Schmeichel: “The best United have played all season”

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes United’s 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow tonight is the best they’ve played all season.

It took the Reds eighty minutes to break through the Army Men’s backline via Wayne Rooney’s thumping header, but it was a game that the home team thoroughly dominated from start to finish with a sense of attacking bravado that has been lacking this season.

And the United legend believes that van Gaal may have paid attention to some of his critics during the lead-up to this game, with the Dutchman opting to play Anthony Martial alongside Rooney in a de-facto 4-4-2 formation, which seemed to benefit the side.

Schmeichel, who was on punditry duties with Sky Sports, said:

It is the best I have seen United play this season. It looks like Van Gaal may have listened to us – a little change of personnel, with Rooney playing off Martial, who was playing through the middle.

And actually Rooney played really, really well. It looks like that is his position. Late on, he got into the No 9 position and he scored from that, but he drops deep, can pass the ball – he has a little bit of the same ability as Paul Scholes in that he can drop deep and put those long balls into the corners for the quick players to run for. And I thought he played really, really well today.

The Dane also believes that Rooney being played out of position has contributed to the United and England captain’s lack of goals, not the persistent criticism of his current form:

When you are Wayne Rooney and do not score for a few games, then people will start to look at him. I think he has been played out of position, I think his right position is today’s and I could even see him in playing central midfield as well. He has done that when Fergie was manager and he has done that exceptionally well. But today I thought he played fantastic.

A number of other United players also caught Schmeichel’s eye tonight:

Ashley Young… some of the best I have seen him play as well. Schweinsteiger was fantastic and De Gea – it would have gone in had he not saved that, and the next minute they went up field and scored to make it 1-0 – so the big players played really well today.