UnitedBlog - All things Manchester United

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.

Anti-Climactic Damp Squib!

Yesterday was probably the most disappointed me and most fans have been coming out of an undefeated game. I was aware this was not going to be all that classic as everyone expected, but what was on show was so pathetically dire, it belied belief. Once again, Ferguson didn’t walk his talk. Once again, he played players out of position. Once again in European away games, we didn’t play to our strengths. What resulted was an utter bore fest, with us chasing shadows for most of the game. Rooney was frustrated on the wing. Ronaldo was the only outlet who the team could hardly get the ball to. Scholes and Carrick huffed and puffed and chased all game without threatening to play forward. Barcelona as expected saw all of the ball, but didn’t really penetrate that much. If anything positive came off it was the fact that we didn’t concede even after they kept the ball for almost all of the game.

Now once again, Fergie and players have come out and spun this performance as a "highly tactical" one and there are noises of “mission accomplished” coming out of the camp. Expectedly. It’s all B.S. Players and Fergie have come out and said “Now we will attack at OT”. Now being the operative word. We’ve left it late once again and I am afraid and prepared for the worst on Tuesday. It’s happened before and it’s very likely to happen again on Tuesday. Fergie risked a whole lot yesterday. He should be prepared to pay the cost.

The penalty came too early and not many players are mentally up for it in the 2^nd minute  You could see Ronaldo was also not too sure – the stutter was missing and he missed it. We can only guess how the game would have unfolded should he have scored. A lot of experts have come out and criticized Ronaldo once again and have made direct comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi. How can you judge Ronaldo in a game where his team had 20 odd % of possession? When everyone else played behind the ball for almost the entire game? When the likes of Rooney and Park and Tevez were wasted and hardly knew their roles? It was all down to Ferguson’s selection and tactics yesterday.  I can’t fault the players for that.  And given all of that, Ronaldo had a penalty, was denied at least one more clear shout and Messi didn’t trouble EVDS even once. I think Messi is a great talent, I saw Barcelona play at Nou Camp November of last year and he clearly stood out as the best player on the pitch then; but these comparisons based on one game aren’t valid as judgments on players.

Overall, this was a huge huge disappointment. How big a cost we’ll have to pay for this? Well we’ll know in 6 days. Meanwhile, it’s a trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, a win will clinch us the title – so as games go this is the biggest league game of the season. It seems like we’ll have to do it without Vidic. I am positive about our chances, and only a defeat will hurt our title chances. More on that coming soon.

Au Revoir, Arsenal!

Character. Today's game was all about character. And there was only one team who had plenty of it. A huge win today means a giant step towards the title. Fergie persisted with Rooney up front with Park in a supporting role. Scholes, Owen and Carrick started in the middle of the park. First half saw us chasing Arsenal for long spells, with our midfielders not really getting in to the game. Scholes, in particular, was guilty of repeatedly losing possession and was generally the worst player on the pitch today. Thanks to Adebayor's inability to take a chance, and Rooney's determination to match him miss for miss, the score remained goaless at the half. Plenty for Fergie to talk about during the half and I couldn't wait for some change in the pattern of play. Scholes had to be taken off and Anderson was the remedy. We started the second half without any changes and found ourselves a goal down 2 minutes within restart. It was that cheating Adebayor who clearly handed the ball into the net. One just wonders what Arsene would have had to say had they conceded a goal like that - you would be hearing about it for decades to come. United just got on with it. Rio commented after the game that he had heard someone call "Keeper" so he let the cross go. But EVDS hadn't called for it, Adebayor just handed it down to the goal. Off they went celebrating, the arsenal cry babies.
It was their captain Gallas, who handled the ball just 6 minutes later and handed us a lifeline. Ronaldo took the penalty, twice, and with such composure levelled the score. Some nerve that - with 0-1 down, in front of the Stretty and the title at stake! We looked much better in the second half and with the introduction of Anderson and Tevez,looked like a different side. Anderson once again shone against them. What a talent!We were stringing passes together and generally getting into our stride. A free kick conceded by Gilberto around 25 yards out in the 72th minute saw both Ronaldo and Owen line up. I was hoping it was Owen, Ronaldo generally needs more distance to bring the ball down. Arsenal probably didn't expect it. Hargreaves stepped up and curled one above the wall - with the wall forgetting their purpose and not even bothering to jump! Lehmann didn't move. One of the best free kicks of the season and what an occassion. I couldn't have been more happy with Hargreaves , it was very well deserved and he's having a wonderful spell at the moment. You could see with the body language that Arsenal had lost faith from then on. We held out to win 2-1. Amazing win, amazing comeback and most importantly huge huge three points!
Fergie was complimentary towards Arsenal in his post match assessment. Predictably, Arsene made some noise about the free kick and the penalty and did not see Adebayor's blatant hand ball as the stars weren't aligned properly for his vision to detect that incident. Whining loser.
All eyes on Chelski now, I don't expect them to drop points on Monday but they'll have a sterner test away to Everton on Thursday. If we win against Blackburn on Saturday and avoid a defeat against Chelski, the title is virtually over. If chelski drop points before we meet them, that will be a bonus and will give the boss the luxury to rest some players before the Barcelona fixture. There's some football to be played yet but one huge obstacle towards the quest for another title was removed today.

Advantage Manchester United

AS Roma 0 2 Manchester United
Stadio Olimpico, 04.01.2008

The performance wasn't breathtaking. It wasn't fluent. It was effective. It was functional. And it gives United the vital edge going into the return leg at Old Trafford.
You can always bet that Fergie's team selection will spring a surprise on you - but even then you wouldn't have expected to see Park to start on that team sheet. A true "WTF" moment before the start. No Tevez either confirming my suspicion that it's going to be another very cautious performance - nothing like the 4-0 demolition of Villa just a few days back. And so it was - United happy to play at walking pace. We started well with keeping possession without really threatening them. But as it often happens, the home team settled soon and started to shade possession. For a while there things were quite dire. United happy to chase shadows while Roma not really doing anything of note. We had the likes of Rooney behind the ball every time they had possession. I don't agree with it, but it did deliver today.

It was Ronaldo's amazing courage that gave us the lead. Scholes' perfect floated ball saw Ronaldo leap up ahead of the defender and head it in - a jump that would have made Michael Jordan proud! He did hurt himself in the process and for a second the entire red world held a collective breath wondering if it was too early to celebrate that goal. It was to everyone's relief then seeing him back on his feet. That goal really rattled Roma and their fans. They started brightly in the second half but couldn't really make any of the chances count with EVDS making a couple of brilliant saves to keep us ahead. Rooney's goal off a fumble made it easy and from then on Roma had no belief of getting anything out of the game. Ronaldo, Carrick and Rooney all missed easy chances to make it three and virtually seal the tie. But 2-0 is a great away result - although to some level the scoreline does flatter the performance we put out there today. Some may say this was a perfect away European display or that it was a tactical masterpiece from Fergie. I am not entire sold on that yet. Will it work with a more attack minded side (uh, like Barcelona?)?

Vidic's injury around the 30 minute mark was something that spoilt the victory today. This team has some interchangeable parts - but Rio and Vidic are not one of those. We need them both fit for every game we play from now on. But its likely now that Vidic will miss games - it's just a matter of how many. I don't think we can cope without him for the rest of the season. O'shea came in today and did the job but it will be another thing to try and fit in the role for the remaining games - both in the league and in the CL. I am eagerly waiting the news on Vidic's scan.

The boss did admit that we got the breaks today:

It was a marvellous result for us. We showed discipline and composure on the ball.Ronaldo's goal changed the game for us. It was a fantastic header. His spring and courage to go in front of the defender surprised the Roma player.It was a centre-forward's header - it reminded me of myself. I thought Roma had some good chances the first 15 minutes of the second half. But there are breaks in a football match and I think they were with us today.

 

 

Man of the Match : Tough one between Ronaldo and EVDS. Ronaldo shades it just.

Moment of the Match: EVDS's early second half save from a header at 1-0 that kept the lead intact.

Moan of the Match: Undoubtedly the injury suffered by Vidic.This could cost us the title and the CL. Such cruel similarity with the happenings of last season. [ Anderson's performance today was the runner up]

Focus is back on the bread and butter league this weekend. Thoughts on that when I get a chance to catch my breath.