Posts
I know it's still after-CL chit chat time, but could not resist this one.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090309/jsp/sports/story_10645795.jsp
In short, the proposal is to take the top 25 Indian players, pay their salaries till 2011 and keep them away from club football, to prepare them for the AFC cup.
Has something like this ever been heard of?
As far as I see, this is too crazy to contemplate.
What happens if after keeping the players isolated for all that time and preparing brilliantly, we have a poor showing and get knocked out with three defeats? Is it a risk worth taking?
Clubs will have moved on by then and if their performance does not attract interest, will there be enough takers to absorb the entire group back into club football?
What if in 2010 a new kid with mega talent emerges? Do you not include him in the group? Do you throw someone out to keep the group limited to 25? Or do you just keep adding to the group and end with 30 players, not all of whom will even make the trip for the Cup?
Personally, while I am excited to see that ambition exists, I cannot get myself to agree that this will work. For one, while the National Coach’s interests may be limited to the National Team only, the AIFF is responsible for the game at all levels in the country and cannot ignore the interests of the Leagues and the Clubs. Second, if the AIFF believes that such a sum of money can be raised, then why not use it for something lasting like good infrastructure development, training of coaches and grass roots level football programs, than for paying the salary of players, an expense that is already being borne by the clubs today.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sevilla v Almeria, La Liga, March 8
Way below the suddenly engrossing battle for top spot in Spain, sit Sevilla in third signaling they are again ready to aspire to match the glory days they attained under Juande Ramos’ reign. Surprisingly Manolo Jimenez finds himself under intense pressure to keep his job but that for me is more a reflection of the times than his own or his team’s performance on the pitch.
Sevilla dominated the first half completely and tenth placed Almeria never once threatened the home side’s goal. Sevilla had the lead in the fifth minute, after Kanoute trapped a cross from the left from Romaric and finished efficiently. Later on replays showed that Kanoue had handled the ball but it was too late to change the score by then.
Almeria had a better second half and they threatened a lot more. They fell two behind however, when Kanoute trapped a pass from Capel and set up Renato who managed to steer the ball into the net even though he completely misconnected. He had already missed a sitter before and was fortunate to score on a day when his performance was distinctly average. Fortune though was smiling gently on the entire Sevilla team as it turned out that Kanoute was well offside when the ball was played to him and the second goal should not have been either. Almeria kept pushing on and at least they got a consolation goal through a penalty which was the least they deserved for their second half showing as well as the crushing impact of bad decisions.
Now I come to the part, which had made me eager to write this post since I saw the game.
First, the performance of Romaric, the Ivory Coast strongman. Midfielder with a preference for the left foot who can be found everywhere on the pitch. Tough tacking, hard working and creative. It’s not funny the number of quality midfielders who are out there, and it is stunning to note that none of them is at Arsenal.
Second, Crusat the little known Spaniard playing attacking midfield for Almeria. Made major impact and has the ability to pull his team up. If he ever moves to a bigger club, he could make a name for himself.
Third, Diego Perotti. Twenty year old Argentine forward who switched from left wing to right with ease on debut and seemed very very gifted. Watch out for this guy!
Been a long time since I saw either Barca or Real play ninety minutes but any dose of La Liga is good for the mood and add to that the joy of discovering players you didn’t know about and the weekend seems to have been very productive indeed. One final word, Kanoute plays very much like Anelka and looks a little similar too.
Sevilla dominated the first half completely and tenth placed Almeria never once threatened the home side’s goal. Sevilla had the lead in the fifth minute, after Kanoute trapped a cross from the left from Romaric and finished efficiently. Later on replays showed that Kanoue had handled the ball but it was too late to change the score by then.
Almeria had a better second half and they threatened a lot more. They fell two behind however, when Kanoute trapped a pass from Capel and set up Renato who managed to steer the ball into the net even though he completely misconnected. He had already missed a sitter before and was fortunate to score on a day when his performance was distinctly average. Fortune though was smiling gently on the entire Sevilla team as it turned out that Kanoute was well offside when the ball was played to him and the second goal should not have been either. Almeria kept pushing on and at least they got a consolation goal through a penalty which was the least they deserved for their second half showing as well as the crushing impact of bad decisions.
Now I come to the part, which had made me eager to write this post since I saw the game.
First, the performance of Romaric, the Ivory Coast strongman. Midfielder with a preference for the left foot who can be found everywhere on the pitch. Tough tacking, hard working and creative. It’s not funny the number of quality midfielders who are out there, and it is stunning to note that none of them is at Arsenal.
Second, Crusat the little known Spaniard playing attacking midfield for Almeria. Made major impact and has the ability to pull his team up. If he ever moves to a bigger club, he could make a name for himself.
Third, Diego Perotti. Twenty year old Argentine forward who switched from left wing to right with ease on debut and seemed very very gifted. Watch out for this guy!
Been a long time since I saw either Barca or Real play ninety minutes but any dose of La Liga is good for the mood and add to that the joy of discovering players you didn’t know about and the weekend seems to have been very productive indeed. One final word, Kanoute plays very much like Anelka and looks a little similar too.
Everton v Middlesbrough, FA Cup, March 8
If football was like tennis or something then maybe this one would have been a tie. Boro clearly won the first half and Everton the second and no one would have complained. Sadly, no one appointed any judges to score football games and Boro lost this one by the odd goal in three.
There’s not too much to add to that. It was a fun-filled cup game with lots of attacking play.
There were moments of goalkeeping madness at both ends though Boro paid a heavier price as Everton equalized through a goalkeeping blunder and completely took charge of the game after that. And to rub salt into Boro wounds, they scored twice in their period of domination where the visitors managed only one in their supremely commanding first half performace.
The usual suspects looked good for both the teams: Tuncay and Downing for Boro, Fellaini, Cahill, Pienaar for Everton. I think Pienaar is slightly underrated and could be very useful in a top four side, though there does seem to be an obvious lack of vacany in these positions at any of the really big clubs. Maybe that’s why Moyes has managed to keep him and that’s good for him and Everton.
Everton will take on Sir Alex and his boys in the semi-final and I will be rooting for them to win this one. Two non big four winners in two years will be a delightful occurrence in these times. It won’t be easy but you were never going to win this thing without defeating Man U anyway and if Everton do pull that off, they will have put some fear in their opponent hearts come Cup final day in 2009.
There’s not too much to add to that. It was a fun-filled cup game with lots of attacking play.
There were moments of goalkeeping madness at both ends though Boro paid a heavier price as Everton equalized through a goalkeeping blunder and completely took charge of the game after that. And to rub salt into Boro wounds, they scored twice in their period of domination where the visitors managed only one in their supremely commanding first half performace.
The usual suspects looked good for both the teams: Tuncay and Downing for Boro, Fellaini, Cahill, Pienaar for Everton. I think Pienaar is slightly underrated and could be very useful in a top four side, though there does seem to be an obvious lack of vacany in these positions at any of the really big clubs. Maybe that’s why Moyes has managed to keep him and that’s good for him and Everton.
Everton will take on Sir Alex and his boys in the semi-final and I will be rooting for them to win this one. Two non big four winners in two years will be a delightful occurrence in these times. It won’t be easy but you were never going to win this thing without defeating Man U anyway and if Everton do pull that off, they will have put some fear in their opponent hearts come Cup final day in 2009.
Arsenal v Burnely, FA Cup, March 8
I missed Eduardo’s wonder strike and only saw about the last forty minutes of the game but it was enough to be entertained. I know Eduardo has all the headlines (and deservingly so) but it was hardly the only high point of the game and while I’m disappointed to have missed the first fifty minutes, I was equally thankful for having caught the next forty.
I’ve sometimes gotten irritated listening to people who rave about the ‘beautiful’ game that Arsenal play because frankly over the last eighteen months, glimpses of that beauty have been as rare as a bouncer in the Gunners’ starting line-up. I’m no pundit, but while it is great to pass the ball around slickly between a few players up front, I feel the absence of a sturdy midfield has basically meant a lot lesser of the ball with Arsenal in areas from where you engineer beautiful play. Hence a rare good one two or a smart back heel over a game has been touted of as beautiful play while they have been bull dozed off the centre of the park. Especially after the Cesc injury they have not had anyone capable of consistently making the beautiful passes that really count by freeing up strikers and setting them on their way to goal.
Burnley probably did not pose a similar threat to Arsenal and they prospered. While the front men kept doing the usual things, it was the influence that Diaby and Song and Eboue (after he moved to the middle) had, that made even skeptic me acknowledge that this side was more about fun than frustration. I would love to say that with Walcott and Eduardo already back and Cesc on his way back soon as well, we will see more such performances by Wenger’s boys. However, I am not convinced of that. I think the absence of a muscle man in the centre will continue to hurt them this season, and unlike Burnley, the challenges they face from premier league and Champion’s League season, will not allow them to replicate this fluency week in and week out.
Burnley did their bit to make the game exciting as well. The really cool aspect of Burnley’s play was their confidence with the ball and it was just amazing to see players in England take on the opposition and dribble past obstructions rather than look to hoof a direct ball somewhere. Absolutely delightful! They lacked the final pass and the finish but till Arsenal scored a third through Eboue, they had kept threatening to bring the deficit down to one goal and push their illustrious hosts till the very end.
I’ve sometimes gotten irritated listening to people who rave about the ‘beautiful’ game that Arsenal play because frankly over the last eighteen months, glimpses of that beauty have been as rare as a bouncer in the Gunners’ starting line-up. I’m no pundit, but while it is great to pass the ball around slickly between a few players up front, I feel the absence of a sturdy midfield has basically meant a lot lesser of the ball with Arsenal in areas from where you engineer beautiful play. Hence a rare good one two or a smart back heel over a game has been touted of as beautiful play while they have been bull dozed off the centre of the park. Especially after the Cesc injury they have not had anyone capable of consistently making the beautiful passes that really count by freeing up strikers and setting them on their way to goal.
Burnley probably did not pose a similar threat to Arsenal and they prospered. While the front men kept doing the usual things, it was the influence that Diaby and Song and Eboue (after he moved to the middle) had, that made even skeptic me acknowledge that this side was more about fun than frustration. I would love to say that with Walcott and Eduardo already back and Cesc on his way back soon as well, we will see more such performances by Wenger’s boys. However, I am not convinced of that. I think the absence of a muscle man in the centre will continue to hurt them this season, and unlike Burnley, the challenges they face from premier league and Champion’s League season, will not allow them to replicate this fluency week in and week out.
Burnley did their bit to make the game exciting as well. The really cool aspect of Burnley’s play was their confidence with the ball and it was just amazing to see players in England take on the opposition and dribble past obstructions rather than look to hoof a direct ball somewhere. Absolutely delightful! They lacked the final pass and the finish but till Arsenal scored a third through Eboue, they had kept threatening to bring the deficit down to one goal and push their illustrious hosts till the very end.
Fulham v Manchester United, FA Cup, March 7
Two goals from Tevez and one each from Rooney and Park ji Sung saw United reach the FA Cup semi-final yet again, but 4-0 just does not say it well enough.
Tevez and Rooney started up front and the midfield had Park and Fletcher as the wide players with Anderson supporting Carrick in the middle. Not standard personnel but definitely not unimpressive. However, the performance they put in would put many a great team to shame, including their very own first choice starting eleven (or whatever comes closest to that description).
I’ve been thinking of how to describe the way the Red Devils played and the only word I that comes close to describing it is ‘harmony’. It wasn’t just dominant, attractive and attacking but there was something more. It was as if each team member (in attack) read and understood what the other guy was looking to do and sometimes their passing and movement looked choreographed rather than instinctive and their play was truly a performance rather than a contest.
I have not often been convinced this season that United are anywhere near their peak, but if they keep reproducing this form, all opposition, leave alone Fulham will be swept aside.
Fulham for their part played almost as well as they could. Before the first United goal around the twentieth minute, they had in fact looked the better side. The United defense was often threatened and had multiple shaky moments which with some fortune did not cost them. And yet, it finished 4-0. I think all the Cottagers would have to say about this game is “Wow”.
Tevez and Rooney started up front and the midfield had Park and Fletcher as the wide players with Anderson supporting Carrick in the middle. Not standard personnel but definitely not unimpressive. However, the performance they put in would put many a great team to shame, including their very own first choice starting eleven (or whatever comes closest to that description).
I’ve been thinking of how to describe the way the Red Devils played and the only word I that comes close to describing it is ‘harmony’. It wasn’t just dominant, attractive and attacking but there was something more. It was as if each team member (in attack) read and understood what the other guy was looking to do and sometimes their passing and movement looked choreographed rather than instinctive and their play was truly a performance rather than a contest.
I have not often been convinced this season that United are anywhere near their peak, but if they keep reproducing this form, all opposition, leave alone Fulham will be swept aside.
Fulham for their part played almost as well as they could. Before the first United goal around the twentieth minute, they had in fact looked the better side. The United defense was often threatened and had multiple shaky moments which with some fortune did not cost them. And yet, it finished 4-0. I think all the Cottagers would have to say about this game is “Wow”.
Bangalore Super Division Again!
Karnataka Police faced Sports Authority of India as four of us from FC NGV made our way to the KSFA ground opposite the Garuda Mall in Bangalore on a sunny Friday afternoon. Four tickets for four of us was a change from the last time when we were offered two tickets for three people with the remaining twenty bucks going into the pocket of the man behind the counter. There was a slightly bigger crowd than last time and with a couple of female supporters thrown in, the place had a more vibrant feel to it.
The game was far superior to the first one we saw and it was a case of the organization of SAI against the flair of the cops. For most of the first half, SAI had ten men behind the ball and while they were prepared to face a lot of pressure, they never allowed the opposition any opportunity on goal. The policemen passed the ball well and varied their attacks from the centre and the flanks. They were clearly superior in terms of skill but there was enough evidence in the first few minutes that SAI would be difficult to break down.
The outstanding feature of SAI’s game was that whenever they did get possession, they knew how to keep it and while they seemed to lack pace and presence up front, they provided hints of the damage they could cause. The coppers kept the attacks up and in their number 10 they had an experienced attacking midfielder playing just behind the two strikers who was dictating play and trying to set his strikers free whenever he had the chance.
SAI scored the first goal against the run of play late in the first half when a couple of good passes allowed them to cross the ball from the right and a hard working SAI winger (who kept switching sides) was there to head the ball efficiently in. Incidentally the scorer happened to be someone who Anshu has played weekend football with, and it inevitably led to ‘loser’ jibes being directed at Anshu.
We expected the second half to be the same as the first and it started off pretty much in the same vein. The copper’s number ten was less involved and hence if anything, SAI seemed more comfortable in their defensive third. Then all of a sudden a Police player received a second horribly soft yellow card and had to leave the field. It seemed as if the world had turned against the police.
But just like we’ve seen Arsenal do at times recently, the side with the man down turned on the heat after their unjustly received punishment. Not for a moment did SAI’s numerical advantage become apparent over the half an hour or more that they had one. They had to defend wave after wave of attack and seemed vulnerable to crosses with yet another goalkeeper at this level found waving arms wildly every time a high ball came in the box. Yet this same goalkeeper also pulled off a stunning save to keep his side’s lead intact.
By the eightieth minute or so, it seemed unfair that the cops might have to go home without points. Their superiority did however pay off with an equalizer about five minutes from time. I can’t remember the goal at the moment but it had been coming. Not only was the attacking relentless, a number of SAI players had completely run out of steam and were hardly making any contribution on the pitch. Example, the SAI number ten who would not move five feet to receive a pass.
His counterpart on the other team was in a completely different mood all together. After a phase of disappearance from the game, he came into his own again and made a number of attempts to lob the ball behind defenders for his strikers to run into though none proved useful.
The assistant referee held up the sign for two minutes of injury time and as the ball rolled out for a SAI throw-in as the two minutes winded down, we prepared to leave. A foul throw meant that possession changed hands and it the throw reached Cop number ten around ten yards outside the SAI area. A quick look up, a lobbed shot that found the perfect spot in the net to sail into, a pumped fist and the match had been won with the last kick of the match. Simply stunning!
So ended another delightful outing. Hope to catch some more action and a few more teams. Hopefully HAL next.
Two games from the stands is very little experience to pass judgment on the state of football in Karnataka. Speed, stamina and skills all seem to be woefully below any level that the EPL fed spectator is used to. The mission should of course be to discover the story behind the performances and understand the factors that have led to the creation of existing standards. I won’t be surprised if many of the players hardly ever practice with the teams they represent. How these clubs exist, what is their role in player development and access to talent pool etc. are all mysteries which I hope to some day uncover. For the moment I’m looking forward to the next chance to support my local league.
The game was far superior to the first one we saw and it was a case of the organization of SAI against the flair of the cops. For most of the first half, SAI had ten men behind the ball and while they were prepared to face a lot of pressure, they never allowed the opposition any opportunity on goal. The policemen passed the ball well and varied their attacks from the centre and the flanks. They were clearly superior in terms of skill but there was enough evidence in the first few minutes that SAI would be difficult to break down.
The outstanding feature of SAI’s game was that whenever they did get possession, they knew how to keep it and while they seemed to lack pace and presence up front, they provided hints of the damage they could cause. The coppers kept the attacks up and in their number 10 they had an experienced attacking midfielder playing just behind the two strikers who was dictating play and trying to set his strikers free whenever he had the chance.
SAI scored the first goal against the run of play late in the first half when a couple of good passes allowed them to cross the ball from the right and a hard working SAI winger (who kept switching sides) was there to head the ball efficiently in. Incidentally the scorer happened to be someone who Anshu has played weekend football with, and it inevitably led to ‘loser’ jibes being directed at Anshu.
We expected the second half to be the same as the first and it started off pretty much in the same vein. The copper’s number ten was less involved and hence if anything, SAI seemed more comfortable in their defensive third. Then all of a sudden a Police player received a second horribly soft yellow card and had to leave the field. It seemed as if the world had turned against the police.
But just like we’ve seen Arsenal do at times recently, the side with the man down turned on the heat after their unjustly received punishment. Not for a moment did SAI’s numerical advantage become apparent over the half an hour or more that they had one. They had to defend wave after wave of attack and seemed vulnerable to crosses with yet another goalkeeper at this level found waving arms wildly every time a high ball came in the box. Yet this same goalkeeper also pulled off a stunning save to keep his side’s lead intact.
By the eightieth minute or so, it seemed unfair that the cops might have to go home without points. Their superiority did however pay off with an equalizer about five minutes from time. I can’t remember the goal at the moment but it had been coming. Not only was the attacking relentless, a number of SAI players had completely run out of steam and were hardly making any contribution on the pitch. Example, the SAI number ten who would not move five feet to receive a pass.
His counterpart on the other team was in a completely different mood all together. After a phase of disappearance from the game, he came into his own again and made a number of attempts to lob the ball behind defenders for his strikers to run into though none proved useful.
The assistant referee held up the sign for two minutes of injury time and as the ball rolled out for a SAI throw-in as the two minutes winded down, we prepared to leave. A foul throw meant that possession changed hands and it the throw reached Cop number ten around ten yards outside the SAI area. A quick look up, a lobbed shot that found the perfect spot in the net to sail into, a pumped fist and the match had been won with the last kick of the match. Simply stunning!
So ended another delightful outing. Hope to catch some more action and a few more teams. Hopefully HAL next.
Two games from the stands is very little experience to pass judgment on the state of football in Karnataka. Speed, stamina and skills all seem to be woefully below any level that the EPL fed spectator is used to. The mission should of course be to discover the story behind the performances and understand the factors that have led to the creation of existing standards. I won’t be surprised if many of the players hardly ever practice with the teams they represent. How these clubs exist, what is their role in player development and access to talent pool etc. are all mysteries which I hope to some day uncover. For the moment I’m looking forward to the next chance to support my local league.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Inter Milan v Manchester United, 24 February, Champions League
I remember a press conference from Mourinho’s time at Chelsea after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Quoting from memory, he said, “It was a very easy game to comment upon. In the first half, Manchester United play well, they score a goal. In the second half we play well, we score a goal.” I had been expecting the CL clash between his Inter and Manchester United to follow the same script and it did. Though someone erased the part about the goals.
The Red Devils lined up in a 4-4-2 (or maybe a 4-4-1-1) and thankfully for them, injury scares Evans and O’Shea managed to start. O’Shea underlining his versatility by now taking up the right back role. A central midfield of Carrick and Fletcher with Ronaldo on the right was the option that Sir Alex chose to go with and it was also little surprise to see Park Ji Sung in the starting eleven, given the responsibility of the left side of the midfield. Park is an amazing battler and has tons of energy and it’s not uncommon to find him engaged in a defensive battle one second and popping up in the box the next. Sir Alex tends to give him a start whenever attacking threat from the flanks has to be nullified and in Maicon, Inter had a potentially dangerous attack minded right back. The big surprise of the evening was Giggs playing the supporting striker role to Berbatov and while Giggs has been immense at times this season, most of those performances have come from the centre of the park.
Inter lined up with a midfield diamond, which was a formation that Mourinho had used rather reluctantly at Chelsea when it seemed he was being forced to pair Sheva up front with Drogba. At Inter, this has been his preferred approach and has obviously paid dividends. Inter’s own central defence was impaired by the loss of the likes of Walter Samuel and Burdisso and so we had an inexperienced Rivas pairing up in central defense with Chivu. Maicon and the young Davide Santon lined up as right and left fullbacks respectively. The diamond had Cambiasso at the base and Stankovic at the apex with Zanetti and Muntari as the right and left midfield points. Up front were Ibra and Adriano, two absolute bulls of strikers.
That Manchester United completely outplayed Inter in the first half is an understatement. The narrow Inter midfield allowed space for Evra and O’Shea to charge forward and link up with Park and Ronaldo but that was to be expected. What was not a result of the tactics was the absolute submission of the ball in the centre of the park by Inter, where they had numerical superiority. Both Fletcher and Carrick not only saw a lot of the ball but were also able to create play without too much protest. Having said that Carrick was brilliant at times and this is coming from someone who almost always feels that Carrick is overrated. The pass that freed Giggs up for a shot on the goal was a beauty and it would be delightful to see him make them more consistently.
Ronaldo was enjoying himself and on many occasions could have scored had it not been for some great work by Júlio César in goal and some narrow misses. Inter’s defence was stretched at the best of times and looked completely disjointed more than once. Rivas especially looked completely out of place and if they had allowed Ronaldo any more free headers, they may as well have started scoring own goals. But for all that Manchester United failed to score and they must have been fuming at half time for not having made their superiority count.
Having said that, I was not at all surprised to see Inter turn it around in the second half. Mourinho’s teams have often played two halves as differently as pink and blue and the Inter that came out for the second half was a completely different opposition to deal with than in the first. Rivas made way for Cordoba and that did improve the confidence at the back but the major change for Inter was in the midfield.
Cambiasso, Zanetti and especially Muntari improved in leaps and bounds and began looking to win the balls for the first time in the game. Within minutes of the restart they had threatened the Man U goal more than once and had come close to getting a penalty which some referees may have been kind enough to award. Cambiasso made a great impact all over the pitch and suddenly the front three started seeing a lot more of the ball.
In Ibra and Adriano, Mourinho has two Drogba clones in terms of strength and the ability to hold a ball. Ibrahimovic was hard working and showed why he is rated so highly by being able to hold possession in dangerous positions under any amount of pressure. Adriano was the striker always around in a useful position to finish anything that looked like half a hance. Trouble was that barring his positioning, he had little else going for him and he managed to embarrass himself multiple times when in a good position to score.
While the second half belonged to Inter, Man U were nowhere as marginal to the proceedings as Inter were in the first half. They did have their good moments but the swagger and the spark had diminished to the point of disappearance. With Inter contesting the balls much more than before, possession in midfield became difficult to come by and with time the fluency in passing was gone which meant that possession was lost far more easily than before. Under such circumstances it was a little surprising to see Wayne Rooney come in only as the game entered into its last twenty minutes but Sir Alex must have had his reasons and it is never wise to question his tactics.
It ended goalless and much like that Chelsea-Manchester United encounter, was an easy match to comment upon. Funnily, while I expected Inter to raise their game in the second half, I also had the feeling that they would not be too desperate for a goal. Mourinho likes to let his CL games be decided in the second leg (sometimes with disastrous results) and I felt that the second half Inter performance was more of a show of strength than a goal scoring endeavor.
And so it goes into the second leg with all outcomes still possible. Manchester United will take heart from the fact that Vidic will be back, Rooney will be available for ninety minutes and the Old Trafford crowd will make life very difficult for Inter. Also while the defensive problems for Inter may be sorted out for the next leg, Stankovic is probably not the greatest player at the top of the diamond anymore and that will make life easier for the hosts. He can still be explosive at times, but I think Ferguson will be happy with the fact that Inter didn’t land Lampard in the summer.
Inter, will know that one goal may mean the world to this tie and I expect their focus to be completely on defence till they find the opportune moment to strike. They may have been outplayed for large parts at home by the same opposition but I do not think that would have created any fear in Jose’s side.
It will again be tight and tactical but being one who rather enjoys such matches, I am already looking forward to leg two. The result I think will be determined by the form of the Inter strikers on the night. Manchester United will get many chances and will probably score. Inter on the other hand will soak up a lot of pressure and create few chances. How they take them will decide who goes through.
The Red Devils lined up in a 4-4-2 (or maybe a 4-4-1-1) and thankfully for them, injury scares Evans and O’Shea managed to start. O’Shea underlining his versatility by now taking up the right back role. A central midfield of Carrick and Fletcher with Ronaldo on the right was the option that Sir Alex chose to go with and it was also little surprise to see Park Ji Sung in the starting eleven, given the responsibility of the left side of the midfield. Park is an amazing battler and has tons of energy and it’s not uncommon to find him engaged in a defensive battle one second and popping up in the box the next. Sir Alex tends to give him a start whenever attacking threat from the flanks has to be nullified and in Maicon, Inter had a potentially dangerous attack minded right back. The big surprise of the evening was Giggs playing the supporting striker role to Berbatov and while Giggs has been immense at times this season, most of those performances have come from the centre of the park.
Inter lined up with a midfield diamond, which was a formation that Mourinho had used rather reluctantly at Chelsea when it seemed he was being forced to pair Sheva up front with Drogba. At Inter, this has been his preferred approach and has obviously paid dividends. Inter’s own central defence was impaired by the loss of the likes of Walter Samuel and Burdisso and so we had an inexperienced Rivas pairing up in central defense with Chivu. Maicon and the young Davide Santon lined up as right and left fullbacks respectively. The diamond had Cambiasso at the base and Stankovic at the apex with Zanetti and Muntari as the right and left midfield points. Up front were Ibra and Adriano, two absolute bulls of strikers.
That Manchester United completely outplayed Inter in the first half is an understatement. The narrow Inter midfield allowed space for Evra and O’Shea to charge forward and link up with Park and Ronaldo but that was to be expected. What was not a result of the tactics was the absolute submission of the ball in the centre of the park by Inter, where they had numerical superiority. Both Fletcher and Carrick not only saw a lot of the ball but were also able to create play without too much protest. Having said that Carrick was brilliant at times and this is coming from someone who almost always feels that Carrick is overrated. The pass that freed Giggs up for a shot on the goal was a beauty and it would be delightful to see him make them more consistently.
Ronaldo was enjoying himself and on many occasions could have scored had it not been for some great work by Júlio César in goal and some narrow misses. Inter’s defence was stretched at the best of times and looked completely disjointed more than once. Rivas especially looked completely out of place and if they had allowed Ronaldo any more free headers, they may as well have started scoring own goals. But for all that Manchester United failed to score and they must have been fuming at half time for not having made their superiority count.
Having said that, I was not at all surprised to see Inter turn it around in the second half. Mourinho’s teams have often played two halves as differently as pink and blue and the Inter that came out for the second half was a completely different opposition to deal with than in the first. Rivas made way for Cordoba and that did improve the confidence at the back but the major change for Inter was in the midfield.
Cambiasso, Zanetti and especially Muntari improved in leaps and bounds and began looking to win the balls for the first time in the game. Within minutes of the restart they had threatened the Man U goal more than once and had come close to getting a penalty which some referees may have been kind enough to award. Cambiasso made a great impact all over the pitch and suddenly the front three started seeing a lot more of the ball.
In Ibra and Adriano, Mourinho has two Drogba clones in terms of strength and the ability to hold a ball. Ibrahimovic was hard working and showed why he is rated so highly by being able to hold possession in dangerous positions under any amount of pressure. Adriano was the striker always around in a useful position to finish anything that looked like half a hance. Trouble was that barring his positioning, he had little else going for him and he managed to embarrass himself multiple times when in a good position to score.
While the second half belonged to Inter, Man U were nowhere as marginal to the proceedings as Inter were in the first half. They did have their good moments but the swagger and the spark had diminished to the point of disappearance. With Inter contesting the balls much more than before, possession in midfield became difficult to come by and with time the fluency in passing was gone which meant that possession was lost far more easily than before. Under such circumstances it was a little surprising to see Wayne Rooney come in only as the game entered into its last twenty minutes but Sir Alex must have had his reasons and it is never wise to question his tactics.
It ended goalless and much like that Chelsea-Manchester United encounter, was an easy match to comment upon. Funnily, while I expected Inter to raise their game in the second half, I also had the feeling that they would not be too desperate for a goal. Mourinho likes to let his CL games be decided in the second leg (sometimes with disastrous results) and I felt that the second half Inter performance was more of a show of strength than a goal scoring endeavor.
And so it goes into the second leg with all outcomes still possible. Manchester United will take heart from the fact that Vidic will be back, Rooney will be available for ninety minutes and the Old Trafford crowd will make life very difficult for Inter. Also while the defensive problems for Inter may be sorted out for the next leg, Stankovic is probably not the greatest player at the top of the diamond anymore and that will make life easier for the hosts. He can still be explosive at times, but I think Ferguson will be happy with the fact that Inter didn’t land Lampard in the summer.
Inter, will know that one goal may mean the world to this tie and I expect their focus to be completely on defence till they find the opportune moment to strike. They may have been outplayed for large parts at home by the same opposition but I do not think that would have created any fear in Jose’s side.
It will again be tight and tactical but being one who rather enjoys such matches, I am already looking forward to leg two. The result I think will be determined by the form of the Inter strikers on the night. Manchester United will get many chances and will probably score. Inter on the other hand will soak up a lot of pressure and create few chances. How they take them will decide who goes through.
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