Welcome back to that old stranger, Mr Form. Two wins in a row, and the tails are up.
Also welcome back to Guillermo Franco, who has been close to our best player in most of his 15 appearances this season. Apart from pace he has it all – great in the air, brilliant on the floor, great passion for the game. He also showed a good ability to mix it with physical opponents here. If he was 23 and not 33 I’d be absolutely wetting myself, but I’m still hopeful that his skills can be more than the last gasp of an aged player. I think we can get a couple more seasons from him.
The match today is also a rubber-stamp for a settled selection and formation. We seem to have found a way to fit Diamanti into the team without looking too much of a mess, and the key to that is the return to fitness of Behrami, who simply gets through so much work that he can make it seem like we’re packing our midfield. Our Swiss dynamo is also helping to get the most out of Faubert, who is starting to look much more of a free spirit coming forward. I would never have believed a fairly standard 4-4-2, which looked so turgid at times under Curbishley and Pardew, could now look like our most creative line-up. It shows that the game is more about players and how they fit together than simplistic arguments over formations.
What I hope and pray now, is that we can keep the current sense of confidence regardless of the result against Manchester United. Although a win would obviously be wonderful, losing at Old Trafford will be no disaster. The players and the fans need to remember that.
