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Moscow - Here come United!

There is something cyclical about football. It was proved  yet again today. Nine years back, the ginger prince was wearing a suit and watching in the stands as United picked up the famous trophy at Nou Camp. A win that was made possible largely due to his displays earlier in the tournament. But the game can be cruel sometimes and he had to sit out what would have been the biggest occasion of his career. Fast forward 9 years and United need to beat Barca to reach the finals of the same competition - so who better than the ginger prince to get us the goal to get there! As Fergie said after the game, he will be the first name on the team sheet in Moscow - and who can argue with that?
Having said that, today's was as complete a team performance as it can get. Every player ran tireless and worked hard for the cause. The back four, without Vidic, was immense. I can't stop praising Rio and it is displays like this that will cement his place as the best central defender in the world. Brown and Evra were formidable today, so was Owen, playing at right back. Tevez and Park covered every blade of grass and gave all they had. Scholes got us the goal and Carrick made some important interceptions to break their play. Overall a great great team performance.

The loss of Rooney  and Vidic before the game made this win even more special. Both are players of immense stature and influence, and to come away with a win in such a huge game without them is very satisfactory for everyone concerned.

I've been highly critical of Fergie's selection and tactics  for the last few games. I think some of it was deserved as well but so far he has proved me wrong. We've been guilty of being tactically naive in the past and playing the same brand of football no matter the occasion or the opponent, but this year , our displays against Roma and Barcelona have been full of tactical nous. It's not always pretty to watch, not always breath taking, but functional and effective. Even today when I saw the team sheet, I wasn't impressed. It's hard to understand what Anderson needs to do to get a game - he has been stellar all season and I think is highly suited for games like these. I do hope he has a part to play in the remaining few games to come.
So, It is Mocow on May 21st, our opponents would be either CSKA Chelski or Liverpool. I wonder how much influence Roman may have should Chelski reach the finals - it isn't hard to imagine Roman having his say in Russia - his backyard.

Anyways, focus is back on domestic matters. Games like this are energy zapping and highly draining both physically and mentally. Hopefully, the lads will recover in time for the game against West Ham on Saturday. I am also awaiting news on Rooney, Vidic and Evra who was stretchered off late in the game today.Hope all of them are available on Saturday - a win against West Ham will mean one hand on the trophy!

Good News, Bad News and a small matter of a CL Semi Final

Not that it is a surprise, but Cristiano Ronaldo is PFA's Player of the year for 2nd year running. The guy has been miles ahead of everyone else and long may it continue. As he himself said though, it will be worthwhile only if we have anything to show for his form at the end of the season. This week will tell us a lot about that. So that was the good news and its out of the way.
It was also good to see Rio and Vidic as central defenders of choice for the team of the year - they really pick themselves up for those spots and this is really a world class partnership in the making. Our mean defense this season is really the reason we are top of the table right now - just ahead of Chelski on GD.

Now for the bad news. Contrary to Fergie's firm statement post Chelsea game that both Rio and Vidic will play on Tuesday, reports today suggest the haven't shrugged off their injuries yet. They didn't train with the squad and that really not good news. Both are very vital for us and in a game of this stature, we will definitely feel their absence. This injury bug has really hit us at the wrong time. I just hope Fergie's gamble of leaving it this late and not clinching the advantage early doesn't cost us the season.

All eyes will be at Old Trafford on Tuesday and both gaffers have come out stating their teams will go out and "attack attack attack". Well Fergie said that before the first leg and we didn't see that happening. This time though, I don't think we have any other options. An early goal for them is what I dread - I hope we don't concede all night. This is the kind of game the squad should be up for - the mathematics is simple - win it and you go to Moscow - lose it and you've let a great great opportunity to lift the European cup go by again - a chance that may not come back soon. It promises to be a cracker and contrary to the events at Nou Camp, I actually do think it will be a more open game with both sides showing intent to play. Team selection for us will be vital again and I hope its a balanced selection - not like the one we saw at the weekend. Alright then, tomorrow we will know if we are going to a European final for the first time this decade - it'll be sweet to do it in the 50th anniversary of Munich - but there is work to do yet.

Fergie strikes again

What can I say? Once again, we've left it to the end by taking an approach that is mind baffling to say the least. Not only did we rest Ronaldo and Tevez today, we started with Fletcher and Nani which made it a rather strange combination in the middle. Fergie clearly set out the team to not to lose, rather than go for the win to clinch the title today. You may argue the game on Tuesday made the selection justified, but this was a bigger game, there is no point fucking up the title after failing to gain advantage over Barcelona. I for one can never understand what's going through Fergie's mind at the moment. We have clearly given away the advantage and given our record against West Ham, Chelsea must be favorites to win it from here. There is no evidence that we won't drop points again whereas Chelsea are just grilling out results at the moment.

Having said that, I thought we had a good second half. Nani was very wasteful, think Ronaldo circa 2005 and multiply the wastefulness by 10. He had no clue when to release the ball and was generally poor. Giggs didn't have much impact either, which has been a regular feature this season. Alan Wiley was the villain for me - he gave too many bad decisions against us and the penalty wasn't decisive and in such a big game, it shouldn't have been given.

With news of a brawl with Chelsea ground staff after the game, this has really not been a good day all around. We don't want to be bottlers like Ars*nal. We don't want to come across as sore losers. Lets get it together for Tuesday - and I am looking at you Fergie. More than the referee, you'll have a lot of answering to do on your decisions of this past week come the end of the season.

Now its Barca on Tuesday, a game that we've left a  of hopes on. The kind of game we've lost in the past. Fergie has taken a huge risk and lets see now how his plan unfolds. I for one, am prepared for the worst. We've let this season slip from our hands in the past week and now I know how it feels to be an Ars*nal fan.

2 Points dropped at Ewood Park

So, in keeping with United's tradition, we are not going to win this one easy. There are more twists and turns and they'll keep us supporters on the edge for some more time to come. This was a strange game, not because we couldn't win or it was far from easy. We should have expected a tough physical battle against Mark Hughes' team. It was Rio and Vidic, who have been the best central defensive partnership in Europe so far, who were uncharacteristically nervy throughout the first half. It was quite a sight and they made a mess of the floated ball in the box for the first goal. Both of them at fault. Although rare, this does come at a bad time - all games we play from now on are BIG games, the ones that could make the difference between a good season and a bad one.
We have struggled every time Giggs and Scholes have started, and so we did today. Giggs especially was way below par and was rightly taken off at half time. We had small isolated spells of passing but apart from that Blackburn looked good for the lead in the first half. Tevez missed a sitter early on and didn't do anything of note in the first period. Fergie's hair dryer treatment was the order of the day and I am sure Fergie must have been waiting for the half time whistle.

We started well in the second half, Nani gave us some width and pace and did well. Rob Stiles is not the best of referees and he did deny us at least a couple of shouts for penalty. One of them was a clear handball and should have been given. I mentioned in the previous post that Brad Friedel could be crucial and he was the man of the match today. He made a string of brilliant saves to keep us at bay. It was Scholes header re-directed in by Tevez that brought us level. A huge point, a point that still gives us the chance of winning the league even if we lose at Stamford bridge. Rooney's injury towards the end was worrying but Boss confirmed he will play on Sunday.

I would still consider this as 2 points dropped rather than a point gained. It's quite disappointing that the team didn't show up in the first half. All eyes on Wednesday now, with Barca also struggling domestically, this is an interesting fixture in the making. They have quality all over the park but I think the game will be won in the midfield and how we line up and deal with their playmakers will be something to look forward to. More on that coming up next.

Thank you Brucey, Rio Signs and other news

First things first. Thank you Brucey. That was such a bonus. I hope you get the box of the finest wine in the land, as Fergie promised you. So the euphoria of Sunday was followed by another good news on Monday with CSKA Chelski dropping points unexpectedly, and getting booed off the ground in the process. The boss has come out and tried to negate the hype by saying there's still a lot to play for. I agree, but at the same time I must admit that losing it from here is much harder than winning it!

So Rio has signed. This is good. Rio has come up leaps and bounds and has grown as a dependable leader. He is the best central defender in Europe at the moment and has the whole package. You'll have to search really hard to find a weakness in his game right now. This contract extension was quite not the same elaborate affair of last time which also saw him being photographed with Peter Kenyon in a London Restaurant. But now, you can feel that Rio wants to make that arm band his own and I can see him playing in the red shirt for quite some time to come.

In other news, Fabio Capello reckons Rooney could captain England in future and also praises his qualities. He does point out the improvements Rooney has to make, including improving his conversion ratio. I couldn't agree more, also with the part about how he plays with so much heart. What an asset!

Carlon Queiroz has come out and rubbished Real Madrid's open, illegal and repeated tapping up of Cristiano Ronaldo. I would rather he not say anything, because this is sure to evoke a response and be another distraction. We have plenty of time for this stuff in the summer, not now.

Alright now, Blackburn away on Saturday is next. A win would certainly be a psychological blow to Chelski. It's not going to be a walk in the park but this week's rest would do the team good. With news coming in that Vidic may be available, that'll make the defense more assured and also give him time to get back to some match fitness before the all important Barca game.  More on the weekend game coming  up.