement you will have until the end of
the season.
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