Sep 13
Liverpool v Manchester United: Preview
At long last we get to some real footballing action. United travel to Anfield with a rather good record in recent times.
In pre-match trash talk, the Spanish waiter had a little dig at our club’s spending although, for some reason, it seems to escape his attention that he himself has spent about £200m since his arrival at Anfield. He has a Champions’ League medal to show for all that (with a squad predominantly inherited from Houllier).
They have everyone fit, including Gerrard and Torres. We have everyone fit barring Ronaldo. Even Mr. Crock (or Mr. New Saha) — Owen Hargreaves — is reportedly fit, barring pre-game warm-up complications.
We won last year 1-0, courtesy a set piece and went about the rest of the game defending and putting Torres into Rio’s back pocket. This year we have a pretty strong side, with added teeth in front in the form of Berbatov. I am really excited by his very presence in our squad, although I won’t be screaming doom and gloom if he flops tomorrow. And it would be good if others wouldn’t over expect from him straight away.
In formations, if he’s fit, Carrick will start alongside Scholes in midfield. The back four is settled. The rest four positions is interesting. Will he opt for a front three of Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov (which would mean Hargreaves will be our third central midfielder)? Or will he go for a straight 4-4-2 with Nani on the left and Hargreaves on the right with Rooney alongside Berbatov? Your guess is as good as mine.
So feel free to throw around crazy formations and predictions.
Prediction: 1-1. Yes, I can’t see beyond a draw, and I do hope I’m proved wrong and United win it.
Related items from Red Rants:- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
- Some Reading Material Ahead of Grand Slam Sunday
- Sporting Lisbon vs Man Utd - Preview
- Heinze loses arbitration for Liverpool move, what’s next for him and United?
Tags: Game Preview
September 13th, 2008 at 10:38
@ Red Ranter
“he himself has spent about £200m since his arrival at Anfield. He has a Champions’ League medal to show for all that (with a squad predominantly inherited from Houllier).”
can’t have it both ways mate. . either he’s spent 200m since his arrival or he’s relied on a squad predominantly inherited from houllier
September 13th, 2008 at 10:52
Yeah, I’m gonna sit on the fence and go with a 1-1 too.
Anything but a loss will be good I feel, but a win will be awesome. Hopefully the law of averages (w.r.t wins) does not come and bite us in the arse.
Hoping for Rooney to have a cracker too, and ofcourse Berbaman!
September 13th, 2008 at 10:53
I will be hugely surprised if Berbatov starts. How many days training has he had with the lads. One? I’m expecting Rooney and Tevez to start, and Berbatov coming on as an impact sub after 60 minutes, or just coming on for a run out when we are coasting 2-0.
Why are you draw predictors being so negative. Liverpool have looked awful in every game they have played this season. They should be out of the champions league for god sake.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:57
I would be surprised if he starts with all 3 - roo, tevez and berba. I think berba might start from the bench and will replace roo or tevez in the second half. so basically he will go with a 4-4-2. hargreaves still does not seem fit enough to play so carrick nani scholes and come to think of it wildly - How might it sound putting tevez in there with the 3 of them?
September 13th, 2008 at 11:01
And i too think it will be a 1-1 draw.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:02
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6618268
what if he starts!?!?
September 13th, 2008 at 11:15
@Viz: There’s no way Ron is gonna start this game. I think Fergie just intended for that to be a morale boost to the squad.
He might be on the bench though, and might come on around 80min, IF we are trailing 0-1.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:21
@benjd: I think the negative (rather safe) predictions are cos form goes out of the window in games like these. It doesn’t matter how we/they have been doing recently. Imagine them getting a lucky deflected 5min goal and the crowd on top of us…will you be very positive then? Like Fergie said yest, anything can happen in these games, anything! We wouldn’t have lost both league games to Shitty last year then!
September 13th, 2008 at 11:28
@jonny: Well, actually that’s not true. He’s spend that amount up until today, but when they won the CL, the squad was mostly that of Houlier’s.
Rafa has done a lot of changing since then, though, and fact is that he’s spent more money than SAF on buying.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:39
I am actually positive about this game. I look forward to it and I am sure we can nick it. Im not thinkin about history these last couple of years when I think about the result but Rooney is back on form, Scholes and Tevez got a rest, Carrick is back and if we have trouble scoring goals we finally have a striker-sub to come on if we need a goal. I hope Berba starts, but I really dont think so. I bet Fergie is gonna try with Tevez and Rooney up front, Berba will be substituted in when we have played 60-70 minutes. Hopefully we will win. Gerrard and Torres are back, but although still not a 100% fresh. Both have had really bad injuries and I remember Liverpools game against Arsenal last season, Torres had had the exact same injury and was rushed back to quick, they had to sub him off at half time. Gerrard was important in that game, but he never seems to get a good game against us lately. Hopefully that will continue.
Team prediction:
VDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Fletcher Carrick Scholes Nani
Tevez Rooney
subs: TK, Neville, Oshea, Possebon, Giggs, Hargreaves, Berbatov.
Predition: 2-0 to United, Rio and Rooney to score.
COME ON UNITED!!!
September 13th, 2008 at 11:40
Team news anyone? JB?
September 13th, 2008 at 11:40
@benjd: Why does it matter how much training he’s done with the united squad. He has been training with spurs so he should be fit. Training doesn’t really help a player get used to his new team’s style of play, they need games for that. Training doesn’t reflect the way a team plays in a match.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:44
@Tomas: true enough, also, he’s bought a lot of shit players that he’s had to replace, or sell off at a loss. (Cisse wasn’t shit, just crocked. . Crouch? Pennant?)
we may have to pay over the odds for our players, but most times, we get it right the first time.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:56
Team News:
GK: VDS
RB: Brown
CB: Ferdinand
CB: Vidic
LB: Evra
CM: Carrick
CM: Scholes
CM: Anderson
ST: Tevez
ST: Berbatov
ST: Rooney
Subs: PIG, O’Shea, Evans, Giggs, Nani, Fletcher, Hargreaves
Torres and Gerrard on the bench for Liverpool
September 13th, 2008 at 11:57
@JB: nice team that is!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:00
I’m not sure on the formation though, 4-3-3 seems alot more positive than usual for Anfield
Could be a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-2-1 I suppose.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:00
@JB: AWSOME!!! That was the lineup I hoped for, I think that is the strongest starting 11 we have.
Best defense in the world, best midfielders in the world and best strikers in the world! WE ARE GONNA WIN AT ANFIELD AGAIN!!! 
COME ON UNITED!!!! 
September 13th, 2008 at 12:02
wowwwwwww! This is the dream team fellas…Very brave from Sir Alex! Hope it pays off! Full sssssteam ahead!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:02
Update. The formation is not 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1, its 4-1-4-1-2.
GK: VDS
RB: Brown
CB: Vidic
CB: Ferdinand
LB: Evra
CDM: Carrick
CM: Scholes
CM: Anderson
AM: Tevez
ST: Rooney
ST: Berbatov
Still great!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:04
Sky reckon its a 4-3-3 formation.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:16
No width? Are we trying to match Liverpool?
September 13th, 2008 at 12:18
@JB:no width in that team. What are they playing.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:21
Liverpool are playing a highly defensive and hopelessly inept in attack team.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:23
Gerrard and Torres on the bench? Meaning neither is fit enough to play first 11. Is Rafa going to throw them into a game going as fast as Hamilton’s McLaren if its desperation time and risk the careers of his 2 best players should they exacerbate their injuries? Insanity from the Spanish Waiter!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:28
Not really, we’d do the same with Ronaldo and Rooney if we only had 2 good players too.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:36
Comon United!! Sock those fucking dippers.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:48
C’mon United! Formation we wanted to see, bring it on !
September 13th, 2008 at 12:51
Well that was a good start.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:51
TEVEZ SCORES, BERBA SETS IT UP!!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:53
FUCK YEAH
September 13th, 2008 at 12:53
Dream Start for berbatov!!!! he’s going to provide us with so much more than a target man!!!!
September 13th, 2008 at 13:04
Rooney on the right, NOT PLEASED!
there’s been alot of talk about how well Tevez has played but in the past 3 seasons i find it hard to remember a time Rooney has played in his proper position for UNITED. as strong as the squad is, i’d rather see Nani out there than Rooney, not because i prefer Nani but Rooney deserves to be played properly or not @ all.
i expect an average game from him today & that has nothing to do with him & everything to do with sir Alex but if UNITED win. . . so be it.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:13
before someone get pedantic, i mean 2 & abit years.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:17
game on.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:18
typical van der Sar!
he’s a f*ck up. he’s great on long range efforts (& penalties) but whenever the ball goes in the box it’s panic up time.
WHERE THE F*CK IS BEN FOSTER?! i didn’t expect him to be straight in but facts are Edwin is a liability, the defence bails him out more often than not & Rio can’t stand him most games.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:21
Good lord VDS. That’s two terrible mistakes in one half, pretty much all you’ve had to do!
September 13th, 2008 at 13:26
Carrick’s crocked again. Sigh.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:39
man VDS costing us nearly 2 goals and our best central midfielder…cant even pass properly..
September 13th, 2008 at 13:41
the adrenaline took us through the first 20 minutes but for @least 25 minutes we’ve look unbalanced & slow. Berb has been a non-entity bar the first 10 minutes aalthough there have been some promising parts.
the Edwin OG (i won’t blame Brown for the goalies mistake) has given them something to hold onto & it’s sickening. the thing that annoys me most about their goal is the lack of thought shown by Edwin, even if he’d have gotten the ball past Brown it could easily have just landed @ one of their players feet. his consistent absent mindedness in games is becoming more & more apparent, i’m not talking in the heat of the moment i’ve just never rated him or been truly convinced by him; he’s an accident waiting to happen. if they would have scored the (yet another) Edwin “rush of blood” is gutting. they always say that when a goalkeeper makes a mistake it’s more evident etc. but facts are that was worse than a mistake, it’s a consistent error of judgement.
Rooney done their left-back a couple of times but needs to be shown some respect & be given a chance to influence the game from an advanced position.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:42
Well, the first half was a tale of two halves in itself - before the goal and then after. I had visions of us totally dominating the league and Europe and then was brought back to reality with the defensive error. Sigh.
Rooney played wide is not good for us at all, I hope Fergie’s done that temporarily. He better change it in the 2nd half.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:44
It’s difficult to play with no midfield, Carrick and Scholes are too slow together in these type of matches, hopefully Fergie will change something
September 13th, 2008 at 13:45
Alex ferguson is doing Rooney a major career disservice. Just as he successfully did to Alan Smith and John O’Shea. Just play the player where he is comfortable. I said it. Playing Berbatov,and Roovez simultaneously is counter productive. What is Nani’s role in the squad? Or Giggs? They are 5 times better wingers than Rooney. This is infuriating. However id just like to point out that Berbatov is not worth £30m. Daylight robbery. His first touch alone is worth at least £25m. His football brain is worth the Nou Camp. Absolute class
September 13th, 2008 at 13:48
Carrick hasn’t been fit in the half at all, and we’re playing too many long balls hopefully up to Berba. We have a v. talented midfield who are good on the ball, but we’re not using it at all.
Rooney is yet again a victim of his versatility. In fact he’s not been too bad out on the right, but not the best use of his talents.
Giggs and Hargo look to be coming on, Carrick and Rooney i would guess. Stick Hargo on the right, leave Tevez and Berba up front and Giggs on the left.
We need to start playing again.
September 13th, 2008 at 13:51
Flu3- What was Edwin supposed to do with a deflected shot? Jeez. Give the guy a break. Berbatov,non entity? Well tell scholes and co to get it together in midfield first.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:19
@ Jay wire -
he didn’t have to deal with it, Wes Brown was in pole position to put the ball behind a.k.a. play safe. he never had a decision to make until he gave himself a problem & once he made it there was only ever one outcome. Wes Brown would have put that ball into row Z & rightly so but Edwin’s eagerness to be involved led to the goal.
so in closing, “what was he meant to do with a deflected shot?”. LEAVE IT.
the fact he was @ full stretch meant he was never going to be able to deal with the ball properly.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:24
Liverpool fully deserve their lead. We’ve gifted them two goals, and we’ve been dire. Absoltuely gutted with the performance.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:25
Sooooooo how good are we? How good is our defence? How good is our midfield? And tell me how good is our strikers?
September 13th, 2008 at 14:25
beachryan pretty much said what i’m about too.
we deserve no more & no less, if this is a sign of how Fergie is going to manage the 3 strikers, i’m afraid.
if he was going to play 4-4-2 one of them had to miss out.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:26
I cant say that I’m surprised. Our midfield has been simply overrun. Can’t attack if your mids dont do anything
September 13th, 2008 at 14:26
our defense is horrible.. we are all wobbly.. Goodness gracious..Run Rooney run
September 13th, 2008 at 14:27
We have been absolutely pants!!!!!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:29
Anyone who says we can do without Ronaldo is an idiot!!! We miss him so much it is disgusting!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:30
diving faggot
September 13th, 2008 at 14:32
Just win a freekick for Hargreaves please so we can break Liverpool’s freakin hearts!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:35
ital faggot get the fuck off the field
September 13th, 2008 at 14:36
Great, not like we needed vidic for Chelsea. Great effort mate. Very clever.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:36
I miss CQ. Poor tactics from the word go. Only thing Ferguson got right was the defence. Then again i would have got it right too. Poor poor poor. This will no doubt demoralise the players. Im not anticipating Chelsea game. Horrendous team selection. Does anyone else wish to argue that playing Roovez and Berba at the same time would be a calamity. Zero bench options. I said a few days ago and i hate to be proven right. Oh and vidic has gone bananas.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:39
i should have stayed in bed
September 13th, 2008 at 14:39
we just got fucked
September 13th, 2008 at 14:41
Freakin Red Card…I am at a loss. I cannot believe this game. I absolutely do not recognize this team. I knew it would be tight, but come on, we have had no flow to our game today at all. Paying 30 million pounds for Berabtov is useless if your service to him is shite! I certainly hope Cristiano is back as Sir Alex has mentioned, because we are shite without him.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:42
oh well
September 13th, 2008 at 14:42
fergie lost that for us. The introducion of giggs absolutely FUCKED the ballance of the team.
Im disgusted. What an embarrasing performance
September 13th, 2008 at 14:43
The only good news was, it’s not like liverpool were very good. Our team has barely played together this season for one reason or another, and we still could have easily had a draw. If not for some serious stupidity from Giggs and VDS, we’d have been fine. Liverpool still don’t look title contenders for me.
The good news is that we can finally start our season now, we have Ronaldo back and we can work out how we want to accomodate our formidable team into a starting XI. Still no reason to get scared just yet.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:43
shit shit shit shit i hate these fuckers
September 13th, 2008 at 14:43
we had no help
September 13th, 2008 at 14:44
shit, its Giggs and Van Der Sar’s fault… this is a hard pill to swallow,
i can accept us losing to chelski or gooners, but to the scousers?! shit, just shit. my weekend is bummed now. shit shit shit 
September 13th, 2008 at 14:44
If Vidic appeals, will that process take longer than a week? I.e., can he play Chelsea next week then miss the one after?
September 13th, 2008 at 14:45
good luck getting your hubcaps back you diving faggots
September 13th, 2008 at 14:45
there is nothing more in this world than i hate than losing to the fucking council house pricks dippers, even more than brasil losing to argentina, and that was by far a horrible performance, i got errands to run at the mo, i’ll be back calm and i’ll rant with a match report
September 13th, 2008 at 14:45
there was no passion , no hunger for the win and we got our ass splitted with cums…..Our defense was horrible………passive lovers we are
September 13th, 2008 at 14:45
Beachryan- you can’t appeal 2 yellows only straight red cards, he has missed the game
September 13th, 2008 at 14:46
fergie loves playing experience and look what experience did! thanks for that VDS and Giggs.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:47
haha. they ran us riot in the second half! we did not have a midfield!! rooney disappeared as usual…not sure what his role is exactly in the setup!! liverpool midfield fucked our midfield in the rear! alonso and mascherano dominated that game! Pool deserved the win…
September 13th, 2008 at 14:48
looked to bee 451 or 4231 with ando and roon out wide and tev threw the middl? is that right
September 13th, 2008 at 14:50
I wish I could say “There!” to all our over-positive fans, but I’m too pissed now and I’m sure everyone else is too. Like I said before, “anything” can happen in these games and sadly we looked shite today. It’s almost as if the team went in after the 1st half, and came back out leaving their boots behind.
We looked like Zombies in the second half. Zombies!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:50
mascherano dominated the end of the game by diving to get a free and laying down when he was getting subbed to waste time a real dominant performance worthy of an oscar. greasy faggot
September 13th, 2008 at 14:51
@john freakin’ o’shea: Exactly! I could have taken a loss over the goons or the rentboys any day rather than losing to the dippers. The tactics and substitutions were horrible. VDS and Brown didn’t have any understanding for the first goal.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:51
we gave them two easy goals, it could have been a draw. berba was only good for the first 20 min. after that, kaboom!!! we got smoked. and rooney on the wings, no way man. rooney was pure shit today. and giggs, you shouldv gave them the corner instead! shit shit. and now what, with vida out, chelsea has one less problem on us. shit. both the scousers and those rentboys must be celebrating right now. sack phelan!
word of the day: Shit.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:52
@Godzilla: Rooney dissapeared “as usual”??? Maybe that’s cos he’s not playing where he’s supposed to “as usual”!
If anything, he was one of our better players today.
Anderson, Scholes….WTF!!!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:52
gator: it doesnt matter if it didnt work. am so pissed off. stayed home for the game we got fucked really bad. no VDS next game either. Of all the ppl Alonso and Masherano dominated us! SHITE
September 13th, 2008 at 14:52
well, for me, 1 thing i couldnt miss from this game was that rooney cant play wide out…just a waste of a position. SAF better know how to accommodate roon, tev and berba…or be brave enough to bench one of them..
our game was being played as though there was no midfield…
our possessions ended up all from defender to striker and then back to a scouse…
i think Jay wire said it right, we miss CQ and the tactics went all wrong..no way we would have had we not played all 3 - rooney, berba and tevez together…they just played off of our giving away the ball cheaply and the transparent midfield…
September 13th, 2008 at 14:54
Please find another coach to replace CQ. I mean. Im speechless. Only my keyboard can testify. Poorest of tactics. And strange as this may sound,Im actually worried that its still early days. Poor Rooney. Will most likely bear the load of the result with everyone blaming him. Poor Berba. Will be termed as ineffective even if he had service ranging from little to zilch. Poor Carrick. Once again crocked. Poor Giggs. Played a thousand roles in 45 min. Poor Edwin. Gets the blame for failing to have three sets of eyes. He should have kept an eye on the ball and on the oncoming Brown and Riera. Simultaneously. Oh and he failed to anticipate the path of a heavily deflected shot. All this in the lengthy time period of half a nano second. Kudos to u Flu3 for spotting that. Only player i would lay the blame on is Anderson. Played like a coward. Supported noone.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:54
As some other people already stated they deserved the win. I don’t even know what to say. There was not a single good player on the pitch today. Everyone was scared, very slow , slopy…all of them seemed they didn’t care. We look really pathetic without Ronaldo. I mean we have couple of hundred million pounds worth of talent on the pitch, but we looked so pathetis. I know it was never gonna be easy at Anfield, but at least we could have give them good run for their money. VDS and Giggs were guilty of both goals, but the whole team looked like shit. Don’t know what to else to say.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:58
Even with those two stupid goals given by United (olé oldies - Giggs and Van der Sar), Liverpool deserved the win! Mascherano and Alonso controled the game, and Fergie did nothing to change that as usual…
Some tactical thoughts… Anderson should never be the “second” central midfilder, it´s simply not his position. Either he is the third one (or second striker) or he should play in the left as he played during the first half. We can forget playing with Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov at the same time. What´s the point of having a milionaire team, if we don´t put the players in its positions. I just don´t get it.
We all knew that it would be a difficult start of season, but if we don´t get a point at Stamford Bridge (which will be difficult playing like this), things will get very dark…
Oh well…let´s wait for Villarreal.
September 13th, 2008 at 14:58
t@Jay wire: I agree mate. Is this the same old Anderson who ripped Liverpool apart last season!?? My, how times have changed!
September 13th, 2008 at 14:58
@Jay wire: spot on mate. it’s like we played 4-0-6. we didnt have any midfielders it seems. it could have been a draw when bebra knacked the ball and hit a dipper’s arm ref’s didnt gave us a penalty… i hate this day, i cant imagine fat rafa smiling laughing.. drinking booze and all… shit.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:03
word of the day: shit.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:03
We went to pieces after the VDS mistake. Needed Rio to take charge and calm things down, start playing ball to feet. Fergie was strangely quiet on the bench. Carrick certainly not ready and now crocked. Scholes looked tired, Anderson was like a headless chicken. We suddenly look bereft in midfield.
Roll on the game at Old Trafford and hopefully sweet revenge.
Let’s be clear about this: Rooney is a STRIKER. When Ronaldo comes back he is a midfielder. This needs to be sorted immediately. We can’t put this down to an off day as we were out classed in the second half. Still, the scousers needed two mistakes to score their goals. But that second half performance is the worse I have seen Utd play for a long, long time.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:03
You know the problem with united is they are too loyal to their players. I know what people say about fletcher and o’shea but they should not play. They did not play today but i mean a problem in more a long term way so am not saying it is down to them in todays match. In the chelsea game who will we play at cb? John o’shea thats who. He is a player that only impresses in 1 position and that is left back. He has been played at centre back for years and never impresses and yet he will play there against chelsea. Jonny evans is a great player and i would throw him in there as he is a centre back. Same with fletcher start possebon against chelsea and they will impress more than fletch and oshea.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:05
1449: “Man Utd without Ronaldo is like a car without wheels it just doesn’t work.”
Adam, Darlington, via text on 81111
It’s statements like these that pisses me off even more! The worst thing is that it’s not true, but made to sound very true after a performance like that!
September 13th, 2008 at 15:06
the more i reflect on the team the sicker i feel.
Can anyone tell me out team by the end of the match?? what a fuckin shambles.
Really think giggs should retire…seriously
September 13th, 2008 at 15:08
I wish people could be reasonable here. Ferguson and his assistant should take 95% of the blame. It seems people are automatically programmed to say ‘Rooney was shit’ after every game. Is Nani a better winger than Rooney? Yes. Even Giggs is. So why were they on the bench and Rooney playing for them? What happened to the Park who was impressive in the Super Cup? Not Rooney’s fault he was instructed to do what he cant. Berbatov was ineffective? Right. What exactly did he do wrong? Is he not supposed to be on the receiving end of reasonable midfield service? Yes he is. So was the service reasonable? Yes. As reasonable as George Bush’s service to the civilised world. Pathetic
September 13th, 2008 at 15:09
@Matthew: brown and rio will start in the center…gary/JOS at RB
September 13th, 2008 at 15:09
if this game showcased anything its that Carrick is virtually irreplaceable and Fergie need s a need experienced assistant manager
September 13th, 2008 at 15:12
FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCK THE SCOUSERS, FUCK THE DUTCH IN THAT GAME AND FUCK RAFA!!! Man this is terrible, I havent felt like this since the game vs City in February!
September 13th, 2008 at 15:13
@antsBoy:
the thing though is that it IS true. we look functionally inept w/o Ronaldo right now.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:18
Hahahahahahaha - FFS calm the feck down. L’fool were due a win, and 2nd half they deserved it. Our midfield made Alonso and Mascherano look like feckin Titans. I said this game would be won in the midfield, and it was. L’fools midfield were better than ours today. The Pool will feel like world beaters now, and they will be lulled into a false sense of security that it is their year to win the league. Truth is though, United are poor, poor starters, and anyone who plays us early in the season can get points from us. We are not up and running yet. Haven’t trained together for 2 weeks, and the lads have never played with Berba. Vidic’s 2nd yellow was definately deserved, that foul was looked bad. Anyways, truth be told we should have been 2 goals up before they got their goals. Tevez missed two sitters. I will refrain from saying ANYTHING about Rooney. Let L’fool have their
day, they earned it in the 2nd half. We do miss CQ, and need a coach who when playing 5 in midfield, will give us two who can play with width, and preferably one who is not Giggs. Why the feck Carrick wasn’t taken off, he was knackered for 25 minutes of 1st half, his injury making him a casualty. I think Fergie was still in the South of France on september break, as he said on MUTV yesterday. Well, hope that is the kick up the backside Fergie and everyone else needs. Fergie particularly will be smarting. I’m not too discouraged, cos we played our worst SHIT, and L’fool only just beat us, and that was due to OUR OWN contribution to their goals.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:20
t-reason, that is exactly what i am saying. When we have an injury instead of replacing a centre back for a centre back like for likw, we move a player from 1 position to another shifting about 3 players around. I know brown is a centre back but that means we play oshea, neville, hargreaves at right back. Neville i don’;t think will ever return back to his form (zenit match), oshea is a crap rb and can only play at lb, and we need hargreves to play instead of carrick who is injured. Why does oshea play at rb when he never impresses there and never has over the last 3/4 years. Why not just give evans a chance. Evans is good enough to play there. Scholes hasnt impressed, time to play possebon.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:24
Ants boy- U are on target. Now its gonna be Ronaldo is Manutd. Even with him on the pitch not much would have happened. The formation was poor. Tactics were non existant. Every player was clearly confused about their roles. The team management was the reason we lost. Not the absence of Ronaldo. Are people that scared to lay the blame on Ferguson and his team of coaches. And another thing. Anderson should play reserves until he is serious. Not a question of talent or potential,but based on character and attitude. He is too scared to do the daring things an attacking midfielder should do. Im severely pained to say this because he is one of my favourite players. But for the sake of the team and himself he should seriously start asking questions of himself. And Rooney should look for another team to play for before Fergie succeds in doing an Alan Smith on him and destroying his career.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:25
nybody else feel that Scholesy, Edwin, and Giggsy should play minor roles this season - NO, just me then. They should be being phased out now, and fresh people blooded. I would rather we blooded the new boys this season, even if it means we don’t win the PL again.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:27
haha no!
wat is wrong with evds. we need to get a better goalie in quick. foster where are you. good beginning. shite for the rest of the match. I AM GUARANTEEING NOW THAT MAN UTD WILL WIN AT LEAST 2 TROPHIES THIS SEASON IF NOT FOUR OR FIVE!!!
remember last season???????? exactly. dnt be scared. liverpool will flop.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:28
OK so that was easily the biggest load of shite i’ve ever seen at Anfield, and i mean thats where Liverpool play! The thing about this game is that I can’t see any reason why we should have won. We didn’t keep possession at all. We let them walk all over us. This is something I’ve never done but I’m going to lay the blame squarely at SAF’s feet. I never thought I would say that Liverpool had more width than us but that was the case and I think that for the first time in my life I’ll now say that Liverpool completely deserved to win that game.
Ok so tactics wise, what the fuck was Rooney doing at RM. I thought we were finished with this after buying Berba(more on him later). Rooney stayed on that wing the whole game and lack of the ball forced him to go searching for it at the RB position. Liverpool were set up with Riera and Benayoun hugging the touch lines and we decided that playing 2 central players on the wings would help. Tevez did a decent job of Roaming but that left us short on that side and I’m not sure what Rooney was told to do but he didn’t drift once. At the beginning of the game the commentator said nothing about United was ever rigid but that’s what we were.
Berbatov showed some good touches but played way too deep considering the role he was given in the team. I don’t want to be too hard on him because it was his debut but he did cost 30m so my hopes are high. What use is it having him to hold up the ball when he had no support through the center.
Giggs was our best player in the second half and the only one trying to make things happen. Scholes and Anderson were abysmal. Hargreaves should have been put on at half-time to prevent us from being overrun. Fergie just completely blew it. we should have started with Giggs/Tevez/Nani on the 2 wings. We had no shape about us after the goal.
Also the defence was shockingly bad. Rio and Vidic looked very average and Evra was the only one who looked like he came to play but didn’t get forward enough. When was the last time United scored in the third minute and lost the game? Absolute shite would be a good description of our overall play
September 13th, 2008 at 15:31
Craig mc- I stand corrected but im sure u were advocating a front 3 as was played today. And i argued that such a plan was doomed because Berbatov has hardly trained with us and it would leave us with no options on the bench. Now u saying,well berba hasnt played with us so thats why we were disjointed. If u didnt say that then apologies mate
September 13th, 2008 at 15:34
the little dutch boy on our goal f*cked up, the little welsch boy messed up, the little english sensation cant play out wide. wtf is happeninG!!!
September 13th, 2008 at 15:34
@Jay wire: Totally agree mate. If I was Rooney I would want to have a long, hard talk with Fergie. And did Andy just come back from Brazil yesterday cos he looked jet-lagged!
About the Ronaldo = ManUtd thing, we all know it would have not made much of a difference even if he was on the pitch today..but sadly, it’s just ifs and buts. People are still gonna say it again. You know what? I seriously wish Ronaldo wouldn’t return for another 2 weeks, just to show that this team can play too - we just need to set some things right. Starting with this small lil piece of advice to Fegie - Do not play Berba, Roon and Tevez in the same team for Villareal..or Chelsea..or for ever, until you find a system which fits for all. We almost looked like Chelsea there, trying to make all our stars play.
September 13th, 2008 at 15:37
@Matthew: thing is you cannot do that against chelsea, they got to come in as subs first, get some time on the field and play an EPL time first..cant just bring them in against chelsea of them all
September 13th, 2008 at 15:41
@Jay wire: Dude thats a bit too harsh on Rooney and Anderson. BUT, I totally agree that Rooney was played way out on the right, and frankly can’t remember him being played in his favoured (just behind the striker) position in recent history.
Sir Alex has a massive task on his hands now. It was a major gamble today playing all 3 strikers at the same time and it could have almost paid off.
The major blunder was bringing on Giggs. Not only did he make a rookie mistake and was responsible for the 2nd goal, it was also because of his introduction that the team balance got totally fucked.
It seemed we were playing 4-4-2, with the midfield 4 being Scholes, Carrick, Ando and Rooney. At half time, we needed a midfield anchorman, not Giggs. Hargreaves at the point would have been a much better option. Nani was brought on too late to actually make a difference.
I think I would pick Rooney and Berbatov as the two strikers and Tevez and Rooney can be used interchangeably as substitutes. Playing all 3 together requires a major change in team tactics!
September 13th, 2008 at 15:41
t reason, i realise that but they must be better than players being played out of position. Yes oshea and fletche