FA Cup round-up: Shaw blows his chance as Schweinsteiger takes his

Disappointing weekend for… Luke Shaw

Manchester United reserves had their chance against Wigan Athletic. In the first half, almost none of them took it, but then neither did the usual crew. The only people to emerge with particular credit were Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marouane Fellaini, and that was only for the three-second period the two of them combined to put United in the lead.

In the second half, things changed. Schweinsteiger moved the ball nicely, even if he was given more and more room to do it. Anthony Martial made himself available on the wing, stretched play and created goals, just like we know he can. Both appear set for the exit at Old Trafford, but both of them can regard this as a match that took them a little closer to prolonging their stay.

The same can’t be said for Shaw. He has rarely looked lithe in a United shirt, but he has – again – come back heavy. He also appears to have lost what made him so briefly promising under Louis van Gaal. The pace, the composure and the will to drive past a winger to offer an attacking thread. It is hard to speculate how this happened – Van Gaal made other players far more cowardly, but Shaw seemed to be ignoring the nonsense before his injury – but he now looks a worse option than Daley Blind. Daley Blind.

Best goal of the weekend… Yaya Toure

Pep Guardiola probably didn’t plan to need the FA Cup. With his well earned self-belief, the amount of money he was able to spend, and the poverty of quality in the Premier League, he must have believed that the Premier League title was his to win. With the recruits he brought in, and the sensible decision to get rid of the dodgy Joe Hart, few would have expected that the football he has produced has been so inconsistent and thoughtless. There is doubtless much tactical preparation done between games, and he remains one of the best managers of all time, but the players on the pitch don’t appear capable of focusing regularly.

One of those players who has been unreliable, and not just for Guardiola, is Yaya Toure. At the heart of City’s success in previous seasons, his lack of vim and commitment at other times has stripped the club of an authoritative presence in the middle of the pitch. He looked set for an exit this January, and Guardiola had got rid of him once before, but now he has established his importance to the team once again.

Regardless of whether he is playing for his next move, wanting to stay in England rather than move to China, City need him to keep the side functioning. His free kick against Crystal Palace was a reminder of his technical ability, which can’t be ignored while the rest of the side misfires.

[READ MORE: All the FA Cup 4th Round results]

Surprise of the weekend… Jurgen Klopp taking his chances

Before the game against Wolves, Jurgen Klopp had stressed the importance of getting back to a winning habit, and didn’t disparage the importance of the FA Cup. Now, people might try to defend the importance of the FA Cup and claim that it shows a lack of respect to the competition to rest players, but that just ignores facts. It is merely common sense to focus resources on the most financially important competition you are in. Second to that, the FA Cup has not been a prestigious tournament since Manchester United won it with a weakened side against Newcastle in 1999. Culturally, the current generation of players and managers can’t summon up an anachronistic view of the competition for the good of the rights holders.

But winning, in whatever competition, remains essential. Klopp’s Liverpool have – right now – forgotten how to do it. Since their New Year’s Day victory over Manchester City, Liverpool’s only win has been a replay against Plymouth. They are adrift and struggling. Klopp played eight players yesterday who probably aren’t in his first 11, and was caught out by a far more attuned Wolves team. That’s yet another defeat, with Chelsea up next. In isolation it was worth a punt to give his players some time off, but in context it simply looks foolish.

Most important goal of the weekend… Danny Welbeck

Like every top side except Chelsea, Arsenal now have to care about the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger has used it in the past as a shield from criticism, but it is little more than a sop. Nonetheless, as Arsenal have to weather the restart of the Champions League and maintain the chase for European places, this has become a necessary sop for yet another season.

It will be heartening for Arsenal, then, to welcome Danny Welbeck back to the first side. Serious knee injuries are never a pleasant sight, but Welbeck seems a thoroughly decent player at a time when others don’t seem quite as genial. Two goals and assist suggest that, if form, application and fitness permits, he could be yet another Arsenal player who matures in his mid-twenties to become something special. He intermittently promised such a thing at United, but was right to flee the sinking ship when he had the chance. Now is his time to demonstrate that he can usurp at least one of Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez.

Playing for a move to Real Madrid… every giantkiller

There are two sets of players who deserve recognition this weekend: One is every player of Sutton and Lincoln who showed the merits of teamwork and commitment in the face of clubs with greater resources. The FA Cup is diminished, but it can be special for years to come yet.

The second is every single player who featured in the FA Cup weekend who would not, currently, gain access to the United States because of the ban against their travel should be immediately rewarded with a move to Real Madrid or any other country in Spain, where they would not have to suffer such a craven leader as Theresa May.