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Posted by PaulJ on 2010-11-10 @ 18:50:44 +0000

United’s record in Turkey offers some consolation for the successes Turkish
teams have enjoyed at Old Trafford. In six visits we have now won three, drawn
two and lost only one, that an embarrassing affair against Fenerbahçe in
December 2004 when we had already qualified and Ferguson fielded a weak team.
The three goals Tuncay scored that night are the only ones we have conceded in
the homeland of the Ottomans.

This was not only our first visit to the Bursa Ataturk Stadium, a modest place
which was not altogether full but whose occupants had a thing or two about
optimism and loyalty to teach to those of us who attend the Theatre of Mute
Sheep. It was our first European Cup venture into Asia; our visits to Russia
and Turkey have been within Europe and our game against Maccabi Haifa was played
in Cyprus.

We have not yet reached that stage of the competition where we traditionally
take risks by fielding inexperienced teams but a number of senior players are
injured or have viruses and the land of the ancient Trojans is no country for
old men. By and large the team which Ferguson selected was the best available.
It certainly proved good enough for the job.

Compared to the eleven which started against Tottenham, Chris Smalling was in
for Rio, whose bad back was considered reason enough to excuse him from a four
hour flight, Paul Scholes was in for Park and the one real surprise was Gabriel
Obertan for Hernández. One wondered if the flight path had crossed
Transylvania.

Seagulls to a man reported this as a routine win but to the fan made nervous by
this season’s surrenders it was not until the final stages that we could be
reasonably confident of all three points. One would expect the leaders and
current champions of the Süper Lig to be formidable opponents on their own turf
and Ye?il Timsahla, as they are known, looked assured on the ball, full of pace
and guile and tactically astute. It was strange, however, that a team in such
an exalted position should carry so little goal threat. To describe them as a
blunt instrument would falsely imply some crudity in approach. Far from it;
their manner was bongre but they thrust only a blunt rapier.

When Patrice Evra’s inexplicable and potentially suicidal backpass provided
Sercan Yildirim with by far the most incisive through ball of the first half, he
waited and weighted his pass perfectly, Turgay Bahadir’s first touch looked good
but his shot allowed Edwin van der Sar’s experience and nerve to deflect the
shot to safety. We could well have been in trouble going behind at that point
in front of such admirable fanaticism.

All their other attempts, however, and there were more than a dozen, were
straight at our goalkeeper. With the undemonstrative van der Sar one can never
be clear how much of this was down to his positioning skill and judgement, but
last night he was like a magnet for the ball which habitually flew straight at
him and stuck firm in his sure hands no matter how hard it had been struck.

While possession in the first period was pretty even, United had more chances.
Dimitar Berbatov shot too straight early on, then overhit a through ball for
Obertan. Evra who, his horrendous mistake apart, had a good night attacking up
the left, provided a number of telling crosses one of which Darren Fletcher
volleyed wide when he should have hit the target and Paul Scholes exchanged
passes with Ji-Sung Park, who had come on for the injured Nani, but handled the
ball before he put it away.

United nerves were calmed shortly after the resumption. Obertan, doing a
passable impersonation of the Argentinean whose name we do not allow to pass our
lips unless accompanied by a curse, robbed Gökçek Vederson just outside the
United area and advanced at pace in a great run all the way to the other end
where he fed Berbatov, who lost it. The ball, however, broke to Michael
Carrick, whose pass to Fletcher was almost identical to that which Yildirim had
provided Turgay in the first half. The outcome was different. Fletcher
controlled it and with his second touch drilled it hard and low across the
goalkeeper and inside the far post, probably taking a couple of minor touches
off desperate defenders along its path; 48 minutes 1-0.

Now United were enjoying most of the possession with Scholes in complete command
of the midfield. We lacked a final pass and this was frustrating to watch and
had much to do with a disappointing display by Berbatov, who had reverted to his
last season’s habits and was moping about the pitch and complaining at everyone
else. There were five offsides in the game, all of them down to him. He was
also standing offside for the first two goals, though on last night’s form he
could hardly have been accused of interfering with play. With our lone striker
in his teenage mood Bursaspor were looking the more incisive on the break except
their every attempt was drawn to the van der Sar magnet.

After an hour or so we brought on Bébé for Fletcher and straight away he put his
energy into a run which won a corner. Scholes headed it wide when he should
have hit the target, but relief from worry was not long in coming. Park’s run
ended when he delivered a ball to Obertan just outside the area. The young
Frenchman dragged it, turned and drove it ferociously, a fine goal. Made one,
scored one, he could hardly have done more to justify his selection; 73 minutes
2-0.

Ibrahim Öztürk went a little too close with a mishit overhead kick but ere long
another United attack broke down on the edge of the area and Scholes stole the
ball from a hesitant defender, went to shoot but instead delivered a perfectly
judged reverse pass and the man who read it was the big young Portuguese. Bébé
moved onto it smoothly and with Ali Tando?an allowing him no room, deftly
steered it into the bottom corner from fifteen yards; 77 minutes 3-0.

Fábio da Silva came on for Evra but United played possession football now to a
backdrop of amazing vocal support as the home fans danced and chanted their
loyalties as if it were a night of triumph. Their stadium might be humble but
they are Champions of their country, I’ll wager they are not steeped in debt and
starved by usury, and hundreds of them let their soul clap its hands and sing,
and louder sing.

There was time for another great run by Bébé, who delivered a ball to Berbatov
from which we should have scored the fourth goal. With time and space in
abundance Berbatov went for the spectacular, curling it delicately outside the
far post. It just about summed up his night but it did not matter in the short
term. United were top of the group with ten points, needing a draw in Glasgow
to qualify with a game to spare.

Bursaspor are now out of the competition and, barring two good results, out of
the reckoning for the Europa Cup consolation prize. Their fans deserve more, we
could do with their like in the North Stand; come from the holy fire and be the
singing masters or our souls.

Paul Andrew James

Posted by Bill on 2010-11-03 @ 1:02:58 +0000

Manchester United shrugged off the loss of star man Nani to claim a very impressive Champions League win over Bursaspor.

Second-half goals from Darren Fletcher, Gabriel Obertan and Bebe extended United's unbeaten record in all competitions to 23 and ensured they only require a draw against Rangers at Ibrox on November 24 to claim their customary place in the knockout phase with a game to spare.

And, as Nani is already rated doubtful to face Wolves on Saturday after limping off with a groin injury midway through the opening period, Sir Alex Ferguson must have been delighted that two of his back-up wide-men followed up Fletcher's opener - only his second Champions League goal in his 50th appearance in the competition - to seal a comfortable win.

Already without 10 players on this trip, including the rested Rio Ferdinand, who was engaged in an entertaining Twitter spat with Robbie Savage, United could ill afford to lose anyone else.

In Antonio Valencia's long-term absence, Nani has stepped into the breach superbly this term, shouldering so much responsibility attacking from wide positions, drawing high praise from Arsene Wenger on Monday.

As the Portugal winger made his way to the bench after the briefest of delays for treatment, not even waiting for Park Ji-sung to get ready to replace him, Ferguson could only hope the winger's problem is a minor one given a number of key Premier League encounters await, not least next Wednesday's Manchester derby at Eastlands.

Not that Nani had actually been too threatening on this occasion.

It was Obertan, making only his second start of the season, who took that role, providing the well executed pass which provided lone frontman Dimitar Berbatov with his clearest sight of goal.

Unfortunately for United, the Bulgarian's well-struck effort flew straight at his fellow countryman Dimitar Ivankov.

Paul Scholes did not even manage that as he touched the ball with his standing leg after Berbatov had played him in, meaning his eventual shot was of the fresh-air variety, drawing a rueful smile from Ferguson.

Scholes did finish neatly before half-time but German official Wolfgang Stark had spotted his handball in the build-up, while Fletcher's volley was well struck but so far wide the man who provided the cross, Patrice Evra, ended up trying to nod it back into the area.

Bursaspor were marginally more dangerous, with Volkan Sen much improved on his woeful efforts at Old Trafford a fortnight ago when the Turkish champions slipped to defeat without much of a fight.

It was Turgay Bahadir who spurned the hosts' best chance though when Sercan Yildirim provided an intelligent square ball that invited a finish after United's defence had been exposed two-on-two.

Thankfully for the visitors, veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was alive to the danger, advanced quickly, and made an impressive block with his shoulder.

Rather than feel sorry for themselves, United used the interval to refocus.

Within two minutes it had paid dividends.

A concerted period of pressure around the Bursaspor box resulted in Michael Carrick picking out Fletcher with an excellent pass to the corner of a packed penalty area.

This time, Fletcher's aim was true and his shot rattled into the far corner.

Given his mounting injury problems, it was perhaps no surprise Ferguson opted to replace Fletcher not long afterwards after his fellow Scot had taken an awkward-looking tumble by the touchline.

Bebe was introduced to provide more width, although containing Sen appeared to be the key to a United victory and Nemanja Vidic was forced to make a well-timed intervention to prevent Yildirim reaching the playmaker's cross.

But any doubt over the outcome was ended 17 minutes from time when Park released Obertan, who intelligently stepped inside Ali Tandogan before crashing a shot into the roof of the Bursaspor net.

It was a neat way to claim his first United goal and on their next attack, the visitors had another with Bebe running on to Scholes' brilliantly disguised pass before calmly finishing from 10 yards.

Ferguson must have been as delighted with the scorers as the score.

Given the state of his medical room, two of his unsung heroes may have a big part to play in the coming weeks.

Teams:

Bursaspor Ivankov, Tandogan, Erdogan, Ibrahim Ozturk, Wederson, Bahadir, Svensson, Ergic, Sen (Odabasi 81), Insua (Nunez 75), Yildirim (Ipek 75).

Subs Not Used: Ozkan, Has, Keceli, Stepanov.

Man Utd Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Smalling, Vidic, Evra (Fabio Da Silva 80), Scholes, Carrick, Nani (Park 29), Fletcher (Bebe 62), Obertan, Berbatov.

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Brown, Hernandez, O'Shea.

Goals: Fletcher 48, Obertan 73, Bebe 77.

Att: 25,000

Ref: Wolfgang Stark (Germany).

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