Oct 22
Vidic Returns For Kiev | SAF’s Plan Sounds A Little Dodgy
I am not sure if I should turn this into a preview post already, given tomorrow is the Champions’ League game against Kiev/Kyiv, or retain the roundup nature of your morning weekday posts. But maybe I’ll retain this as a roundup and consolidate team news and actual preview for tomorrow.
So let’s get on with providing you with your daily dose.
Vidic will be in the team for Tuesday’s game. It is a question if he would actually play a part in the fixture or not. Having played a sizeable portion of his football career in eastern-Europe, his experience at the center of our defence could be more than handy. But if he were to fail his fitness test, we have Pique who could continue playing at that position. I would be interested to know if SAF would dare to throw Pique in or go for the more experienced option of Brown alongside Rio.
Eastern Europe is always a tough place to go, and this wouldn’t be too much of an exception. Here’s the link again. The team for the game has already been revealed. Moreover, a second string side is expected to play Dynamo Kyiv’s reserves.
What worries me, however, are the signals emanating from the United camp. SAF had this to say:
“We’ve got Kyiv in our next two matches. Their two defeats mean they have to beat us, which is good. We can set our stall out to play the counter-attack.”
Setting out a stall? Or as others say, Parking the Bus.
To me that looks like a return to the much maligned 4-3-3 system. Something he tends to use in Europe a lot. SAF is clearly planning to play safe here, something which is not really necessary. On the back of such an amazing set of wins, confidence is high and it wouldn’t hurt to continue our policy of attacking at all costs. Kyiv may not be mugs at home, but they are at best an average side, with due respect to the Ukranian league. We need to win for sure so that we can breathe easy for the subsequent matches. So I just hope we don’t get too circumspect with our game plan.
That said, a 4-3-3 looks certain because I would expect SAF to bench Tevez because of his involvement in South America for Argentina. Ronaldo should be back, though, with either of Giggs or Nani benched.
There, I’ve done it. I’ve ended up writing a preview already. Oh well. If I have nothing to talk about tomorrow, I can always link back to this post. So, all is well then.
Finally it’s interesting how the media is now cheerfully ejaculating in public over Wayne Rooney and, to a lesser extent, his partnership with Carlos Tevez.
Let me quote a bit from the papers:
The Independent:
“After a midweek in which they travelled almost 24,000 miles between them to play for their countries – 20,226 for Carlos Tevez to Caracas via Buenos Aires and back, 3,156 for Wayne Rooney to Moscow – came the clearest sign yet that the bold partnership between the two strikers is coming together. Maybe it agrees with their metabolisms which, given they play away in the Champions League to Dynamo Kiev tomorrow evening, is a relief.”
The Telegraph (Which was effusive in its praise. I would be interested to read earlier articles by the author, especially post-Russia and pre-Villa):
“Rooney had been centrally involved in England’s unhappy retreat from Moscow three days earlier, and he had just inflicted serious damage to Villa’s disintegrating defence, turning a 1-0 deficit into a four-goal romp. Forty years ago, George Best would have been given a standing ovation.[…]Rooney’s partnership with Carlos Tevez was almost telepathic at times.[…]Villa found them impossible to handle.[…]it summed up Villa’s inability to deal with world-class opponents.”
And, finally, The Guardian:
“For some players there would be a temptation to hide after a chastening experience with their country but Wayne Rooney could not go missing if he tried. Torment had been etched across his face after England’s defeat in Russia last week but this was an occasion when there was so much pleasure to be taken that he could even laugh after being nutmegged by Ashley Young in injury-time.”
Quite interesting, I must say. It is a little similar to the time when we were written off by every part-time hack in town prior to the start of last season only for everyone to go gaga after the Fulham opener. But then that’s how they earn their bread and we’ll have to live with that. Although, make no mistake, I am not complaining too much about all the plaudits Rooney, Tevez and co are getting at the moment.
And yes, before I end this, a word about Mark Clattenburg and the Merseyside derby game. Yes, you guessed it right; it was a disgrace. Everton had every right to feel aggrieved about losing out to the ‘dippers. The only reasonable shout for penalty, all game, was when Carragher dragged down the Everton player in the dying moments. Oh yes, Phil Neville’s ‘goal keeper’ save was hilarious, and was a text book penalty plus red card. And there was the small matter of Kuyt not seeing red, while Hibbert got sent-off for a foul he did not commit — thanks to Stevie G’s kind words of advice to Clattenburg on his take on the laws of the game.
Why do I care about this? Two reasons really. One, the ‘dippers didn’t drop points today; I always want them to drop points. And, two, Liverpool do get plenty of help from officials whether they accept it or not. It’s just so much more annoying that we get accused of getting all the good decisions our way.
And there is one more bonus reason: Gerrard is a diving, cheating, mean old cunt who remains a messiah in the eyes of most, while Ronaldo just needs to fall down genuinely for the vultures to start circling around him.
Are these people the most myopic lot that ever existed in humankind?
On that sore note I end today’s rant. Will be back with a preview, hopefully, tomorrow.
Related items from Red Rants:- Dynamo Kyiv vs Manchester United: Preview
- Man Utd v Barcelona: Preview
- Fergie, The Raging Bull | Terrified Vidic | More Quotes from Hargreaves
- The Most Insanely Arrogant Plan
- History Beckons As United Discover Their Group
Tags: Daily Roundup
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:50
Its a fukin wind up. that clatten berg cunt needs castrated.
Most annoyin thing bout it all is that “the incident” in
which gerard clearly influenced the ref will go relatively
un noticed/acknowledge. The FA give it all the chat bout
clampin down on this and that but never do shit right! i
mean what the fuck could he have said to make the “ref”
change his mind so quickly!!?
Hibbert shuda stayed on n the result woulda been different..
…maybe! 1 more thing- Tim Howard is a fukin disgrace-
shuda done us a favour with the 2nd penalty but the man is
useless
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:00
koolio article. soz to change the subject(sorry 4 the 100th time)but just wondering, ive downloaded sopcast and TVU, so im wondering if saterdays game going to be shown on any of these? and also, what channel.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:00
Hey, I think its just SAF playing mind games again. He is just hoping Kiev really buy into his words that United are going to defend more than attack, and end up doing the same mistake as Roma did in last seasons CL, which resulted in a 7-1 drubbing at OT
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:29
Dan: Go to the following website to find schedules of matches. The information for next Saturday is not likely to be up yet so you will have to wait until nearer the time. Save the website address to your favourites because there has been a clamp down on websites giving links to match streams so Redranter may or may not have to remove the link.
www.myp2p.eu
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:32
hey everyone, i am really annoyed now… where the f@#k is HARGO??????????? last week he said he was finally ready!! he said it was all behind him, ready to play saturday, etc…… yet he is still not playing, vidic travelled with a concussion and no HARGO on the plane. same situation with neville…. the club should explain, we as fans deserve to know why two players are “a fortnight away from playing” since the beginning of the season
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:37
Vida’s presence will be crucial so I hope he recovers in time. After losing their 2 opening games, Dynamo Kyiv will not want to go out of the CL by losing the 3rd. It gonna be a more daunting task than Red Rants puts it here so I think SAF is right to state that we gonna pack the bus and wait for counters. 4-3-3 with Fletcher, Oshea and Scholes would do it for our midfield. Ronaldo on the wing and Tevez & Rooney at the attack will do it for us. Giggs should rest and come on as a sub. We must keep in mind we have a crucial weekend game against Middlesborough, who always trouble us whether at home or away. So a cautious approach at Kiev, hold at the back attack on counters, force a draw without spending too much energy - will be a perfect plan for United…..
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:38
regarding the gerard - ref incident, it was a disgrace!! but i dont understand why refs are not required to talk to the media after games. it would help the game alot if a ref comes out after the game and explains his decisions.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:07
We’ll lose or draw 0-0 in Kiev. This kind of game plan never goes well for United.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:22
I hope Fergie does go for the win. With the Carling Cup gone, it’s massively important that United qualify early for the knock-out stages, if for no other reason than to give the fringe players something to stick around for. I worry that if we leave it late (as we always do) Pique, Simpson, Anderson, Fletcher and so on will have very little to do between now and Christmas. If we win in Kiev, these guys will get a run out. If not, expect Giggs, Scholes, Brown and co to be holding the fort in the last few CL group matches…
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:36
I was just so furious with Clattenberg after that game. The game was a perfect example of how refs can change a game in an instant by not making the right decision. Liverpool were complete rubbish up until Clattenberg bailed them out, and kept them in the title race. Had they lost, Liverpool would’ve been out of contention imo, but now they might even get into some kind of run with the help of the ref.
Good thing their team is shite anyway, so they’ll eventually drop enough points, unless of course they bring their own refs to every game like saturday.
On Man Utd: best performance of the season so far. Even at 11 vs. 11 Villa saw nothing of the ball. Scholes and Anderson kept possession and Tevez was remarkable in finding space. Nani had his 4th assist of the season, which is quite spectacular, I’d say. The way the players delt with the early goal was fantastic. There seems to be a strong belief in the team that they are simply better than the opponent, which will often be the case. Villa Park is no easy place to conquer these days, but we made it look easy as hell.
Best player: Tevez.
October 22nd, 2007 at 15:31
I see Man United’s name associated with a looonngg list of players…Reports are flying in left,right ,center with papers associating us with the so called “whizkids”..Is this just media hype or is it true?? Younger Tevez,some Swiss whizkid,Nigerian and now Norwegian…and are we behind Ronaldinho??. Being a big fan of Ronaldinho i would like to see him in United shirt but do we really need him in our current team??..
October 22nd, 2007 at 16:00
I think SAF is aiming to get early qualification. He desperately need to get the youngsters some games. That is one of the main reasons that attracts more youngsters. And, seeing that we are being linked with each and every 17year old out there, I think its imperative that we qualify early.
October 22nd, 2007 at 16:17
11 dont forget kaka as well
October 22nd, 2007 at 17:28
[Shyam]
It’s more media hype. We are certainly interested in young talent, but much of all this is mere hype.
And no, I doubt we’re looking at Ronaldinho. I wouldn’t really want him with all his baggage of ego to come to United.
October 22nd, 2007 at 18:08
All refs in the EPL are complete wankers and should be replaced. Liverpool as a team as well as their attitude to fair play is a total disgrace. Gerrard for all his skill is a whining baby who has become one of the worst divers on the planet. To quote RAFA,”ITH OMBOLIEBABLE”!
As for Fergie’s game plan against the inferior tossers from Kiev. I will never understand the mentality in this sport to play down to an inferior opponent. No superior sports team in North America would ever play down or play in fear of an inferior opponent. Yesterday the juggernaut New England Patriots of US Football, went into Miami and totally destroyed their lesser opponent 49-28. They called off the dogs when the game was 49-7. Why does Fergie feel he has to go to some backwater town in the Ukraine and knuckle down to fear by playing a defensive style.
The team are professional footballers and as pros they should kick in their talent and pride and give Kiev the best thrashing the have received since Chernobyl went on red alert. Enough showing respect to total tossers who aren’t qualified to hold United’s collective jock straps. Go out and thrash tem 3-0 or 4-0. By counter attacking, we will be playing in to their hands and they may have a chance of stealing a point and God forbid three points. I hope I’m wrong and Fergie is only playing mind games here with us and the opponent.
October 22nd, 2007 at 18:26
Grognard… the Chernobyl comment, not funny and quite inappropriate. They still suffer alot from the catastrophe.
It’s not a matter of fearing Kiev, it’s a matter of media-spin. That’s how it works over here. You put some pressure on the opponent in order to enhance your own chances of winning comfortably. And in this case I don’t even think, SAF has expressed fear… only described that Kiev need the points and therefore must attack. He hasn’t said, we fear their attacking abilities… only that their search for 3 points suits us well, because we can play our deadly counter attack.
October 22nd, 2007 at 19:37
I think you are showing a certain level of disrespect to Kiev Grognard. While they are not on our level they are not a complete bunch of mugs either. It is a rare occurence to see an easy game away from home in the CL.
October 22nd, 2007 at 22:45
First of all Tomas I don’t fall prey to others political correctness. I never meant in malice but only competitive banter, so just relax OK!. JB, all opponents should be respected but a great footballing power like United should walk with their heads high and show the conviction and confidence that makes them great. Counter attacking is the way to go because all home teams try to score goals for their fans. Having said that, we should still counter attack with ace and deft passing that will pierce their defenses. Lets not fall into the trap of slowing the game down and playing a battle of attrition in the midfield which if we are lucky will end up 0-0 or 1-1.
Check out what they have to offer in the first 15 minutes and then go for the jugular by using long balls to our wingers. Fergie and the team don’t express fear, it’s just that this is the nature of the beast. Football mentality is bogged down by negativity in tactics and by poor officiating and cheating by players. This crap is not condoned over in this part of the world. Cheaters get heavy fines and suspensions, referees get suspended or sacked, and fans and media let teams have it if they play “NOT TO LOSE”.
Fergie has a strong and very entertaining team playing very creative and often spectacular football. I want to see this in Europe too. I find the Champions League a supreme overrated and completely unattractive bore. The Italian influence in European football has had a strong influence on the Champions League and so the games are marred by negative tactics and gamesmanship. It’s a shame. Perhaps United will surprise me and try to wake up the league with some attacking and passionate play. Kiev is a pretender and they as well as about 12 other teams don’t even belong in such a prestigious event. For me it’s like allowing Bolton to play in the league. Fine, if they are champions of their league they belong, but they are still a pretender. The only way they can beat us is if we fall into their trap and allow them to dictate the kind of game that should be played. WARNING! Remember the beginning of this season. We let teams dictate the terms. Now we are taking it to them.
October 22nd, 2007 at 23:16
[Grognard]
I cannot help but point out contradictions in what you just wrote. Don’t take it otherwise, but I’d like a little bit of a clarification here. Here goes:
Counter attacking is the way to go because all home teams try to score goals for their fans. Having said that, we should still counter attack with ace and deft passing that will pierce their defenses.
1) Okay, here’s my question. Counter attacking is just what SAF also mentioned in his game plan, and you stated you were against that sort of a game. Here’s the thing, if you counter attack, it means you wait for a chance to break while staying behind for most part. It is a strategy that relies on inviting the opposition in before launching on a quick offensive to catch them napping. Is that what you were asking for? Or did you actually mean, attack at all costs, something which we have been doing for the last couple of games successfully now? I hope you get the difference between these two approaches.
2) Question number two:
Check out what they have to offer in the first 15 minutes and then go for the jugular by using long balls to our wingers.
Long balls are not a sign of good entertaining and attacking and free flowing football. In fact, Bolton, a side you clearly despise are more known for such tactics. The days of our flying wingers have long gone. Our wingers these days tend to cut in and use their pace and trickery to great effect to break down defences. And this also requires the help of central attacking midfielders as well as strikers to be involved in quick passes. So long ball tactics to me doesn’t sound like an attacking free flowing approach. So don’t you think there is a little contradiction in what you’ve said so far?
Sorry for bringing this up, but I had to ask these questions.
October 23rd, 2007 at 0:15
I don’t think Ferguson will take this game lightly. He is too wily a fox for that and should know that leaving qualification till the last match can always throw up surprises.
He will be going all out for a win but the youngsters may get a chance to feature if they wrap up the match early.
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:33
Red Ranter; I’m afraid You are stuck on strict definitions. This puts you in the Steve Staunton school of soccer management which belongs several divisions below the Champions League.
There is counter attacking and then there is counter attacking. Earlier this season United would break on a counterattack and then for some unknown reason season players like Scholes or Carrick would halt the train at midfield and let the opposition recover. No pace and forceful forward passing. Fear and caution was the course.
On the other hand look back at several of the goals United scored last season against Roma in the 7-1 match. They came off lightning fast counter attacks where balls to our wingers sprung them and the rest was just sublime history.
Counter attacking can be a great attacking formation provided that the counter attack has the elements of pace, accurate passing and players making forward runs into space where long balls can find them. AC Milan is the master of this type of play. They soak up pressure and then with one lighting pass they break and BAM, United are gone 3-0.
So I’m sorry to say that you have misinterpreted my intentions. Perhaps I should have worded my first posting better. Counter attack still has the word “ATTACK” in it. It’s just needs to be applied with force, imagination and speed. With this in mine I would sit Paul Scholes down for this upcoming match. From what I have seen Scholsey just doesn’t have the stomach to attack using forward runs and passes anymore. He’ll just hold the ball up at midfield and then use a side or back pass to stall the whole breakout.
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:43
Oh and Red Ranter; Sorry but I wanted to point out that the “LONG BALLS” I was thinking about were through balls similar to the one Anderson made to Tevez a couple of games back. It was a “long” through ball. I should have made it more clear. Another example would have been the great pass that sprung Pipo Inzaghi last season in the second leg against United. I think the pass was made by Ambrosini, but I forget. Nevertheless, it ripped us open without being a Bolton style clearing long ball. The secret to these types of passes and why they work so well is the pace and not the height on the ball.
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:52
I agree with Grog, in the sense that United shouldn’t be playing down their chances against Kiev. It seems like they are giving themselves an excuse to do poorly. I remeber during the Keane, Beckham days (not to say it was directly because of these two players but rather to give a sense of “when” i am talking about) United walked on hallowed ground and would look down at their opponents. Teams feared United and United played United’s game because everyone was too scared to play properly. I might be a tad over the top. but no one can deny that teams don’t fear United as they used to a few seasons back.
Man utd are respected, not feared. they are the People’s Champions in that neutrals want united to win more than chelski. but i rather they not be so polite and just trash teams, thats why they became OUR champions in the first place. but the only good side to this politeness is that it doesnt give rise to Van nistelrooys and Beckhams who suddenly get too big for the united shirt.
My hope chief hope is that Man utd win, regardless of parking the bus, or attacking. at least when we win, it gives us a happier base on which to gripe about minor stuff…
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:56
Grognard - it’s got nothing to do with political correctness, it’s got to do with respect for the people suffering from the catastrophe. I’m sure you don’t like people using 9/11 as competitive banter, or at least a lot of Americans don’t.
About the condoned cheating “over here” - what about all the illegal drugs in particularly in the NFL… isn’t that cheating? And isn’t it somewhat accepted as part of the sport “over there”?.
I partly agree that Scholes may not be the ideal man for counter attacking anymore. He doesn’t run with the ball, but he requires good movement in front of him. His passing is still among the best in the world, and as such you can always use a man with his qualities. I’m sure that when SAF talks about counter attacking, he means breaking up play close to the center line, which has always been our most dangerous game. No other team are as dangerous on the counter as we are, and why shouldn’t we take advantage of that.
Wink - no one is playing down United’s chances of winning the game. SAF says we have a very good possibility with back to back games against Kiev. He just says he’d like to sit back a little bit in the first game and let Kiev come to us, because that’s what’s required of them, if they want to proceed in the competition. Sitting back gives us an excellent chance of winning the game with the players we’ve got.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:36
” I find the Champions League a supreme overrated and completely unattractive bore”
I completely agree with this statement of Grognard. Perhaps UEFA can start investigating alternative ways to spice it up a bit (especially during the knock-out stages). Goals suddenly seem to dry up. Maybe reward teams for every goal scored, or penalise teams for lack of goals, etc?
October 23rd, 2007 at 13:03
Liverpool are truly living their motto: You never walk alone(They walk with referees everywhere).Clattered Burger was complete shit against that game, although I pray that they draw with arsenal on saturday. Although this wont go down well with most of you, Liverpool have a decent strike force when torres is aroundand Gerard Missing. think they will expose Arsenal’s Defence weaknesses. You notice that most of the teams arsenal have been playing shitty teams like Derby with no Strike force to show for and decent sides like Blackburn and portsmouth, with good attacking have exposed showed how arsenal are vunerable at the back(dont forget sunderland). Saturday’s game against liverpool will surely give Fergiea clue.
The champions League- Eastern Europe has proved to be a graveyard for british teams, I only hope that this wont extend to Manchester United. Ferguson Approach is justified considered that we have only two striking options(Saha is out for undefined period)and the coming games are relatively thick. But then again we know Fergie loves mind games so I personally will adapt a wait and see approach.
October 23rd, 2007 at 13:06
sorry if you dont understand, I have problems with ma connection, I cant edit my comment
October 23rd, 2007 at 13:36
grognard.
United did entertain everyone when they
thrashed a top ITALIAN side.United should win the
champions league and show the world that it’s
possible to win playing attacking football.
And trust me,Kiev is a GOOD team
October 23rd, 2007 at 16:08
fuck scholes has a Knee injury and hes out of the game. it will be upto fletcher anderson and oshea in the midfield
October 23rd, 2007 at 16:12
sunny; Yes United thrashed a good Italian side last season at home 7-1. Do you recall what the first leg score was? 1-2, we lost. How you can go and beat a team 7-1 at home and lose on the road is mystifying to me. One week they are good enough to beat you, the following week you don’t just beat them, you destroy them. Where was all that attacking focus in game one?
It’s all about about tactics and how managers manipulate their squads that really bugs the hell out of me. In American sports (I’ll use the NFL as an example) a powerhouse like New England will play a divisional opponent like Miami and thrash them 42-7 at home, but when they go to Miami they will beat them again by say 31-17 score. My point is that when you can so easily beat an opponent at home you should be able to beat them on the road too. Just not so convincingly. Footy is really a funny game as 180 degree turns in fortune happen so often.
Tomas, sorry if I offended you. My comment may have come off as being insensitive when all I meant by it was aiming some good old fashioned competitive banter towards the Kiev team and supporters. As for 9/11, I’m Canadian and not American. And believe me that people use 9/11 as a subject for their jokes here all the time. That doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously or that we don’t respect the thousands who died. It’s just sports trash talk is all. It’s similar to people referring to a person’s last stand as being his “Waterloo”.
Karl, the only way to clean up the game from all it’s negative and boring elements is to ban all Italian clubs from UEFA and FIFA tournaments. And of course that will never happen. Although Italy have provided us many great players in their rich football history, they are also the inventors of shirt pulling, diving, cattanicio (defensive sweeper), theatrics after a foul, boardroom and referee dishonesty and the most negative (but efficient) football tactics ever invented in the game’s history. They are a disgrace and all their supporters are a disgrace as well. I’d be ashamed to be an Italian if all I had to be proud of is the fact my teams put up a defensive wall and play for a 0-0 draw or 1-0 win. And they call that entertaining. To Italians, it’s more a reward to keep the ball out of your own net than to score on your opponents one. It speaks of a national problem in how they perceive the game and life. The national mentality is a defensive and protective one. It smells of cowardice. If this offends some than too &**%%^# bad. Italians play unattractive, dull soccer where gamesmanship and all forms of cheating rule the game. The talent most of their stars have is shackled by the negative and defensive attitude of their teams coaches and executives. This is also why we are seeing an exodus of Italian players from Serie A, and why their big clubs are finding it even harder to buy big names from other countries. Instead they have been losing the players to England and Spain on a regular basis.
Nobody enjoys playing in a league where it feels like you are wearing a straight jacket on the pitch. Occasionally the class of many of their players or imports overcomes their own defensive and rigid disciplines and you have a team like AC Milan thrash United 3-0 in the return leg. Would that have happened however if it weren’t for one Brazilian named Kaka and a United team decimated by injuries? Trust me when I say that there is nothing I hate more than when an Italian side wins any kind of world or European trophy. Less emphasis on Italy by the world soccer community and more on countries that promote attacking, fair and fast paced and creative football like England, Holland and Germany is the cure for what is ailing football and competitions like the Champions League.
A simple fix for the league as we know it? Award zero points for a home draw and add a point to every team for every goal scored. That would surely end the dominance that Italian negativity has had on the Champions League. Promote goals and punish lack of attacking ambition is the way to go. And for the purists that love a 0-0 or 1-0 game of supreme boredom, I have nothing but pity for you all. Life is too short to waste 90 minutes in front of your television watching paint dry or Italians playing footy.
NOW THAT’S A RANT!
October 23rd, 2007 at 17:28
why give them the chance at all? to come at us? keep them at bay with anything united has i’d say. risk being sucked into their rhythm and pace?
but again, that is my opinion. i am but an avid fan that has one…. i just prefer they psyche themselves up to play their own game… because i am a fan of the united game… not the kiev game…
October 24th, 2007 at 1:10
Grognard - no worries. You didn’t offend me, I just thought it was inappropriate, that’s all.
I like your long posts btw… very insightfull.
Great win tonight against a very naive ukrainian side. Ronaldo, Tevez, Giggs and Rooney all played great. A tough match on the defense, since the ukranians seemed to completely disregard their defensive duties and attacked with everything they had. Could have been a much bigger victory.
October 24th, 2007 at 2:24
Tomas; the sad thing is that United abandoned caution and really ran with the Kiev bunch while not trying to slow the game down and basically bore them out of the match when it was 2-0. There is a time to attack and really run at an opponent and then there is the time to settle things down a bit and move more slowly but remain positive. Not having a Scholes, Hargreaves or Carrick to slow the game down probably cost us defensively. We really shouldn’t have conceded two goals to such a useless lot as the Kiev bunch. They really were pathetic to watch other than Diogo Rincon. I do worry about our lack of concentration at times defensively, especially van der Saar. He is a much better goalkeeper when he is really being tested in a game. When he gets very little work he tends to fall asleep and his reaction time to dives is rather slow. Still,a win is a win and I am happy that trip to Ukraine is over with.
October 24th, 2007 at 12:19
I agree that we weren’t really able to slow the match down, but Kiev attacked with 6 or 7 players, which will always make a game hectic. It also almost forced our team to play counter attack, because they rarely had more than 3 or 4 players behind the ball, when we got hold of it. With players like Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs, Tevez, Nani aso these situations will always lead to a fast break.
There were parts of the game where the midfield was more or less out of the game because of this. Maybe the presence of Hargreaves could have slowed the game a bit, but I don’t see any other player on our team that could have done that. Kiev were very aggressive in the second half (and very very naive), and we should have won bigger. But our strikeforce wasn’t that effective, and even though the movement was excellent, we still should have had more goals. One can only hope Kiev will come to OT and play the same way, because then we’ll seriously challenge Juventus’ and Arsenal’s (yesterday) 7-0 victories as biggest victories in the CL.
October 24th, 2007 at 15:27
Tomas; Both Scholes and Carrick are very good at slowing the tempo of a game down. In fact Scholes is almost to good at it this season. He has ruined many a fast break by getting the ball at midfield and just holding it before making a back pass. This has allowed the opposition to recover defensively. Like I said before, this can be good or bad. Hargreaves is also very good at soaking up pressure by holding the ball and dispersing it in a way that allows a counter attack to start or just relieving us from a pressure situation. Certainly elements that were missing in Kiev. Fortunately we played a terrible side that never took advantage of our midfield weakness. Had it been one of the big Italian sides, we would have been toast.
October 24th, 2007 at 17:02
Yes they were terrible.
But the game evolved in such a way that both Fletcher and Anderson in great parts of the second half were just outside our own area, which meant that the first player to get the ball when we cleared was either Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez or Giggs. I actually think the tempo was quite ok, when we won the ball further up the pitch. Of course either Scholes, Carrick og Hargo could have controlled it even more. What I meant by Hargo being able to slow the game down was that he’d be able to break up more attacks and thereby keeping Kiev away from our area.