I'm hoping that United fans will have appreciated the performance of Aalborg who came away with a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last night. United were guilty of missing a few chances, but for me the result was a pretty fair reflection of the game and so the visitors deserve much credit. Aalborg closed United down all over the pitch, in so doing ensuring that it was a proper Champions League contest and not the walk-over that some will have predicted prior to kick-off.
The result meant that United finished up as Group winners, the Reds' also equalled a 19-match unbeaten European run held by Bayern Munich and Ajax. So much for stats, but what are United's chances of becoming the first club to retain the Champions League since its inception?
United's performances in Europe thus far this season have been less than stellar, which may or may not be an omen for what lies ahead, because the competition starts from here on in as we head into the knockout round of 16.
I'm of the opinion that the Champions League has been pretty much wide open for any of the leading teams to have won the competition for a number of years and this season is no different - which is why anyone connected with United, be that supporters, players or even the manager would be foolish to write off say, Real Madrid, or god forbid Liverpool.
I have a question for any readers of this blog, can anyone tell me with any degree of conviction that you know what Fergie believes to be his strongest first-team? Despite his contribution in the derby win, I’m of the opinion that Ji Sung Park should not be starting in the really big games. You can say the same about Fletcher...so what I'm saying is Fergie himself is unsure of what his strongest team is...
Furthermore, I happen to believe that the United manager is bedevilled with questions concerning the role that the likes of Scholes and Giggs should play for the remainder of the campaign. These veteran midfield stars could potentially make or break United's season is my view and in knockout competitions you don't have the luxury of putting it right as in the group games.
Seasoned observers of United know that tactics are not one of Fergie's strongest points and so it will be very interesting if the Reds' come up against Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan, because the former Chelsea coach is something of a tactical genius - even if you do not like his style of play one has to appreciate his work.
While tactics are undoubtedly an important factor I also believe that there needs to be a degree of continuity where selection issues are concerned, but right now I just do not know what United's strongest midfield is.
For the reasons outlined in this post I'm unconvinced that United will retain the trophy they won in Moscow last May.
On slightly more positive note, in the recent Manchester derby Fergie made Mark Hughes look tactically inept, if only the Champions League could be such a walk in the park.
For what it's worth here's my Champions League verdict on the remaining 16:
Roma - doubtful winners
Panathinaikos - gone as far as they can
Barcelona - doubtful winners
Liverpool - potential winners
Manchester United - potential winners
Bayern Munich - potential winners
Porto - Unlikely winners
Juventus - potential winners
Chelsea - potential winners if they do not lose focus
Inter Milan - strong contenders
Sporting - making up the numbers
Atletico Madrid - making up the numbers
Villarreal - making up the numbers
Lyon - making up the numbers
Arsenal - doubtful winners
Real Madrid - doubtful
Thursday, December 11, 2008
United destined for Real match-up
Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is looking forward to tea and biscuits with Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon in the knockout phase of the Champions League.
United clinched their place in the Champions League knockout phase as group winners on Wednesday night and destiny could see them drawn with Real in the last 16.
Fergie has been at loggerheads with Real chief Calderon for most of the year over the pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo and after Real could only finish second in their group behind Juventus, a meeting is now possible when the draw is made on December 19.
United, who are third favourites to win the trophy again, are football odds of 7.2 with Barcelona heading the betting and Chelsea second favourites.
Fergie's men will be at home in the crucial second leg of the knockout phase, while their other prospective opponents could be Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid or Lyon.
I think it's safe to say that Fergie would be keen to avoid one of the two clubs from the Spanish capital, but a last-16 match-up with Sporting would be considered a plum draw for the Red Devils.
Fergie though will be concerned about UEFA potentially taking disciplinary action against Wayne Rooney after his tangle with Kasper Risgard in the 2-2 draw with Aalborg.
Risgard believed Rooney should have been dismissed after he ended up with stud marks down his chest. Let's hope UEFA don't follow the lead of the FA, otherwise Rooney could be handed a four-match ban!
By Phil Tomlinson
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Fence sitting FA happy to brush racist abuse claims under carpet...
I'm glad that United are going to explore all possibilities in relation to the FAs totally over-the-top decision to ban Patrice Evra for four matches following a brawl with Sam Bethell, a member of the Chelsea ground-staff. United have claimed that Evra was the victim of racial abuse, my own view is that Evra must have been severely provoked into defending himself in such a manner, because the notion that stars' like Evra will pick a fight with a staff member of the opposition for no good reason is fanciful at best.
Football is a game in which sadly racial abuse is all too often tolerated or else it is brushed under the carpet, which could well be the case on this occasion. In fining Evra heavily and worse still banning him for four matches - which will harm United's chances of retaining the title - the FA have chosen to ignore the Frenchman's defence and all in probability the witness statements submitted in support of Evra by his team-mates on this matter.
Chelsea have been fined £25,000 for failing to control a staff member. This is another example of wrist-slapping both parties and fence sitting with the FA clearly wanting to be seen not taking sides. However, sections of the media have taken the view that the FA have vindicated Chelsea's claim that there was no racial abuse of Evra, but if the racial abuse claims are true, it effectively means that the FA have abdicated their responsibility as custodians of the game in the name of keeping a lid on sordid events such as this latest spat.
Football is a game in which sadly racial abuse is all too often tolerated or else it is brushed under the carpet, which could well be the case on this occasion. In fining Evra heavily and worse still banning him for four matches - which will harm United's chances of retaining the title - the FA have chosen to ignore the Frenchman's defence and all in probability the witness statements submitted in support of Evra by his team-mates on this matter.
Chelsea have been fined £25,000 for failing to control a staff member. This is another example of wrist-slapping both parties and fence sitting with the FA clearly wanting to be seen not taking sides. However, sections of the media have taken the view that the FA have vindicated Chelsea's claim that there was no racial abuse of Evra, but if the racial abuse claims are true, it effectively means that the FA have abdicated their responsibility as custodians of the game in the name of keeping a lid on sordid events such as this latest spat.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Keane walked before he was pushed.....
Roy Keane has without doubt done the right thing in resigning as Sunderland manager, because if he hadn't gone soon, then the Black Cats would in all probability have fired him.
Keane's ghost-writer Eamon Dunphy came out earlier in the week and said that the Sunderland manager had 'lost the plot', which pretty much sums up the situation having bought so many players.
In resigning now and at this stage of the season at least it gives Sunderland a chance to appoint a new manager who will have time to turn things around.
On Roy Keane's future, as Dunphy said it's another case of a great player failing on the managerial scene.
In many ways it's a sad state of affairs given how much experience the Irishman has as a player at the very highest level, because in England chances are that Keane will be written-off as a potential managerial candidate in the future, at least at any of the big clubs.
In sharp contrast, on the continent when a manager fails in a country like Italy, the reaction to managerial failure is looked upon differently, the general view is that the project and not the manager has failed.
Ironically, Dunphy was totally wrong about one thing which is that he didn't expect Keane to quit...
United take on Sunderland this weekend, you wonder if the prospect of another hammering for the Black Cats was simply too much for Keane to take.
Listen to Dunphy's damning verdict on Keane
Keane's ghost-writer Eamon Dunphy came out earlier in the week and said that the Sunderland manager had 'lost the plot', which pretty much sums up the situation having bought so many players.
In resigning now and at this stage of the season at least it gives Sunderland a chance to appoint a new manager who will have time to turn things around.
On Roy Keane's future, as Dunphy said it's another case of a great player failing on the managerial scene.
In many ways it's a sad state of affairs given how much experience the Irishman has as a player at the very highest level, because in England chances are that Keane will be written-off as a potential managerial candidate in the future, at least at any of the big clubs.
In sharp contrast, on the continent when a manager fails in a country like Italy, the reaction to managerial failure is looked upon differently, the general view is that the project and not the manager has failed.
Ironically, Dunphy was totally wrong about one thing which is that he didn't expect Keane to quit...
United take on Sunderland this weekend, you wonder if the prospect of another hammering for the Black Cats was simply too much for Keane to take.
Listen to Dunphy's damning verdict on Keane
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Does Scholes still have the legs for United's engine room?
Paul Scholes is set to return the United squad that faces Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup at Old Trafford this evening. The former England star has been out injured after suffering knee ligament damage. Ferguson says that Scholes is chomping at the bit to play. The question is, does Scholes still have the legs to be effective enough to warrant a regular starting place the Reds' engine room? I'm personally not so sure, against Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the season it was apparent that he wasn't covering the ground as a central midfield must where defensive duties are concerned.
Fergie is currently selecting Carrick and Fletcher as his central midfield pairing in a flexible formation which switches between 4:3:3 and 4:4:2 as the need and pattern of the game dictates.
With Owen Hargreaves out for the rest of the season, only Carrick appears to be a regular first choice pick, so the door is definitely open to reclaim his place in midfield should Scholes press home his claim for a quick return to the first-team.
Anderson, somewhat surprisingly hasn't taken advantage of the injury to Hargreaves and then there's Rodrigo Possebon whose progress was affected by an injury following a horror tackle sustained against 'Boro.
If Possebon is going to press home his claim for a midfield starting place in the first-team, then like other squad plyers knocking on the first-team door, he too has to impress when given the chance and it's likely that he will start against Blackburn in midfield alongside countryman Anderson and Gibson.
It's likely to be another really cold night in Manchester and so for the sake of the match-going fans, let's hope that the Red's get the job done in normal time. However, Blackburn will be out to win with Ince fielding a strong team, so the Reds' can expect a really tough game. Danny Wellbeck could be another starter along with Carlos Tevez and or Manucho, it could turn out to be a decent cup-tie.
Fergie is currently selecting Carrick and Fletcher as his central midfield pairing in a flexible formation which switches between 4:3:3 and 4:4:2 as the need and pattern of the game dictates.
With Owen Hargreaves out for the rest of the season, only Carrick appears to be a regular first choice pick, so the door is definitely open to reclaim his place in midfield should Scholes press home his claim for a quick return to the first-team.
Anderson, somewhat surprisingly hasn't taken advantage of the injury to Hargreaves and then there's Rodrigo Possebon whose progress was affected by an injury following a horror tackle sustained against 'Boro.
If Possebon is going to press home his claim for a midfield starting place in the first-team, then like other squad plyers knocking on the first-team door, he too has to impress when given the chance and it's likely that he will start against Blackburn in midfield alongside countryman Anderson and Gibson.
It's likely to be another really cold night in Manchester and so for the sake of the match-going fans, let's hope that the Red's get the job done in normal time. However, Blackburn will be out to win with Ince fielding a strong team, so the Reds' can expect a really tough game. Danny Wellbeck could be another starter along with Carlos Tevez and or Manucho, it could turn out to be a decent cup-tie.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Fergie mulling over Tevez future
Manchester United seem reluctant to tie up the permanent transfer of Carlos Tevez, but is it the credit crunch or has Fergie set his sights on someone else in the summer?
The Argentinian frontman has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid this week, but with the La Liga giants closing in on Klaas Jan Huntelaar that rumour can be put to bed, but still Tevez's future in Manchester looks far from assured.
The 24-year-old has only made six starts for United in the Premier League this term, scoring once and he is firmly behind Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the pecking order.
Tevez, who reportedly is growing more frustrated at his lack of first-team outings, will have cost United around £7million when his loan deal expires next summer, but Fergie will have to fork out another £20million-plus if he wants to secure Tevez's long-term future.
It's uncertain whether Fergie is stalling on the deal until the summer to see whoe else might become available or whether the purse strings have been tightened until the close season.
You can guarantee whether United win any silverware this season or not there will be a host of big names linked with a move to Old Trafford at the end of the campaign and former Red Giuseppe Rossi is already on Fergie's radar.
Ahead of the recent date with his current outfit Villarreal Sir Alex heaped praise on the striker who was sold in 2007 for around £6million and a return for the Italy international would not be out of the question with United having first refusal on the 21-year-old.
Tevez though at least will get another run-out, in what will be a virtual reserve side, in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.
Still, the football odds compilers have United chalked up as the tournament favourites and you can expect Tevez to be going full tilt to shoot down Blackburn and add to his other Carling Cup goal, which came from the penalty spot in the 1-0 win over QPR in the previous round.
By Phil Tomlinson
The Argentinian frontman has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid this week, but with the La Liga giants closing in on Klaas Jan Huntelaar that rumour can be put to bed, but still Tevez's future in Manchester looks far from assured.
The 24-year-old has only made six starts for United in the Premier League this term, scoring once and he is firmly behind Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the pecking order.
Tevez, who reportedly is growing more frustrated at his lack of first-team outings, will have cost United around £7million when his loan deal expires next summer, but Fergie will have to fork out another £20million-plus if he wants to secure Tevez's long-term future.
It's uncertain whether Fergie is stalling on the deal until the summer to see whoe else might become available or whether the purse strings have been tightened until the close season.
You can guarantee whether United win any silverware this season or not there will be a host of big names linked with a move to Old Trafford at the end of the campaign and former Red Giuseppe Rossi is already on Fergie's radar.
Ahead of the recent date with his current outfit Villarreal Sir Alex heaped praise on the striker who was sold in 2007 for around £6million and a return for the Italy international would not be out of the question with United having first refusal on the 21-year-old.
Tevez though at least will get another run-out, in what will be a virtual reserve side, in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.
Still, the football odds compilers have United chalked up as the tournament favourites and you can expect Tevez to be going full tilt to shoot down Blackburn and add to his other Carling Cup goal, which came from the penalty spot in the 1-0 win over QPR in the previous round.
By Phil Tomlinson
Rafael to become rightback King of Old Trafford?...
When Ruud Van Nistelrooy left Manchester United to join Real Madrid following a bust-up with Ferguson, it was an acrimonious break-up. The parting of the ways also meant that the three 'R's' of Old Trafford became just two. Unlike the Dutchman, Rooney and Ronaldo stayed and have gone on to greater things.
I don't know about my fellow United supporters, but I for one haven't been so excited about the arrival of a new young star since the Ronaldo donned the Red shirt. I refer to Rafael da Silva. After only a couple of performances for the club I predicted that by the end of the season he will have ousted Gary Neville and Wes Brown, in so doing claiming the right-back slot in Fergie's team.
It's always difficult for young players to make it, with so many big-name established players' coming to play in England. The media do not really help, because they have an annoying habit of burdening young players with labels when likening them to stellar football talents.
Only this week United have been linked to a couple of young Partizan Belgrade stars, one of them has already been dubbed as "little Kaka". Down the years, how many youngsters have been called the next George Best? Isn't it hard enough to make it without this nonsense?
Rafael's arrival at the club was thankfully not accompanied by the burden of expectation, as can often be the case. But in only a short spell with United, the fans and the media alike are talking about the Brazilian in glowing terms. Sky pundit Andy Gray said at the weekend that he can go on to become one of the Premier League's really great fullbacks.
With the very real danger of being labelled as a hypocrite and following Sunday's superb performance in the derby, in which he played with Robinho in his back-pocket, there surely can be no doubt that Rafael da Silva is the third R, or else the new found right-back King of Old Trafford.
Rafael da Silva should not be compared to anyone, past or present, he is a unique talent and one who I hope will go on to have a long and trophy laden career at United.
I don't know about my fellow United supporters, but I for one haven't been so excited about the arrival of a new young star since the Ronaldo donned the Red shirt. I refer to Rafael da Silva. After only a couple of performances for the club I predicted that by the end of the season he will have ousted Gary Neville and Wes Brown, in so doing claiming the right-back slot in Fergie's team.
It's always difficult for young players to make it, with so many big-name established players' coming to play in England. The media do not really help, because they have an annoying habit of burdening young players with labels when likening them to stellar football talents.
Only this week United have been linked to a couple of young Partizan Belgrade stars, one of them has already been dubbed as "little Kaka". Down the years, how many youngsters have been called the next George Best? Isn't it hard enough to make it without this nonsense?
Rafael's arrival at the club was thankfully not accompanied by the burden of expectation, as can often be the case. But in only a short spell with United, the fans and the media alike are talking about the Brazilian in glowing terms. Sky pundit Andy Gray said at the weekend that he can go on to become one of the Premier League's really great fullbacks.
With the very real danger of being labelled as a hypocrite and following Sunday's superb performance in the derby, in which he played with Robinho in his back-pocket, there surely can be no doubt that Rafael da Silva is the third R, or else the new found right-back King of Old Trafford.
Rafael da Silva should not be compared to anyone, past or present, he is a unique talent and one who I hope will go on to have a long and trophy laden career at United.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Boneheaded English do not deserve Ronaldo...
What a topsy-turvy few days it's been for Cristiano Ronaldo, at the weekend he was sent-off in the Manchester derby, today he has been crowned European footballer of the Year. It is thoroughly deserved and Ronaldo joins a trio of United legends and previous winners of the prestigious Ballon d'Or; Denis Law (1964), Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968). The last Premier League player to win the award was Michael Owen (it must have been a bad year).
United's Portuguese winger has his critics, but I'm not one of them. Sure, he wanted to join Real Madrid last summer, far from knocking him I personally believe that we should admire him for his honesty. A famous ex-United star joined Real Madrid but went about it in an entirely different way when trying to blame the club for his move, when all along his agents had been trying to work his ticket behind the scenes.
The sad fact is that some fans, for whatever reason, will always try to find fault in big star names. It is especially disappointing, as in the case of Ronaldo that some of them happen to be United supporters.
There have also been accusations that Ronaldo is a "diver". Let's get one thing straight here, only English fans, who are too easily led by our all too often jingoistic media, have a problem with players trying to win at all costs.
In South America and pretty much the rest of Europe, cheating or winning at all costs, is an accepted part of the game. This view is a more adult way of looking at what is after all a game, the aim of which is to win. It is up to the referee to sort out any cheating or gamesmanship.
The English seem to have this old fashioned notion that there should be gentlemen and players. In contrast in Italy all they are concerned about is winning, it is partly why they have won the World Cup so many times and it's also partly why England have only won it once. Former Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli pretty much made the same observations after several years in English football.
Perhaps even worse still is our one-eyed treatment of foreign stars like Ronaldo. After the recent Villarreal game, Wayne Rooney admitted that he'd dived inside the penalty area when seeking to win a penalty. Has anyone come out and called Wayne Rooney a cheat? No, there was more or less a deathly silence.
I'm not sure why some English fans have a general dislike of Ronaldo, I can only put it down to jealousy, because he has it all. Despite what the naysayers will try to have us believe, Ronaldo is a worthy winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or. All I will say to the boneheads who dislike Ronaldo is that I'm glad he's one of ours and he doesn't play for Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.
Fergie has often spoken out about the need for protection for players like Ronaldo, because there's another big problem in English football, which is that the opposition and to an extent even referee's are happy to see Ronaldo being kicked up and down dale, it seems to be the case that the officials have the attitude of "it's okay, it's only Ronaldo, he's a cheat you can kick him..".
Part of the problem is that referees are too easily influenced by the crowd and the media and the sad fact is - as Howard Webb showed at the weekend - all too often they do not know when and when not to produce yellow or red cards.
Ronaldo is a great player, in my view he is not a cheat, he will always be fouled because he moves his feet and the ball so quickly. But on this point I have a degree of sympathy with referees' who have to make spit-second decisions.
In bid to help the officials get it right more often there's has been talk of introducing video evidence. On open play, I say forget the notion of introducing evidence, reason being the experts often cannot agree even after reviewing footage over and over again.
Take the example of Ronaldo's unjust first booking at Eastlands on Sunday. Graeme Souness and Andy Gray said that Ronaldo had clearly nudged the ball away from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Fully 24 hours later, Alan Shearer on MOTD2 said it was a definite booking. So who is right? The point is, even after 24 hours had elapsed it comes down to an opinion, but importantly the experts cannot agree. If that is the case then we might as well leave it to the man-in-the-middle. All it would do is transfer responsibility away from the referee and I suppose there's an argument for that in reducing a degree of pressure, but it will not undisputedly mean that referees' decisions are more often right than wrong as illustrated by the point about Ronaldo's first booking on Sunday.
United's Portuguese winger has his critics, but I'm not one of them. Sure, he wanted to join Real Madrid last summer, far from knocking him I personally believe that we should admire him for his honesty. A famous ex-United star joined Real Madrid but went about it in an entirely different way when trying to blame the club for his move, when all along his agents had been trying to work his ticket behind the scenes.
The sad fact is that some fans, for whatever reason, will always try to find fault in big star names. It is especially disappointing, as in the case of Ronaldo that some of them happen to be United supporters.
There have also been accusations that Ronaldo is a "diver". Let's get one thing straight here, only English fans, who are too easily led by our all too often jingoistic media, have a problem with players trying to win at all costs.
In South America and pretty much the rest of Europe, cheating or winning at all costs, is an accepted part of the game. This view is a more adult way of looking at what is after all a game, the aim of which is to win. It is up to the referee to sort out any cheating or gamesmanship.
The English seem to have this old fashioned notion that there should be gentlemen and players. In contrast in Italy all they are concerned about is winning, it is partly why they have won the World Cup so many times and it's also partly why England have only won it once. Former Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli pretty much made the same observations after several years in English football.
Perhaps even worse still is our one-eyed treatment of foreign stars like Ronaldo. After the recent Villarreal game, Wayne Rooney admitted that he'd dived inside the penalty area when seeking to win a penalty. Has anyone come out and called Wayne Rooney a cheat? No, there was more or less a deathly silence.
I'm not sure why some English fans have a general dislike of Ronaldo, I can only put it down to jealousy, because he has it all. Despite what the naysayers will try to have us believe, Ronaldo is a worthy winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or. All I will say to the boneheads who dislike Ronaldo is that I'm glad he's one of ours and he doesn't play for Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.
Fergie has often spoken out about the need for protection for players like Ronaldo, because there's another big problem in English football, which is that the opposition and to an extent even referee's are happy to see Ronaldo being kicked up and down dale, it seems to be the case that the officials have the attitude of "it's okay, it's only Ronaldo, he's a cheat you can kick him..".
Part of the problem is that referees are too easily influenced by the crowd and the media and the sad fact is - as Howard Webb showed at the weekend - all too often they do not know when and when not to produce yellow or red cards.
Ronaldo is a great player, in my view he is not a cheat, he will always be fouled because he moves his feet and the ball so quickly. But on this point I have a degree of sympathy with referees' who have to make spit-second decisions.
In bid to help the officials get it right more often there's has been talk of introducing video evidence. On open play, I say forget the notion of introducing evidence, reason being the experts often cannot agree even after reviewing footage over and over again.
Take the example of Ronaldo's unjust first booking at Eastlands on Sunday. Graeme Souness and Andy Gray said that Ronaldo had clearly nudged the ball away from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Fully 24 hours later, Alan Shearer on MOTD2 said it was a definite booking. So who is right? The point is, even after 24 hours had elapsed it comes down to an opinion, but importantly the experts cannot agree. If that is the case then we might as well leave it to the man-in-the-middle. All it would do is transfer responsibility away from the referee and I suppose there's an argument for that in reducing a degree of pressure, but it will not undisputedly mean that referees' decisions are more often right than wrong as illustrated by the point about Ronaldo's first booking on Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
