Narcotics And Dissecting Knives

More praise for Giggs today, and as ever I feel a certain unease. This shouldn't in anyway be taken as a criticism of Giggs, the form he's been in the last couple of games would make that impossible, it's just the gnawing feeling I always get that Giggs is the Man Utd player the papers can bring themselves to laud on a consistent basis, and, all too often that praise is manifested as a criticism of the rest of our team.
This tendency is materialized today in the form of Nani-bashing, which, as I've only seen highlights of the game, I'm not in a proper position to comment on, but whether or not the Nani-bashing is based on fact is beside the point: bias often works best when it has partial reality on its side.
First off, here's what Sir Alex had to say on Nani:

"Yes, of course – he's only 22 years of age, he's young," said the manager. "When he was on the pitch he offered a different thing from Ryan. He looks to penetrate all the time, he's brave, he's quick. But Ryan's intelligence was the deciding factor."

I'm not sure at precisely what age Giggs began delivering consistently quality balls into the box (if indeed he does now, some games his delivery is ... disappointing and his finishing still leaves something to be desired even now, as evidenced in his chance against Stoke) but it certainly wasn't at 22.
Here's what Ian Ladyman says in his report in The Mail:

They came to the Britannia Stadium in their thousands, full of hope, expectation and excitement. Stoke had run Chelsea close this season and had won three other home games. They left in resigned silence after seeing their side outplayed and outrun. There is ample excuse for the first against Sir Alex Ferguson's team but not for the second.

To beat the English champions a team must first match their endeavour and work-rate and then must have some fortune. Stoke did not do the former and, therefore, did not deserve any of the latter ...

Thanks to some errant United finishing and the odd good save from Thomas Sorensen, there were no goals by half-time, but they were always coming.

A Scholes-Darren Fletcher- Giggs combination set up Dimitar Berbatov for the first in the 62nd minute. Goodness knows how it took so long. A Giggs freekick allowed John O'Shea to head in the second 15 minutes later.

Yes, goals were always coming. Yes, Giggs turned out to be the catalyst. Just like on another day it could have been Rooney, or Scholes, or Berba, or, whisper it, Nani.

So we turn to The Independent for the other side:

The question for Ferguson, after United's seventh straight win since the stunning defeat to Burnley, is how much longer Giggs can carry the mantle which Cristiano Ronaldo placed down in the summer. He played 435 minutes of football in United's first seven Premier League games of the season, compared with 315 in the equivalent number in the last campaign, and the time must be approaching – perhaps on Wednesday night for the arrival of Wolfsburg – when the manager deploys Michael Owen with Wayne Rooney from the start, in search of other lines to goal.

This would be a decent argument if it wasn't so wrong. Take the Burnley game. Ryan Giggs started. We got beat. The Guardian report has one mention of Giggs, here it is:

Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia could not co-ordinate a short corner without conceding a laughable throw-in.

And who started upfront against Burnley? Rooney and Owen. I reiterate that I'm not criticising Giggs, who has made the difference the last couple of games. I'm simply pointing out that we dominated Stoke as a team. If Giggs hadn't stepped up, someone else probably would have done, as Tevez did at the Britannia last season (and yes, there's intentional irony there...). In some games Giggs is the difference, in others he's anonymous. The suggestion that we're relying on him is just plain silly. And as for Nani, we're very early into a season in which Nani has a chance to escape the shadow of Ronaldo - let's not fall into the papers' trap of writing him off too early. On a larger scale their writing off of Nani is simply a demonstration of their overwhelming desire to finally write Man United off.

One moment of light-relief from The Times report:

“We want six”, the Manchester United fans chanted with mock irony as Lee Mason, the fourth official, raised his board to indicate that there would be a minimum of four minutes of added time at the end of the second half at the Britannia Stadium.

The same amount of stoppage time had, of course, been signalled in the derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford the previous weekend, only for Michael Owen to claim a controversial 4-3 win for United in the 96th minute.

United were never going to need a helping hand from the officials against Stoke City, however, a point emphasised with much hilarity as Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, indulged those supporters mischievously urging him to address the timekeeping by revealing his watch.

And, combining both themes from above, The Times suggests, a little too harshly, that Giggs could take some advice from the more experienced Giggs:

Giggs, 35, could do with pulling the winger aside and lecturing him on the importance of playing it simple, as the Welshman did when latching on to Darren Fletcher’s pass and squaring for Dimitar Berbatov to break the deadlock with a tap-in.

Giggs’s dead-ball delivery is also something for Nani to look at. O’Shea could not have asked for a more perfectly weighted free kick from which to head home a goal to cap his 350th appearance for the club.

Ben Foster on Giggs:

“Ryan is different class isn’t he? You saw the difference he made when he came on. A cool head in those situations is exactly what we needed and that is Ryan Giggs all day.

“He came on and found himself in a position where other players might have lashed it across, but he picked someone out and it was 1-0.”

Berba on Giggs:

"The game changed when Ryan came on," said the Bulgarian striker.

"You can see the through the number of years he has been able to play for United how much he helps by being on the pitch.

"He makes the right decisions. That is what got us the three points. It was his cross to me and his free-kick for John O'Shea. He changed the game."

And O'Shea on Giggs:

"Ryan Giggs coming on gave us that experience. He was able to use the gaps that they leave. It proved crucial for us," said the right-back.

"You can see from the goals we got; the run for Darren Fletcher to play that great through ball, which Berba finished off nicely, it is Ryan all over.

"He gets on the blind side of defenders which means he doesn't have to use his pace. The run itself is enough. It caught them out.

"For my goal I just said to Ryan I would try to get across the keeper. It was a great ball in and thankfully I was able to knock it in. It was great to score on my 350th appearance for United."

Nice that he also gives Fletcher some credit for the first goal.

The Daily Star uses the time metaphor pretty well:

Fergie afforded himself a cheeky grin as he held his wrist up for the fans chanting, ‘Fergie, Fergie, what’s the time?’

He would call time right now and not merely because United have moved ominously back to the top of the table as they chase a fourth ­successive crown.

More than that, he would love to put the careers of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes on freeze-frame, ­knowing the day they will no longer be available to him takes an eternity to come.

Finally, Nani will be seeking the advice of Ronaldo, according to The Sun:

Nani will call Ronaldo before Wednesday's home clash with Wolfsburg and said: "Cristiano and I talk a lot. We speak about my own game and he gives me confidence to go out and perform."