Hello,
Ok, I have had a few days to think about this. There are so many angles to which to talk about this game but I think you have heard them all so I will not do too in depth. I would like to talk about a few things however.
The best way to deal with threats such a Robben and Ribbery is to force them backwards. United has done this very well over the years, especially when winning trophies against big clubs. This way, the big players are not attacking and, if they do get the ball, they are further away from our net. Pretty simple. United has to attack. They did that in the first half until Rooney re-hurt his ankle. Valancia, Nani and Rafael were all attacking at pace. Young Rafael made Ribbery look pretty average until his sending off. United attacked, drove Bayern back, scored three goals and looked in control. Then, Rooney hurt himself and clearly lost a lot in terms of speed. Bayern noticed this and started pushing their back line up as Rooney was no threat on the counter. When the back line moved up, so did Robben and Ribbery. I will discuss Rooney a bit later.
Was the referee uneven? Many United fans say so. Trying to be unbiased, I would say the referee got 90% of the calls correct against Rafael but seemed to not warn or card Ribbery for retaliation in the same situation. What really bothered me was the lack of cards being handed out to the Bayern defenders who clearly kicked Rooney in the leg, no attempt to play the ball. Bayern were smart and played to the referee's attention.
Bayern's first goal at the end of the first half saw terrible defending by Carrick to say the least. He was in front of his man and the flow of play was moving against the Bayern player. Sometime tells me Fergie had a word with him in dressing room. For more opinion on this, see Ben's opinion on our RED RANT blog.
Now, what happened in the second half. Clearly, Rafeal's sending off played the biggest factor in the game. Even 11-11, United probably would have held Bayern to one goal. I once again wonder what Sir Alex was thinking in leaving Rooney out there. I mean, it is clear that he has no confidence in Burba. He would rather send in a player not 100% in his place. I am not saying Sir Alex was risking Rooney's season as he would not do that. Rooney and the medical staff probably gave the ok. Still, once he re-hurt himself, he still did not put Burba in, even up by a goal on aggregate. That sends a message to we the fans.
Speed is what got us a head in both legs. The opening goal in Bayern was off a corner created by pace and speed. The opening three goals at Old Trafford created by pace and speed. When Rooney was hurt, they no longer considered him a threat and were able to use men concerned with Rooney to close down the wingers not to mention playing on Rafael's inexperience. If Sir Alex was content to defend, why not bring in Macheda who is young and fast to at least make Bayern's back line think about it. He could be at least a threat with speed and could run back to defend. Rooney was just standing there, limping. Instead, he left Rooney out there too long and was not a threat. Confusing for this fan.
Have a look at the goals for Bayern. Many were botched defensive plays.
Disappointing.
Well, this is my last post till the new season. It has been a pleasure to do the cup competitions match reports and I hope to see you all here next season.
Cheers and thanks to everyone in the club.
Derek
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment