Tag Archives: championsleague

It was all thrills at Old Trafford

It is a very bad feeling to have when you switch on your television set to watch your favorite team to play and the first thing you see is a goal scored against your team. You get that feeling why did I turn the television on, maybe if I didn’t turn it on, the goal might not have been scored.

I had this feeling when I saw Alan Dzagoev score against Manchester United in the champions league match at Old Trafford. Before I could sulk any more into the fact that I was responsible for the goal, Michael Owen equalized.

Owen Scores

Owen Equalizes

It was good work by Neville to give the ball to Valencia who put in a good cross which was placed into the path of Owen by the slightest of touches by Nani and Owen put the ball past Akinfeev to make it 1-1.

Score at 1-1 wasn’t exactly giving me any chills. And then Milos Krasic scored. 1-2 to CSKA. Still no need to panic. I have seen better comebacks by this team and considering I was impressed by what the lads were doing around the CSKA goal, I still had hope of the score being turned around (I was really angry at the way we were defending though).

Start of 2nd half and I am wondering why is Nani still on the pitch and I am kinda cursing Fergie for not bringing on Obertan and before I could finish, CSKA were 1-3 up. Damn, now I was having chills. CSKA seem to be dominating the play. Some of their passing was awesome. And I was wondering what now? I only hoped for Obertan to come back and do some magic and then Rooney was warming up.Oh! he is around the pitch if not on it. Lets hope for some magic from the new father.

He comes on and there is some improvement in the United gameplay which began to fade away after the 3rd goal from CSKA. Before that there was a feeling that long unbeaten record was coming to an end.

But Paul Scholes and Antonio Valencia had other ideas along with making the game very interesting for the viewers. First it was Paul Scholes’ header and then it was Valencia’s deflected shot which kept United’s unbeaten record in tact.

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Scholes scoring the header

Before these two goals, Darren Fletcher was denied a penalty claim and was in fact booked for a dive. Really bemusing considering that the yellow card can come to haunt him late in the tournament.

The CSKA goalkeepr Akinfeev performed really well and made a load of saves from Owen, Macheda and Rooney. I wish Fergie signs him before anyone else snaps him up.

The good thing about United performance was that they were creating chances and it was only the heroics of Akinfeev which were denying them the goals. The defence needs to be more solid if they want to win against Chelsea over the weekend. I have faith in Brown and Evans but I thought Van Der Sar could have done better than standing and watching the ball fall in his goal. It seems age is catching up with his reflexes. Also, United seem to be coming back into scoring late late goals which was missing last season.

By the way all the sulking feeling about the goal scored just on switching on the television set went away once I remember that I was watching the repeat telecast :)

Fletcher returns for CSKA clash

Manchester United welcome CSKA Moscow to Old Trafford for a game that could secure qualification to the knock out rounds of the UEFA Champions League for Manchester United.

Manchester United are fresh from beating Blackburn Rovers by 2 goal margin with Berbatov and Rooney getting on the score sheet but are undergoing an injury crisis.

Defenders Ferdinand and Vidic are unavailable for the game and so are Park and Giggs. Rooney would be missing the game as he has just become a father and would be with his family. Berbatov limped out off the Blackburn game and is also a doubt. But Darren Fletcher would be making a return to the starting line up. This is a good news as he would provide the much needed steel in the United midfield. It will also provide him the match sharpness before the big premier league game against Chelsea this weekend.

Fletcher

Tipped to return to the starting line up

“Darren was a substitute on Saturday and will play on Tuesday,” revealed Sir Alex Ferguson at his pre-match press conference. “I think most people recognise Fletcher as a big game player. We’ve been aware of that for quite a while.”

“Now there’s an acceptance among most people that he’s a very important player for us. He has been missed in some key games recently so it will be good to have him back.”

The defence should again see Wes Brown and Jonny Evans.

“The great thing for Wes Brown is that he has remained fit this year,” said Ferguson.

“Last season, he had a terrible run of injuries. But the previous year, he made the most appearances and played in the final in Moscow.

“When he is fit and we bring him in there is no better defender in the country. He is a real true defender.”

For me the starting line up should be something like this:

Van Der Sar

Neville – Brown – Evans – Evra

Valencia – Carrick – Fletcher – Nani

Owen – Wellbeck

I expect Obertan to make a substitute appearance during the 2nd half. It should be an easy win for United against a side who have recently sacked their coach and are now under a new coach.

My prediction is an easy 3-0 win for United.

We’ll win next season or the season after

Its not our year yet again

Its not our season yet again

Liverpool (un)welcome Manchester United with thoughts in their minds that its not going to be their year yet again. The team that came so close to winning the premier league title last year and whose fans were gasping deep breaths ‘next season would be our season’ would be thinking, our wait for the 19th title has just been extended by another season (reminds me of the movie Fever Pitch).

Currently a 7 point gap between these two teams doesn’t mean that Liverpool can’t win the title nor will a loss in the game against Manchester United mean the same thing. We have seen teams go on runs to cover up such gaps and no one else knows it better than we Manchester United fans. No matter what the media says after the result of this game, title hunt would still be on for both teams no matter what the result is (I vaguely remember media writing off Manchester United after their loss at Burnley).

But after 4 losses in a row, another loss against Manchester United would be catastrophic for confidence of Liverpool. Liverpool owners have said that they back Rafa Benitez but we all know what the result of this game can do. Liverpool win, they are back in the hunt, they lose Rafa’s job is in danger (though I don’t think he would be sacked).

Reminds me of an assassination attempt on Hitler by the British which was called off on the grounds that Hitler is a poor strategist and anyone who replaces would be better than him at war. Same way, Rafa should stay at Liverpool, makes it so much easier for Liverpool to lose the title :)

What the bigger cause of worry is that with Man City, Aston Villa and Spurs improving their performances by huge margins, Liverpool run the risk of losing out on Champions League place (so much for the title dreams). Couple that with a failure to qualify for Champions League knock out stages, it would be financial trouble for a club from where we hear the news of lack of funds almost daily. Also, Liverpool gate receipts are less in value as compared to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as they can’t afford higher prices like their rivals and their stadium capacity is anyways lesser than others. They rely heavily on gate receipts in Euros from Champions League games which clearly highlights the importance of qualification for knock out phases this year and for Champions League next year.

Also, next year Liverpool’s Champions League final win against Milan goes off for calculations of UEFA Co-efficients which decide seedings for teams in Champions League. A poor showing in this year’s Champions League would also mean loss of 1st seeding for next year’s tournament (if they qualify)

Dailymail published an article on Rafa’s spending during his reign which amounts to £229m which by any means is not a small amount. Most of the players in the list are good players who didn’t perform well at Liverpool but were good at other places, a point made by Jermaine Penant in Guardian. Both these articles point to inadequacies of Rafa Benitez.

His obsession with zonal marking, over reliance on a bunch of players, David Ngog as Torres’ backup, not using players like Benayoun and Voronin enough and no eye for creativity – all these factors point as to how poor has Rafa become since his Valencia days. Sometimes I wonder if he should be given credit for the Champions League win over Milan.

Whether or not Liverpool fans are happy about Rafa being Liverpool manager but Manchester United fans would definitely be happy by Rafa’s statement that he would never coach Manchester United. Thank goodness for that :) Rafa, you can continue to have your beach ball adventures as making peace with the beach ball might help you win the title.

Valencia achieves Ferguson’s goal – almost

Valencia against CSKA Moscow

Valencia against CSKA Moscow

When depleted Manchester United squad made the trip to Russia to face CSKA Moscow, Ferguson had a target of 10 points in his minds which and Antonio Valencia made sure that United reached 9 points and maintained their perfect start to the Champions League campaign.

United who have not beaten Russian opposition in Champions League in 5 previous attempts were given a 1-0 win courtesy a late goal from Valencia.

United had a very different line up for this match:

Van Der Sar

Neville – Ferdinand – Vidic – Fabio

Scholes – O’Shea

Valencia – Anderson – Nani

Berbatov

Considering the absentees they have were having due to injury it looked a very patched up side. The first half was very weird. It looked as if United were the home side. They were controlling the ball as if it was their own. CSKA barely had any possession and the only major chance of the half came through a long range effort from Paul Scholes which bounced awkwardly in front of CSKA goalkeeper. Other than that there was nothing else which would light up the game. It was turning into one of those sad 0-0 games which could be knicked by any team with a goal.

2nd half was again the same story as 1st half. United again dominating the ball possession but there were barely any chances. It went up till 86th minute before the goal was scored. Nani looped the ball into the penalty area which was headed by Berbatov and Valencia slotted it home from close range.

It was a very boring game overall which was dominated by United in possession. There were barely any clear cut chances and had draw written all over it before Valencia decided to take in his own hands or rather his feet. Nani game was lot better than his previous showings. Fabio looked good going up front as well in defence. Berbatov’s yellow card seemed harsh as it looked to me that contact was made. It might not be a penalty but definitely not a dive.

All in all 3 more points in the bag. Thats 9 points out of 9. Qualification goal is almost achieved.

Now the next test is Liverpool at Anfield. Would it be another day of booing for Rafa?

Back at Luzhniki stadium

Luzhniki Stadium (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Luzhniki Stadium (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Manchester United travel to Luzhniki Stadium once again for their quest of Champions League trophy but this time its not the final game of the tournament.

It is the same stadium where Man Utd won the 2008 Champions League final on penalties beating Chelsea but United have not won against Russian opposition in 5 attempts in the Champions League. 2008 Champions League final victory was their only victory on Russian soil.

Man Utd have a depleted squad for the trip to face CSKA Moscow. Giggs, Rooney, Park, Fletcher and Evra are all missing due to injury. Rooney was injured during the international break while Evra and Giggs picked up injuries during the Bolton game. Vidic and Berbatov also have knocks but are still traveling.

United are currently sitting on top of the group with 6 points while CSKA are currently 3rd on 3 points but behind Wolfsburg on goal difference. CSKA have already beaten Besiktas at home soil and would relish the fact that United have been poor against Russian opposition.

As CSKA coach Juande Ramos has said Berbatov is the biggest threat from Manchester United. He had a gem of a game against Wolfsburg and is in good form. If he is fit to play, he would surely cause problems to the Russian team.

I reckon he would score in this game. I am not sure if United would win but I don’t think it would be a loss for them. A scored draw for me.

Giggs keeps pouring goals and assits

Manchester United v Wolfsburg kick off

Manchester United v Wolfsburg kick off

A brightly lit Old Trafford welcomed the return of Champions League football. And the visitors were German Champions Wolfsburg.

Interestingly there was place for Michael Carrick alongside Anderson in the starting line up. But there was no Nani. It was Giggs and Valencia on the wings. Michael Owen started alongside Wayne Rooney and Kuszack was in goal. The defence was same for the first time this season.

The initial 20 odd minutes were dominated by Wolfsburg. It was a very shaky start by United. Don’t know why. They were not dominating the midfield and were not able to create anything. Wolfsburg on the other hand were getting a lot of the ball and they were making good use of it creating a couple of half decent chances.Poor Michael Owen was a doubt for this game with groin trouble and had to go off with the same problem at the 20 minute mark.It was early call up for Berbatov and he made good use of it. As soon as he arrived United started causing trouble for the Germans.He was responsible for creating a few good chances for Valencia and himself.But the scoreline was still 0-0 till half time.

One starts to wonder if two good teams would cancel each other out and it would be stalemate. But Dzeko had other ideas as he headed Wolfsburg in front and Kuszack was not able to do anything. This actually sparked off the 2nd half as United started looking for equalizer and showed a lot of character in getting that. Anderson was fouled on the edge of the box and Giggs took the ball and fired a free kick which deflected into the goal. That was 150 in United shirt for the Welshman. It was a wicked deflection as the goalkeeper was already moving to the other side.

Then it was the search for the winner. United did not allow Wolfsburg back into the game. They were dominating like anything. After Rooney and Berbatov started the move, Giggs placed the ball in the path of Carrick who hit the ball sweetly to the top corner of the goal. And the game was wrapped up.

Michael Carrick who seemed to be going down the favorites list of Ferguson started the game and scored the winner. What a relief this would have been for the United community. It will surely give some selection headaches to Fergie. It was a convincing win for United except for the first 20 minutes which showed why Owen shouldn’t start for us. Berbatov has the habit of dropping into the hole behind the striker and creates problems for the opposing team (something which Owen is unable to do). If we have to start with Owen then Rooney should be dropping into that hole to create problems. But since now Owen is out for a few weeks, it should be a chance for Macheda and Wellbeck to impress.

The game against Sunderland would be a selection headache for Fergie considering the form of all of the midfielders except Nani. Valencia impressed me during this match showing a lot better and lethal crossing that his previous games.

United are now on 6 points from 2 games and need another 4 to reach the target of 10. This should be an achievable task in the next two games against CSKA Moscow.

This is why its called Champions League

Manchester United

Manchester United

Vfl Wolfsburg

Vfl Wolfsburg

Match Up: German Champions vs English Champions.

Cast: Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Martins, Dzenko, Grafite, Vidic, Ferdinand, Giggs among others.

Location: Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford.

No wonder it is called the Champions League. Its Champions clashing against Champions and that too credible champions. And what a place to be for the match up – The Theatre of Dreams. While many clubs are thinking about building new stadiums, this stadium stands its legacy.

Coming to the match: the big question is how many goals has this game written over it. With the striking talent on show it should be a goal feast. Dzenko and Grafite scored a record number of goals last season for Wolfsburg and Grafite started Champions League campaign with a hat trick. Dzenko scored over the weekend against Hannover. But they are up against a solid defence of Vidic and Ferdinand. If Foster doesn’t make a mistake United defence should be able to keep them reduced to a goal at most (maybe none). But considering the talents of Wolfsburg strikers, I think they will score at least 1.

United themselves boast awesome attacking talent. Rooney and Berbatov should be displaying their skills considering its a home game. And combined with the skills of Giggs from the midfield should be able to better Wolfsburg in the scoring department. Another point to note is that Wolfsburg don’t have the strongest defence in the world. They are always liable to concede a few. But who will start alongside Fletcher in the midfield – Anderson/Carrick/Scholes. I think it would be Anderson. Ferguson fancies Anderson to do the job in Europe.

Its interesting to note that there could be two former Newcastle strikers on display in the game. Michael Owen for Manchester United and Obafemi Martins for Wolfsburg. And no one needs reminding of their scoring prowess. I think Owen adds a different dimension to United attack in Europe. It would be interesting to see how Martins plays if he gets a chance. I actually like the guy but have not yet seen him play for Wolfsburg.

My prediction: 3-1 to United with Owen on score sheet.