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Topsy Turkey

The case for the prosecution. Sir Alex Ferguson himself observed at the Moscow match that last time we won our first three games we became complacent and ended up scrambling through by the skin of our teeth. Our Old Trafford record against Turkish sides is not all glory. I was there the night we blew an early two goal lead against Galatasaray to be knocked out on away goals, and on the night when David May, Superstar, deflected Elvir Bolic’s shot into his own net for Fenerbahce to destroy our proud forty year unbeaten record. Besiktas have climbed to second place in their league, defeating the leaders Fenerbahce 3-0 last weekend.

The case for the Defence? Besiktas had not won away in Europe in seven years. Their last two visits to these shores saw them conceding thirteen goals. Ferguson is criticised for not giving youth enough opportunity yet in similar circumstances in 1994 youngsters Simon Davies and David Beckham led a carefree 4-0 romp against Galatasaray. The last time we entertained a Turkish side we scored six and Rooney’s hat trick was an unnecessary decoration. Wolfsburg had obligingly lost in Moscow and the United team which stepped out of a warm tunnel onto a sodden winter pitch knew that we only needed a point to ensure top place; surely this was a rare opportunity to give last year’s successful Carling Cup side a taste of Europe.

This we did and came unstuck; the lessons of history. Even though we enjoyed superior possession, made nearly all the attacking, had an immense superiority in strikes for goal (though not in strikes on target) and might have had a penalty, we played with naivety and for much of the game with a lack of cohesion for most of it. We got what we deserved; gamblers sometimes lose.

The team was not that weak. Ben Foster was in goal; World Cup year is turning out a bit of a nightmare for him but he is a full England international. With the single exception of Rafael, who had played well at right back on Saturday and was now playing at left back in place of Evra, the back four was arguably the strongest we could muster with Neville captain at right back and Brown and Vidic the only two senior centre halves to walk out of the treatment room unaided. Anderson, who was partnering Gibson in the middle, is young but experienced and classy. Park on the flank has played in a European Cup final (well, he turned up with his shirt and boots and appeared on the pitch). Obertan, on the other flank, has appeared in this competition for Bordeaux. Macheda and Welbeck have both scored fine goals.

We began with the enthusiasm of youth. Obertan up the right got a beauty of a pass from Park, had the better of the defence and before a minute was over had slung a beautiful cross which Kiko Macheda would have tapped into the net had he run in front of his marker and not behind him. Ji-Sung Park had a shot spilled by goalkeeper Rustu Recber, Gibson had a couple of efforts, the better of which took a huge deflection and span just over, Vidic ran free at a corner kick and was given a free header which he contrived to miss by a full quarter of a circle, Welbeck was looking quick footed and put in a wicked cross which was wasted, Gibson was looking almost Fletcheresque in the middle and when Macheda dribbled through most of the defence and shot wide it seemed clear that United were going to score and possible that we might need an abacus to keep count.

The lessons of history; it can’t have been news to the United coaching staff that Besiktas like to play on the break, and how many times at this level have our defenders backed off and conceded long distance strikes? Rafael was slower than he might have been to regain his position after a sortie, Vidic covered for him and indicated where he had to go but he neither took up the vacant central position nor closed down Rodrigo Tello as the Chilean moved towards goal pondering his options. Then to cap it all he turned his back when Tello’s shot came and deflected a fierce strike just beyond the reach of Foster, who got the fingertips of his right hand to it but could not keep it out; 20 minutes 0-1.

For the following seventy minutes a team picked for a youthful romp looked out of its depth in dealing with doggedly determined opponents. Even the experienced players, Vidic, Neville and Anderson began to give away the ball. Apart from Welbeck and Obertan on the right flank before the interval and Park all over the place after it the massed ranks of a Turkish defence were capable of holding our effort at bay with relatively few scares. When Welbeck released Obertan brilliantly and Rustu saved it just before half time it was our second shot on target. Seconds before the break the away side broke, Wes Brown was left watching two players and challenging neither, Bobo gave it to Michael Fink and with the goal at his mercy and Foster in no position to save an accurate shot, the German hit the outside of the post.

A cold wet night at the Theatre of Comebacks, the crowd, though depleted in number (do not trust the Glazer lie about its size) surprisingly positive in its support, surely we could expect the second half onslaught? None of it! After the break Park did his best and ran his socks off; it was unfortunate that the three chances fell to him.

Ferguson would normally have started the substitutions around the hour but he seemed to have decided that if the lads needed experience they also deserved the chance to dig themselves out of the hole. There were therefore only twenty minutes left when Owen came on for Park. I could not fathom the great cheer. One goal-shy goal-spurning dwarf replacing another with a greater work rate; I noticed two Owen touches; I might be unfair but I am not going to condemn myself to watching a recording for a recount. Before and after the change the forwards were simply not reading one another; Obertan was looking the promising but inexperienced player he is now the pressure was on, all wrong decisions.

Having addressed the striking problem, we brought on Carrick for Gibson and, most tellingly, Evra for Rafael; it is not that Rafael is not a good player, it is that Evra is such a good one, particularly in attack. By now there were fifteen minutes to go, which is not a lot of time to warm to the pace and get your eye in, unless you are Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Neville was playing a captain’s part, working hard and putting in some good balls forward. Alongside Carrick, Anderson appeared twice the player he had next to Gibson. Carrick had two or three shots. Evra looked dangerous and could have won a penalty when Ibrahim Kas brought him down with an arm but the referee was close by and a Frenchman who has gone public in support of Thierry Henry’s cheating may have swayed a finely balanced moment. On last night’s form we would have probably have missed the penalty anyway.

It took the referee’s award of five minutes added time to wake us up and suddenly we were doing what we should have been doing thirty minutes earlier. At last we tested Rustu to the limit. A superb move powered by Anderson, a touch from Owen, a perfect cut back by Anderson and Macheda’s header saved to the goalkeeper’s left. Then from Anderson’s corner Wes Brown executed a brilliant header under pressure and the save was truly spectacular.

It was too little, too late. True, avoidance of defeat in Wolfsburg will still enable us to go through to the knockout stages of Europe’s top competition as group winners. We might go through as runners-up and blaze our way to glory. But at this point it seems ironic that the front cover of last night’s United Review proclaimed “We’re through, now for top spot”. Gobble gobble. At Thanksgiving it’s meant to be the turkey that gets eaten.

Paul James