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Posted by PaulJ on 2009-10-23 @ 6:54:04 +0000

The Cure for Boredom

Manchester United have played 278 games in European competitions since that first trip to Anderlecht in 1956 and despite the conceptual excitement of watching football played at the highest level the majority of these games have been dull. It is tempting but wrong to think that this has become more marked in recent times, that the European games of the past more often lived up to their billing in an era of flamboyant attack, unscientific defence and sporting chivalry. All that has happened is that we have become familiar with opponents from across The Channel and it no longer gives a little frisson just to be playing exotic foreigners. The competition that gave us probably the greatest football match of all time with Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt usually provides us with the best forgotten. The group format has not helped the excitement, though in the days when United’s away form made it difficult to win two legged ties it enabled our greater success.

Our revisitation of the Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday was certainly not a game for the archive. They had torn up the grass on which John Terry so brilliantly skidded in 2008 and reverted to their artificial surface, the stadium had huge swathes of empty seats and the home side employed the play-it-safe-and-see strategy and a pair of identical twins. They are managed by Juande Ramos, lately sacked by Tottenham, they are fourth in their league and sponsored by an airline most of us would rather not fly with (just as we are sponsored by a company most of us would rather not insure with!).

United’s aim was to avoid any undue embarrassment and any disciplinary or injury problems and to survive in good heart a long trip to the far side of the continent to return ready for the really challenging cultural experience of a thirty five mile ride on Sunday to another planet.

The news during the week was of those left behind in Manchester; Rooney, Evra, Giggs, Fletcher. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see that the team was not too weak; Van der Sar in goal, Neville and Fabio at full back, Rio and Vidic together in the centre of defence, Nani and Valencia on the flanks, Scholes, O’Shea and Anderson in midfield and Berbatov as a lone striker.
The team generally played well. Fabio was full of running and effort and heavily involved; he made some mistakes but it is too easy to forget he is still a nineteen year old. Nani was tricky and entertaining; his decision making still lapses into Kieran Richardson mould but he had a good game and made the goal. Valencia undoubtedly had his best game yet in a United side; more than that, he was good. Any disappointment was with one or two of the more senior players. Berbatov was a deeply unhappy teenager of pouts and shrugs while he played alone up front and Vidic made errors which pre-Torres would have astonished; his rehabilitation is far from complete and I dearly hope his nemesis remains unfit for Sunday.

The Sky Sports television commentary was effusive about the quality of the United performance and though it is true to say that we had control over proceedings for most of the match, it was not that good. Until the last few minutes we made few chances, failed to score, and with Fabio’s inexperience and Vidic’s occasional carelessness offered the kind of openings that could easily have led to a one nil defeat such as those we suffered at Kobenhavn and Celtic.

The first half began with a back pass from Vidic into No Man’s Land; from the resulting problem Vidic lost the ball again and Milos Krasic went on a decent run. Krasic, a Serb, had a good first half and looked tricky; his dangerous cross shot rolled narrowly wide of the post and he had a goalbound header just before the interval. United attacked mainly up the left where Nani and Fabio showed their enthusiasm but control and possession led to little in the way of goalmouth action; no-one was there for most of the crosses and of the long shots the goalkeeper struggled only with one of Paul Scholes’. Towards the end of the half Vidic caused some excitement by delivering another bad backpass, twice.

United looked livelier after the interval and began going through the middle as well as round the flanks but after a handful of half chances Fabio’s clearance was intercepted and quick as a flash it was through for Alan Dgazoev to steer into the net. The offside given against him looked hairsbreadth. Just before the hour Ferguson, as promised, took off Ferdinand and brought on Wes Brown.

CSKA captain and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, allegedly sought by Ferguson, had crawled from his fever bed to be in the side and as the game entered its final quarter he at last began to get some regular action. A typical Nani effort was well wide but the bulky Russian stretched low and left to keep out Nani’s diving header and shortly afterwards made a good old fashioned save at feet in a pretty robust challenge from Nani. Still we were tempting fate; a free kick from thirty yards curled over the heads and into the goalmouth and as Vidic turned towards goal to deal with it Van der Sar was nearly as relieved as I was to see the defender’s touch go just wide.

Owen came on for Scholes with twenty minutes left and it was impossible to believe from what he did on this night that he had once scored a hat trick in Moscow. His air shot at Valencia’s clever cross was the first of his unhelpful contributions and for ten minutes after his introduction we seemed to lose impetus again.

Nevertheless the resulting 4-4-2 combination eventually swung the balance in our favour because a happier Berbatov became more involved. Still we flirted with danger, another mistake from Fabio, Wes allowing the ball over his head and an interception in the nick of time from O’Shea.

At last, as the minutes ticked by and the steam began to rise from the players as from horses in the paddock or Bruce Springsteen at an open air concert, there was some decent United action. It came from Valencia. He collected O’Shea’s pass just their side of the centre circle, worked his way through the heart of their defence by playing one-twos in quick succession with Berbatov and Nani (twice) and cracked a super shot against the bar from twenty yards. Two minutes later Berbatov put a good ball from Anderson over the top and two minutes after that Fabio halted a dangerous counter attack with a clean tackle in the corner of our area.

He went down injured and Van der Sar tried to get the game stopped but Danish referee Claus bo Larsen ignored him and United attacked. Nani crossed from the left, Berbatov rose high and his header fell toward the far post where Valencia, running outside Aleski Berezutski, one of the twins, did very well to stretch out a leg and crack it more or less through the goalkeeper and into the net; 86 minutes 1-0. As the team celebrated Fabio was going off on a stretcher with cramp.

There was still time for Berbatov to feed Valencia again and for Anderson’s shot which was unluckily deflected just wide, and for substitute Nika Piliev to give us a palpitation as he moved in on another free kick over the top, and that was that. Our first win against a Russian side, our first goal in Russia, nine points from three games, five points clear of second placed Wolfsburg, and fourteen successive away games in this competition without defeat, a record we now share with Ajax.

The late flurry was an acceptable way for the lads to relieve the boredom.

Paul James

Posted by Bill on 2009-10-22 @ 2:36:52 +0000

Antonio Valencia struck a late winner as Manchester United maintained their 100% record in Champions League Group B at the expense of CSKA Moscow.

Chances had been at a premium on the artificial surface of the Luzhniki Stadium - scene of United's final victory in 2008 - but United finished strongly.

Valencia, who celebrated his first United goal last weekend, doubled his tally for the club five minutes from time, moments after rattling the crossbar with a fierce drive.

Nani had earlier gone close with a firm header from a Gary Neville cross while a bouncing 35-yard effort from Paul Scholes in the first half forced Igor Akinfeev to save.

United, who are now well on course for a place in the knockout stages, can now look forward to Sunday's Premier League trip to troubled rivals Liverpool in high spirits.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, perhaps with Anfield in mind, made five changes from the side victorious over Bolton last time out.

Nemanja Vidic returned to the centre of defence while John O'Shea and Scholes were included in central midfield.

Nani and Fabio also came in on the left and formed a good attacking partnership on a flank that proved United's most productive route forward.

Ferguson's suggestion the game would be played on the ground due to the nature of the pitch was true in the early stages as both sides began patiently.

CSKA had the first shot on goal when the dangerous Milos Krasic took advantage of hesitancy from his fellow Serb Vidic but fired wide from outside the box after a weaving run.

United began to assert themselves more midway through the first half and O'Shea had a cross headed clear by Sergei Ignashevich.

Fabio also found room to cross twice in quick succession but former Wigan star Valencia was first crowded out and then Akinfeev easily claimed.

Scholes, playing in a deep-lying role, had the visitors' first shot with a dipping long-range effort that bounced awkwardly and Akinfeev touched over for a corner.

CSKA responded with Alan Dzagoev lifting a ball into the box but Tomas Necid's header was of little concern to Edwin van der Sar.

United again attacked down the left and another Nani cross was just too high for lone striker Dimitar Berbatov at the far post.

Krasic, who looked CSKA's most threatening player, beat two defenders to create another chance just inside the area but shot across goal.

Nani again broke clear for United before the break but Neville shot over after the ball worked its way across goal.

United had a scare moments before the interval when a Dzagoev free-kick was cleared unconvincingly for a corner.

The second half got off to a lively start with chances at both ends.

Nani raced through from a Valencia backheel only to find no-one with his cross while Berbatov controlled well but saw his shot blocked.

Necid then brought down the ball brilliantly outside the United box but after doing the hard work, his shot was tame.

Deividas Semberas then shot well over and Dzagoev had the ball in the net before the hour but the flag had long since been raised for offside and home celebrations were quickly curtailed.

Berbatov flicked the ball into the area for United but his attempts to win a penalty from Aleksei Berezutski came to nothing when he was booked for diving.

United took Rio Ferdinand off with a third of the game remaining and created a chance soon after when Neville crossed for Nani but Akinfeev saved.

Michael Owen was introduced as a 71st-minute substitute for Scholes and had a fine opportunity when Valencia crossed five minutes later but he failed to connect with a volley.

Valencia went much closer eight minutes from time when he combined well with Berbatov and Nani on the edge of the area but his powerful shot rebounded off the woodwork.

Not to be denied, Valencia went one better five minutes from time when he latched onto a downward header from Berbatov and turned six yards out to lash in the winner.

United's only obvious concern came late on when Fabio was carried off on a stretcher, apparently with cramp.

Teams:

CSKA Moscow Akinfeev, Odiah, Vasili Berezutsky, Ignashevich,Alexei Berezutsky, Krasic, Semberas,Rahimic (Daniel Carvalho 90), Shchennikov (Mamaev 62), Dzagoev,Necid (Piliev 73).

Subs Not Used: Pomazan, Aldonin, Oliseh, Grigoriev.

Man Utd Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand (Brown 57), Vidic,Fabio Da Silva (Carrick 88), O'Shea, Valencia,Scholes (Owen 71), Anderson, Nani, Berbatov.

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Welbeck, Jonathan Evans, Macheda.

Booked: Berbatov.

Goals: Valencia 86.

Att: 37,500

Ref: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark).

sportinglife.com

Posted by Barry on 2009-10-17 @ 17:51:46 +0000

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says Wayne Rooney is out of tomorrow's clash with Bolton Wanderers.

Ferguson does retain an outside hope that Rooney will be available for Wednesday's Champions League trip to CSKA Moscow, although a return for the key clash with Liverpool at Anfield on October 25 is more likely.

"Calf injuries can be troublesome," said Ferguson.

"We are trying our best to get him fit for Wednesday but I have my doubts on that. But Wayne should be fit for the Liverpool game.

"We know how difficult these things can be so we will not be taking any chances with the Moscow trip."