Manchester United v Barcelona part 2

[Slipperduke]

When he looks back on this game, Cristiano Ronaldo’s only consolation will be that at least John Arne Riise’s mistake was worse. Not many gifts get handed out at the Camp Nou, but Gabriel Milito’s decision to wave his hands in front of a second minute corner like a man trying to shake off the attentions of an angry wasp, was a gift-wrapped opportunity for Manchester United to stun Barcelona. Sir Alex Ferguson praised Ronaldo for his nerve when he re-took and scored a vital penalty against Arsenal a fortnight ago, but that composure must have been left behind in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport, because this spot-kick sailed horribly wide.

A goal then would have silenced a rebellious crowd, given of late to waving their white hankies in disgust. It would have been a vital away strike, it could even have won the game. Unfortunately, all Ronaldo managed to do was rouse a sleeping beast. The home fans found their voice and the team found their form. After weeks of insipid, limp displays, Barcelona were back.

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo spent much of the game enjoying their own personal skills competition. At times this was less of a football match and more of a soft-drink commercial. For me, Messi just about edged it. In his 60 minutes on the pitch, he was a constant source of flicks and tricks, dancing across the turf and turning Patrice Evra inside out. Paddy Crerand joked that George Best used to give his markers ‘twisted blood.’ After a night like this, Evra now knows exactly what he meant. Ronaldo almost matched Messi in sorcery, but was left battered by a series of uncompromising early challenges, and frustrated by the referee’s refusal to award him another two penalties, both of which looked quite clear-cut.

Sir Alex Ferguson announced before kick-off that he had come to impose the game upon his hosts and, had it not before Ronaldo’s miss, he may well have managed it. In the end he had to be grateful for the calm, stoic defensive abilities of Rio Ferdinand who marshalled the marauding Samuel Eto’o brilliantly. Barcelona were dominant in both possession and with the number of their chances, but Sir Alex will be delighted that his team managed to keep them at arms length and will be ontent enough to take the game back to Old Trafford on an even keel.

The only blemish on Manchester United’s evening was a subdued performance from Wayne Rooney who was deployed wide on the right and starved of possession while Ronaldo enjoyed figurehead status in the centre. It was a gameplan that worked to great effect against Roma, but here it was a failure and the Englishman, desperate to score on St George’s Day, was hauled off with 15 minutes still to play. He did not look amused. Rooney was so desperate to get involved that he could be seen charging in for tackles at right-back on a number of occasions, almost as if he couldn’t cope without touching the ball at least once every now and then.

As the game wore on to its goalless conclusion, both sides seemed happy with the outcome. The classic head-to-head that we’d all hoped for never quite materialised, but this was special in its own way. Both teams came to play the ball on the ground, they came to entertain and they came to win. Even without goals, this was still more captivating than the previous night’s affair. Next week at Old Trafford, with everything still to play for, maybe we’ll get that classic.

 

[BaileytheQuitter]

When he looks back on this game, Cristiano Ronaldo’s only consolation will be that at least John Arne Riise’s mistake was worse. Not many gifts get handed out at the Camp Nou, but Gabriel Milito’s decision to wave his hands in front of a second minute corner like a man trying to shake off the attentions of an angry wasp, was a gift-wrapped opportunity for Manchester United to stun Barcelona. Sir Alex Ferguson praised Ronaldo for his nerve when he re-took and scored a vital penalty against Arsenal a fortnight ago, but that composure must have been left behind in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport, because this spot-kick sailed horribly wide.

A goal then would have silenced a rebellious crowd, given of late to waving their white hankies in disgust. It would have been a vital away strike, it could even have won the game. Unfortunately, all Ronaldo managed to do was rouse a sleeping beast. The home fans found their voice and the team found their form. After weeks of insipid, limp displays, Barcelona were back.

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo spent much of the game enjoying their own personal skills competition. At times this was less of a football match and more of a soft-drink commercial. For me, Messi just about edged it. In his 60 minutes on the pitch, he was a constant source of flicks and tricks, dancing across the turf and turning Patrice Evra inside out. Paddy Crerand joked that George Best used to give his markers ‘twisted blood.’ After a night like this, Evra now knows exactly what he meant. Ronaldo almost matched Messi in sorcery, but was left battered by a series of uncompromising early challenges, and frustrated by the referee’s refusal to award him another two penalties, both of which looked quite clear-cut.

Sir Alex Ferguson announced before kick-off that he had come to impose the game upon his hosts and, had it not before Ronaldo’s miss, he may well have managed it. In the end he had to be grateful for the calm, stoic defensive abilities of Rio Ferdinand who marshalled the marauding Samuel Eto’o brilliantly. Barcelona were dominant in both possession and with the number of their chances, but Sir Alex will be delighted that his team managed to keep them at arms length and will be ontent enough to take the game back to Old Trafford on an even keel.

The only blemish on Manchester United’s evening was a subdued performance from Wayne Rooney who was deployed wide on the right and starved of possession while Ronaldo enjoyed figurehead status in the centre. It was a gameplan that worked to great effect against Roma, but here it was a failure and the Englishman, desperate to score on St George’s Day, was hauled off with 15 minutes still to play. He did not look amused. Rooney was so desperate to get involved that he could be seen charging in for tackles at right-back on a number of occasions, almost as if he couldn’t cope without touching the ball at least once every now and then.

As the game wore on to its goalless conclusion, both sides seemed happy with the outcome. The classic head-to-head that we’d all hoped for never quite materialised, but this was special in its own way. Both teams came to play the ball on the ground, they came to entertain and they came to win. Even without goals, this was still more captivating than the previous night’s affair. Next week at Old Trafford, with everything still to play for, maybe we’ll get that classic.

Not too bad...I suppose. :)

 

[sufcintheprem]

Honestly, I thought Evra was excellent against Messi after realising how to defend him. Every time, Messi was shunted inside straight in to (curiously) Hargreaves, Park, Carrick or, more fear-inspiring for Argentinian ankles, Scholes. As the game wore on, Evra became more and more decisive and seemed to have a perfect understanding of how far he could go by the end. Physical and assured, if he does this more often, Utd will be richer for it.

Ferdinand was immaculate, Tevez held the ball up well and everyone else, bar Rooney and Ronaldo, were pretty much, well, everyone else. Got exactly what we were expecting.

Messi saw enough of the ball to keep United on edge in the first half and as Iniesta and Xavi started to move the ball around, United couldn't get near the ball. The first half was not a good one for United and yet somehow, you felt that the unmarshalled Barca defence always had potential to capitulate. One can only guess at what Abidal was aiming for with his lunge on Ronaldo which astonishingly wasn't given. Frequently, commentators say, "anywhere else on the pitch and it's a foul" referring to penalty box incidents. In this case, it seemed to be either "any other player/anywhere more central and it's a foul" because the ball barely moved after the lunge.

The pundits seemed to give Man Utd too much credit when, in reality, the scoreline tonight is much a reflection fo the tie as a whole. Man Utd slight favourites but no more.

Second leg, with Messi ready for 90 mins could be interesting.

 

[EastStandBlue]

If it was on the table before the match, Ferguson would've snatched your hand of for a draw. Good result to take to Old Trafford despite what could've been.

 

[Slipperduke]

I blame my friend, Tony. We perched on the edge of our seats in excitement, saw that both managers had thrown caution to the wind and named attacking line-ups, watched the highlights of the two 3-3 draws from 1999 and came to our own conclusions.

"Iain," said Tony happily. "This is going to be an absolute classic."

After that, I suppose we were always doomed to a goalless draw.

In a way, both teams were guilty of showing too much respect. The frothing hype in the days leading up to the game had created a mutual adoration, rather than the barely-concealed hatred that marks out Liverpool's clashes with Chelsea. Barcelona and Manchester United weren't really fighting each other. They were warriors under the same flag, striving for the beauty of the game. Shoulder to shoulder against the dark forces of 4-5-1 and the dreaded 'long ball'.

Sir Alex Ferguson made one concession and that was to play Paul Scholes as a defensive midfielder. It seemed like madness, given that Scholes' previous attempts at regaining possession have given the impression that he'd have more luck playing in goal than in defence, but it worked a treat. Scholes was flawless all night. So too, sadly, was Yaya Toure, the bigger little brother of Arsenal's Kolo. The lanky midfielder was so mobile that it seemed like there were two of them on the pitch. When Toure performs, Barcelona are superb. When he goes missing, as he did against Schalke, they fall apart.

If United are to defeat them at Old Trafford, Sir Alex will have to match this defensive brilliance with a coherent plan of attack. United may have kept their opponents at arms length for much of the night, but they didn't make that many inroads themselves. Ji-Sung Park and Wayne Rooney were almost anonymous on the flanks. Would two strikers have made more sense, or would it have compromised their shape? It's something that needs addressing before Tuesday night. If anything, it highlighted United's need for a different kind of striker. In Gabriel Milito and Rafael Marquez, Barcelona have two relatively small centre-backs. Unfortunately, United don't have anything approaching a target-man. Louis Saha could do it, but he's always up on bricks. Angolan youngster Manucho would be good, but he's been farmed out to Greece. It was noticeable at corners and free-kicks that United had very few big targets to aim at.

There has been talk of United taking an advantage back home with them, but it's negligible at best. In reality, they have missed their chance of scoring an away goal. If it was an Italian side visiting Manchester with the score at 0-0, then there would be an advantage, but Barcelona can score goals from anywhere. Lionel Messi played so beautifully throughout that I briefly considered asking The New Paper's bosses if I could become The Spanish Kaki and relocate to Catalonia just so that I could watch him play every week. You could fill a gallery with video screens playing hundreds of clips of Messi bringing the ball under control and millions of tourists would flock to it for centuries.

And that's what this game was about. It was an exhibition of class and sophistication, rather than a head-to-head, blood and thunder battle. Respect is admirable, but if one of these teams is to make it to Moscow, they're going to have to dispense with it for a while and get the job done. Next Tuesday will be a very different encounter.