You knew this headline was coming: Wayne Rooney is back. His hat trick against Bolton Wanderers put the exclamation point on a fantastic performance from Manchester United to resume its place at the
top of the English Premier League table. But Rooney's expected return to form isn't the real story for the Red Devils. "There is so much to admire about Manchester United at present that Sir Alex
Ferguson's only worry might be whether his team has peaked too soon," writes Daniel Taylor of the Guardian. But don't forget that United has been playing extremely well as a team for nearly two months
as its star player endured his 10-game scoring slump. With Rooney "back," and he's actually been playing very well for several games now, United looks the front-runner for the league title after as
the first quarter of the season draws to a close. Of course, it's a marathon, not a sprint, and Chelsea has proved in the past it can reel off 15 one- and two-goal victories over the course of a
10-month season. It's those close victories that separate the champions from the rest, and Ferguson's side has to prove it has that kind of staying power. However, 4-0 away to the third-place club
isn't half bad. Louis Saha, who's been a revelation since Ruud Van Nistelrooy's departure, summed up the feeling in the Red Devils camp: ""We are scoring goals from all parts of the pitch now. This is
not an attack on anyone, but we are definitely playing more together this season." Last year at this time, United had 14 goals from 10 games; this year, it's 23, and from 10 different players. No
wonder Ferguson's smiling all the time.
Read the whole story at The Guardian »
