leviramsey Posted May 27, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted May 27, 2009 Really gratified to see (or is it hear) that Mad Dog Radio (a general US sports talk station which would be all baseball talk if the Mad Dog had his way) has had the score in every one of their half-hourly news updates. It's also the lead story on SportsCenter this evening... if anybody's curious, I can upload their rendition of the highlights. (And Villa made the highlight reel...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 If Vidic hadn't got turned and if Foster or Kuschack or any of the youth team keepers rather than the ancient and very weak VDS had played, and that 1st goal ddin't go in...Manu would have won. Admittedley those things did happen so go figure, but Barca were terrified early on. Scared to touch the ball, their passing was restricted to knocking it around 30 yards from their own goal. The goal that was gifted to them gave them so much confidence and that's what they live on with their game. A not for Ronaldo who I thought wasn't at his best but never once hid as Carrick did the whole game, and always went looking for the ball, tried to make things happen, he was trying to do the right thing. Carrick's performance was a disgrace, stood around, didnt close down, bottled carrying the ball and twatted endless long balls forward; cant believe he stayed on the whole game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holtend4life Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Carrick couldn't work out how fast the playing surface was when he was attempting these "amazing" long balls that he is so renouned for, they just ran out of play every time. After the first couple of attempts you would at least find the range, but I can't remember one long ball that he put onto the foot of one of his fellow players... He really did get shown up tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted May 27, 2009 Moderator Share Posted May 27, 2009 United weak in the centre of the pitch. Carrick - Giggs - Anderson Not good enough as a three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Thats how football should be played, pass and move. They played like Spain did when they won the Euros last year, and they're just far superior technically. Man Utd played like a typical English team, try and get stuck into 'em and got it forward as quick as they could. Only they couldn't get near them and couldn't get the ball back after hitting it forward. To be honest, the English style of football must work to an extent. I bet about 60% of the Semi Finalists over the last 5 or so years have been English. Barca were great today, but when Giggs and Anderson are playing in the middle.. what was SAF thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will87 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 What's Giggs supposed to offer over Scholes as a central midfielder, crazy to stick him in there in a Champs league final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Suprised how many people want Barca to win it. Man United to me are the only team I don't mind in the top 4. Perhaps Chelsea aswell. If you don't support them you should hate them, How can you "not mind" them? Imagine the collective smugness of Ferguson, CRonaldo and the fans if they win? I hope they lose 24-0. I hate our rivals, Everton, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretford420 Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 I've finally made it back from the pub and managed to stop crying for long enough to post. So I will say simple this .... tonights performance was **** awful but this is still one of the best Manchester United teams of all time. And at the end of the day, no team has ever or will ever win retain the Champions League during this era. I genuinely believe we can win it next year in Madrid. Tonight hurt so, so bad. At the end of the day though, we are the English champions and the Champions of the world, Carling Cup winners, and Champions League Finalists. Not too bad a season ... and the best is still to come next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witton_Lane Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I've finally made it back from the pub and managed to stop crying for long enough to post. So I will say simple this .... tonights performance was **** awful but this is still one of the best Manchester United teams of all time. And at the end of the day, no team has ever or will ever win retain the Champions League during this era. I genuinely believe we can win it next year in Madrid. Tonight hurt so, so bad. At the end of the day though, we are the English champions and the Champions of the world, Carling Cup winners, and Champions League Finalists. Not too bad a season ... and the best is still to come next season. I somehow doubt it. Chelsea and Arsenal will strengthen in the summer, as will Liverpool. You on the other hand are about to lose Ronaldo and the 30 goals a season he brings. His comments after the game seemed to me to be someone spoiling for an argument with a very stubborn manager in the hope he will be shown the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witton_Lane Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Got to admit "you're on sky sports" was amusing tonight, nothing but happy scousers and gutted cockneys calling in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 A final lost by complacency, over confidence, and a completely sh*t team and tactic selection from Siralex. Giggs? Park? Shrek left wing? No Tevez or Berby? 1 up front alone - and a winger (Ronaldo) at that, against a makeshift defence. Bizzare IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieB Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 What's Giggs supposed to offer over Scholes as a central midfielder, crazy to stick him in there in a Champs league final. Sky mentioned Scholes suffers badly with Asthma & would have struggled in the heat in Rome, so maybe that effected team selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Andres Iniesta is just genius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Save for the first 10 mins, Barcelona completely outplayed them. I'm pleased Barca won, because I think they've been the best team in Europe this season - I'd support Man U over any other Euro team. What I think was disappointed was the way Utd couldn't get back into the game. Both teams had enough talent to give us a 4-3 scoreline, but Man U never got back into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Save for the first 10 mins, Barcelona completely outplayed them. I'm pleased Barca won, because I think they've been the best team in Europe this season - I'd support Man U over any other Euro team. What I think was disappointed was the way Utd couldn't get back into the game. Both teams had enough talent to give us a 4-3 scoreline, but Man U never got back into it. The first goal was always going to be crucial and I think United knew that. Had they scored, they could then sit back and hit Barca on the counter, but lets face it, if Barca score then your literally doomed. It's impossible not to sit back without leaving someone like Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Messi, Eto'o free to have space to create, but then you can't really sit back as your the one needing the goal. Once Barca score then it's just too easy for them. had Pique not made that block inside the first two minutes from Park, the final would of been absolutly nothing like what it turned out to be. United will feel they didn't play great for 80 minutes but also unlucky. That first 10 misses full of a few close efforts and then the goal was literally the game deciding 10 minutes and this time it didn't go to United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomzep Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Anderson + Carrick vs Iniesta + Xavi Thats where the game was won and lost, United missed Fletcher massivly, and in a similar way they could have done with Hargreaves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormandyVillan Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I've finally made it back from the pub and managed to stop crying for long enough to post. So I will say simple this .... tonights performance was **** awful but this is still one of the best Manchester United teams of all time. And at the end of the day, no team has ever or will ever win retain the Champions League during this era. I genuinely believe we can win it next year in Madrid. Tonight hurt so, so bad. At the end of the day though, we are the English champions and the Champions of the world, Carling Cup winners, and Champions League Finalists. Not too bad a season ... and the best is still to come next season. Perhaps it was a classic case of the "important early goal". I thought United looked very good for the first ten minutes. They rattled Barcelona right from the kickoff and should have been a goal up, but then let Barcelona score from their first attack with some surprisingly weak defending and goalkeeping. After that they never really got going again. Confidence seemed to drain right out of them and into Barcelona. That said, you would have expected United to react better than they did to an early setback. There were a lot of misplaced passes, and on the few occasions they got into dangerous attacking positions they wasted them. Only Ronaldo really showed his class (and even he spoiled his performance with some nasty fouls at the end). So, yes, all in all a pretty poor showing from Man U. As a spectacle I thought the game as a whole was a bit of a disappointment for the neutral. Superb display of passing from Barcelona, but not an exciting game. Wasn't helped by the stadium, which lacks atmosphere. I hope for better in the next two years. Something like: 2010: Real 3 Man Utd 5 in the Bernabeu (Ronaldo scores a hat trick but ends up on the losing side again). 2011: Man Utd 1 Villa 4 at Wembley (thus confirming the theory that no team can retain the Champions League). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 A final lost by complacency, over confidence, and a completely sh*t team and tactic selection from Siralex. Giggs? Park? Shrek left wing? No Tevez or Berby? 1 up front alone - and a winger (Ronaldo) at that, against a makeshift defence. Bizzare IMO. He has been playing superbly on the left of a front three for quite a while now. And Ronaldo is not a winger. I have no idea why people still think/insist that he is a winger. He hasnt played out on the wing since United sold Ruud Van Nistelrooy. He is a **** striker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 A final lost by complacency, over confidence, and a completely sh*t team and tactic selection from Siralex. Giggs? Park? Shrek left wing? No Tevez or Berby? 1 up front alone - and a winger (Ronaldo) at that, against a makeshift defence. Bizzare IMO. He has been playing superbly on the left of a front three for quite a while now. And Ronaldo is not a winger. I have no idea why people still think/insist that he is a winger. He hasnt played out on the wing since United sold Ruud Van Nistelrooy. He is a **** striker. quite clearyl United's tactics didn't work. Ronaldo as a lone striker - nope. Shrek as a left winger - nope. Granted, those 2 may have played there, and played there well, but IMO that is not their best position, and they were found out last night. Ronny does his best work floating about from wing to wing, or throguh the middle. He has never been a lone striker - it just is not his game. I've seen plenty of United thanks Rev, to know when SirAlex has fecked up. Tactically, United were awful, IMO. United never held the ball up front, as they didn't have the players there to do it. They also didn't have the players down the flanks to beat a man and get croses in. It was all wrong. For me, should maybe have been Berby and Shrek or Tevez up top, and Ronny plus a.n. other supporting from wide. But who cares anyway TBH, itr wasn't Villa after all .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant(aka_eddy) Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 The opening 10 minutes showed how dangerous United were and had something fallen for them they could have been the dominant team. But the game was decided by 2 things in the end. The first was 2 very classy goals from Barca. The second was the inability of the Man U midfield to press the game. Barca were the best team in Europe last season so i'm glad they won it. The style of the goals and the manner in which they dictated posession once they were ahead was not surprising. What was surprising though was how little urgency and desire Man U showed, it didnt feel like a final at all. I do wonder whether having won it last year already took the edge from a few players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts