velvet
香川真司選手が所属するマンチェスター・ユナイテッドは２２日、マンチェスター・シティーとのダービーに敗れ、ＯＢや地元メディア、サポーターからは監督采配に批判の声が沸き上がっています。
Manchester City highlight long-term problems for Manchester United manager David Moyes
The handover was never going to be velvet. Despite the apparent smoothness of the transition from Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes it was delusional to expect Manchester United’s new manager immediately to fill the void left by his canny and charismatic predecessor.
With Robin van Persie injured and watching from the stands, United looked outgunned on the team-sheet; and so it proved as Young donated the ball to opponents, Danny Welbeck struggled to organise his feet and Fellaini and Michael Carrick were overrun.
United’s centre-backs cannot shoulder all the blame for the lack of midfield protection in a side who have now lost to City and Liverpool and drawn tamely with Chelsea. Only the emphatic Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen and a stylish win at Swansea can be set against these disappointing shows against top opposition.
Even Rooney took his hat off to City, twice losing the skull cap that protects his gashed head. And as City fans sang “There’s only one David Moyes”, United’s fans grumbled about Young and Valencia and asked why Shinji Kagawa had not started. Most of all they bemoaned a quiet summer in the transfer market and demanded to know why United’s midfield was outshone by City’s marauding band.
闘将 ファーガソン元監督からの移行のむずかしさを表したのがこのvelvetです。「スムーズにはいっていない、うまくいっていない」という意味で「ビロード,ベルベット」手触りからの比喩です。as smooth as velvet「ビロードのようになめらかな」やon velvet「うまくいっている」というフレーズとともにおさえておきましょう。（UG）
