I'm still totally gutted about last night, yes there were positives to come out of the tie, but that's not much consolation at the moment. If we had got the victory we looked as if we were heading to, before the game changing sending off, we would have had a great chance of getting to Wembley, and this time of winning the final. The way the game went and the way the sending off happened, kept bringing back memories off Bayern Munich at home, a couple of years back, when if we had got through that night we were almost assured a place in the final, Lyon were that poor.
I was as surprised as the next red when i saw the team, i was surprised but not shocked he had picked Nani, but i was amazed he'd left Rooney out. I was also taken aback by the inclusion of Vidic in front of Evans, that's the first time he's played back to back games since doing his knee. More often than not, Fergie gets these things right though, and given our first half showing and our start to the second half, Fergie the bold was vindicated. The proof to that being the fact that Ronaldo couldn't get into the game at all until the sending off of Nani.
Welbeck's inclusion was not a surprise, but the position he was given, slightly behind Van Persie was another big call, and once again, Danny did not let anybody down. He did his job defensively and was probably our most dangerous forward, perhaps alongside Nani. His runs and ability to keep the ball in tight spaces were invaluable. It has to be said, that over the two legs, Van Perise was a bit of a let down, he didn't have bad games, but didn't impose himself as much as he or we would have liked. It was a pity neither man seemed to have their shooting boots on though. As to the omission of Rooney, he may not have liked it, but he can't really have any complaints. Whether it's the end for him at United, time will tell, maybe those Lewandowski rumours have something behind them after all.
I wouldn't say United dominated the first half, out tactics of sitting back and trying to catch them on the counter saw to the that. But we were the better team, and the only team that looked capable of getting that all important first goal. Vidic hit a post and Welbeck forced a save from their goalie, when he possibly should have scored. Yet again Real Madrid came to United and their goalie had a bit of blinder making important saves in both first and second half's.
When we took the lead, it really looked like we would go on to clinch victory and a place in the quarter finals. And then came the sending off. It was a daft tackle, that has to be said, we all know what European referee's are like about raised feet. It was never a sending off in the premier league, but it was a hostage to fortune in an important European tie. I wasn't surprised when the red card came, as soon as the challenge went in, the Turkish official was steaming towards Nani with a body language that made me fear the worst.
Of course down to ten men, all United's pre-match tactics went out of the window, and for ten minutes or so Real were all over us and got the two goals that effectively killed the game off. Or should have killed it off, as United then got back into the game and had two or three great chances to equalise, the best chance falling to Rooney who haplessly blasted it over the bar. True Real created chances on the counter with Ronaldo at last free of the shackles, but the way Real wilted towards the end suggested to me if we had got a second we may well have got a third. I can't say i was overly impressed with Real Madrid either, take Ronaldo out of that side and it would be distinctly average. Yes Modric did well when he came on, but once again he was playing against ten men, I'm still no big fan of his.
So no treble, but the double is still on, i would have settled for one trophy at the beginning of the season, so life goes on, it hurts so much more though, when you know that this was a year when we were good enough to win a fourth European champions title.
I was as surprised as the next red when i saw the team, i was surprised but not shocked he had picked Nani, but i was amazed he'd left Rooney out. I was also taken aback by the inclusion of Vidic in front of Evans, that's the first time he's played back to back games since doing his knee. More often than not, Fergie gets these things right though, and given our first half showing and our start to the second half, Fergie the bold was vindicated. The proof to that being the fact that Ronaldo couldn't get into the game at all until the sending off of Nani.
Welbeck's inclusion was not a surprise, but the position he was given, slightly behind Van Persie was another big call, and once again, Danny did not let anybody down. He did his job defensively and was probably our most dangerous forward, perhaps alongside Nani. His runs and ability to keep the ball in tight spaces were invaluable. It has to be said, that over the two legs, Van Perise was a bit of a let down, he didn't have bad games, but didn't impose himself as much as he or we would have liked. It was a pity neither man seemed to have their shooting boots on though. As to the omission of Rooney, he may not have liked it, but he can't really have any complaints. Whether it's the end for him at United, time will tell, maybe those Lewandowski rumours have something behind them after all.
I wouldn't say United dominated the first half, out tactics of sitting back and trying to catch them on the counter saw to the that. But we were the better team, and the only team that looked capable of getting that all important first goal. Vidic hit a post and Welbeck forced a save from their goalie, when he possibly should have scored. Yet again Real Madrid came to United and their goalie had a bit of blinder making important saves in both first and second half's.
When we took the lead, it really looked like we would go on to clinch victory and a place in the quarter finals. And then came the sending off. It was a daft tackle, that has to be said, we all know what European referee's are like about raised feet. It was never a sending off in the premier league, but it was a hostage to fortune in an important European tie. I wasn't surprised when the red card came, as soon as the challenge went in, the Turkish official was steaming towards Nani with a body language that made me fear the worst.
Of course down to ten men, all United's pre-match tactics went out of the window, and for ten minutes or so Real were all over us and got the two goals that effectively killed the game off. Or should have killed it off, as United then got back into the game and had two or three great chances to equalise, the best chance falling to Rooney who haplessly blasted it over the bar. True Real created chances on the counter with Ronaldo at last free of the shackles, but the way Real wilted towards the end suggested to me if we had got a second we may well have got a third. I can't say i was overly impressed with Real Madrid either, take Ronaldo out of that side and it would be distinctly average. Yes Modric did well when he came on, but once again he was playing against ten men, I'm still no big fan of his.
So no treble, but the double is still on, i would have settled for one trophy at the beginning of the season, so life goes on, it hurts so much more though, when you know that this was a year when we were good enough to win a fourth European champions title.
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