Milan 3 Man U 0
Its so painful to write this. As you are well aware, I am a Man U fan. I've been a Man U fan for years, since 1983 when they won their FA Cup against Brighton in the replay. But I truly started following them again in 1992 when they won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1992, when they beat Barcelona in the final.
Man U managed reach as far as the semi-finals of this year's European Cup. They had already played AC Milan in the 1st leg, narrowly winning 3-2 with Wayne Rooney scoring at the death to seal victory and take a precious one goal lead to the San Siro. All they needed to do was to avoid defeat there, which is a rather negative way to look at it if you ask me, but the fact remains that they could draw and still go through to the final. With that in mind, I was quite optimistic about Man U's chances, although I was aware of Milan's home advantage and their firepower- they are one of the rare Italian sides who are very entertaining to watch, because their attacking play can be quite breathtaking at times.
So I woke up early this morning to catch the game. This is the first time all year that I decided to wake up this early to watch the game, and I was bitterly disappointed.
What followed was probably Man U's worse display in Europe in recent history. They played like they were protecting their 3-2 lead, afraid to venture forward, and overly cautious and cagey with their game. Despite having Vidic in defence (who returned after a dislocated shoulder), they were nervy in defence and they paid the price for their approach- within the 11th minute, Kaka struck with the first goal. Some 15 minutes later, a defensive mix-up between Heinze and Vidic allowed Seedorf to pounce and score.
They played with a 4-5-1 formation, and I think I understood why. The rationale was probably to keep things tight at the back in the 1st half an hour, and then when the need arose, the formation would be switched to a more fluid 4-4-2 attacking formation. But all that obviously failed to materialise.
I wasn't necessarily disappointed with their defeat- I was more disappointed with the manner of their defeat. If they had lost with guns blazing, trying the best they could, I would be less disappointed. Instead, they barely troubled the weakest link in Milan's team- their goalkeeper, Dida- no shots truly troubled the Brazilian.
I don't know if Man U will stand a better chance to win the tournament, but then, who knows? I would like to see Fergie strengthen the squad in the summer, in ALL departments.
Ok enough of my ranting. This is supposed to be a blog about running.
Man U managed reach as far as the semi-finals of this year's European Cup. They had already played AC Milan in the 1st leg, narrowly winning 3-2 with Wayne Rooney scoring at the death to seal victory and take a precious one goal lead to the San Siro. All they needed to do was to avoid defeat there, which is a rather negative way to look at it if you ask me, but the fact remains that they could draw and still go through to the final. With that in mind, I was quite optimistic about Man U's chances, although I was aware of Milan's home advantage and their firepower- they are one of the rare Italian sides who are very entertaining to watch, because their attacking play can be quite breathtaking at times.
So I woke up early this morning to catch the game. This is the first time all year that I decided to wake up this early to watch the game, and I was bitterly disappointed.
What followed was probably Man U's worse display in Europe in recent history. They played like they were protecting their 3-2 lead, afraid to venture forward, and overly cautious and cagey with their game. Despite having Vidic in defence (who returned after a dislocated shoulder), they were nervy in defence and they paid the price for their approach- within the 11th minute, Kaka struck with the first goal. Some 15 minutes later, a defensive mix-up between Heinze and Vidic allowed Seedorf to pounce and score.
They played with a 4-5-1 formation, and I think I understood why. The rationale was probably to keep things tight at the back in the 1st half an hour, and then when the need arose, the formation would be switched to a more fluid 4-4-2 attacking formation. But all that obviously failed to materialise.
I wasn't necessarily disappointed with their defeat- I was more disappointed with the manner of their defeat. If they had lost with guns blazing, trying the best they could, I would be less disappointed. Instead, they barely troubled the weakest link in Milan's team- their goalkeeper, Dida- no shots truly troubled the Brazilian.
I don't know if Man U will stand a better chance to win the tournament, but then, who knows? I would like to see Fergie strengthen the squad in the summer, in ALL departments.
Ok enough of my ranting. This is supposed to be a blog about running.
posted by pm19 at
3:15 pm
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Malaysia 3 MU 2
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