Benfica 1-1 Manchester United

A draw would have been a respectable result anyway, but given the team picked i was more than happy with it. I expected a few changes and for Fergie t o go for more experience, but i didn't expect so many changes.
The changes to the midfield were pedictable, but i hadn't read Valencia was anywhere near first team contension, so that was a bit of a turn up. The formation was our predictable 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 shape away from home in Europe, again not a suprise Fergie went for that against one of the better European clubs. It will be interesting to see whether that's always the case. I was suprised he made so many changes at the back. Our brilliant away record has been based on an generally unchanged back four with Vidic and Ferdinand at the heart of that defence, so there had to be changes, but i didn't think he would change the goalie or bring Fabio in at right back.
I thought United started the game quite well enjoying a fair amount of possession. But we weren't really threatening, one run from Valencia apart we never really looked like we had a goal in us. Benfica then got into the game and we came under pressure for the first time in the match. I thought we coped reasonably well given the changed nature of the back four. Evans has come in for a bit of stick for the goal, but i thought it was a great goal myself.
United responded well to the setback, which was a good sign for the season to come, but to be honest the equalising goal came from nowhere. But what a blinder it was as Giggs rolled back the years with a run and shot of the highest quality. I thought the half time scoreline was a fair reflection of the game, others didn't, i'm not sure why, Benfica didn't trouble Lindegaard that much.
The second half started similarly to the first with United enjoying a fair amount of possession without looking too threatening. The game into it's own with about twenty minutes as both sides decided to really go for it and the game became end to end. Hernandez came on but didn't really get into the game and Lindegaard made his second excellent save of the match.
I thought the scoreline was a probably the right one and was a pretty creditable result. As for performances, Lindegaard had a fairly eyecatching game, Ge Gea has serious competition for the number one spot. I love the onfidence, arrogance even that he brings with his game. I can't see him hanging around if he doesn't get a serious chance to claim the number one spot. As for the others Smalling grew into the game, this is part of his learning curve and the midfield looked what it was rusty with none of them having started a game so far this season. The debate over Carrick seemingly rages on, i was in the boozer watching the game and the amount of stick he got was unreal. I thought he did ok, i was bit more worried about Fletcher who looks like he needs plenty of game time, but can we afford to give it him.
I'm sure the changes will be rung again on Sunday for the visit of the rent boys, Young is sure to come back in, but who else and what formation we will play i haven't a clue. I'm looking forward to it though.

Lindegaard isn't here to pick his nose, that was a fucking great answer to a seriously stupid question. Fergie isn't very happy to be continually questioned over the goalkeeping position, though i think snap is a bit over the top.
Fergie reassures Berbatov that he will get games this season, he must be wondering when. I thought he would have been the more suitable substitution last night to be honest. I hope Fergie doesn't mean next weeks encounter at Leeds, i would have thought Owen would be the man to get picked there. I wonder whether he is thinking of starting him on Sunday, Chelsea won't be expecting that.

David Hopps looks at the mistakes that has seen one of the pre season favourites for the county championship, Yorkshire, relegated and leaderless.


John Kay argues in this Prospect piece that the last financial collapse of 2008 was a good crisis gone to waste. On a similar theme former MPC member professor Charles Goodhart warns MP's that Britain does not have the tools to cope with the potential fallout of a Euro crisis. Jeremy Warner warns that Europe's banks are staring into the abyss, the focus now is on French banks.
Paul Mason writes that behind the scene, the German establishment is starting to understand the seriousness of the current Eurozone situation and the devastating consequences for Germany, never mind the rest of Europe and wonders whether there could be " German Marshall plan for Europe ". If they have they had better get their finger out. Geitner urges Europe to act decisively on debt crisis, the yanks are beginning to panic now. The Eonomist argues that the Eurozone faces a fight for life and finsihes by remembering "In 2008 free-market Americans swallowed their misgivings to rescue Wall Street. Inflation-phobic Germans now face a similar choice". The Economist's Charlemagne column looks at Germany's Euro question, what do the Germans really want and argues nobody, not even the Germans themselves knows the answer. It does seem to chime with the idea put forward by Paul Mason that the terms of the debate within Germany itself are changing though.

MPC member Adam Posen calls on the government to intervene by starting up a state bank to help small business as he berates the " policy defeatism " of those in charge. David Blanchflower claims things are going to get worse as unemployment rises. Larry Elliott claims that the coalition's economic rebalancing strategy is delivering the downside but not the up.
Ha-Joon Chang argues Britain's political parties should wake up to reality and shed it's reliance on the city of London and rebuild its manufacturing base.

I have read one account of the siege of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury, but that was written during the Soviet era, so this new book by Anna Reid, reviewed here in the Spectator sounds like a must read book.