Feb 24
Inter v Man Utd: Preview
Suddenly we are not ‘injury proof’. Rafael has been added to the list that includes Evans, Brown, Neville, O’Shea and, for all practical purposes for the day, Vidic.
Mourinho reckons a ‘worried’ United may be defensive. Fergie brushes that aside with a we-rarely-play-for-draws rebuttal. Ronaldo mumbles something about killing or being killed which, for some reason, sounds to me like the job description of a suicide bomber.
Wenger talks about how his club looks to educate people… as opposed to United.
So, as you see, it’s an exciting day indeed, and everyone’s chirpy.
My day, on the other hand, isn’t nearly as exciting. I have work, you see, which coincides nicely with today’s game. For Fuck’s sake.
But I’m none too optimistic about today. Unless, of course, Jonny O’Shea steps in at centre back and stuffs the sizeable Ibrahimo-watsisname-ovic into his wee back pocket. If pigs could fly and if George Bush could say disestablishmentarianism. (Yes, the smart ones may have noticed the Black Adder reference.)
Fergie, despite the tough talk about rarely ever playing for a draw, he’ll surely make today one of those rare occasions. He’ll go for his most defensive formation ever. A 4-3-3 that would really be a 4-5-1. A midfield of Carrick, Fletcher and Giggs. A forward line of Ronaldo, Rooney and Park. And a back line of Evra, Rio, O’Shea (if he emerges from Fergie’s smokescreen of being ‘doubtful’) and Fabio.
If he doesn’t make it, then Fletch would most likely partner Rio (the horror!) with Carrick, Giggs, and Park pushed in to the middle. This way Tevez would be brought into the mix alongside Rooney and Ronaldo.
Defence will be key today. And hence you’ll see Fergie pick players like Park, Tevez (and Rooney) who will cover every inch of the pitch for 90 minutes. I can’t see Fergie picking Berbatov today.
Had Vidic been available, I really wouldn’t have had any worries about today. But he isn’t, so we can’t expect to play like Barcelona and the Harlem Globetrotters rolled into one.
Prediction: 1-1. Our goal coming off a set-piece.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Inter: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
- Porto it is then…
Tags: Game Preview
February 24th, 2009 at 9:08
Attack Attack Attack should be the mantra today….. Lets attack and keep them at bay…..
fletcher – rio – oshea – evra
park – carrick – giggs – rooney
————tevez————–
————ronaldo————
February 24th, 2009 at 9:17
our attack>>>>>their defence, we need to remember this.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:21
@Dan: Ok.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:42
i think ur right Dan, our attack is better than their D,
…As long as we can score a goal, we SHOULD win the tie
2-1, 3-2 would be great, def can see us winning tonight though…
I mean is Fabio really gonna play tonight? what a baptism of fire for the lad, hope hes up to it like his bro
February 24th, 2009 at 9:49
@realred: I still having a strange feeling that we will be very happy by the end of the game, i would like to see how Berba stands up for such big games , also ronaldo’s attendence is required..
February 24th, 2009 at 9:50
@bond: I think berba will get a nod above tevez, although tevez will be handy in such matches.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:58
cant*
February 24th, 2009 at 10:05
@realred: What Cant???
February 24th, 2009 at 10:07
id like to see tevez and rooney tonight, they graft like there lives depend on it every minute of every match, along with park out wide, giggs scholes for the experience and ron for the flare. Dont think playing fabio would be a good idea but saf knows best! Cmon reds!!
February 24th, 2009 at 10:07
I can’t believe how optimistic people are. The San Siro is a very tough place to go, and Inter are easily the best team in Italy over the past 2 seasons. They have a world class starting XI, have virtually no injuries and had a reasonably gentle weekend.
We had a very tough encouter with Blackburn (Ronaldo looked out on his feet towards the end) have lost half of our defence with no real replacement and always stink it up away from home in the CL.
A draw would be a great and holy blessing. We’re good, but we always underperform in Europe. Oh and Fergie has only beaten Mourinho once in 10 matchups.
So why the optimism?
February 24th, 2009 at 10:14
Ronaldo and Rooney need to have big games for us. Just showing up isn’t an option. The world’s best player needs to make a statement on the road at one of the true footballing Mecca’s, the San Siro. I’m looking for something special. So help me, prepare for a nasty review from me if they pull a snore fest like they did vs Barcelona last year. I want to see if they are capable of playing attack oriented entertaining football against a top opponent and win. I’d rather lose trying to win over winning through parking the bus. We need to show guts, determination and cockiness. I hope Fergie doesn’t fall into Mourinho’s trap like he has a half dozen other times. Shock him with a wave of attacking fast paced football and lets see what they have to offer from a defending point of view.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:26
2-1 to inter, maureen to go all giddy….
7-1 to united at OT with supervida back, maureen to go hide himself in the inter clothesbasket like at chelsea
February 24th, 2009 at 10:26
Mourino brags alot which has no significant about the match against MU. He is more worried man than Alex with his ridicules comments just like a barking dog….
February 24th, 2009 at 11:07
I can see Fergie deploying Rooney out wide with Ronnie through the middle ce soir to give the defence some cover.
I hope Evans and O’Shea are fit, but can see SAFFY risking one of them but maybe not both.
@Beachryan: Underperform, aren’t we European Champions?
February 24th, 2009 at 11:17
we gotta try be realistic lads, there a solid outfit n theres no guearentees with the sort of defence were playin tonight!!
its def gonna be a toughy
im in agreement with big Andy cole though sayin that any away goal will do…although id prefer two!!
who knows we could be surpirised, the sheer quality of our strikers means we can overcome any opponent
February 24th, 2009 at 11:26
I think the score is going to read 2-1 at the end of the game. I hope for an early goal and then we should see it through to victory… I must admit though, that I’m also concerned over our defensive line, but the lads should win it…
February 24th, 2009 at 11:30
Grognard, I dont think parking the bus is an option with the defence we are playing with today. So we better move like butterflies and sting like bis.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:45
Its gonna be a hard game. That is something we know. But how difficult I dont know. Excuse me for my optimism, but I really cant see us losing this. Inter are a shit side, most overrated team EVER!!! Believe me, I watch them. They are just a worse version of Mourinhos Chelsea from 2006. Static, boring, tactically good, no pace, no penetration and no fucking entertainment. Some nice flicks from Ibrahimobitch, but nothing more. The Itanlian League has fallen drastically since 2005, when the Prem was weak and Spain and Italy were the dominating countries. All capped off at the World cup 2006, and that has also proven to be their downfall. Not only the planned matches and stuff, but they caliber of the players have fallen. Not only italian players, but all footballers playing in Italy. Playing Inter is not much harder than playing Lyon!
And Im serious. Lyon dominate the French League, but are not so good when it comes to challenging the big guys from England or Spain. And Inter are Italys Lyon. Its a crap League with just boring football which isnt even worth to watch. They ruin the fun!!! 
So playing Inter away is for me like playing Lyon away. Would you be worried about that? Not so much. Come on, we are talking about a team that drew to Anartothis and Panatinaikos, and lost Werder Bremen.
United defense is the only thing that worries me. But not as much as I would think I should do. We are facing the best team in Italy away with only 2 proven or real defenders in our team. And if we get a replacement, he will either be half injured or playing in another position. But I aint worried. I am actualy really confident. Please dont ask me why, because I dont know myself.
We are the best team in the world. Proven by all the trophies we have won and the positiong we are in. Leading the Prem by 7 points. Final of the Carling Cup, quarter final of the FA cup, Champions of the world and we are in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Now this may all come back to bite me, but what the hell? As a United fan I should only expect the best of my team, and if not I should be allowed to feel dissapointed or angry! And because we are so used to winning, why dont we just keep staying in this positive mentality. If no-one believes we are gonna win today, then why fucking watch it?! Jeez, all the negativity…
I think the key player tonight will be Ji-Sung Park. If he can stop Maicon, we have stopped Inter. Most of Inters goals come from crosses from his side, or at least he is invloved. Probably the best RB in the world, but I feel Park has the ability to shut him up. And I swear to God, if Ronaldo and Rooney doesnt have one fo their best games of the season tonight, I will be fucking dissapointed. Ronaldo will be up against Maxwell, and Rooney up against Chiuvu or something. If there is anything the Italian league is not familiar with, its what these two players possess. Aggresion, flair and pace. Say it again? Aggresion, flair and pace! They both have these qualitites, and they should manage to ruin Inters defense all by themselves. They are not only humans, they are legends of the game!
Team prediction:
VDS
Fabio-Evans/Oshea-Rio-Evra
Ronaldo-Fletcher-Giggs-Park
Rooney-Berbatov
Score prediction: 2-0 to United. Ronaldo and Rooney will score. It will be in the bag tonight…
February 24th, 2009 at 12:33
I love your optimism Eddy. I have faith in Fabio especially with Park protecting him. But I don’t think Evans or O’Shea are going to make it and if we go with Eckersley or Fletcher alongside Rio then Adriano and Ibrahovitch are going to smell blood. I know they are inconsistent as hell but this season Mourinho has really built up their confidence.
Im almost certain we’ll concede two goals. The key is taking our chances and getting that away goal or two. We’ll probably go with a fairly defensive line-up so Rooney and Ronaldo will be our only real goal threats and it is imperative they take their chances.
Certainly their defence has never encountered a pair as good as Ronaldo and Rooney.
I think it is more likely we play Ronaldo on the left wing (so we can use Park to protect Fabio). So he’ll come up against Maicon. As such Maicon will be wary about bombing forward
February 24th, 2009 at 13:07
I like the way you think of the match Eddy, Inter are apparently very fragile mentally due to their lack of success in Europe over the years. They’re desperate to do well, this is not like in their league.
I’m looking for an approach like against Chelsea recently, compact, but enterprising when the opportunity arises…fearless.
I hope this isn’t going to be 60 minutes of non play like the first leg against Lyon, let them do the worrying.
If United ‘play’ I’m confident, if they muck about with back passes and are content with keep ball, I will be less so.
February 24th, 2009 at 13:19
Ronaldo against Maicon….I dont think so….
Park and Evra will be cricial tonight…and Berba, of course…
February 24th, 2009 at 13:24
INTER HAVE INJURIES IN SAMUEL AND VIERA. MATTERAZZI A DOUBT. I BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE IT. MY TEAM WILL BE LIKE THIS a 4.3.3
vds
oshea rio evans evra
park carrick Fletcher
ronaldo berba rooney
i take this formation coz i believe sheasy and evans are likely to play. it was just caution to sub evans on B/BURN game. if the worst comes i would play like this
vds
Fabio oshea rio evra
Fletcher Carrick park
Ronaldo Giggs Rooney
i think we also need a strong bench. Berbatov, tevez . nani. Tevez can sub park. berba can sub ronaldo/giggs. when we need someone who can croos nanai maybe for giggs/ronaldo.
I’m of the idea that fletcher should mark ibra, so he shold be in the central midfield., remeber Roma 7-1. the mid pairing of carrick and fletcher. someone who can tight mark is the only one since we don’t have vidic.
man united we normaly make it when things are tight. remember against Roma when we were 10 men.
Man United 3 Inter 1
The fall of the special-one the self annointed one.
February 24th, 2009 at 13:50
I think we will line up like this.
VDS
Fabio Evans Rio Evra
Park Fletch Carrick Ronaldo
Rooney Berbatov
Park will start to cover for Fabio, and I think we should play the match like any other, and attack. Not all out forget defense, just like we usually do. Mourinho is expecting us to hold back a little because of our defensive situation, and that’s what they want too, because their defense can’t handle our attack. Rio will have to have his game face on to deal with Ibra and Adriano, and Fletch should come deep often to pester Ibra.
Sitting back and Defending is a good tactic when you have a defense!! The strongest area of this traveling squad is Attack, so that’s what we should do. Inter won’t be able to kill of this tie in this game and almost regardless of tonight’s result I think we will do what we need to at Old Trafford to get through.
February 24th, 2009 at 13:55
Berba will not play as rightly pointed out by RR. The holy trinity of Tevez Rooney and Ronaldo should do it. This game can be THE game for many in our team. A lot to prove to a lot of people,
Ronaldo – He can silence his critics yet again by handing out a masterclass today. Rooney should be fired up enough to get everything right.
Tevez – Time to show that gaffer that he is every inc as good as Berbatov is, make a case in point that he should be playing more first team football. Boy, if he can turn it on today, we will definitely look good.
The defence – Fabio, if he plays at all, for him it should be the sort of a shot in the arm that drives the truly great players. Because if he can deliver a performance worthy of a RB at Manchester United, then he will be remembered for long.
Rio has to show today that he can carry the defence on his own, with or without Vida – no disrespect to the monster.
If these players play to their best today. Then I dont see any reason why we cant get out of the San Siro with a win today.
February 24th, 2009 at 13:59
@Man Utd fan/Macedonia: I think if giggs is given time to run the show he will destroy them, I am not a fan of muntari neways.. so it shouldn’t be a big problem compared to some other midfielders we could have faced.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:03
@UnitedUnited: I still think Fergi will field berba, as he might need someone to come back and create for forwards if he has to field carrick as CB.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:10
@Traverse: I would love to see Fabio play as he seemed to be more confident and composed of the two, although we saw only a glimpse of the guy, hope he does well.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:35
Martin comment 20, that is exactly the team i wanted too mate. I dont think though that oshea and evans will make it but i just hope we dont go so defensive cos trust me that will play into their hands and they will easily win the match. I hope we see fabio at RB, he is actually naturally right footed anyway. Only problem with him is, we would need park on that right side to protect him, but we really could do with him on the left to stop the excellent maicon. Honestly though inter are the kind of team where if things are going well, they will look great, but if they went behind they aint the kind of team to bust a gut and raise their game, some players will sulk and they just wont look the same, so in this respect if we got the 1st goal then we could be home and dry which is where i think fergie gets his comments that the game could be won today. If however we sit back, we will loose. Its not in our nature to sit back, we aint really good at it and with a dodgy defence i dont know why we would want to sit back anyway. As Eddy said inter are extremely over rated, i have watched them at least 10 times this year and even my family who are inter fans say they are very over rated and have no chance in europe this year. My cousin said they are just a roma like team but with a higher profile. Dont know about you guys but to me roma arent all that so if inter are roma like then i think we should win. I pray to see some of our exiting european performances like in the 90s against barca and that tonight, but somehow i see us sitting back for 90 mins and trust me if we do that, we will be disappointed tonight.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:41
@Matthew: I agree with all sentiments there, Inter are an aging side and with Ronnie and Wazza should tear them a new one.
Did Evra play right back when we beat beat Roma 7.1 or is that just my mind going a miss? Anyway if we play our own game we will be fine, if we try to play the slow tempo european game which we have a tendancy to do in Europe then it could be a tough night.
I feel Inter’s best player or most effective is Stankovic, come on boys!!
February 24th, 2009 at 14:47
@UnitedUnited: I think we need Berbatov’s ball retention skills at the top end of the park. He is almost impossible to tackle, and if we are going to play with a little restraint like it seems we will, we’ll need someone up top who can hold the ball and bring the runners into play. His first touch/close control is far superior to anyone else in the team, including Ronaldo.
Tevez’s energy cannot be ignored, but Inter aren’t a fast team or a wide team. They’ll be playing a diamond in midfield and expecting their fullbacks to get forward. This should leave plenty of space in behind for counter attacking with Ronaldo, Park, Evra, Fabio or even Rooney bombing into the channels.
If either team will be the defensive one I think it’ll be Inter.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:49
Berbatov will and should play, Fergie would not spend that money on him and drop him for the biggest game of the season.
February 24th, 2009 at 14:55
I predict like alot of other people… 2-1 inter
February 24th, 2009 at 14:58
@Traverse: When I said that Berbatov wouldn’t play, my train of thought was something like this. Tevez Rooney and Ronaldo as a trio would be difficult to mark than Berba up front. It is true that Inter is an aging team. If you unleash three of your most energetic men at them, they might struggle to mark them. Plus this would be the ideal attacking impetus that would stun Mourinho. Assuming that the back four has O Shea Rio Fabio and Evra, we will have to be defensive and play a three man midefield. So the service to Berba wont be upto the mark. This might render him slightly ineffective. Ronaldo Rooney and Tevez on the other hand will run at their defense, which is not their strongest point anyway and hence we will have an equal balance of attack and defence.
@Stephen: It is true that he spent a lot of money on Berbatov. But that doesnt mean he has to play him no matter what.
February 24th, 2009 at 15:09
@UnitedUnited: Berba can hold the ball up well which the others cannot do, which I feel is something which will be needed.
Also he is playing well and is unlikely to feature Sunday.
February 24th, 2009 at 15:22
Hrm, someone on an Inter forum has posted saying: did little research, this spanish ref is notorious for screwing up games.Gives almost 7 yellow card/game, 0.83 pk, gives loss time up to 10 min, and has average of rating of 4 from Marca. Ref will be a big part on this game.
Oh oh…
February 24th, 2009 at 15:25
@UnitedUnited: I have to agree with Stephen. If we are going to play with only one player up front, it has to be Berbatov. His control and ball retention skills are second to none and we’ll need him to hold up the ball so that our defenders will get some breathing space. His creativity and vision can be used to set up somebody like Ronaldo.
February 24th, 2009 at 15:28
@Beachryan: Ive read that in an inter forum too funny huh? Thing is they’re more concerned about the the referee than we are. Players like Muntari and Rivas are prone to collecting cards. Although it is be possible that the referee might get intimidated by the home crowd and may produce silly cards against us.
February 24th, 2009 at 15:43
I really like the idea of playing it tight, and leaving Berbatov and Ronaldo as a constant threat up top. I think that we should be able to contain, and Berba’s vision coupled with Ronaldo’s pure speed could really cause Inter problems. Something like:
————-vds———–
-Fabio-Rio—O’Shea–Evra–
—–Fletcher–Carrick—–
————Giggs———-
-Park—————Rooney-
———-Ronaldo———-
———–Berba———–
February 24th, 2009 at 15:53
@Beachryan: Good side but I can see Fergie playing Fletch at right back and playing Scholes, going for safety rather than playing an inexperienced defender in such a big game without his first choice CB.
February 24th, 2009 at 16:08
@Beachryan: That side would probably give Inter major problems……… given that you picked 12 men
February 24th, 2009 at 16:19
@ JB…hrm…d’oH!
Take out Giggs, push Park and Rooney back a bit. We should try it
February 24th, 2009 at 16:25
Stephen, i dont know if we will scholes today anyway mate, he has played pretty much 90mins in our last 2 matches and i dont think he will be able to do 3 games in a row. Giggs was rested in the fulham game (i think) and i know he only came on as a sub for 10mins or so in the blackburn game. To me that says giggsy will be a starter today. Sounds like evans is definitely gonna miss the game, absolutely no training i just cant see him being risked so it looks like oshea will fit in at CB. I dont know about the rest of you but seeing oshea there is giving me nightmares. I know he has imporved a bit in the last few years but he is still is dodgy and playing at CB any mistake he makes would be suicide. On the other hand he could have an absolute stormer and be like brown and rio last year against barca and just be amazing, hopefully the latter. So this i reckon means fletcher will slot into the RB position and leaving the 3 man midfield with im guessing carrick, giggs and someone else. I would like this man to be park, even though he usually plays as a winger, he doesnt offer much attacking wise but in a game like this and with our current defensive problems we may need him just for the defensive side of his game. He could be useful for marking macion as well. As some have mentioned maybe berbatov wont play, park maybe will play in a 3 man attack, but i just think these are the kind of games we need berbatov so i change my mind and think berba will start.
Anyway thios is how i think we will look:
VDS
FLETCHER RIO OSHEA EVRA
CARRICK GIGGS PARK
RONALDO BERBATOV ROONEY
February 24th, 2009 at 16:32
@Matthew: You are probably right matey, it does depend if O’Shea or Evans are fit, I like you think O’Shea will be fit and also do not trust him either but we are lacking heavily with options.
Park will certainly play and maybe in a 4-4-1-1 with Rooney or Carlos behind Berba, or even maybe Roonie so Rooney can give a bit of cover for the fullback.
Mourinho has a decent record against Fergie but played 12 Mourinho has won 6 but one win was in a league cup, one was a hammering right at the end of the season and one when Keano had to play CB in the first game of the season, also 4 have been drawn with Fergie winning 2. So not so cut and dried I would say.
February 24th, 2009 at 16:35
I think he’ll play Giggs and Park today definitely as they both are quality at tracking back (as well as Giggs calming influence, he’s been here, done it, got the t-shirt remember).
I’m imagining he’ll revert to his 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation he prefers in Europe.
VDS
Fabio, Ferdinand, O’Shea, Evra
Rooney, Park, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo
Berbatov
That can obviously quickly move into a 4-3-3 when United have the ball.
I am very confident about tonight, our makeshift back four will probably concede, but i definitely think we’ll score. I’m predicting a score-draw, Not sure how many goals, either 1-1 or 2-2
February 24th, 2009 at 17:16
there is no point at all in playing tevez to be perfectly honest. Yes he’ll run down defenders like a dog chasing a stick, but im sorry, energy does not win you games. End product does, something tevez lacks. We need energy and someone to finish of our chances, thats why it’ll be a 4-5-1/4-3-3 with berba being our focal point.
i understand why everyone is so afraid, but show some fucking pride! We are manchester united, that best team in the world and current European champions! we have the best players in the world and the best manager in the world. We are quite simply, the best and we, the fans and players need to realise this. Play with your heart, and your pride and show the rest of europe are glorious hell.
Red devils FTW!
February 24th, 2009 at 17:31
WWOOOOOHOOO YEAH bring it on special one.
War red devils United ftmfw
February 24th, 2009 at 17:37
@Beachryan:
i wish they would let us play this formation we could beat anyone with 12 players hahaha
February 24th, 2009 at 17:50
@Beachryan:
i dig where your going with it though.
maby
________VDS________
fletch_rio_evans_evra fletch for fab cuz of first team play
___gigs____carrick___ thought jos was hurt so evans
park____roon____ron__ park for nani cuz defensive cover
_______berb__________ come on berba make us proud
with the attack switching like they do 433 451
bring on fabio tevez and nani as needed for tired legs or nicks
and thats why were champions
sit down morinho
February 24th, 2009 at 18:23
i think O’shea will play in the center and fletcher at right-back. fabio will be on the bench as fergie will not risk him in such a huge clash.
I feel a draw is on the cards if fergie goes for a attacking strategy.
February 24th, 2009 at 18:35
@Dan: I agree mate, even if we loose tonight which we won’t
we still have the second leg when we should be close to having a fully fit squad to choose from.
February 24th, 2009 at 18:41
I havent been so fired up for a game since Chelsea at Old Trafford in January…
And before that Barca at Old Trafford! 
Champions League final was more enxiety than anything, so I cant say I was so “fired up” then. COME ON LADS!!! About 40% of my friends are Inter fans(kind of weird when I think of it) so nothing will be sweeter than going to school tomorrow morning yelling: “What the cuk did I tell you?! HA-HA! We are the best team in the world…”… And so on! 
Im really gonna scream my head off. Wont be at home as usual tonight, will be at the club/teenage pub where the game is shown. Will watch it with some of my friends(and those Inter fans that actually show the balls to show up), scream my fucking head off and probably kill the guy who stands next to me when the ref makes a bad call… 
February 24th, 2009 at 18:45
hoping for a 1-1 draw to be honest, this is not gonna be easy methinks.
come on you Busby Boys!
VDS
Fletcher, Rio, O Shea, Evra
Park, Giggs, Carrick,
Ronaldo, Berba, Rooney
This is the team i’d like to see, but i dont know if Fergie will see it the same! If we come out and stun Inter early we might just pull it off
February 24th, 2009 at 18:50
What did I say a couple of days ago. I said on game day many of our wounded would be miraculously healed and it appears I was right once again. In my opinion, this was nothing more than gamesmanship on Fergie’s part. Give Inter the feeling that we were in real trouble and instill real hope and confidence and then just before kickoff, zap the with a reality check. Sure having O’Shea or Evans back for the game may not be intimidating but I could see Inter licking their chops and salivating over the idea of a Fletcher or Eckersley playing in the back four. Here’s hoping nobody gets hurt and we come out of the San Siro with our heads held high.
February 24th, 2009 at 18:55
@Riisboll (DK): I agree. That is why I’m hoping we enter the game with an attacking mentality because Inter is expecting us to play like we did at Barcelona last year. Attack for 30 minutes and try to get that all important away goal and then go into a protective shell and see if you they can hold it. It is so important for Ronaldo and Rooney and even Berbatov to really step up and make a statement. They need to have great games and somebody has to conjure up something ultra special which will be remembered for years.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:01
@Traverse: Too be honest, tonight I would start Tevez over Berbatov. His style would be more suited to playing Inter on the road and he would be playing against many Argentina teammates which I feel would fire him up and motivate him to do well. Still, the way Fergie has played these kind of games over the past few years, I could se him sitting both Berbatov and Tevez down and going 4-5-1 with Rooney as the lone attacker. Even if he doesn’t do that, our central midfielders will have to show energy and pace and be expected to attack more because one thing I am almost 1005 certain of is that Park will be placed on the left side to mark one Maicon out of the game. I expect to see very little of him offensively in the game which means our other midfielders have to step it up a gear and not just stay back. That means Carrick is going to have to kick it up a notch.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:08
@Stephen: You are probably right but he is looking for a result and if he feels he needs to build the Berlin Wall at the San Siro, expect only one forward and five midfielders. I would want that one forward to be somebody who is fast and willing to run his socks off as well as track back. Does that remind you of Berba? Still, I am putting a lot of of faith in Fergie tonight to ensure we don’t go back to OT with our tails between our legs. I actually wouldn’t fear this tie at all in past years as I really don’t think Inter is that good. But Mourinho scares me and until Fergie beats him in a must win scenario, I will continue to fear him. I’d like nothing more than the Mourinho legend and aura to be destroyed in this tie. I just hope the great SAF has the plan to do it.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:08
when’s the KO. india timings.
reply
February 24th, 2009 at 19:10
@UnitedUnited: I love Berba and in many ways he is kind of a mirror of what Ibrahimovich is on the other side but Zlatan is playing at home. So I agree. Pace, energy and the willingness to pester and track back is vital. A Rooney, Tevez duo would be useful in this kind of game.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:15
@RedDevilEddy: Calm down mate. You are setting yourself up for a big fall. These games rarely ever live up to the hype and I wouldn’t be surprised if the game ended 0-0. My prediction however is based on a dream I had five days ago. I will go with that dream even though I consciously feel we would lose 2-1. My dreams occasionally come true and so I am going with what my dream said which is we are going to lose 2-0. Yes, negative Grognard has struck again. But surprisingly, I have a feeling that we will kick their asses in the return leg at OT. Maybe not 7-1 but 3-0 or 4-1. Just a feeling I have.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:31
@Grognard: That’s what I’m worried about. Rooney as the 1 up never works, and he’ll be paired with Ronaldo as a strike force, meaning 4-5-1 which I think would be too dangerous to play. I wont be too fussed if we play either Tevez or Berbatov, just as long as one of them starts and not neither of them!
February 24th, 2009 at 19:32
@Grognard: The flpipside being we might only get one chance, and Berbatov’s goals to shot ratio is far higher than the little man.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:32
Any team news? I’m still sweating on the back four.
I would not be surprised if Fergie went with Ronaldo up front and Park and Rooney on the wings and crammed three central midfielders. There would be no way for Inter to get through our midfield and we’d be powerful on the break with the 4-5-1 becoming a 4-3-3 as Park and Rooney break
February 24th, 2009 at 19:34
Did anyone else hear the news earlier that Police were trying to convince both Beckham and Cantona to get seats in a box somewhere as they both separately bought tickets to be in with the away supporters for tonight’s match?
February 24th, 2009 at 19:38
vds
oshea rio evans evra
park carrick giggs fletcher ronaldo
berbatov
official
February 24th, 2009 at 19:39
VDS
O’shea
Evans
Ferdinand
Evra
Ronaldo
Fletcher
Giggs
Carrick
Park
Berbatov
this could be wrong though…
February 24th, 2009 at 19:39
@Traverse: beat me to it
February 24th, 2009 at 19:40
rooney on the bench lol this will be interesting.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:41
i cant wait to se the formation
February 24th, 2009 at 19:42
@Traverse: Thats a great point about Berba’s shot to chances ration but I also feel that Tevez really elevates his game when there is really something to play for and when he needs to impress. Remember, one of the teams that are supposedly interested in him is Inter. What a better way to send a message of his value to both clubs than to give a lights out performance in front of both Mourinho, Fergie and around ten of his country’s teammates. I honestly would start the terrier today as his style would cause Inter problems and keep them more on their heels.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:43
giggs and carrick have to be on their “a” game, they cant expect fletcher to pull his weight. that guy will have an 80% pass succession rate, to the inter players. Not sure where ronaldo will be playing or giggs.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:44
@Grognard: “The higher you are, the longer you fall.”
But truthfully, I dont care! I gonna go as far as saying that even if your prediction is correct, that we do lose 2-0, I wouldnt care. Not because I give a shit in the Champions League, because I dont, but because I am so confident we will kick their asses no matter what at Old Trafford. I may fall so long I might die( 
), but as a United fan I/we are supposed to be believing that we will win! If the players go there without the belief that they will win, then what point is it going there. And for the fans who are 110% confident we will lose tonight, then why even bother watching the game!? Come on, as United fans its our job to be wanting everything every time. You tought me that Grog! 
Now stand by your word and predict a 7-1 win. Be a United fan-man! 
February 24th, 2009 at 19:47
The only thing I have to say is COME ON UNITED!
February 24th, 2009 at 19:47
i hope this finally means we will see where berba is meant to play, upfront in the box.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:49
It’s an unusual team selection. Maybe he plans on keeping it tight till the last 20 mins, and unleashing Tevez and Rooney on a tired defense. Who knows. In Sir Alex we trust.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:51
Team news just in guys:
VDS, OSHEA, RIO, EVANS, EVRA, FLETCHER, CARRICK, GIGGS, PARK, RONALDO & BERBA
I had a feeling evans would make it, looking at that team it really aint so bad, but i just cant help but feel we are gonna be treated to a real bore fest and we will sit back for 90 minutes.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:51
its 4-3-3, with berba, park and ronaldo upfront.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:52
@Matthew: bit late
February 24th, 2009 at 19:53
OH BABY!!! HERE WE GO!!! Evans and Oshea fit!!!
If we lose this one I promise you I will be kicking my own ass! 
This is the perfect team to play Inter. I promise you, Fergie has got this right. That is if we play what I expect:
VDS
Sheasy-Evans-Rio-Evra
Park-Fletcher-Carrick-Giggs
Ronaldo-Berbatov
The Inter full backs are probably some of the fastest full backs you will ever see. Especially Maicon. Park will close him down, and Giggs` routine and ability to track back will ruin much of the other fullbacks game. Fletch will run all over the midfield to win the ball, and that is something Cambiasso and Stankovic arent used to. The Italian league gives a lot of time to make passes, and aggresion is very low there. So Fletch will bamboozle them!!!
Carrick is a pass master, and with his pass accuracy, Berbatovs control, and Ronaldos speed and ability to run past defenses(I beg you linesman, if you give Ronaldo a WRONG offside, I will hunt you down and shoot you in dick and then the head!) this should be a perfect attacking combo. The Inter defense is slow, only their wing backs have speed. So if Berbs and Cazza can pick out the through-passes, then Ronaldos speed and desire to score will at least end in one goal. I am so fired up now!!! COME ON YOU REDS!!!! Lets hammer them!!! 
Im off to the club. Talk to you tomorrow! United to win 2-0, Ronaldo and Rio to score.
February 24th, 2009 at 19:56
@RedDevilEddy: giggs doesnt play on the wing anymore…
February 24th, 2009 at 19:57
@Traverse: I can see Berbatov being pretty lonely tonight with this formation. Let’s hope I’m wrong…
February 24th, 2009 at 19:57
Dan, yeah sorry just wasnt reading the earlier comments and just come on lol. Not a bad team considering really.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:01
i wonder how will this work out i cant wait
February 24th, 2009 at 20:04
Rooney out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the fuck?
February 24th, 2009 at 20:05
@phoenix red: its called tactics my good man
February 24th, 2009 at 20:05
@NicoQB: I think Ronaldo is likely to be up and around him, but this would suggest they really are going to use his holding skills to bring the runners into the game, run a tight ship and hopefully not concede, and then throw on Rooney and Tevez with 20 or so to go.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:07
Inter.. 4-1-2-1-2
cesar
maicon rivas chevu santon
cambiasso
muntari zanetti
stankovic
adriano ibra
absolutely no width. none.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:09
@Traverse: i reckon ronaldos on the wing. this starting 11 is so versatile, i doubt we’ll see the same formation between K.O and our first substitution(bar no injuries).
February 24th, 2009 at 20:11
1 Edwin van der Sar (G)
23 Jonathan Evans (CD-L)
5 Rio Ferdinand (CD-R)
3 Patrice Evra (LB)
22 John O’Shea (RB)
16 Michael Carrick (CM-L)
24 Darren Fletcher (CM-R)
13 Ji-Sung Park (LM)
7 Cristiano Ronaldo (RM)
9 Dimitar Berbatov (ST)
11 Ryan Giggs (RCF)
from espnsoccernet
February 24th, 2009 at 20:15
interesting gigs as a right center forward and a striker i like it 4,4,offset1,1 then like Traverse said have rovez comeon at the half or at 60-65 sumthing and put in a hattrick whhhooooo hoooo
sit down morinho
sit down morinho
February 24th, 2009 at 20:15
alright off to get baked and hit the pub
February 24th, 2009 at 20:16
fergie best not have rushed evans and o’shea back from injury, we struggled with 1 injured defender that night, imagine us with 2
February 24th, 2009 at 20:17
The team selection looks great, with a bench to terrify. COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD COME ON UTD. Er, you get the point…
February 24th, 2009 at 20:21
I for one defiantely miss Anderson for tonights game
regardless of current form the boy has all the attributes needed for a a game like this one
midfield would look alot stronger wit him in there hustlin
February 24th, 2009 at 20:25
These is the interesting line up, kind of unexpected, but a strong one anyway. Good luck to us.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:28
Who’s on the bench apart from the Roonster?
As always, if anyone would be kind enough to post link to live streams, much appreciated.
BELIEVE
February 24th, 2009 at 20:29
There’s only one defender on the bench… I hope O’shea and Evans survive…
February 24th, 2009 at 20:31
No Rooney?
I’m stunned. I see no reason to keep a workaholic like him off the pitch. Giggs and Fletcher are questionable choices over Rooney.
Giggs playing on the right side instead of Rooney makes no sense, i’m sorry.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:31
Evans and Oshea are in.Was there any doubt ever?who’s the special one,huh?
February 24th, 2009 at 20:38
bench : foster, fabio, gibson, scholes, nani, tevez, rooney
February 24th, 2009 at 20:39
Warming up to the idea of Rooney as the Ace in the pack. Still nervous though. if we can stifle the wingbacks we’ll be fine.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:40
@Traverse: Yeah, you’re right, but I don’t recall Ronaldo and Berba developing any form of chemistry. Carrick – Berba, yes; Rooney – Berba, too; even Tevez; but not Ronaldo. This leaves me wondering.
And I’m wary of this guy Stankovic. Not the biggest superstar, but everytime I watch some Inter highlights he seems to score. Oh well I’ve always been a pessimist..
February 24th, 2009 at 20:43
Thank you Traverse for the bench update.
How long till KO? Dangit dont have coverage. Anyone with live stream links pretty please?
February 24th, 2009 at 20:45
oh my god
February 24th, 2009 at 20:48
can you imagine, giggs ove rrooney on the right is truely flabbergasting
unless he aint 100% fit, but for fuck sake, now aint the time for giggs im fukin sure of that
February 24th, 2009 at 20:52
this team is so obsurd
its too much
February 24th, 2009 at 20:55
damnit, SBS in australia is showing the friggin arsenal/roma match instead,
what idiots!? why show a game with 2 lower class teams, when the respective leaders of their league are playing each other?
February 24th, 2009 at 20:56
hmm.. apparently Juninho scored for Lyon v Barca?
February 24th, 2009 at 20:57
first 10 mins. we look quite comfortable. Inter seem nervier. Oshea is our weak link. European ref means Ronaldo will get plenty of chances to practice his freekick taking I think…
February 24th, 2009 at 20:57
@Natzca:
http://www.goalcentre.com/inter-milan-vs-manchester-united-live-highlights/
Try that.
February 24th, 2009 at 20:59
@miele: @miele: Legend,
thanks mate
February 24th, 2009 at 21:01
formation too reliant on ronaldo
further my claim tha fergie loves the lad too much
February 24th, 2009 at 21:02
@miele: http://www.iraqgoals.com/en/ch1.html
there u go fella.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:12
Giggs should have nailed that, it should have been one nil!
February 24th, 2009 at 21:12
What the Hell was Giggs thinking? He had all day and decided to take the wrong angle to goal and should have passed to Berba. We are going to regret missing our opportunities.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:14
How many chances do we need to have to score a FUCKING GOAL? We are ripping them apart and we have no finishing luck. Cesar is standing on his head.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:15
You get the feeling that Inter will get one chance and score.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:17
Soccernet matchcast quote:
“Perhaps reflecting their side’s performance, the San Siro crowd are deathly silent. You can even hear the travelling fans at the minute. Now Rivas clips Berbatov and Ronaldo can have yet another go from 25 yards…”
February 24th, 2009 at 21:22
ohh giggsy
carrick has been immense 1st half
February 24th, 2009 at 21:34
we should have been at least 2-0
February 24th, 2009 at 21:35
so frustratin
Oi fergie take giggs off for rooney keep park in midfield 3!
Thought we actually played lovely
carrick looks up for it
How did Giggs miss/ not square it to dimi? so simple. he had to put some elavation on the shot like his famous Arsenal goal
still need a goal real bad
February 24th, 2009 at 21:36
Will SAF be happy at the end of the game if it stays as it is? Probably.. So I expect him to leave the team as it is. When Giggs starts to tire Tevez will come on. I don’t think Inter will tire cause they are doing fuck all.
They need to finish this tie off tonight, cause if they play like this at home, with our defense back and our formation returned to normal at Old Trafford they’ll be lucky to get out alive.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:36
Ronaldo is looking so dangerous! Great half…
February 24th, 2009 at 21:38
Too many wasted chances for my licking. This can come back and bite us. Cesar had some good saves, but our guys are guilty of wasting others. They go for glory when a better option is to pass and vice verse. I would have never believe that we can dominate them in such a manner, but all that domination means nothing if we can’t score. Hope for a better half, but SAF got his tactics spot on for the 1st half. Good half from the guys, but we need that freaking goal.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:40
Despite not scoring the team has looked good. But that Julio Cesar is due a pay rise if he continues saving their berth.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:42
I cannot express enough the frustration and anger I am feeling over that first half. Yesterday I said if United came out and attacked they would shock and surprise Mourinho and Inter and we could get a great result. Well that is exactly what we have done and much better than I could have ever expected. Except for one thing. We are finishing like like girls. Cesar has been maginficant but we have also squandered too many great chances by not showing enough composure when we are in the box.
Ronaldo should have had three goals already. Berbatov missed a great header and Giggs missed an absolute gift of a chance where he took the wrong angle on the keeper and where he should have fed Berbaba for a tapper. And he was unlucky to have a ball at his feet in another opportunity and not see the ball. Ronaldo should have scored with his great header and two of his free kicks were narrow misses.
We own Inter and are faster than they are and better at controlling the ball. Yet, we are not in front. This worries me because Mourinho may make the changes needed to take away our chances in the second half. We were worried about our back four when Mourinho doesn’t even have a back four. And as I predicted, Ibrahimovich is a no show.
The great news here is that if the game remains 0-0 up until 65 to 70 minutes, we have both Rooney and Tevez to throw in there. Both will be fresh and ready to make a statement. What does Inter have? Still, you get the feeling that Inter will get that one chance against the run of play and score a goal.
Although he has played well defensively, the man holding us back in this game is Fletcher. Fergie should have started Rooney. I also think that Berbatov has hurt us on counter attacks because he frankly lacks the pace to beat defenders one on one. Rooney or Tevez would have been the better options here.
Lets hope Inter cannot solve the mystery and we can score that goal and come out of San Siro with a historic win. Even if this game ends up 0-0, the shine of Mourinho’s mantle has been tarnished as he has been completely out coached in this game. But he has been out coached before and come out the winner.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:43
Park’s been poor tomight. Particularly his positional play which is usually a strength. Other than a few insanely dodgy passes we’ve looked good. If we can make as many chances in the next half we’ll be good for a goal.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:43
Guys how has Ronaldo been playing? Would you say this has been his best performance away from home in Europe?
February 24th, 2009 at 21:47
i m scared of more ibra on-slaught from JOS side…like he did towards the end of first…he could create that much room easily, that may be a problem…
February 24th, 2009 at 21:52
Why do we always come out flat and sitting back in the second half of games. Now I’m truly scared we will be breached.
February 24th, 2009 at 21:54
my god we’re looking shaky this half
February 24th, 2009 at 21:59
and evra is surprisingly not having a great game
February 24th, 2009 at 22:00
Did I mention Spanish officials are my favorites? We’re winning everything from them today.
We need to throw on an extra forward man. one of Giggs/Park for one of Rooney/Tevez. If it’s Park then Tevez.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:04
this games too much for giggs….how the fuck is wayne not on yet
February 24th, 2009 at 22:06
GET PARK OUT
February 24th, 2009 at 22:10
That fucking Park and his stumps for legs. Anybody else would have gotten a foot on that gift from Ronaldo. But once again Park shows the fact he has no feet.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:12
park missiin again, how is giggs still on
February 24th, 2009 at 22:14
20 mins to go. Lets see if SAF has any intention of trying to win the game.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:15
Why is Rooney not in this game yet? Take Berbatov off and put Rooney in already. JEEZ!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:16
this game needs a scholes! just how much width they are providing us. he would have relished it!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:19
Inter have 3 strikers on and we have 1… madness. Rooney’s warming up tho
February 24th, 2009 at 22:21
rooney’s warming up on the touchline!!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:23
Rooney is coming on. Fergies giving him the tactics
February 24th, 2009 at 22:25
thank the lord
February 24th, 2009 at 22:31
Can somebody please tell me why Rooney got a yellow card on a play when he clearly won the ball in front of him.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:39
0-0 but certainly not boring!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:41
Well going into the game I would have taken this. We have to fancy our chances of winning at home with a full strength defence. But im miffed we didn’t get an away goal first half when we were all over them. Still Inter were the better team second half so I guess it balances out.
I don’t know why Berbatov was left on so long. He was totally isolated up front and we should have played someone more dynamic like Rooney or Tevez.
That Santon guy looks like a real talent. Considering he is just turned 18 he handled himself very well. He’s in my team in FM 2009!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:41
I think we went for it too late. Rooney needed 20 mins not 10. I guess that’s job done. Inter couldn’t outplay us on their own turf. They’ll have to go for it at OT and I think that only plays into our hands. Rio didn’t play too well, and Evans and O’Shea most likely needed injections to get through the match and we dealt with Ibra and Adriano. Vidic will have no problem with them. Especially as he’ll be out to prove a point to Mourinho. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got on the scoresheet at OT from a corner. Give the special one something to moan about.
Italian Job seemingly done.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:41
#$%#$ we should’ve put that one away
February 24th, 2009 at 22:46
honestly im fukin ragin with Fergie
what the fuck was he waitin for
Rooney had to get at least 20 fukin minutes NOT 8!!
im sorry but that just enrages me
as far as i can see its been happenin all fukin season aswell
WTF
honestly sometimes i see fergie as a confused old man,
all this talk bout gettin an away goal but it felt as if he wasnt interested in pushin for goal @ all
you know id understand if Oshea or Evans hadnt managed to play n we had a realy makeshift defence but that wasnjt the case now was it???!!?
the team he put out served it purpose for majority of the match, thot we played pretty well
just very clear to me that Fergie is utterly useless at making substitions to influence a match. Infact its almost as if he’s forgotten thats also what hes meant to be doing!
whats he always waiting for?
painfully clear that we had to make a change earlier than we did today
essentially it was a physicaly weak side vs a v.strong one, its obv that the weaker, smaler team will tire.
he has a bench full of stars Rooney, tevez, nani, put one of em on let em change the game
always doing it the hard way, guess thats just our style!!
February 24th, 2009 at 22:48
Well not sure how to look at this. 0:0 seems not bad, considering if we win at OT we go through, but I believe we already where in this type of a situation before against Jose and it didn’t end good for us. Considring how the game went, we should have scored that goal and we needed that goal, but what is done, is done. We will have Vidic back and may be many more, so it wasn’t such a bad result.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:48
@will: We have not watched the same game. Evra was my man of the match. (Seconded by Ronaldo who faded in the second half)
Oh, and Carrick too was good…
February 24th, 2009 at 22:50
@Traverse: The Spanish referee was doing a fine job until that Rooney yellow card. Absolyutely no foul.
Mind you Ibrahimovic had a great shooting opportunity but was wrongly ruled offside.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:51
@realred:
silly reaction mate, we got a 0-0 at san siro with a makeshift defence and a korean, deal with it! to say fergie is useless at anything is just plane stupid to be honest, you dont achieve what he has by making useless substitutions now do you?
February 24th, 2009 at 22:53
@NicoQB: Tevez looked like he had better control then evra in that match
February 24th, 2009 at 22:55
@m34ch:
Forgot to say thank you for the link. Got to watch the game due to u kind Sir.
About the game, as per the season, what the hell happened to the finishing? All creating and movement with little end product. SAF has to press on for sharpness dammit. he was a centre forward FFS.
Positives? We’ll have Vidic back. And his headers. So we can go all out offensive at OT,score a few then sit back while the Wall does his job.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:55
How PISS poor was that regarding our strikers? If that is an example of Berbatov in the big games in Europe, then its DIMI lights for us if Fergie persists in playing him. Sorry but in the tightly marked games, Berba does not come up with the goods. He is the man in the slow unhurried games though. Park was shite in the area, and Giggs was even feckin worse. If that’s experience Giggsy, then Fergie can stick it up his arse, because you were woeful. Ronnie did his best with the free kicks, when Giggsy wasn’t making a fool of himself trying to take them. We had so much possesion in the 1st half, and so many chances, that it was embarrasing to watch us NOT score. United’s performances in Europe are still far from to be desired. Feckin pussies in front of goal. Why didn’t Fergie bring Rooney on so much earlier? None of us feckin know do we? We were crying out for somebody to get more into the box. Fletcher consistently giving the ball away in midfield. Good for us that Inter were just as wasteful. Our defence are feckin supermen, and the limping Johhny mighty Irish Evans was majestic. Not best pleased to say the least. No point being on top, when we can’t put the ball in the net, and Fergie keeps Rooney and ? Tev on the bench.
February 24th, 2009 at 22:57
@realred: Wow, wow calm down mate. Despite the result I thought we played well for large parts of the match and Inter have one Julio Cesar to thank for their cleen sheet.
And I cannot blame Fergie for fielding Giggs considering how he has been playing reecently. Tonight Giggs had a decent match except for his final balls, but you’ll find that usually when Giggs plays well that means that he has provided a few good balls for his partners – as witnessed by his assissts stats.
As for not making substitues – the matchj itself was very tight and considering it was an away game I can understand the reluctance to take too much risks.
In short: we owned the first half and the second half was more or less balanced (Inter started well but we regained a foothold somewhere in the second)
February 24th, 2009 at 22:57
In the end not a bad result and i said earlier inter play with absolutely no width and we can easily exploit them there, and in the 1st half it was absolutely true. I wonder if mourinho will play with no width in the game at old trafford, who knows?
Anyway as i said not a bad result but seriously this game was there for the taking, why can we not score our chances, so frustrating. Also why are we so slow making our substitutions. Yes a draw is good but after 65 minutes we were on the back foot and needed some more attacking players to help out berba who i think had a good game by the way. But no, we wait until 82 odd minutes before we bring on rooney, i mean come on a 0-0 draw is good but the game was there for the taking. Yes we didnt want to loose a goal but just shift park to midfield and replace a midfielder with rooney. I just wish we didnt wait around but be bold and make our subs quick.
Another point on park today, he was extremely poor. I know he runs around alot and is pretty decent defensively but he is the worst player attacking wise i have ever seen. Today park didnt have to do much defensive work because inter were quite poor on the right flank, park mainly did stay forward quite alot, but he was absolutely poor behond belief. I wonder to myself if attacking wise he is even championship quality. He has no pace, no strength, no shot on him just what the hell does he provide for us attacking wise, zilch thats what. His defending at times yes is pretty good, but for me i expect a winger to be good attacking wise, not a defensive winger, were not liverpool. Just watching park today made me realise how poor he was, always scared to keep the ball he just passes to whoever is near him even if that particular player is not in a good position and is surroinded by player. I just hope others feel the same about him cos i was embarrased at times how poor his attacking was not just today but everytime ive seen him, today just affirmed my suspicions. Am i being unfair or do others agree?
February 24th, 2009 at 22:58
Im shocked at the criticism we’re getting. shocked
February 24th, 2009 at 22:58
It could have been better but all we have to do now is win at home. We’ll have a fully fit defence by then (I hope) and that will allow us to go with a more offensive lineup with Rooney starting.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:01
@Dan: Fergie doesn’t make useless substitutions –
, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahah. He is the best I know at making useless substitutions, even though we are top of the Prem – still no excuse!
February 24th, 2009 at 23:02
@Dan: What about O’shea then? he was getting owned by Ibra. And its not a matter of control. For me Evra had a few good interceptions and tackles and as usual contributed to our offensive play.
And while maicon got into a few good positions he made nothing out of it so…
Mention also goes to Johnny Evans – He’s no Vidic, but I can’t think of anyone else who could deputise as well for our CBs in the world right now.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:02
Fine result considering the performance in the second half. If we were going to score, it had to be in the first half. I spent the entire second half with my head buried in my hands, peering between fingers at the trainwreck that was our second half display. That was some truly disjointed, unappealing, worrisome play. Thankfully, we got out of it unscathed, so I am happy. It’s not often that we can go 45 minutes and create only one chance, so I’m happy that we got the draw. Could have, and possibly shoud have, been worse. Bring it back to Old Trafford, put out a more aggressive lineup and bury Inter. A home draw is always possible, but Old Trafford has been a fortress for the past 3 years so I fancy our chances.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:03
@colver:
, famous last words Colver 
.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:06
@Dan:
, Dan mi man, take a shock pill mate, I have taken a whole bottle full, because I can’t believe we couldn’t capitalise on our first half rush hour possession. Bloody pathetic mate.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:08
@Dan: Agree with you there mate. We played a good match against the top team in Italy on their home ground. They had superman in goals. So a nil-nil is not that bad a result for me. Sur e I would have liked a goal and I dread score draws at home, but its not like we were piss poor. I think we played better than a lot of our league games this seasons except for that one patch at the start of the second.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:08
@Craig Mc: “He is the best I know at making useless substitutions”
That, my friend, would be Rafa “Factman” Benitez.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:11
@NicoQB: Giggs was good EXCEPT for his FINAL BALL! It’s the final ball expertise that sorts out the greats from the mediocres mate.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:12
Well that was an interesting one. First up praise for the first half performance, I think SAF used the word in his post match interview, mature. It was a very classy performance, calm, composed with the game played at our own pace. There have been more flashy and exciting away performances in Europe than this first half but we have rarely played with such conviction and confidence in ourselves. Alas there was no goal that our play richly deserved but that shouldn’t take away from an excellent display of passing and movement. Kudos to SAF, obviously it wasn’t just CQ that brought the new European nous to the club.
The second half was a much more even affair but that was to be expected. A team the stature of Inter is not going to be bossed around in its own backyard for an entire game. But bar a brief squall of Inter pressure for the first ten minutes there wasn’t a huge amount of threat against our patched up backline (other than that pinball corner). And although we were not dominant in possession we still looked dangerous when we went forward.
A 0-0 scoreline is not the most comfortable to take forward (especially with our record against the Special One) but we proved we could convert to progress against Barca last year. For all the talk there will be about away goals, our record against Mourinho and missed chances in the first leg over the next fortnight the equation is simple IMO. If we perform like we did in the first half at OT then we should sweep Inter aside with relative ease.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:12
@Red Ranter:
, well Rafa is a close 2nd I’ll give you that RR.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:12
I’m off to watching mangas (well animes really). Jeez I’m sweating…
February 24th, 2009 at 23:13
I also think that there is really no need for panic. I know that wasting chances can be really frustrating, but we were playing against Italian champions and bossed them around for a long periods of time. They are going to play defensively at OT, I can already see that, but we will break them. We didn’t score and neither did they and their chances were worse then ours. At OT anything can happen, but the ones who should panic after today’s game is not us, but them.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:15
thank you CRAIG, some one who aint afraid to speak the truth
DAN, i know jst as well as you how much SAF has done for the club but that in no way excludes him from any critism whatsoever. its plain stupid to think that way
call my reaction silly but i fear you are sorely mistaken
we had them by the balls all game but SAF beleived giggs could defy his age n play another 90mins…im tellin you now, as good as he may be playin @ the mo, he simply aint fit to play 90 mins anymore, its a near guarentee he wnt touch the ball for last 20 mins!! guarenteed.
If someone on that bench would have pulled his finger out n stuck on our main man Wazza we wuda been headin back to manchester wit 3 points mate
simple as that
February 24th, 2009 at 23:16
@JB: If we perform at OT the same as we did in the ist half, we should sweep Inter aside – REALLY? Not with tonights team we wont. Bloody hell, football is about scoring goals, not watching United doing another Barca away
.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:17
@Craig Mc: HA! Got me there, I’m Tevez no.1 basher because of this sole fact.
But I’m willing to forgive Giggs the legend because usually his final ball is so good – well let’s make as if he didn’t have the dreadful start of the season and really came back in the second half of the season.
Ciao all.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:21
@JB: Uuuhh… One question. Can yellow cards be rescinded in Europe?
I’m referring to that non-entity of a foul by the boy Rooney.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:21
Well any way you look at it this game was a tremendous but not ideal nor justified result. Truthfully, we deserved to have won this game 4-1 or 5-1. I give Inter a goal because of their miss from Cambiasso at the goal line and the chance that Adriano fanned on which should have been a goal. You figure one of those two chances would go in. On the other hand United had no less than 6 sure goals that weren’t and another 6 halfg chances that never came off. We were completely superior and deserved to win this game big. To the Special One I say just one thing, you are one lucky so of a bitch because tonight you got so totally out managed and tactically taken to the cleaners that it should be a black smudge that is permanently staining your CV.
Inter came out with some venom in the second half but I still never ever felt that we were in that much danger because Inter’s players just didn’t seem good enough nor did they have that special player in their midfield that could make the difference. This si the numbber one criticism I have had for years about Inter. They need a Riquelme, Fabregas or Ballack in their midfield who can not only score the odd goal but initiate their attack and be their play maker.
As for the overrated Ibrahimovich, Hey Mourinho, still think IbrahimoBITCH is better than Ronaldo? You stupid fucking Portuguese nutter! The bitch was invisible for most of the game and flat footed and static whenever the ball was at his feet. He is a joke.
Now for my ratings;
EVDS – 7/10 Was sharp and focused when he needed but again was not really tested. It doesn’t matter what combination of defenders are in front of him, the wall won’t be breached.
O’SHEA – 9/10 If nobody noticed closely enough, John O’Shea was absolutely magnificent tonight. Early on he made a stray pass that never hurt us but after that his marking and mastery of IbrahmoBitch and his clearances in the box was masterful. He was constantly the last man to beat and never got beat. He was super.
RIO – 8/10 Very solid if not spectacular. Commanded his area and never let anybody win the aerial battle. Very steady.
EVANS – 8.5/10 A tremendous game and very strong at being at the right place at the right time. His clearances were great and his composure was fantastic. The only thing that kept him from being the man of the match for me was his missed marking on Adriano on that ball he miss hit early in the second half. Other than, it was like I was watching a lean Vidic.
EVRA – 8/10 Worked very hard and defended very well and showed great positional sense and composure. On the counter attack though he quite often never completed give and goes and cut some runs short when a return pass would have sprung someone. He also looked gassed around 80 minutes as he was getting caught easily by defenders. Either he was hurting or very tired. Needs to learn how to cross a high ball. His low crosses always get blocked unless he makes them on the counter.
FLETCHER – 7/10 Worked hard defensively and his positioning and marking was top notch but his slow footedness and slow response time hurt us offensively. Too often the time from when he gets possession of a ball in a tight space and by the time he passes it is too slow. He quite often gets blocked or physically taken out. Still he payed hard and a=it was a gutsy focused performance considering his girlfriend and mother had been threatened at knife point two hours before the game. Who needs crap like that before a game. Great focus and concentration to keep that out of his mind.
CARRICK – 8.5/10 He’s get a 9 if he offered himself more to the attack but his marking, ball distribution and positioning was flawless today. Very Scholes Like but with a sense of Makalele. Calm, composed and very tidy. He played like the third central defender out there and because of that Inter never mounted anything like a threat from the middle of the park.
GIGGS – 7/10 Played hard and worked hard tracking back but his offensive touch and vision betrayed him often today. Missed on what should have been a sure goal and the other time when he couldn’t find the ball was unlucky. A couple of his passes through to a wide open Berba on the counter were poorly weighted but I thought many of his corners were dangerous. A little luck and he could have had a much higher rating.
PARK – 7.5/10 As usual worked his ass off and totally eliminated Maicon from the game as well as any threat from the left. Offensively however he lives to frustrate the Hell out of me. Old Stumpy strikes again. Two great chances lost because he wears a size 1 shoe and too many opportunities lost because his pass was either poor or it was the wrong option to play. But I forgive him because his job was to defend and he did so.
RONALDO – 8.5/10 Quite simply an outstanding display but with absolutley no luck whatsoever. Should have had 3 or 4 goals and a couple of assists in this game and came out of it with nothing. I was right when I said he needed to have a massive game for us and despite the score, he did. He really delivered. He was dangerous throughout and caused massive problem for Inter. The greatest game he has ever played for United where he never registered a goal or assist, by far. That was the old Ronaldo out there tonight. His ball retention was good at times but I honestly feel he should have been subbed off for Rooney or Teves around the 70th minute.
ROONEY – Not enough time to rate but he came close once and he got an unfair yellow card which for me was a total joke and a card given strictly out of reputation.
FERGIE – 8/10 Out managed the Special One in every department but I still question some of his player selections and lack of substitutions when players were tiring. Still, I give him credit for sending the lads out there to win the game and attack. It was very inspiring and it shocked the Hell out of Mourinho like I predicted it would. Just unlucky nor only to not score, but to not win the game by three or four goals. Must address our team’s inability to finish in big games.
Special nod for the real man of the match, the Inter keeper Cesar. The man was truly outstanding and stood on his head. Saved Inter’s ass and probably Mourinho’s job.
Now lets finish them off at OT. Will we regret not scoring that away goal? It’s Barcelona last season all over again.
BERBATOV – 6/10 I don’t blame him that much for his average socre because he did work hard and he came close a few times with half chance headers but he just wasn’t the right choice to start this match. He is not a Darren Bent tyope where he can be left by himself up front. Many times he lacked the pace to beat players by himslef and without any support. I would have preferred Rooney’s pace and energy in this situation.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:22
@JB: Quality post mate.
Our defense had a great game. Only O’Shea can be somewhat criticized, but even his couple mistakes didn’t cost us anything. Carrick also did a great job defensively. Fletch and Park weren’t that great, but they were not bad either. Park’s job was to neutralize Maicon and he did that. People say that Inter were poor, but I believe they were poor, because we made them look poor, In the attack it was all Ronaldo, who I think had a great game overall. His free kicks were amazing today, not a single one wasted I believe. Giggs and Berba were very wasteful with their chances and that should be improved. Still guys cheer up. We should be able to finish them at OT, bar crazy decisions like Rooney’s yellow.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:25
@NicoQB: Ibrahimovich had a terrible game and O’Shea did well against him. What game were you watching? How many great chances did Ibrahimovich have in the game? ZERO.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:27
@Red Ranter: Jes, dats a fact. Rafa is king of useless substitutions.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:29
@Craig Mc: Problem is Inter and Mourinho are smart enough to make the proper adjustments to improve over what they presented to United tonight. United need to come out full of fire and really go at them.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:29
@realred: Its a shame we didnt get the 3 points in the CL knockout stages
February 24th, 2009 at 23:30
@Grognard: shhhh, thats the best player in the world according to mourinho…
February 24th, 2009 at 23:33
@Grognard: Grog he should have put Rooney and Tevez on, because Tevez would have done as much, if not more running than Park, and would have been a more CERTAIN threat up front. Fergie is too feckin cautious in Europe now, and therefore United are TOOTHLESS where we need BITE. Ludicrous mate.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:34
Cant believe some of the negativity on this site, yes we may have lacked a killer touch in the last third of the field, but apart from that our performance was spot on and we reduced Inter to knocking long balls up to the front men.
After watching tonights game, if anybody doesnt think that we are a superior team to Inter, then Im certainly not going to waste my time trying to convince you otherwise.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:38
Player Ratings
VDS: Decent kicking and distribution and commanded his area well. Other than that the match was no more difficult that his usual strolls in the park in the PL. 7
O’Shea: A couple of typical O’Shea passes early on and was skinned once or twice but in general a good, solid performance from him. Despite the abuse he sometimes gets he rarely lets us down defensively. 7
Ferdinand: A couple of shaky moments early on and put himself at major risk on the penalty incident. Other than that he was composed and neatly swept up the majority of Inter attacks. Commanded the makeshift back line well. 8
Evans: Excellent performance given his dodgy angle. Visibly suffering at the end but battled through the pain barrier when we needed him most. Ironically he has probably hurt his chances in the CC final on Sunday through his efforts today. 8.5
Evra: Solid at the back, teamed up well with Park and provided the team with a constant outlet on the left flank. The much vaunted Maicon didn’t really cause that many problems. Was luck to get away with a blatant handball outside of the box. 8
Ronaldo: Major threat in the first half, constantly running the Inter left flank hard. Threat from set pieces and was well disciplined. Faded as our possession dwindled but still provided a useful outlet. One of his better European away performances. 8
Fletcher: Patrolled the midfield well and was an excellent foil for Carrick to work off. Didn’t give Inter players time on the ball with his constant harrying and while his passing was not the most aggressive it was accurate. Another good performance in a big game to add to the CV. 7.5
Carrick: Excellent performance. Everytime the ball broke in or around or box it invariably seemed to be Carrick in position to collect. And when he did his passing was swift and accurate to get us on the move again. Dictated the game in the first half and released the pressure well in the second. Another who produced a better European away performance than normal. Looses half a point for his dive. 8.5 and MOM
Park: Worked hard and covered Evra well while he was on the pitch. Was a pest and generated some dangerous situations but lacked the quality to make the crucial difference. Same performance as usual from him to be fair and he provided useful balance to the team. 7.5
Giggs: Didn’t dominate the game like he has on a number of occasions recently but far from a passenger. Helped out in midfield when required and Inter had difficulty picking him up when he moved forward. Really should have produced a goal but was subject to poor decision making (failing to square to Berbatov), bad luck (ball hitting his back side) and heroic defending (Cordoba’s block after his superb solo run). 8
Berbatov: Tried hard and passed reasonably well but was never really in the game. Disappointing since you would assume that this was the arena he was bought to excel in. Understandable selection for his hold up play and passing but given the way the game panned out Rooney’s running beyond the back line may have reaped greater rewards. Not a bad performance though in case I’m sounding overly critical. 7
Rooney: Not on for long but made a couple of good runs and was unfortunate not to break through on goal from Berbatov’s pass. Very unfortunate to get booked. 7.5
SAF: Excellent team setup and approach tactically. Completely out manoeuvred the Special One in the first half and more than held his own in the second. If we had left with a 2-0 win then there could have been scant complaint from Inter. Only problem was the rather late introduction of Rooney. Arguably he has matured as much as his players in terms of European football. 8
February 24th, 2009 at 23:40
Ronaldo was outstanding,Carrick and Fletch controls everithing …but Evra…man…this player is pure gold for Man Utd……I can not remember bad game from him in the last 2 seasons…he is definitely our unsung hero…he is simply the best…BTW maicon who?
February 24th, 2009 at 23:41
@NicoQB: Nope
@Craig Mc: If you seriously think that the game tonight was anything like Barca away last year you have either not watched the game or are completely deluded. Against Barca we deployed one of the most negative formations I have seen us use and camped ourselves in our own 18 yard box for the bulk of the game. Today we took the game to Inter, bossed them off the park in the first half and created numerous chances and dangerous moments throughout the 90 minutes.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:43
@Craig Mc: Park gets in the team because he provides balance defensively. Just because Tevez (and to a lesser extent Rooney) runs about alot does not equate to him having the positional sense or tactical discipline to fulfill Park’s role in the team.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:43
@realred: Agreed that Rooney should have come on earlier. I was expecting him to come on around the 70 minute mark. Tevez should have come on for Giggs I think and so should have Nani for Park, with his pace and crossing ability.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:44
@JB: Excellent point.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:46
@realred: No problems RealRed, you can COUNT on me to have a right hell of a rant when I feel it’s justified
.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:49
@Grognard: I disagree mate, like SAF said in his press conference, Inter only play the one way so I doubt Morinho and the players will be radically different at OT than they were tonight.
We were superior in all areas of the pitch and looked like we had gears to move into compared to Inter. who were flat out.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:49
@realred: Funny that he doesn’t touch the ball in the last 20 minutes……. wait who was that going on a solo run and nearly scoring on 75 minutes then??
February 24th, 2009 at 23:50
as i was writing it something didnt quite feel right…!
put that down to the blunt smoke!
regardless though, im still speaking the truth!
dont get me wrong, thought the team played well tonight, showed a real gulf in class between the two sides
unfortunately the facts remain the same however…
February 24th, 2009 at 23:51
We should’ve raped them, well I suppose we did but we still should’ve won comfortably. If we had’ve played a 4-4-2 we would’ve won imo. I feel it is a missed chance because we had Inter on the ropes but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. You can bet that it’ll be a different Inter at OT
February 24th, 2009 at 23:51
@Craig Mc: Craig, sorry Bro but I agree with JB on this one. Park has the proper postional sense for a game like this and he did do a masterful job of neutralizing Maicon and Inter’s left side of their attack. Where he hurts us is on attack where he is basically useless. Still, I would have started Park over Nani, Tevez or Rooney. I’m not sure i would have started Fletcher over Rooney though and to be honest, either Rooney or Tevez were more suited for this away fixture than Berbatov. Park was instrumental in us keeping a clean sheet tonight.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:52
@Fred The Red: They have no choice mate. If they play like this again at OT they will get murdered. Mourinho is a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:52
@JB: JB, to me mate I find having lots of possession football without an END PRODUCT feckin frustrating mate, and not something I enjoy sorry – but each to his own eh? This is why to me the lack of end product and the same result as BARCA away, is what I was referring to. Delusion doesn’t come into the equation mate. I was so exasperated as equally as I was in the Barca away game, that I wanted to wrestle with the GF to get out my frustration
. But as I said, each to his own. What you enjoyed, I don’t 
.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:57
@Grognard: I agree with you about Rooney and Tev, but not about Park, though he was so much feckin better than Giggsy. So Giggsy would have been off at half time for me
. Anyway, don’t disagree with me anymore Okay, because the GF will come and smack your backside 
.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:57
@Craig Mc: Difference was we didn’t convert good movement and passing plays into actual goals. The chances were still there though. Against Barcelona, bar the early penalty, we created absolutely nothing. There were no chances, no good passing moves, no good opportunities created. For me the two games, bar the scorelines, are like comparing night and day. As you say each to there own, but I found the game an enjoyable and engrossing watch. I’m annoyed at the failure to capitalize and score a goal but that shouldn’t take away from the quality of the performance and football on display.
February 24th, 2009 at 23:59
@NicoQB: yeah that yellow card was ridiculous and could be costly. My question is: why leave it ’til the 82nd minnute to bring Rooney on? Berba was having an off day and he did sort of play better when Rooney came on. We had Inter right where we wanted them but still kept one of our best players on the bench for so long-a player who scored in both of the last 2 games. If SAF deserves criticism it’s only because of that imo
February 25th, 2009 at 0:00
agreed, thot Park put in an important shift tonight
he shuda stayed on while giggs went off for Wazza
ronaldo right wing, park left.
we would have cuffed them if that team hada played the last half hour
February 25th, 2009 at 0:01
First things first. For me this was probably the best ManUtd game this season all things considered.
1. We literally gave Inter (not Fulham, not Derby but Inter) a class in how to play football in the first half
2. Fergie totally outfoxed Mourinho with his lineup.
3. As a squad we seem capable of playing any formation that the situation demand. Today we played 4-4-1-1 for most part.
My only gripe with Fergie is the selection of Berba. Tevez (and not Rooney) should have been there.
My first reaction looking at the team sheet was – this is a team to literally chase the opposition down to submission. This team would defend in packs and attack in droves, though probably not very incisively. Berba does not fit this description, but Tevez does. He would have provided much more fluidity in our movement upfront, unlike a relatively static Berba and allowed midfield (Carrick, Fletch) to move into the box more frequently by falling back to defend.
After the first half, I was hoping that Fergie get Tevez on for Berba and after 15 mins take out Park for Rooney for us to run effectively at the tired Inter defense but this did not happening.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:02
@JB: NEARLY is always a very good word for Giggsy. Think about it!
February 25th, 2009 at 0:02
@Craig Mc: I love how one week Giggs is looking better than ever and the next week he’s useless
February 25th, 2009 at 0:03
@Liam: It is debatable that we would have had the same level of control in the first half if we had just went with a flat 4-4-2. All ifs, buts and maybes of course but the more conservative United in Europe seems to be having more sucess than its highly aggressive, past counterparts which were based on a 4-4-2.
@Grognard: The thing I would ask myself would be which of the two managers will be having the more sleepless nights over the next two weeks. On the face of it there is only one answer
February 25th, 2009 at 0:03
@Grognard: @JB: Finally, some well thought out review of the match and not some knee-jerk ramblings. United were brilliant today, especially in the first half. We went to the home of the Italian champions, outplayed them for 45+mins, reduced their options to long punts upfield and created numerous chances; now, if that’s not the sign of a superior and confident team, I don’t know what is. Obviously, in the second half, Inter were gonna come out blazing and we easily absorbed all that pressure and came back untop in the latter stages. I really see us finishing this one off at OT with a 2-nil scoreline.
Those complaining about the line-up and substitutions, I hope they noticed that the line-up outplayed Inter all thru the first half. In the second, I would also have liked Rooney or Tev to come on sooner, but Inter were mounting up some pressure during those periods and it is best to keep team shape and most importantly, concentration, solid during these periods by not tinkering thru substitution.
If Evans was a bit fitter, maybe Cazza might have been allowed to move forward a bit more and create more chances, but it was not to be. Cazza and Fletch had to provide extra cover for the fragile Evans and O’shea, so it was left to Giggs, Ronnie, Park and Berba to orchestrate our attack and they did okay. Berba in all honesty, should have shown a bit more aggressiveness and energy as he was the lone forward. Although when he did make intelligent runs or got into good positions, he was let down by the some careless passing.
In the next leg, we should have a fit backline, and we can then allow our central midfielders to actively join in attack. This should aid in our pursuit of goals as with only four attackers today, we created quite a few, imagine when Cazza or scholes joins in the party
. Inter are not as strong as I presumed, I mean, that was their strongest team/line-up/formation and we just walked all over them. When we present our strongest line-up/formation, I reckon we will not only dominate them but get maybe 2 or more goals. 
February 25th, 2009 at 0:03
@Dash: Tevez as the lone striker? Really?
February 25th, 2009 at 0:04
@Craig Mc: Craig the first leg of a European tie is more like chess and it’s strictly for positioning a team to properly finish off an opponent in the second leg. From that perspective, we won the contest. We also put a lot of doubt in their heads and scared the living crap out of them.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:06
Inter should’ve gone for it, with Vidic not around,
now they’re not even gonna have a second look at our net in the next leg.
yeh, we missed the chance to put em away, but Inter have the big hill to climb now,
so yeh bring em on at OT, with a full strength united squad.
no chance mourinho
February 25th, 2009 at 0:07
@Liam: Liam Mourinho was pissing himself laughing that Rooney wasn’t on the field. Wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t fed Fergie a full bottle of the best Spanish, to confuse him enough to not realise that Rooney was sitting on the bench. Major blunder.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:08
@JB: @JB: yeah but my point was that we were in control and why not with 30 minutes to go put Rooney on for Fletcher or Giggs and Give it a go. Especially considering Inter were playing with 3 strikers at the end
February 25th, 2009 at 0:09
@Natzca: I seem to remember us all saying that a few years ago when Mourinho arrived at OT with the porto team. We all know the bollocks of mistaken ideology that was.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:11
@Grognard: Like I said Grog mate, I seem to remember us thinking the same thing about the Porto return game
.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:12
@Gabriel: It isn’t often you get a generally unified response from the two of us
@Dash: I agree that in retrospect Berbatov might not have been the best choice to lead the attack but why Tevez? He has rarely impressed me in the role and his form hasn’t exactly been stellar in recent weeks. Rooney’s excellent running and movement off the back line would have made him the choice for me.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:13
My ratings:
EVDS 8 Confident performance and did what was required making some good interceptions and never looking rattled.
O’Shea 7 Very solid 90% of the time but we were lucky his wayward passes and defensive slips didn’t get us into trouble
Evans 8 For a player who barely trained before the game this was a solid performance and looked very comfortable at this level.
Rio 7 Didn’t do an awful lot and looked shakier than usual considering he was the fittest defender
Evra 8 Gave us a lot of width and penetration going forward and was never really troubled defensively
Park 7 Par the course for the Korean. Solid defensively, tiresome running, got forward really well but when it counts he always lacks the extra yard of pace and bit of class.
Giggs 7 Pretty average. Threatened a bit and some nice passes but as responsible as anyone for our failure to score.
Ronaldo 8.5 Very very dangerous. Inter couldn’t get near him and won so many free kicks you’d have betted on him to score at least one. Very composed on the ball and the only United player who really looked like scoring.
Carrick 8 Very good performance. Looks very comfortable at this level and controlled the midfield for most of the game. Perhaps he could have got forward more but we all know he’s more comfortable as a defensive midfielder.
Fletcher 7 Did his job defensively but didn’t really do an awful lot else.
Berbatov 6 Did nothing for me. Marked out of the game (admittedly with the typical Latin hairpulling and manhandling). Really not comfortable playing on his own upfront, seems to be better pulling the strings in the hole.
Rooney ? What might have been. Troubled Inter’s defence more in 10 than Berbatov did in 90. I’ve missed Rooney like hell.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:13
@Liam: I never said Giggs IS LOOKING BETTER than ever mate???
February 25th, 2009 at 0:14
@Liam: Sorry I though you meant a 4-4-2 from the start. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I felt Rooney could have came on earlier so no disagreement from me on that point.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:14
@Craig Mc: fair call, not to count our eggs before they hatch,
but i’m pretty sure we have a much better squad now than we did then,
gotta be confident about it.
the biggest prob, we’d have is not giving inter respect in the return leg, and they make us pay for it.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:19
Grog mi man, I will come back and talk to you again at the weekend, when the straight laced, sanctimonious crowd are not on board
. See you mate 
.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:24
Just two additional points of note. Firstly we now hold the longest unbeaten record in the Champions League, stretching to 20 matches. Bad luck Ajax and Bayern!!
Secondly although we could have conceded a penalty in the second half did anyone notice the rugby tackle on Berbatov when Ronaldo crossed the ball across the face of goal in the second half? A good catch by the ITV guys in the studio which was not picked up on during the game.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:28
all this negativity is stunning, maybe its just me, but I was proud of the boys tonight and find it really hard to criticize anyone, would have loved an away goal, but it didnt happen, but the plus points far outweigh the minuses and there is no way that Morinho can spin away the gulf in class between the two teams.
February 25th, 2009 at 0:34
You can’t blame us for the cautious line-up. No-one expected Inter to be so piss poor in the first half.
If anything Inter missed a trick. The ten minutes at the start of the second half they scared the living daylights out of us and our defence looked like the half fit patch job it truly was. If they’d kept that up longer they’d have got a goal themselves. But they were too damn lazy and when they slowed the tempo down it was easy for us to regain control again.
I think Fergie was cautious about starting Rooney because he’s not really matchfit and the lone striker role is a lot of work. He’ll be fully fit by the second leg and I can’t wait to unleash Rooney against Inter’s defence.
Id play him alongside Tevez because I don’t think Berbatov is used to Latin defences…..he got completely manhandled throughout the game. Latin defenders don’t give you any breathing space and Berbatov always needs a bit of space to operate.
February 25th, 2009 at 1:31
Apart from scoring, we murdered them. We played like the home team against the clear leaders of the Italian league. None of the negative mind set of last year’s Camp Nou.
I for one am hugely looking forward to the second leg. Old Trafford is once again a fortress and our back line gives less away than Scrooge himself. Inter must have begun to crap themselves already.
Mourinho has danced his last jig on our turf – as an opposition manager anyway.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:08
@Gabriel: Another good point
@Fred The Red: you are not the only one who is optimistic. The arrogance of people who complain today is just unbelievable. We were playing Champions of Italy, who are 10 points or so ahead in current compain, who have a great squad and a great manager. We were playing this game at their stadium, which is one the most famous ones in Europe. We literally bossed them around for 1st half and had a good 2nd half and created many chances. If it wasn’t for some great saves from their GK, we would have bit them. Now we need to give our all and finish them at OT.
As someone already said Jose will loose more sleep after these game then SAF.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:15
@Craig Mc: If your girlfriend looks anything like some of the girls you fantasize about, then she can come and spank my backside anytime. I’m a bad bad Grognard
February 25th, 2009 at 3:20
@JB: There were times tonight when we played as if we were at Old Trafford. Creating many chances and having great movement and possession of the ball. But the fact is we never finished things off and that has been at the crux of this team’s problem all season long. I like the fact that some are calling this team the untouchables or the invincibles or whatever. The bottom line is if we could finish at even a 10% better rate than we currently do, I honestly believe we would be invincible and unbeatable. We are that damned good. But we fail at the most fundamentally important aspect of the game which is scoring goals. And that is so frustrating.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:23
i didnt went to school today! the match went live on here at 3 am, i watched the matched, finished at 5:45, took a nap, woke up and visit red rants.
all i could say is that this is the first time i’ll rate berbie a 4, he was nowhere near attacking potent, rooney got more attacking threat during his cameo. Rio was sort of like shite, not up to his usual standards, Evans was Vida like! He was immense in my opinion. Well, a nil-nil aggre going to OT is kind of like Barca, We just need to keep our back 4 impervious to attack and we should not let fluke goals get in.
and ibra, who the hell mad this player so over rated? And to think all those scumbags ABU’s out there have the nerve to call Cronaldo a big game flop. Cronaldo was our main attacking threat, thanks to some brilliance by Julio, we couldve won the game, bloody lucky mourinho, bloody overrated inter and ibra! I hate the serie A!!!(except Milan and Juve)
February 25th, 2009 at 3:23
@Liam: As long as I live I will never ever understand the decision to leave Rooney out of the starting eleven. I have to believe Fergie will comment on it at some point because I’d really like to know. Perhaps he had the confidence that we would get a positive result without Rooney and Tevez and even Scholes and then introduce these three at OT and really screw with Mourinho’s mind and tactics. I have no idea.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:24
Best Man United performance in Europe since the thrashing of Roma. Best Man United performance of the season, just a generally quality performance by every player in red.
and yet……. 0-0 *sigh* frustrating or what?
I don’t fear Inter and we WILL beat them at Old Trafford, but if only we’d converted our chances…
February 25th, 2009 at 3:25
@Orez: we were playing the lucky bastards of italy who in their league has no proper team to match them. Juve are inconsistent, Milan is a cup team.
Guys do you think Rio’s foul on Adriano is deserving of a penalty?
my mate is bashing me that it should have been a pen. Well, i think otherwise.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:26
@Nick: You’re right. Do not fear the lucky bastards of serie A.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:35
@JB: Sorry for being crude here JB but Mourinho has to be literally soiling himself from fear. His one time mastery of the master has ended despite not losing the game. He was thoroughly out managed in this game in every aspect. He showed no flexibility or no insight into the team he was playing against. Above all, he showed no imagination. This is very strange for a Mourinbho managed game for him not to pull out some kind of rabbit from his hat. But he had no card or no magic hat to play with. Fergie out managed him and gave a class on how to manipulate a starting eleven into playing an attacking game even when they looked like a defensive configuration on paper. It was class. I’m sure keeping Rooney and Tevez off ensured Mourinho that we would be parking the bus. BAM! In your face Special One because that is the last thing we did. It speaks volumes of the quality of our side and it’s versatility. Now if we could just learn to score goals.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:38
@john freakin’ o’shea: Them not having a good competition in Seria A doesn’t make their squad and manager any worse. It also doesn’t change the fact that we were playing away. I suppose I can see why people are unhappy. For the record, I am not happy with the fact that we couldn’t score and win this game, but what’s done is done. I have a feeling SAF is gonna take cautious approach at OT. I hope I am wrong, cause I rather see us going all out and loosing, rather playing cautiously and loosing to a freak goal, then again if we win I wouldn’t care much.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:38
@Gabriel: Problem is that Cazza becomes Carrick when he plays with Scholes. He always comes down a notch in his games when partnered with the Ginger Ninja. CAZZA! I like it.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:43
@Grognard: what’s up with our players having the suffix “Azza” ?, rooney is wazza, nev is gazza,. really why “azza?
February 25th, 2009 at 3:46
@Natzca: I think they tried to go for it but we had answers to all their attacks. They never had an answer to our offensive gameplan. At no time in his mind did Mourinho ever think that we would come out playing an attacking possession game. He was expecting Barcelona but really, he shouldn’t have. Inter is in no way nearly as good or as dangerous as Barcelona. They have a midfield unlike Inter which has 3 or 4 defensive midfielders and where two of them are playing out of position. They tried to attack but they looked feeble and incompetent because we had figured their game plan out perfectly but they were struggling to keep up with us. Proof positive that a good offensive game plan is the best defense money can buy.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:47
@Grognard: Agree partly with you. These game should have been won. When I saw the lineup I thought the SAF was BS-ing, when he claimed that we will attack, but he meant it. The players couldn’t finish, but it’s hardly SAF-s fault. Still we need to shut the Big Mouth once and for all. I like him as a manager, but he always get’s under my skin when we play him.
In regards his ineptitude to soon to judge. I agree with you, that his ineptitude was shown, however it will all depend on the final result. With Porto he got really lucky at OT and then got Monaco in the final, but the world hailed him as a genius. If he get’s another lucky win at OT or any result, the San Siro game will be forgotten and Mourinio worshiping will commence again.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:53
@Craig Mc: That was a long time ago and a completely different team. The team we have now is very very good and has tremendous experience and character. What Porto did to us I don’t see Inter doing. Frankly, Inter isn’t that good and I said that before the game. Inter is missing more quality in the their midfield and their back four is poor in comparison. And like all other teams in Europe, they have poor width and cannot cope with the EPL teams who use pace and and width in their game. I honestly do not see Inter beating us unless Mourinho unstubbornizes (I know that’s not a real word) himself. He needs to be more flexible and come up with a plan to defeat us but heres the thing mate. He doesn’t have the horses for the courses. His players are not good enough. If their was any fairness in life tonight we would be talking about our fantastic 4-0 win at the San Siro and crying at Mourinho’s epitaph. I will be shocked to my system and into my core id that Inter team has the chops or the quality to come into OT and beat us.
No way, no how.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:55
@Craig Mc: Take care Bro and give the GF a nice snuggle for me.
Hope you are doing well in Geordieville.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:59
@Fred The Red: I agree mate. This game was laced with positives and an outstanding display by our lads but the bottom line is that football is a business about goals, and we didn’t score any. An away goal is so important in this tournament and once again we have to go to OT, score a goal and hope and pray we are not breached. The strategy just makes us mad and frustrated I guess.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:01
@TheThreeRs: And we will have the Monster Vidic back to make us even stronger back there.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:10
@Nick: I’d still rate our dismantling of the bad ship Chelsea as our best performance because it was a big game, and we also scored 3 bloody goals in it. But this was a great performance but again I stress, that more is being made of it than it deserves. I’ll say it again for all to read. Inter are nowhere as good as people think they are. They are an average team and would struggle to be a top 10 side in the EPL. They have a mediocre back four, an overly defensive an unimaginative midfield, no width whatsoever and the most overrated fat and lazy forwards in Europe. You wonder why Mourinho was desperate to sign Lampard, Carvalho and Drogba and why he is frustrated over the promises that transfer money would be there for him to purchase the players he wanted. Trust me, hes gone from Inter at season’s end and I would not be surprised if he ends up in Liverpool or back at Chelsea.
For me Inter is the least glamorous and least talented Italian champion since that fluky Lazio team won a few years back. I would rate them 19th amongst the last 20 Italian champions. They are crap and AC Milan and Juventus would be better opponents in the CL than them. The fact they are leading in Italy only speaks to the poor quality in skill and craft that has become Serie A. I bloody love it.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:12
@john freakin’ o’shea: Let your friend have it. If all things were fair we would then have beaten them 6-1 and not 6-0. Tell your Inter loving friend that I pity him.
Hell. what am I saying? EVDS would have stopped the PK anyway.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:16
@john freakin’ o’shea: It’s juvenile street slang man. Don’t ask me, I’m 50, I just go with it. It’s the lazy internet age where kids today have a hard time completing an entire word yet alone a sentence. Look at internet speak for example. It’s lazy and full of abbreviations that we are all expected to somehow understand. It took me a long time to figure out what the hell was meant by “lol” Lots of love, lots of luck????? Wazza I think refers to Rooney when he speaks and he goes Wazza to people instead of what’s up or whats happening. Go figure! Hip Hop culture has ruined the world as far as I’m concerned. The Cazza for Carrick is a take on Paul Gasgoigne’s Gazza. Simply because he was brilliant like Gazza I think.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:26
@Orez: Youa re absoluteley right. He has had a lot of luck on his side but in the past he also had better teams. He can’t hide behind this team because they are not as good as that Porto side was and not in the same stratosphere with his Chelsea teams. Tonight he proved to me his inflexibility is a handicap and his lack of ideas to make things much better cost his team. He also lacked the courage and bollocks to field a team with attack on their mind because all that team did all night was play Hull City football with their long direct balls. I thought I was watching a middle of the road English side but with no width. He should never have sold a player like Quaresma because he had no wide option to throw in and change the game. His team is completely predictable and one dimensional and he is devoid of any ideas on how to change things around because the players he presently has are not flexible or dynamic enough. Stick a fork in him and Inter as they are done like dinner. I never ever like to predict or be so cocky but I cannot conceive how that team could ever beat us at OT. Stranger things have happened but I have to believe that Fergie will have the lads emotionally and physically prepared and focused. The shine on Mourinho is about to become a life long tarnish. BE CHAMPIONS! I can’t wait for this weeks’ “Special 1 TV”. I can imagine Mr. Alex calling in this weekend and saying “How did you like that for defense Pretty Boy.”
February 25th, 2009 at 5:38
@Grognard:
Wazza: slang for Wayne, dunno bout the UK, but down here(AUS), we do it to any name, for a long time now
e.g barry: Bazza, Baz
Gary: Gazza,Gaz,
Murray, Muzza, Muz
Sharon: Shazza, Shaz
since it’s from England, looks like it’s how the english language continues to develop, and enhance, don’t worry it’ll spread to the rest of the english speaking world too
February 25th, 2009 at 5:44
No away goals and another lazy performance by our only attacking force tonight, Mr. Dimitar Berbatov!!
Well, as we have all season long, we dominated many parts of the game, out played our opposition, had them on the back foot, rocked their fucking world, made them look like they belong in a lower league, had them begging to our prowess and, of course, not fuuuuuuuuuuucking scoring the big goal that puts them away!!
I really don’t know why Rooney didn’t start this game, but it’s not that important. SAF put in his big signing, and quite frankly he froze up like a drip on a cold winters day!
I guess I’m sick and tired of beating around the bush on this issue and I want to know what it is about this Slow-boat-from-Tottenham that is gonna get me or United clapping our hands!
February 25th, 2009 at 6:43
It says volumes about our play when the Man of the Match goes to the opposing goalkeeper. It says that we played with so much attacing verve that only a stunning display from the keeper could have kept us out.
I thought the substitution was late, rooney needed to be on earlier. but perfect 20/20 hindsight and all. Fergie still did great today. right team, right motivation, i was happy with the performance today.
the players were great in the first half but giggs ronaldo and berba faded in the second half. really didnt control the game as much as the first. i thought that would have been a clear sign to switch park out with rooney or tevez.
but anyway, on to the Carling cup final!
February 25th, 2009 at 7:08
@Natzca: What’s wrong with calling a guy named Wayne or Barry…….Wayne and Barry?
So I guess I would be known as Grozza right?
February 25th, 2009 at 7:29
My take on the game:
Excellent, exciting game. Overall, by far the best performance this season. Even so, very frustrating that the scorline ended 0-0. This makes for a very nervy encounter at OT. It’s not that I fear for Mourinho to win, its the fact that I fear that away goal.
Tactics:
I would have given Fergie 10/10 for tactics, were it not for his ’substitutions’ again. We had a real ‘impact’ bench, and he failed to use it properly. I reiterate, SAF really knows how to neutralise an opposing team. We totally dominated the first half and defended well in the second (considering we were chasing the ball for most of the time during the second). I don’t think we played bad at all during the second, I think credit have to go to Mourinho for countering SAF’s tactics and trying to take control back from us.
Players:
Ronaldo had a brilliant game. He really showed last night why he is the World Player Of The Year. (I admit, we are a bit over-reliant on him). I always got the feeling he was going to score (from a header).
Berbatov was the exact opposite. He should have been taken off. Berbatov highlighted 3 things last night:
1. He is totally useless so far up the pitch
2. We still have the exact same striker ‘problem’ we had before the summer shopping.
3. Fergie has ‘blind faith’ in Berbatov (which is encouraging, but also annoying)
Giggs did what he was supposed to do, brilliantly. Pity his finishing let him down. (I’m starting to really eat my words regarding what I said about him).
God I missed Anderson. This game was tailor-made for him to excel.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:41
@Grognard: it’s like giving someone an “affectionate” nickname Grozza,
i guess it’s the equivalent of americans abbreviating their names to….MJ, JT…or hell even worse, J-Lo!
February 25th, 2009 at 8:04
not happy, we had Inter by the balls and we let them go, why why why why why why? Dont understand not playing Rooney from the start, we would have been 3-0 up at half time if Wayne was on the pitch from the start. Then he gets subbed on for 8 mins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the fuck? Just dont understand it at all, it was embaressing watchin Park anywhere near the box, fookin couldn’t score in a thai brothel with $50 notes falling out of his pocket. Great performances from Ronny,Carrick,O Shea, Evans,Giggs, Ok we got a result, but just about! We should have taken them to the cleaners and left a tip, too much respect for an average team with as much width as Twiggy! I expect to win in OT but why make it so hard when it could have been soooo easy?
A note to all O Shea bashers, were you watchin the same game as i was? Ibro was in Jonnys back pocket for most of the game, he was immense lastnight, some of your comments are laughable and rediculous
February 25th, 2009 at 8:09
meant to mention Fletcher aswell, nice one, son of Fergie!
February 25th, 2009 at 8:11
@Karl: That is a great point about Fergie not taking advantage of a high impact bench. Rooney should have been brought in 15 minutes before he was and i would have subbed Giggs of for Scholes and Berbatov for Tevez late in the game. He went out to win the game but I almost feel he was happy with a tie around the 70th minute mark.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:15
A lot of criticism for poor Berba. Last night he was asked to play a role he is not comfortable in nor is he fast enough to be good in. Berba played hard but his pace was not fast enough to take on defenders one on one and beat them without some support and for the most part, he received no service the whole game. A couple of days ago I said that playing him would be a mistake for these exact reasons and that Rooney and or Tevez were the better choiuces for this away leg. Yet again I stand here correct but also defensive as I will stick by Berba. Some players just don’t match up well to certain tactics. Berba should have started on the bench and replaced Rooney in the 75th.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:17
@Natzca: I got it. Thanks for the lesson on street lingo. Well it’s time for Grozza to go to bed. Night ya’all! That’s Texas lingo for goodnight.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:19
@phoenix red: I’m glad to see somebody else saw the same game as I did because O’Shea was fantastic last night. He owned IbrahimoBitch’s ass. And for those who saw differently, get an eye exam. Better yet, get your head examined.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:21
@Grognard: goodnight to you Grog enjoyed your ratings as usual!
February 25th, 2009 at 8:27
@Grognard: before the game you were talking about being a man and taking one for the team, at no stage did i lose any faith in my fellow countrymen O Shea and Evans, both stepped up and were counted, fair play! Dont know how much was Fergie smokescreen though?
February 25th, 2009 at 8:59
I’m not saying Berba is a poor player, but he had a really poor performance. Admittedly, the tactics/formation did not suit him. For all those who believe that Berba should be played up top, last night was proof that he is not at his best in that position. He should always play behind a striker, just like Rooney, just like Tevez…
I’m not blaming Berba really because he worked hard. The blame for that should be shifted to SAF. I believe that if he substituted Berba for perhaps Rooney much earlier, we could have gotten a win from the game.
I won’t be too harsh on SAF either (he went for a win in the first half, but settled for a draw in the second) because I expected a very dull, boring, defensive game, and he pleasantly surprised me. Great tactics…not so great use of the bench.
O’Shea was very impressive, as was Evans. Fletcher, Carrick and Giggs took control of the midfield brilliantly (just wished Anderson was there).
All in all, not a bad result. I feel we played like champions. I just hope our bad finishing last night won’t come back to haunt us because I will not discount Inter to score a goal at OT and then shut up shop…something Mourinho is an expert at doing.
If anyone was in anyone’s back-pocket, I would say SAF had Mourinho in his back-pocket. Pity he could not capitalise.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:03
A good game despite the scoreline… from our side. I was so glad to see the flowing (not entirely champagne) game we took to them and the way no Inter player could understand what was happening (1st half). Inter played like shit mostly except for Ceasar and the baldy midfielder. Rivas (or something like that) was a liability and I wished he stayed on longer!
To agree with the posts much before.. yes Park was no real use when going forward, but he was very good defensively. Someone rightly mentioned that Park has more positional sense than Tevez/Nani to cover his defensive responsibilities, and therefore provides more balance (lowers attack, increases defense capability).
February 25th, 2009 at 9:04
@phoenix red: Most probably it was a smokescreen.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:17
The team performance was very good, and O’Shea did a superb job at the back. He started out with a nervy pass… but I remember some moments when he creamed Ibrahimo-wish.
Evans didn’t look like a 20 year old… he loooked like he’s played big away Champions league matches for the last 10 years.
Ferdinand was his usual self… though I must profess to not know why he isn’t made our permanent captain.
Evra was good (except for a handball that in 2nd half thankfully no ref saw, but in fairness he probably couldn’t have done anything else). Him and Park rarely allowed Maicon to drift wide, and contained him nicely I thought.
Fletch and Carrick were quietly efficient and worked the whole midfield.
Berbatov and Giggs had a not so bright game… Berbatov isn’t the type you stick up alone anyways.. and Giggs could have done better when he hit straight at Julio Ceasar. I would have liked Giggs taken off for Rooney at 70 mins. That would have screwed Inter.
Ronaldo made me proud yesterday. Well done to Mourinho to cheese him off by hyping Ibrahimovic. He brought his A-game (minus luck) and served it up real hot. Also saw him defend a little for a change. The last free kick was gorgeous, and Ceasar was just plain lucky to have the ball hit him and not go into the net. If he keeps playing like this, all the doubts about his maturity would rest in peace.
There, my 2 bits (for now).
February 25th, 2009 at 9:22
And oh… despite all the positives, the scoreline sucks cuz we have no away goals, and Inter can go through if it’s a score draw. Lord knows Mourinho can bring in 5 midfield players and just stick Ibra up top hoping to somehow nick a goal, and close for business thereafter.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:22
@Rahul: I wouldn’t say the scoreline sucks, if we win we go through and to some degree you can’t argue with that, it is in our hands.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:49
For me last night was a ‘Ji-Sung Park’ performance. We did everything right, put in great effort, looked like we knew what we were doing but when it came down to it, lacked anything special that would make us world-class. It’s a very respectable scoreline, especially given our history in that ground, but we’ll be slightly dissapointed as well. A scoring draw at OT is now a very real, very scary possiblity.
Ratings:
EVDS – 8 – Nothing to do except react to a couple chances, which he did. Gets a bonus point for great distribution, something we utterly lack from Thomas.
Evra – 8 – Great showing, though he did skinned once or twice, basically forced Maicon back into his half, and also provided great attacking impetus. Probably the most energetic player from our side.
Rio – 7.5 – Had a tough night, he’s probably not used to being muscled around so much. I’m shocked he didn’t give a penalty away, not because I think it was, but because the ref was so pedantic it seemed certain. His speed was evident though, easily caught up to Ibra several times.
Evans – 8.5 – Gets an added .5 for playing through the pain. Didn’t completely shut down the attackers, and couldn’t quite handle their physical presence, but still performed admirably.
O’Shea – 6.5 – I have no idea why everyone is talking up Johny’s performance. I think he tried hard, but was also far and away our weakest link. For some reason he was playing so far inside our box that there was always a gaping hole out on the wing for them to exploit, and when their main threat is the two large fellows in the box it seems logical to me that you’d not want to give time to crossers. Everyone single chance they had came from his side. Plus I’m not sure he crossed the halfway line. Assume he’s injured, so thanks for playing. I think we have a real RB problem. Rafael is not good enough yet, and there’s no one else…
Fletcher – 7.5 – Does what he does, provided a shield and good energy. For me still a poor man’s Owen Hargreaves, but dedicated and tough. Also didn’t do his usual act of giving away 57 needless fouls, which was nice.
Carrick – 9 (MOM) – Majestic. Given a slightly different role of remaining back as a shield for the CBs, but seemed to have a sixth sense of where the ball would be, and as always his distribution was first class. He’s becoming dangeoursly close to world class.
Park – 6 – So hard to judge him. On the one hand, we kept inter at bay and Maicon in particular was quiet, so credit there. On the other, almost every time he tried something progressive it failed. And given he is supposedly a forward player, I view that as a problem.
Ronaldo – 9 – Brilliant performance, looked dangerous all night long, and his free kicks cleared the wall. If not for some rather wonderful goalkeeping, would have 2 goals and we’d be through.
Giggs – 7.5 – Alright. Consistent though could have been removed towards the end as his energy was lacking. Provides a constant threat due to his mind, but things just didn’t quite come off. Frustrating not to score in a 1 on 1 with that kind of time, but credit Cesar.
Berbatov – 7.5 – I actually thought he was quite good. Left very isolated but worked hard, and rarely lost posession when it came to him. Wasn’t able to create much by himself, but his positioning was perfect, had Giggs crossed instead of lumping at Cesar he’d have 1 in the first half, and had Ronaldo gotten his cross over the keeper he’d have another in the second half. Should have been off though, clearly can’t run for more than 70 minutes.
Special mention goes to Julio Cesar – the guy was immense. Commanding and athletic, a real talent. Also Cambiasso and Zanetti were machines, endless energy.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:09
@Stephen: You’re right in a sense, but also note that 1 Inter away goal will be difficult for us to cancell out considering our strikers generally hit blanks.
I am a bit worried about that, but I will try to remain positive. I believe SAF can outsmart Mourinho ‘again’.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:19
@Karl: I agree but all I was aying the scoreline far from “sucks”.
I think we do have reasons to be positive, we will have a pretty much full strength squad, and if we can’t win at home under the lights with the crowd behind our boys then we do not deserve to go through, I think we will as we will be to much for Inter.
People get over excited with regards to Mourinho, the guy is an A1 female organ, who ego is bigger than is tactical knowledge, really Rivas ahead of Coradoba? Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari in midfield at home?
Maybe it is just me, but I really believe in this side, and it is really still in our hands.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:23
@Beachryan: I agree with your thoughts on O’Shea, was he really that good, I saw Ibrahimovic skin him alive in the second half.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:35
@Stephen: True. If we can’t win, we don’t deserve to win the UCL. In the same breath, I believe that if we win this tie, we can go on and win the UCL again. People talk about the Barca team, but I truly believe we have a great squad that is second to none.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:49
@Karl: Spot on mate, also Barca are suspect at the back.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:50
did anyone else spend most of the night screaming a berbatov, or lamenting him for his lack of movement. cos thats what i did. i wish rooney and tevez had been brough on for that lathargic attempt at a performance was a joke. for all his talk about dreaming of playing in the champions league… there may be a reason he hasn’t. because he’s not that good.
February 25th, 2009 at 13:07
@Stephen: Mate I probably misused the word ’sucks’ there. I meant the score didn’t reflect on the performance we had. I didn’t mean it as a foreboding thing to the game at OT. That’s why it… ’sucks’.
February 25th, 2009 at 13:10
@Stephen: Barca should not be a problem. A problem would be something like drawing Bayern Munich. Them Germans are pretty pissed and hungry after missing out on a year’s worth of Champions League, they have all the ingredients of a good team, and Luca Toni is a goal poaching s.o.b.
February 25th, 2009 at 13:14
@Will: Dude Berbatov wasn’t half as bad as you make it out to be. He was playing the solitary striker role, and that doesnt allow for much fancy work. He did spoil one chance for himself, but overall wasn’t that bad.
February 25th, 2009 at 13:54
Annoyed with all the Berba-haters using yesterday’s performance to justify their bias. Beachryan and Rahul have it spot on. In the first have Berba had a couple of half chances. He was in threatening positions on a couple of other occasions and teamates failed to pick him out (e.g., Giggsy’s shot). And likely had a dead certain goal on Ronaldo’s cross where he not illegally held up by the defender. Not that bad as a mostly isolated striker and the front prong in a 4-3-3 (which I don’t think he’s played as all season – but could be worng on that)
Agreed it wasn’t his best but certainly not as bad as you lot are making out. The fact that he looked good and threatening again once Rooney came on suggests to me that at least part of his looking bad was that the rest of the team simply aren’t on his page yet (a number of the wayward passes where because teammates didn’t make runs that they should have)
Anyhow, Berba was nowwhere near as bad as some of you seem to think. A 4!!! Give me a f—ing break. End of.
February 25th, 2009 at 14:15
@Eric the Red: Actually he was.
It has nothing to do with Berba-bashers, and, it has nothing to do with ‘the rest of the team not being on his page’. (A good team player would then have ‘lowered’ his standards to accomodate the team). He had a poor performance, plain and simple. Why should we defend it? As I myself mentioned, it was largely due to tactics, but, the fact remains, he still had a poor performance. (Rooney and Tevez both had to play that position which is alien to them, and they were not excempt from criticism. Why should Berbatov be?
February 25th, 2009 at 14:24
@Eric the Red: agree with you there Bro, Berba had a thankless task yesterday, alone up front with no-one really to link effectively with. I mean Park isn’t not only on the same page, he’s not in the same library. I think Berba was affected more by Rooneys absence than anyone else, he needs a foil to work off. Having said that, he was still a handfull for the Inter Back 4 who at one stage had to Rugby tackle him to keep him at bay!
I still believe that we can give Inter a lesson in effective attacking football at OT, United to win 3-0 at home
February 25th, 2009 at 14:39
Guys Karl is right he didn’t play well and I love the guy, he is Champions League qaulity he has shown that so far and for Bayer Leverkusen, but in his defense he was isolated but he didn’t play well.
February 25th, 2009 at 14:54
@Karl: Not saying he should be exempt from criticism. But someone rated him a 4 for God’s sake!! Red Nev was a 4 in that cup game when he first came back. As I said, Berba had a couple of half chances, a couple more chances that went begging because of a lack of vision by others, and a sure chance that was denied when he was ilegally held back by a defender. Doesn’t sound all that bad to me.
Again, I agree he wasn’t his best and maybe some times when his genuis isn’t quite coming off because of the play of others he should tone it down. I do, however, think that if he’d had 20-30 minutes with Roon we’d all be singing a different tune.
Anyhow, my 2 cents.
February 25th, 2009 at 14:56
English newspapers have been running this story this morning. Man United have been sending a couple of shirts to everyone who has shown an interest in being our new shirt sponsor with their logo on it. A picture of the boss of Air Asia has surfaced.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/steve_wilson/blog/2009/02/25/asia_entrepeneur_puts_his_shirt_on_manchester_united_deal
I hope to god they don’t win it.
February 25th, 2009 at 15:12
Yesterday can be best defined as a solid defensive performance, good possession football, but no end product or cutting edge in the final 1/3. That is not a complete surprise given the players we had on the field. But really we needed some pace and movement upfront and Berbatov just wasn’t supplying it. Players like Giggs and Park were also too slow to release the ball. At this level taking your shots early is the name of the game.
We have a golden opportunity to go through by winning on our own ground. To do that we have to score two goals. Going 1-0 up and defending will expose us to another Mourinho late goal. If we get two there is little chance that Inter can score two against our defence.
We need a killer instinct. No more of these 1-0 wins that seem to be our bread and butter. We want to play with width, pace and movement and expose Inter for the static team they really are.
I say bring back the Ronaldo-Rooney-Tevez axis and give Inter hell.
February 25th, 2009 at 15:21
@Traverse: that kit looks gay.
February 25th, 2009 at 15:22
I didn’t think Berba was as bad as some people think. I’m not his biggest fan but he is starting to grow on me although the problem that I predicted when we bought him still stands. He plays the same position as our other 2 strikers, behind the main striker. How come it wasn’t him diving at the ball that time Ronnie and JOS linked up and Ronnie put a great ball in that Park didn’t reach?
Maybe if JOS changed his name Jonio Da Silva he’d get recognition?
February 25th, 2009 at 15:30
I thought the team set up was perfectly, in a nervy match it must be good to have someone nearby to pass to. The passing moving forwards was very good and there was no hoofing because there were players available to pass to.
They got in closer in the 2nd half and United’s passes became inaccurate or hurried.
I would guess that Maureen is going to continue in the same vein in the 2nd leg, stop United passing by clogging up the midfield.
It’s an interesting dilemma, will a more attacking approach bring about more scoring opportunities for United, Our will it hand over the midfield to Inter?
I think if we keep jabbing away at Inter they will crumble but we don’t want to open up and give them a chance for that knock-out blow.
February 25th, 2009 at 15:32
@Liam: I take it with the name Liam, you are Irish? So no bias then!
Joking aside JOS is a great squad player as he showed last night, the fact that he is adaptable is a great quality, but he is a jack of all master of none, and should not be a first team regular.
February 25th, 2009 at 16:03
@Liam: Do you mean the play when Berba would have had an easy toe poke coming in behind Park were it not for the defender illegally holding him up? Surely not his fault – he even immediately turned to the ref to protest.
February 25th, 2009 at 16:03
@Liam: Berba was rugby tackled and prevented in getting near it, a good penalty shout for sure!
Anybody whose not bias against O Shea could see he kept Ibrahamesofit at bay for the most part. Loads of last ditch tackles and intercepts aswell as linking well with Ronaldo, what else do people want from a player whose not 100% fit and playing out of position? Anyway all of our back four played well!
February 25th, 2009 at 16:18
Apparently John O’Shea can’t get anything right, can he??
Lets give the fellow a break guys.. he played out of position, all bandaged up, managed to keep Ibrahimovic at bay for most times (creamed him a couple of times), covered for Ronaldo, didn’t do anything stupid of consequence… what more could we ask for?? And what were the choices anyway for RB when everyone else is in the medical room back in Manchester?? He played well…
And yes, maybe he should change his name to Jonio Da Silva!!
February 25th, 2009 at 17:19
Just come on for the first time today and ive got to say im a bit surprised oshea is getting this stick. Anyone who reads my posts knows im not his biggest fan, but yesterday i think he was pretty good. Towards the end ibra was getting around him a bit too easily for my liking, but for a good 80 minutes i thought oshea was very solid and overall did a good job. Fletcher likewise is a player i dont rate very highly and im still not his biggest fan but he was very good yesterday as well. Its games like that he seems to excel in yet he struggles in the games at homes to the likes of the evertons of this world, mad really. Maybe its cos he has less space to operate in and everything has to be quicker which he cant manage, im not too sure.
But as i said i thought fletcher and oshea were solid it was park that was the player that annoyed me most. As i said last night, yes he runs around and works hard and is pretty good defensively, but attacking wise he is appaling. To me he is a bottom half prem player, maybe even championship player with his attacking play. As i say yes hes good running around and defending but i expect a winger in the 1st team most weeks at our great club to be a bit better than decent. If i had to choose i would much prefer an attacking winger like a nani who is inconsistent but still potentially brilliant attacking wise, than a player good defensively but probably with about the same attacking talent as michael kightly or matthew etherington. He is so weak, he just gets pushed down so easily, he cant cross, he cant shoot if his life depended on it. I used to laugh at dirk kuyt, these 2 play in the same position and i gotta say if its a choice out of kuyt or park, id have to go for kuyt every time. He was appalling yesterday and he offered nothing attacking wise. I hope tosic and nani get chances over park soon cos depressingly for me his appearances have gone up this season and im a bit sick of seeing him cluelessly running about in games contributing nothing.
February 25th, 2009 at 17:33
Do we want the dippers to win tonight? I hope they lose at the Bernabau, but win the tie as it’ll keep the distracted from the league. Should be a good game tonight I think, looking forward to it.
February 25th, 2009 at 17:45
I want Real to win so we get to play them at some point and demonstrate to Ronaldo what a step down he’d be taking if he joined that club. But I think Liverpool are too good a cup team for Real.
Interesting stat in the Times…we only got five shots on target…four from Ronaldo, one from Giggs (which I believe was also a freekick. As most of those Ronaldo efforts were free kicks…it tells you something about why we failed to score.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:21
@Stephen: It’s hard to skin anyone alive when you are just standing still. And when did that happen? I certainly don’t remember. In fact, Ibrahmiovich was a shadow of his usual choker in big games self. He was horrible all except for one dummy when he let the ball go past him and then Adriano made a meal of things. Inter couldn’t offer me those two sacks of shit trying to imitate strikers for free. O’Shea was fantastic yesterday and that is as Rafa would say….. A FACT.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:32
@Karl: He had a poor performance but that does not give the Berba haters the right to come down on him as if this has been a pattern of his all season. Part of the reason his performance was poor was because he was left all alone up front and in most cases completely isolated. That is not his game. He needs another forward to play off of and Ronaldo was playing too far wide to be that man. Still, he created two half chances and he worked hard. The fact he doesn’t run around and waste energy like Tevez and Rooney is nothing new and for some of you blue collar types I offer my not so heart felt sympathy. That’s not his game and it never has been. But playing alone up froint has never been his game. He is not a Darren Bent type and hasn’t got the pace to go after and chase down balls or beat multiple defenders by himself. That does not make him a bad player, just the wrong player for that job. In the past Rooney and Tevez have sucked just as bad at that role. The only thing they offered in that role that He didn’t was tracking back but I say this to all of you workaholic types, if he tracked back all the way, he would have given Inter less concern and they would have moved up more and been more interested in attack. His prowling up front forced Inter to respect his presence which gave loads of room for Ronaldo and others to exploit and break out on counters. So lets get off of Berba’s back as he simply was forced to sacrifice himself yesterday for the betterment of the team. For those who can’t see that, buy a football textbook and read up on 4-5-1 and what is expected of the lone forward up front. Some of the greatest strikers in history are not and have not been able to play that lone role up front. So leave Berba alone unless his performances start to suck on a continuous level in all kinds of formations.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:34
@Grognard: He did skin him in the second half mate when Steroidiano airfooted it, but he did Ok but not fantastic in my eyes.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:36
@Stephen: It’s how you define playing well. If it depends on scoring goals, assists and creating chances, no he didn’t play well. If it means he scarificed himself and played a position and carried out thankless and mundane duties in order to free up other players and to keep Inter back on their toes defensively, then I think he had a great game. I say lets combine the two and say he had an average if unspectacular game and leave it at that. Honestly, their unfair Berba bashing is getting me down. Lets be fair to the Count and see things from a broader perspective.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:40
@Stephen: I wouldn’t define that as getting skinned mate. How do you skin a player when you don’t even have the ball? Anyway, IbrahimoBitch did piss all the whole game and was caught standing and staring at the ball all evening. He never had the space to get the ball while on the run and when he did have the ball, he was so static and devoid of ideas that his frustration just built up all game. O’Shea is not one of my favorites but last night he showed why he is so valuable to the team. He can play any position well enough and in a crunch can come in and do a decent job. Well last night he did even more, he did a world class job marking out the Inter left side and for this I applaud him.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:40
@Grognard: He is a quality player mate no doubt, just think he didn’t have one of his better nights, but he was better than Ibrahimovic!
February 25th, 2009 at 18:44
@colver: Actually it was more of a solid offensive performance with no luck and poor finishing. And when I say poor finishing, i don’t mean a player making a meal of a chance and ballooning a ball way over the goal. I mean we never took advantage of the chances created by our great attacking enterprise. Our attack was our best defense yesterday. It had Inter shocked and surprised and on their heels for most of the game. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in. That game has to go down as one of the greatest games United has ever played without scoring a goal.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:50
@Stephen: He isn’t a first team regular but as a jack of all trades, he sure has tremendous value to our team along with the spirit and attitude that helps him accept that role willingly and with pride. How many backups on other teams can you think of that are as good as O’Shea and as versatile? He would win my unsung MVP award every year over players like Fletcher because he just gets it done. I too don’t like him starting over and over but when injuries or suspensions dictate it, don’t you think it’s great to have him there as a great insurance policy? And lets not forget that last night he played while not fully fit. Brave and Bold.
February 25th, 2009 at 18:55
@Eric the Red: That should have been called a penalty and it was mentioned by the announcing team because the camera didn’t catch it. How about the chance he never had when he was wide open 6 yeard from Ryan Giggs and Giggs decided to take the wrong angle on his great chance and the keeper stopped him. Berba was wide open on the other side and all it would have taken was an easy pass to him and Berba would have scored. That’s not Berba’s fault. or that time when Ronaldo took a shot from a very sharp angle when all he needed to do is chip the ball to the other side to a wide open Berba who was waving for the ball and who was very frustrated after Ronny selfishly took the low percentage shot. Point is, it’s not always Berba’s fault. Quite often he is in the best position but other players are at times blind or selfish and in many cases incapable of delivering a decent cross.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:06
@Matthew: Yes he is annoying and frustrating but he serves his purpose. The game has evolved to the point where a team needs to keep certain types of role players. Against a very good side, especially away from home, it is vital to have a defensive minded player who can glue himself to a player or to an area of the pitch and neutralize that threat. Nobody does it better than Park.
Offensively, he is an embarrassment to be sure. His lack of feet and his lack of reach has always frustrated me to incredible moments of frustration and rage. I almost threw something at the screen yesterday when Ronaldo delivered a perfect pass to him in the box and he missed it completely. On that play Berba was hauled down mercilessly and no penalty was called but I was most upset with Parks epileptic feet. How could he miss that chance? I call him Stumpy because he often looks like a player with the shortest legs in proportion to his body in the world and at the end of them his feet are non existent. He must wear size two because I have never seen a player fan on so many chances that are so close to him. Just a small reach and it;s a goal, but no Park, just can’t get to these passes. The pass (or should I say shot) that set up Rooney for his goal last week would have been a whiff and a miss had the roles been reversed.
Just so frustrating but then again, Maicon and others were brilliantly eliminated from the game thanks to Park’s tireless display of hard work and pestering. Lets give him credit for the things he does well and for the purpose he serves. I just don’t want to see him play against teams that don’t pose a threat to us. In those games I’d like to see more of Nani or somebody else with a little attacking flair.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:11
@Stephen: True, it wasn’t one of his best nights but the point I was making is that wasn’t his fault. It was more by tactical design. He showed me however that I still would prefer him over that overrated lump of crap called IbrahimoBitch. The day that lard ass ever shows up for a big match will be the day Armageddon begins. He’s such a waste of time and space. That guy would struggle so much if he played in the EPL. He’s lazy in the classic sense and his skills are all based on being static. He’s incapable of doing anything on the move and he hates physical play or marking on him. Just a girly man like most Swedes who play the game.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:15
@Grognard: yeah I noticed that too. I was screaming at the tv for Giggs to pass it but he just hit a shot straight against the defender
@Grognard: To be fair the ball Ronaldo played was a fair bit ahead of him
February 25th, 2009 at 19:19
@Grognard: In complete agreement with you. I cited exactly those points when defending his performance last night. Definite penalty. Giggs and Ronaldo both should have passed to him. And other players should have made better runs for some of his attempted passes.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:39
@Traverse: God thats bad!
February 25th, 2009 at 19:43
@Liam: I think you are mistaking the play I was talking about. It’s not the time in the second half when Giggs fired against the defender. It’s the time in the first half when he was in all alone against Cesar with Berbatov waiting at the far post. Instead of passing quickly to him for what would have been a tap in goal, he took a wider angle and shot right at Cesar. Had he moved more to the right he would have had a better angle to shoot and there was nobody near him. I couldn’t figure out Giggs on that one.
And i have watched the Ronaldo pass to Park over and over and I am convinced 100% that Park’s stumps and lack of coordination was at fault. Most players would have gotten to that ball or ina worse case scenario, made contact with the ball. Like I aid earlier, the ball Park presented Rooney last week was far harder and tougher to get to and yet Rooney got there and buried it. Park just frustrates so much in those situations. He also had the ball at his feet numerous times last night in threatening situations and always made the wrong offensive decision.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:45
@Eric the Red: Did you notice how many time Evra did not continue on a give and go with Berba and his return pass went to nobody? It must have been three or four times. That was very frustrating because Evra is usually so aggressive but he would pass to Berba then go back rather than follow up with an overlap. That’s hardly Berbatov’s fault.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:48
@edwin: Like I have said before, Bin Laden Construction or Mengele Farm Machinery would look better on our kits than those MOFO’s form AIG. I still dream of the day I see my favorite corporation on the front of United jersey. Apple Corp with the little apple logo would be sublime.
February 25th, 2009 at 19:51
Bring back Sharp Viewcam!
February 25th, 2009 at 20:00
@Grognard:
AIG looks absolutely fine on our shirt. An apple logo would make us look to german, which we’re not.
Im not saying apple is a german company, obviously, but when i imagine the apple logo on our shirt, it looks like a kit worn in the bundesliga to me.
Aig>Apple in terms of looks on a united shirt.
I wish we would ditch nike all together and go to the better brand, adidas.
February 25th, 2009 at 20:07
@Grognard: Agreed. It would help get the message out that we do obliterate all opposition!
@Traverse: Hell Yeah!
February 25th, 2009 at 20:09
@Dan: You are missing my point. I hate AIG as a company. They are corrupt and unethical and a disgrace to have on our kit. Apple would look very nice indeed and I disagree with you on that 100% Their logo and company name is the epitome of subtle, which makes it very un German. Yes lets ditch Nike the #1 shoe manufacturer in the world for the bland and boring pretender Adidas. I don’t think so.
February 25th, 2009 at 20:32
@Grognard: Definitely noticed how many times that happened with Evra. You’re right it really was curious given how much Evra typically likes to bomb forward. Perhaps he was instructed to play it a little safer to avoid Maicon exposing that flank?? Since I don’t really want to blame Left Back Pat, I’m chalking it up to tactics. Just don’t want to hear about the Counts wayward passes as evidence of his poor game, which some people mentioned above. Oh well, some people will never appreciate genuis.
February 25th, 2009 at 20:37
@Traverse: Hear, hear!!!
February 25th, 2009 at 20:43
To all:
Yes, Berba had a relatively subdued game. (though he would have probably scored if Giggs had been less selfish, etc., etc…)
However I remain flabbergasted at the number of people actually thinking that Tevez would have done better. FFS, Carlos has been having subdued game after subdued game afte subdued game this season and I cannot fathom the logic behind their calls except for emotional attachment.
February 25th, 2009 at 20:47
Here are my thoughts on the game. Let me jsut start that the Inter fans must be the most stupid people in the whole world. Even Liverpool supporters have managed to admit it when we have outplayed them, but what do I get from the Inter fans? “You sucked, Ronaldo got owned by Santon, and we should have won. WE HAD THE BETTER CHANCES!”
I mean, what fucking game were they watching?! 6-2 in should-have-been-goal chances to United, most shots on target, most shots off target, most corners and post possession. Fucking wankers, the whole bunch. Dont even know why Im friends with them… But what can you expect from some wankers supporting an Italian team?! Stupid as hell, and nonsense about absolutely everything!
I thought we played incredibly well in the first half, and we should have been up by at least 2 goals. Ronaldo looked dangerous, and i havent seen him be so up for a game since last season. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Good movement, free-kicks were great(would have scored not for Cesar(best goalie we have played against for a long time)) and he did everything I could have asked from him. Except for the gal, but when you face a keeper the calibre of Cesar you cant complain too much. He would have scored not for three miraculous saves. Park contained Maicon really well, Berba cant play as a lone striker, Zlatan looked like fucking Taibi agaisnt Oshea and Evans was not fully fit. I had my doubts about Evans against Adriano, and the Irishman won all the duels in the first half. But he got some problems in the second half, when Adriano seemed more fresh/Evans was tired.
From what I have seen from the Italian league, and the games that we have played Roma, Milan and Inter, for me there is no doubt where we can hit Inter at Old Trafford. This would be my lineup:
VDS
Neville-Rio-Vidic-Evra
Ronaldo-Carrick-Anderson-Park
Giggs
Rooney
Like I said before the game, teams from the Italian League doesnt know how to deal with aggresive sides. Its a very slow League with a terrible will to win, as demostrated by Zlatan being the best player there. He cant do anything if a defender is close to him after at least 5 seconds. He is given freedom in Italy that he isnt given in Europe, and that is why he sucks on the international stage. What was my point? Oh yeah, we need to play a team that can run Inters team ragged. Fuck patient approach, we are not going to play like that. If we play Scholes and Berbatov we are not gonna win. I seriously doubt it. Does anybody remember what was the reason we beat Roma 7-1 some seasons ago? Alan Smith and Darren Fletcher. They stressed the Roma team, and they lost the ball on numeorus occasions. If we play with Rooney and Anderson, we cannot lose. Also, Anderson is a big match player that can do well against Cambiasso. Dont fucking blame my Anderson bias for me wanting him to start, because now I am simply talking tactical approach that will kill Inter. Anderson has lots of energy, and he can play passes to the wings. He will be running after every ball, as will Rooney and Park. So why not play him? The return leg is what Anderson was born to do. If Fergie doesnt play him, I will be worried… Unless he plays Fletch, because he also can chase around. But Andy has got more speed and strenght, so why not?
I will finish with a question. Why are people so negative about the result? I would have taken 0-0 from San Siro before the game, but our performace was actually better than I expected. I thought we would do a Roma away 2008, but no. We took the game to them and should have won. We kept a clean sheet with two half fit defenders, one of them being 21. So how can you guys even think that Inter will score on us with Vidic in the defense, at Old Trafford, with Fergie knowing how they play like??? They couldnt beat us at their ground, with their whole squad fit. We played without Rafael, Anderson, Vidic, Brown, Neville, Rooney, Tevez or Scholes. I am looking forward to the tie at Old Trafford, it is gonna be great!!!
February 25th, 2009 at 21:04
@NicoQB: Its beyond emotional attachment Nico…Berbatov was not getting involved more in the game yesterday..Moreover when we have forwards like Rooney and Tevez who can hurry those slow Inter defenses we should have used them…I pray Fergie uses them properly with Ronaldo in our home game coz we already saw that Inter defense is pathetically slow (bar Cordoba)…
Berbatov provided good aerial threat but should have involved more in the build up…his creative touch and vision was missing yesterday (until Rooney came in)..He was not the right choice for a lone striker formation..Rooney or Tevez when they are the lone striker would give that extra yard of pace and that extra mile of running which requires to open up defenses…
February 25th, 2009 at 21:06
Grognard, yeah i cant believe park missed that simple pass in to him, i mean he was a good foot away from making contact to him, he didnt even try to get near the ball. Maybe his concentration is bad so he didnt decide to run into the box in time. The commentator reckoned the ball was meant for berbatov but no way it was, that was parks to score and he missed it, he is just probably the worst goal scorer i have ever seen. Also with the giggs shot earlier on i felt he was at fault. The inter defender got drawn into giggs run, all park had to do was drift back a bit and he would be free from the defender and with the whole goal to aim for. He however continue to run next to the defender meaning there was no pass available so giggs was forced to shoot. The guy has no attacking sense what so ever, i mean even i would figure out how to score some of his chances and i always play goal keeper.
As for shirt sponsors, i saw a pic in the daily mail showing air asia on it so it looks like we could be getting that, to be honest i think it looks pretty decent to be fair although i think others would look better. I always liked the old coca cola design on teams shirts with that cola style writing, i thought that looked pretty class. Always loved the sharp one back in the days. I liked the way barca never used to have a sponsor on their shirt cos they thought it would ruin their great kit, thats a good attitude. You cant just put any old crap on your sacred kit, if it was possible i wish we had to sponsor and kept it clean of billionaire businesses looking to use us to advertise their products, although the 20+ million a year in sponsorship money is pretty useful.
February 25th, 2009 at 21:08
@NicoQB: Finally, someone speaks the truth about Tevez. I was starting to think I was at the RedCafe with all of the Tevez love going around.
To each their own I guess.
February 25th, 2009 at 21:10
Eddy Im not sure Anderson will be match-fit for the return leg. I think Carrick and Fletcher will do a good job in the middle and then Rooney will partner either Berbatov or Tevez up front. We bossed the midfield the other day.
Something I think has to change is Ronaldo’s free-kicks. He shoots every damn time and even last season he was only scoring one in twenty. We’d do so much better to just float one into the box and take advantage of our aerial ability.
February 25th, 2009 at 21:16
Id go for Tevez because he knows how to deal with Latin defenders. They can man handle Tevez all they want and he’ll give as good as he gets.
Another reason is that Inter can’t cope with a fast tempo. Tevez, Ronaldo and Rooney in tandem would allow us to play a high tempo game which Inter would have no answer to. Berbatov is great but we play a slower game with him on the pitch.
February 25th, 2009 at 21:41
@Matthew: So you call sliding towards the ball not trying? Honestly, you must be the first person I’ve ever heard criticise Park for not trying
February 25th, 2009 at 21:54
@Grognard: Believe me grognard, i know about boots, and adidas has consistently been the better maker of the two in recent years. Nike on the other hand…
i think you love of apple is getting in the way of your judgement. It doesnt matter who our sponsors are as long as:
*it looks good on our shirt(which AIG does)
*they are not a judgemental company(racist, sexist etc)
Apple would make us look german, their logo doesnt take up enough space on our shirt. The logo cant be to big, and not to small.
I love everything apple does, apart from their shitty ipods which everyone blindly loves, but i wouldnt want them on our shirt.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:28
Can I just say what a bunch of selfish pricks Real Madrid is. They had countless moments where the pass would have been a better option, but the players went for the goal or dribble, with Robben and Higuain being the biggest culprits and while I am at it, the scousers can bore the win out of anyone.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:30
@Grognard: Grog, Grog, Grog, Grog, Grog, Berba was feck useless in that game mate, as he is in all the games where the marking is CLOSE. I love BerbA JUST LIKE YOU gROG, but he was shite, and seems to be shite in the closely marked, rush football games. Awww sorry mate, but fact is fact, ask Rafa –
.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:44
@Grognard: Oh Grog mi man, you are a football fan after my own heart.
. For me, football is about goals! No matter how much fancy possesion we had, we didn’t do the only thing that mattered, and that was score GOALS. A team that cannot turn possession into goals, is a team that having another team by the jugular, fucks up. I am sure you know what I mean Grog.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:45
I think Scholes and Rooney are dead certs to start in the return leg. Scholes could have picked that defense apart, and Rooney had the run on all of them for his 8min cameo. I think Neville will probably start, and Berbatov too, but I’d love us to start with Rafael and Tevez and reeally blitz them. Fergie will be mindful of another Porto situation, and I’m sure our gutter press will be running that scenario for a week in advance.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:47
@Matthew: That was an astute observation on Park during the Giggs effort. I also noticed many times with park on the ball where he should cut inside and then make a diagonal pass but instead he would make the low percentage pass to the far post. Park has no offensive instinct nor does he have finesse or imagination. But he is a terrier defensively and he is a quick bonding pest that glues himself to the opponents danger man on and basically nullifies him for the game. In that area he is very good and brings balance.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:49
@phoenix red: Oh pheonix mi man, we did indeed have Inter by the balls, but as United often do, we didn’t CAPITALISE. As Fergie says, hope it doesn’t come back to bite us on the arse. How you doing Pheonix?.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:49
@Orez: Very true mate. The game was so incredibly low on quality except that free-kick from Aurelio that I barely could keep myself from cursing. Robben is excellent at twisting and weaving his way through, but he must learn to pick a goddamn pass which a 7 year old could have made. The defending on that freekick by Higuain (he was closest to Benayoun) was simply pathetic. Is this the bunch of feckers that Ronaldo so desperately wants to join? Ronnie boy, tell your mom off on this one mate, you are too good to be going down with them.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:54
@Grognard: Grog mi man, its not defence, surely you understand that, ITS ATTACK that wins games, and we are not the best in Europe at benifitting from our attack. Sorry but thats the truth mate
.
February 25th, 2009 at 22:54
@Dan: You know nothing about what AIG is and what corruption and bullshit they have put their customers through for years. They begged for a Government bailout due to their unscrupulous investment policies backfiring on them and what did they do with the money? Give bonuses to their executives and fly them to their newly bought corporate retreat for a vacation. They are scum.
As for looking good on a kit, my preference would be no advertising at all as I think they are all eye sores and tacky. But if I had a choice, Apple or MacIntosh would be my choice. Quality company the produces outstanding products and pushes the envelope when it comes to design and innovation.
As for Adidas, I used to play a lot of sports mate and Adidas shoes always bothered me, caused me pain from blisters due to breaking them in and they wore out early. I have never had problems with Nike and have always found their footwear fantastic, comfortable and not a pain in the ass to break in.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:01
@Orez: I think Real Madrid are a useless bunch of old men and overrated non starters who seem to overachieve in Spain but who don’t have the class or the quality to win anything else. If Liverpool can beat them at the Bernebau, then that says it all. That game was a total joke as was the Chelsea Juventus game. None of those teams have what it’s going to take. I stand by the fact that the winner will be one of three teams. Man Utd, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Look at Bayern today. 5-0 at Sporting. Absolutely stunning display of power and a great game for Ribery who scored two and assisted on two. Make no mistake, that was no fluke. United have played at Sporting over the past few years and struggled to win 1-0. They never went there and dismantled a good Portuguese side like that. Bayern have been bored by the Bundesliga and seem much more interested and focused in winning the CL, and it shows. Barca were far from impressive yesterday but they secured a positive result. They still are massive in skill and style and will have to be feared. As for the rest, pretenders the whole lot of them.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:05
@Mihir: Exactly. I just would like to see how that FSW will handle the Real crowd with his negative tactics. They will crucify him after a month or so. I just can’t imagine him getting that job, but the media is hyping this shit as a job interview.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:06
@Craig Mc: Sorry Rafa but I must disagree with jou a bit. Jes he was not at hiz best but he did what was asked of him and many like jourself missed the little things he did well and how many times hiz teammates neglected to get him da ball when he waz in a great position to score. Jes, dats a fact, beliebo me. Berba sacrificed himself for da team in the greatest Rafa style. Dats a fact, Jez.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:11
@Grognard: @Grognard: Oh Grog, we are at opposing poles on Berba in the BIG games, but hey that’s ok, its allowed.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:18
@Craig Mc: I swear your mentality sounds like somebody who was born and raised in my neck of the woods. North Americans have had the hardest time warming up to the game for decades now because there are not enough goals. I too struggle watching the crap that was on today with the Liverpool and Chelsea game wondering if any of these four teams possessed the skill and imagination to create and finish. The answer was no. BORING FOOTBALL. So I forgive United yesterday because the last thing they did was play boring football. But what plagued them yesterday is what has plagued them all season, style but no substance. Substance is simply finishing. They just don’t finish at an acceptable rate to the chances they create. I blame this on the players but I also blame the men run the training during the week and why these players are not being drilled more on finishing techniques and helping them deal with the composure that is needed at that moment.
In fairness, the lads finishing (especially Ronaldo’s) was fine yesterday. Cesar robbed us of at least 5 goals by making fantastic save after fantastic save. But Berbatov also missed the goal by inches on tewo separate headers, Park fanned on a sure goal, Ronaldo narrowly missed wide on a3 or four free kicks and a header, Giggs shot was blocked ona chance when he had lots of net to shoot at and another chance when he played into the goalkeepers hands. Bad luck and poor finishing has been this club’s Achilles heel all season but it has yet to cost us. What Bayern did today is what we should have done yesterday, and that’s come away from the San Siro with a 5-0 victory. The fact we didn’t may not trouble or concern many because we played so well, but like you say Craig, goals are what make the world go round. We need to address this problem and correct it. It’s not just buying a goal scorer like Huntelaar or Aguero, or Benzema. It’s about getting the existing group to start focusing and concentrating better at the time when they strike for goal. Christ, our most prolific goal scorer this season is Nemanja Vidic. Enough said.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:21
@Craig Mc: We are the best attacking and most dynamic side in Europe but our finishing rate to chances created is pathetic. I agree. So in the previous reply I stated what needs to be done. What’s your solution Bro? I’m curious. I say hang Lil Man Nani under the cross bar in the middle of the goal and then offer the players rewards for hitting him in the head or the bollocks.
A new and more lethal form of target practice, with incentives.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:23
@Craig Mc: Trust me Bro, Berba will come through when it really matters. i firmly believe it. Trust and faith mate.
I believe in the Count.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:26
I would just like to congratulate Grognard and Bayern Munich for that impressive 5-0 win away from home against Sporting.
You rocked them baby!!! 
February 25th, 2009 at 23:26
I’m mocking up some United shirts with possible sponsors on them, is there any people want me to do? I’ve done Apple, Sahara, Unicef and Sharp Viewcam…
February 25th, 2009 at 23:36
@Traverse: You mind doing “Sony”?
February 25th, 2009 at 23:45
@Grognard: Hang Little man Nani, WTF are you saying Grog? I’ll tell you this, I BELIEVE. That lad would have scored, or done something to help. But you all believe what you like. He will prove his worth at some other club than the NO SCORE United European teams, that seldom score AWAY from OT. Does it fuck me off, YES IT feckin does – end of.
February 25th, 2009 at 23:47
@Orez: Done and Done. And Saudi Telecom too… anyone else?
February 26th, 2009 at 0:25
Liam fair enough maybe i was wrong in saying he didnt try, but god the ball was close enough for him to get in and put it in the net. He just really frustrates the hell out of me and it always seems when it is a close game, he gets the best chance of the game. I mean 1 goal this season considering hes played most games isnt a good return. He is a winger, he should be getting more goals than that. I understand his defensive abilites and fair play to him he is good on that part of his game but he does jack attacking wise. He should not be playing say in games at home against fulham and the like cos attacking wise he is a nothing player. Sorry if you all think im being harsh but i expect more out of a man utd winger than to be good defensively. If hes at this team he should be special and quite frankly he is not.
February 26th, 2009 at 0:26
@RedDevilEddy: Yes we did and they sent out a message to the rest of Europe to not underestimate German skill and graft with a French twist. That was a real statement of intent. However, I’ve seen them do this before and then they show up for the home game and actually lose that game but go through because they are too relaxed. So I expect Lisbon to possibly win the return leg in Munich 1-0 or 2-1. Bayern will sit and rest some of their big names I’m sure. It’s the smart thing to do.
February 26th, 2009 at 0:27
@Traverse: Try Microsoft as well as Intel and Sony.
February 26th, 2009 at 0:29
http://www.lf004c7756.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/unitedsponsors/
Here’s what I’ve done so far..
February 26th, 2009 at 0:30
@Craig Mc: I’m just messing with you Bro. I knew that would get your blood pressure to go up.
I love Nani too and he may have scored or assisted on a goal or two but he would also have given Maicon all the room in the world to hurt us. Park was the right decision for that game.
February 26th, 2009 at 0:34
@Traverse: Nice job mate. I actually really like the Saudi Telecom design. Could you do an APPLE one with the logo as well as the Word MAC under it?
February 26th, 2009 at 0:39
@Craig Mc: whiye aye Craig Bro! hows life in Geordieville? I too, awhile ago had to make a big move out of my comfort zone for my familys’ sake, 130 miles out of Dublin to Limerick! Its made the commute to work a pain in the arse but its much better for my family, i’m sure things will work out in Newcastle for you and the missus. Friendly people the geordies, i found.
I have no doubt that we’d have been 2-0 up at the end had the Roon been on the pitch for half an hour. I’m still scratching my head 
I think that Berba would have had a better time too
Back to the footie, if ever there was a stage set for Wayne Rooney, it was the last night at the San Siro, i still cant believe he only played 10 mins
February 26th, 2009 at 0:51
@Traverse: nice one Bro! love the Unicef, and Saudi Tele(probably because there’s no letters!) and the Sharp put a smile on my face, i’d say try Intel and Manchester Evening News(M E N)
or Guardian 
February 26th, 2009 at 0:56
@phoenix red: Pheonix mi man, so glad to hear you put your family 1st. I know it will turn out ok for you all. I agree with you aboutRooney, he should have been on the whole 2nd half. It is like Fergie is trying to prove himself with Berba isn’t it mate. He proved to be not the man for this job though. Berba has been good for games, but not games that are fast and furious, and I know you know that mate.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:00
@Grognard: You BASTARD Grog mi man, how do you knbow that Nani couldn’t have sorted out Maicon? You going all Park eyed then
, you fucker Gorg 
.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:23
@Craig Mc: WOA!
What hostility my man. Now lets be honest here for a second. Are you trying to say that Lil Man Nani, the same Nani that couldn’t mark an X on a piece of paper could have marked Maicon? And you base this on what proof my brother? On the evidence fromhis last game where his marking or lack of marking created the chance for Santa Cruz to score against us and break the streak? The numerous times he has been lifted from a game because his tracking back and lack of grit in marking has cost us a goal or created chances for the opponents?
You know I love the Lil Man but lets face it, defensive duties are not high on his CV. I would always prefer Nani over Park except for away games at Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern, Madrid, Milan, Inter and Juventus. Against any other team he starts for me and against some of those teams I’d even consider him to start at home, but never away.
So I must say that I am hurting now that I am in your doghouse. Where is the love. Even miserable old Grognard’s with great wisdom and a keen footballing mind need some love and TLC.
I can only ask for my buddy to forgive and forget the slight against Nani. 
February 26th, 2009 at 1:35
@Grognard: Hahahaha – Grog you fucker. You really believe that Little Man made the mistake to allow Santa fuckin useless cruz to score his goal. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, mi man. Scholesy was partly responsible for that pathetic effort. Nani could not have seen the B’Burn player coming behind him, truly Grog he hasn;t got eyes in his fuckin backside. But Scholesy could see. The error was down to Scholesy, and if you are honest, you know that Grog. Then there was Rio and his totally foolish slide tackle. Kucz and his folies bizarre GK – NOT. O Grog, get you feckin brain in to gear, because I know that you know
. WTF admit it Grog mi man 
. You cannot judge Nani, because he was not responsible for Santa Cruz goal at OT, and I’ll never agree with you about that. Buddy, come on!
February 26th, 2009 at 1:53
@Craig Mc: OK Buddy OK, I surrender. I just love messing with you because you were gone so long and deprived us of your wit, humor and charm. It’s good to have you and you Nani loving candy ass back with us. Even though i think Geordieville is already affecting your judgment a bit.
Love that Nani!
February 26th, 2009 at 2:12
@Traverse: Great job man I liked UNICEF and Sony. The rest were nice too, but I think there should be letters
@Craig Mc: @Grognard: not to restart discussion and quit frankly I haven’t read all of your comments, but couple of things should be said. Nani is the least responsible party of that goal, just because he couldn’t see the approaching player and Scholes could, which makes him more guilty. In the end the real culprits were Rio and PIG as far as I am concerned. Rio went down for no reason and PIG left the goal while Rio was still fighting. I am not a huge Nani fan, but during the last several games, he was really good. His pass to Rooney at that game was exceptional. I think that he has future with us and all talk about him leaving us in the summer is just wrong.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:22
@Traverse: Nice job mate. I’m fond of the Viewcam from a nostalgia perspective, but gotta say, as much as I hate to admit it, the Saudi Telecom looks sweet.
Phoenix Red is right: intel might look nice as well.
Thought Grog was on to something with Apple, but seeing it I’ve got to side with Dan. Not so much
February 26th, 2009 at 2:42
RED RANTER please make a post:). or please hire or whatever you have to do to get somebody else to make a new post. that was the biggest game of the year and yes we would like to hear your opinion…thats why we come to this site.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:13
Here are some comments Berbatov made to the Bulgarian media after the game:
“I missed Wayne Rooney because it is always better when you play with another striker and have someone to count on. Sir Alex, however, opted to leave him on the bench, so that must be the right decision.”
“At times I felt that I was in an excellent position but I didn’t get service. This, however, is totally normal when you are immersed in the game. Then you often choose to finish the attack yourself. I think tonight we played better than Inter and deserved to win.”
Seems he was a little disappointed with some of the decisions of his teammates, though he justified them.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:32
@zhoro: Giggs was very selfish in 2 occasions, then again at his age he can allow himself to be a little selfish and also he has been delivering in the past games, so I think we can overlook.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:37
@Orez: Not that the commentators make my mind up for me but Craig Burley was blaming Nani and then the next night the Fox Soccer Report analyst also picked out Nani for some abuse so I kind of feel justified for my belief Nani is to blame here. But lets not forget to also make the point that Nani’s vision made the Rooney goal and that he had a perfectly good assist thrown away due to the referee not allowing the Jonny Evans goal which for me was completely legal. So Nani comes out of that game +1 on my scorecard.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:38
@Eric the Red: A smaller Apple Logo with the word MAC under it would look gool.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:59
@Orez I agree, I won’t hold it against Giggs. He generally is not selfish at all. Ronaldo could be criticized more on this point though.
Berbatov’s comments also seem to confirm he doesn’t feel particularly comfortable in the lone striker role.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:39
everyone is all happy that we owned inter , i hope that doesn’t effect us in the 2nd leg….
February 26th, 2009 at 5:44
@zhoro: To be honest the only strikers in world football that feel comfortable in the lone striker role all play for bottom feeder teams. Because those teams play 4-5-1 a lot because they are so preoccupied in defending and playing direct balls, they look for Darren Bent style forwards who can play that way. These guys have specific skills that make them well suited for this kind of football. Berbatov, Rooney and Tevez are not suited for this style where Welbeck and Campbell are. Fergie sacrifices one because he felt in order to control the game he needed the extra body in the midfield. And he was right. This isolated Berbatov and he never really got the service he deserved considering the fact that quite often, he found himself in an ideal position for a strike at goal but never got the ball passed to him. That is not Berbatov’s fault. A striker is only as good as his service. If he got tons of service and just made a meal of his chances then one could say he had a poor game. But knowing what we know now, that really wasn’t the case.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:06
@Grognard:
“Berbatov sacrificing himself”? Please… really now… Rooney ’sacrificed’ himself in that position and got ripped apart afterwards. Tevez ’sacrificed’ himself in that position and got ripped apart afterwards… hell even slave ’sacrificed’ himself in that position and got ripped apart afterwards. None of them like that position, so why can we not say Berbatov had a poor performance? Trust me, I’m not bashing him anymore. I’ve grown to like him and I know he’s not going anywhere (soon). But, he had a poor performance. He had some brilliant performances of late, but he had a poor performance on Tuesday. I won’t go so far as to say he was the reason we did not win the match, but he had a poor performance on Tuesday. I agree with you though that the fault is because of tactics.
Tevez was not even on the pitch, but some people see it fit to criticise him? How bad is Tevez really?
(I know some people will throw ‘assist’ stats in there, but then again, there is such a thing as ‘creating space for others’ that cannot be statistically displayed).
—TEVEZ—
Premier League Starts : 44
Permier League Goals : 17
Premier League Goals per start percentage : 38.6%
Overall Starts : 64
Overall Goals : 29
Overall Goals per start percentage : 45.31%
—ROONEY—
Premier League Starts : 133
Permier League Goals : 61
Premier League Goals per start percentage : 45.86%
Overall Starts : 195
Overall Goals : 91
Overall Goals per start percentage : 46.66%
—BERBATOV—
Premier League Starts : 22
Permier League Goals : 7
Premier League Goals per start percentage : 31.8%
Overall Starts : 27
Overall Goals : 12
Overall Goals per start percentage : 44.4%
February 26th, 2009 at 7:44
@Traverse: Well done boy! I love the Sony one there.. but the Sharp one is special cuz of our past kits!
Also those deigns make me miss our black away kit so much.. it was absolutely magnificent.
Now I know it wouldn’t happen, but what about a Ferrari logo on our shirts?? That would be the perfect philosophy blend with ours!!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:46
@Karl: This is nothing more than another bleeding heart session from you to trump Tevez. I’m not against Tevez. I just see more of the game than you it seems. I am able to see what Berbatov did offer in that game. If you look at my ratings I said he was not at his best and gave him a 6. But I also made the point that it was not his fault entirely for his mediocre performance. I picked this little bit out of USA Today. Now if the Boss things he was fantastic, who are you or who am i to disagree? I wouldn’t say he was fantastic but he certainly was not poor either. He performed his duties and as you know from the failures of Rooney and Tevez in the same role, it’s not easy and it’s a thankless role. So I say lets get off his case because frankly, he’s getting far too much heat for something he had no control over.
Man Utd boss Ferguson: Berbatov was fantastic
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with the performance of Dimitar Berbatov after their 0-0 draw at Inter Milan last night.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:22
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=622450&sec=england&cc=5901
Check this out guys. Very impressive I say and I hope he plays at the final.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:51
@Grognard: Don’t get me wrong.
1. I agree with you completely. I did read your previous posts, and agreed with it.