Tag Archive for 'giggs'

AaB Aalborg 0 Manchester United 3

Published by
Paul
at September 30, 2008 in Reviews. 6 Comments

AaB Aalborg 0 Manchester United 3 (Rooney 22, Berbatov 55, 79)

United win away in the Champions League three goals to nil and was a very comfortable win.  With Rooney in spectacular form and Dmitar Berbatov getting his first two goals for United, this win was overshadowed by injuries to Scholes, Rooney and new right back sensation Rafael.

Gary Neville picked up a slight knock and 18 year Brazillian youngster Rafael was preferred to Wes Brown.  Berbatov and Rooney started at the expense of Tevez and John O’Shea was the runner for Paul Scholes in central midfield.  Nani and Ronaldo provided a dual Iberian wing attack.

What was immediately apparent was Rafael Da Silva.  What a confident display from a youngster.  Pace, skill going forward, slightly worrying defensively (with one very rash challenge that lead to a booking).  A great prospect and when he was later replaced by Wes Brown it was immediate to see why Sir Alex had chosen him.

After watching the first 15 minutes, it really did seem to be a case of wondering how many United would score.  Which lead you to immediately wonder if it was going to be one of those 0-0 nightmares when United create and then fail to put away about 123 chances.

Then Paul Scholes got kicked in the knee from a very poor challenge and had to be replaced.  It looks like a serious injury, but did produce some comedy gold when the ITV commentator stated that he was back on his feet “gingerly”.  He was replaced by Ryan Giggs, thus reproducing the central midfield partnership from a few years back of Giggs and O’Shea.  For some reason, they do seem to play well together in the middle of midfield, the left back and the left winger.

A few minutes after coming on Giggs produced a wonder pass that was Scholeseque.  The Aalborg defence was split wide open and Rooney slipped through and slotted the ball perfectly into the corner.

Wayne really was the star player today, running with purpose and working the team from the front.  Unfortunately, he picked up an injury.  Hopefully that wasn’t too serious.  Less impressive was Nani who combined skill with overhit crosses with equal enthusiasm.  Must keep thinking, one for next season, one for next season.  I’d have played Park today.  I was also less than impressed by Ronaldo’s impression of Jonny Wilkinson trying to put a freekick into the net from 40 yards and being lucky to keep it in the ground.

Final mention, must surely go to Dmitar Berbatov.  Started the game as if he really couldn’t be bothered.  Missed a sitter on 6 minutes and didn’t look much like he cared.  Was gifted the ball for his first goal; honestly the Aalborg could not have sat the ball up better if he’d tried.  Dmitar couldn’t really raise a smile.

Then Ronaldo skins his defender and lays the ball back.  It picks up a deflection and bounces into the air.  Berbatov performs an admiral impression of Mark Hughes’s wonder goal for Wales against Spain and volley’s the ball home and sort of smiled and half raised his hand in celebration.  Good job he didn’t get a hattrick; he might have exploded into a grin.

The guy is pure skill, his pass late in the game; outside of the right foot straight into Ronaldo’s path was just fantastic, but he really has to learn the United way.  You have to be more than just skillful.  You have to have passion, determination and purpose.  I do think that Fergie will bring this to his game and make him one of the very best.  That, or we’ve just signed the new Veron.

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Liverpool 2 Manchester United 1

Published by
Paul
at September 16, 2008 in Reviews. 1 Comment

Liverpool 2 (Brown 27 og, Babel 77) Manchester United 1 (Tevez 2)

Robbie Keane shields the ball from Rio Ferdinand

Robbie Keane shields the ball from Rio Ferdinand

A combination of good Liverpool pressing and woeful defending meant it was a bad day at the office for Fergie and his United team.

United’s mediocre start to the season continued, and on this showing it won’t start until a certain Portuguese bloke returns to the team.

It didn’t look very bad at after 2 minutes when Dimitar Berbatov’s United career got off to a great start.  Seemingly from nothing, Berbatov was able to get past the Liverpool defence but took the ball too wide for a direct shot.  Instead he pulled the ball back for the oncoming Carlos Tevez who placed the ball expertly into the net.

This shocked Liverpool a bit understandably and it took twenty minutes to get into the match, but when they did, United didn’t have the ability to cope.  Worryingly, it was a mistake in our formidable defence that allowed Liverpool to equalize.  Van der Saar seems to have caught a severe case of the wobbles.  He came for a cross and misjudged the flight of the ball.  He ended up overreaching for it and was only able to palm it away.  Nightmarishly, he palmed it onto the knee of Wes Brown who saw the ball fly back into the net.

United never recovered.  An injury to Carrick saw him and the team limp through to half time, where I had misguided thoughts that we could get back into the game.  However, Liverpool dominated the second half and United didn’t get much of a look in.  About the best chance came to Giggs who had come on for Carrick.  His long range shot was wonderful, but just to central and Reina was able to save it.

The whole United defence was a wobbly and I think that Patrice Evra never recovered properly from a clash of heads in the first half.  He looked dazed and confused immediately afterwards with the referee checking he was alright, and he seemed a bit out of it the whole game.

Liverpool’s winner came from the left, but it was Ryan Giggs at fault not Evra.  He failed to deal with a ball on his own goal line; neither putting it out nor shielding the ball properly.  Mascherano was able to take the ball off him and cross back to Babel who was able to bounce the ball into the net.

United didn’t have time to get an equalizer, but Vidic had time to commit two yellow card offenses and get sent off.  The first could probably have been a straight red as he was more or less the last man.  He’ll now miss the Chelsea game and with our defence in the poor form it is, he’ll be really missed.

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United’s midfield is stronger than the 99 team

Published by
Paul
at March 2, 2008 in Articles. 2 Comments

Scott the Red points out that Fergie is a bit sentimental after all

Sir Alex Ferguson has today said that despite not naturally being a sentimental man, he will certainly be starting Paul Scholes if United make it to the Champions League final again this season.

It’s interesting to note that United’s midfield in 99 picked itself. Scholes, Keane, Giggs and Beckham and there was very little in reserve. Now, you can’t name United’s best midfield with the exception of Ronaldo. One week Anderson is being brilliant, the next Scholes is back and is just as good. Should you pick the experience of Giggs or the youth of Nani?

Perhaps Fergie is right and this squad is better than the 99 team and will prove it in the Champions League this season. Both Scholes and Keane picked up bookings in the 2nd leg of the Semi Final against Juventus and whilst there is no one player in the side as important as Roy Keane was, you can imagine that a key midfielder in danger of missing the final would be rested in the 2nd leg.

If Scholes was a booking away from suspension, he wouldn’t start that second leg game and you’d know that Anderson would do a good job in his place. The exception to this, in midfield at least is Ronaldo who can usually be relied on not to pick up a stupid booking.

The midfield in the exception. Everyone knows the first choice keeper and defence. With Neville still injured Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra pick themselves for all but the easiest of games. Up front Rooney’s name would always be on the team sheet and when United play 4-4-2, Tevez will be alongside him.

The midfield is where you need to be fittest and it is going to be a key department in the league run in this season. Whilst Fabregas and Flamini will have played virtually every game for Arsenal; Scholes, Hargreaves, Anderson, Carrick and even Fletcher will have played a rotating role and be fit and fresh til the end of the season.

Last season United limped over the line in first place in the title run in and ran out of steam in the Champions League semi and FA Cup final. This season, I’m sure it won’t be a problem

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Lyon 1 Manchester United 1

Published by
Paul
at February 21, 2008 in Champions League and Reviews. 2 Comments

Lyon 1 (Benzema 54) Manchester United 1 (Tevez 87)

Carlos Tevez rescued United from an away defeat as they take a vital away goal advantage to the 2nd leg. Both teams started with a 4-5-1 formation that canceled each other out. Lyon broke through with a great individual goal from Benzema whilst United leveled once they changed formation to 4-4-2 showing that they had a greater strength in depth. Tevez Scores

There was a tough first half as both midfields fought and and battled with few chances for either team. Hargreaves and Anderson allowed Scholes to progress further forward and a beautiful through ball from Giggs put him into the box in a throwback to 10 years ago. Giggs created an even better chance for Rooney who was put through one on one with the keeper, only for Coupet to save well. Meanwhile, United’s back four were pressed but coped with the Lyon attack.

United started the second half strongly with much possession only for Benzema to create a goal. With 4 United players around him, he was able to find the gap and place the ball into net off the post. United were visibly shaken by this and Ferguson showed his squad had the numbers and ability to change games for him. The increasingly tired and ineffective Scholes and Giggs were replaced by Nani and Tevez. Hargreaves was later replaced by Carrick.

The effect was notably as United went to 4-4-2 and Rooney had a companion to play with again and nearly scored as they showed their telepathic understanding one touch to create a chance. Increasingly Lyon were pegged back and they attempted to change the game by removing Juninho for a more defence minded player and Benzema for the Brazilian Fred.

In the end it was the latter substitution that had the most effect, but for the worst. As United pressured late in the game, they won a corner. Initially cleared, the ball then fell to Carrick in the area who fired the ball goalward only for it to hit Fred. It was cleared again, only to Nani on the wing. He flighted a perfect cross into the box but there were no United players on the end of it. However, it bounced again off Fred, this time off his heal and straight into the path of Tevez. Tevez couldn’t miss from three yards out and the game was level.

United take a vital away goal into the home game at Old Trafford and any win or a 0-0 will see them through.

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Arsenal 5th Round Cup preview

Published by
Paul
at February 15, 2008 in Previews. 0 Comments

Due to a calendar malfunction, I’ll be away for this game.  I forgot to add the FA Cup tie dates into my diary.  I’m concentrating on the league and europe this season, ok?  Anyway, hopefully I’ll be able to find a TV screen in a pub or something up in Edinburgh to watch the game.  However, the omens are not good, on my previous visit to Edinburgh on a stag do, I watched Arsenal clinch the 98 title.  Amongst others, Tony Adams scored a cracker against Everton and I knew it was all over for that season.  Might have been earlier that 98, come to think of it, but I don’t tend to remember the seasons when Arsenal won the league.  I don’t remember too much of that stag do either, but that’s another matter.

Speaking of boozing, on a completely unrelated note, honestly, it’s sad to see Bryan Robson got relieved of his duties at Sheffield United.  Captain Fantastic was once down as a future United manager, but surely his career as a manager must be over now.

FA Cup 5th round and United are at home to Arsenal.  After the last two poor performances, United get back to form otherwise the Gunners will knock us out.  Having thought about the derby defeat, aside from missing Rooney the main problem was that United had nothing at all in midfield.  Ronaldo, Nani and Giggs cannot play in the same team at the same time.  Scholes and Anderson didn’t work as a central midfield pairing.  Scholes and Carrick we know works.  Hargreaves and Anderson works.  I think Scholes and Hargreaves would work as well and that would be my first choice for the remainder of this season and long time for Anderson to replace Scholes.

Tevez needs to play alongside someone.  Dunne and Richards totally bossed him, which I don’t think would be the case if Rooney had played.  So we lost out in midfield and up front.  Oh, and our defence had a shocker too.  We were lucky it was only 2-1 in retrospect.

Let’s hope for better against Arsenal and we’ll scrape through to the 6th round and dent Arsenal’s confidence in the process.

Any other United fans have a heart attack when they read about Ronaldo being out for 9 months and possibly having a career ending injury?  I breathed a lot easier when the news sites altered the headlines to “Milan’s Ronaldo ….”

And finally, what are the copycats at Liverpool up to?  Only starting an AFC Liverpool.   Now, forgive me if I’m wrong but didn’t the Anfield mob initially welcome their American owners with open arms?  It doesn’t look good when you then say “oh, but it turns out they are shite so we’ll bugger off”.  At least FC United were opposed to Glazer from the start.  I used to own a piece of Manchester United, but the Glazers took it against my will.

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