We outplayed them over 2 legs (with XI men) and they have a better team than us? We had the best of the chances in both legs and never lost control of the games besides the 10 minutes after the ridiculous red. How are they better than us?
The team/Fergie bottled it after the red
- Thread starter samabachan
- Start date
I dunno Keane might have killed the ref.
All the names!
Actually i can see where Samabachan is coming from. Seriously, there was a lack of defensive options on the bench, and on hindsight, we could have park the bus after the sending off. I would have took off RVP for Rooney, and played him really deep. Then take off Giggs for Evans, and pray for the best. Expecting the players to retain the original tactics after the sending off seems a bit tactically naive.
Course we never come back from behind these days either. I don't think the 99 side would have done much better particularly as they got masscared against a Madrid side the following season at Old Trafford with 11 men.
Yep it all went peachy.
How the feck was bringing on Rooney (for someone) going to change anything? You really are clueless.
Absolutely perfect summary, can we make this the op?
Being shafted by an external factor and overcoming that is the hallmark of a great side?
I don't even need to stretch the statement to extreme levels, that is absolute bollocks.
We weren´t as good as bayern and real were against us when we played against 9 men chelsea this year with 20 minutes to go... even Hernandez´ goal was offside.
I have to say this again.
feck off OP.
feck off OP.
Sure. How do you measure a side's character if it's never tested?
I think the only poor decision was not to take RvP off for Rooney. The latter would have helped close down space in midfield and also be a bit off a threat upfront.
With a goal to hang on to? I've seen it a lot. If it was 0-0 and we had to score I'd agree.
I'm not saying it was lack of bottle but the way we reacted. Bizarrely a lesser side might have reacted better.
Still won though. Like I said I can't remember the last game we failed to win against 10 men particularly when the opposing side is a man down with more than 30 minutes to go.
Eh? We ripped them apart after Torres' sending off (which I thought was harsh at the time).
And if you want to bring up Barcelona's losses against Chelsea and Inter, please consider the fact that their idea of playing against 10 men is stroking the ball from side to side, tiki takaing their way to no sensible end. Not going for the throat like Real did against us.
People are talking as if a red card means a game is an automatic defeat.
We were still 1-0 up at that stage and I don't think the team reacted well enough, and it cost us.
We were still 1-0 up at that stage and I don't think the team reacted well enough, and it cost us.
A bit like Keane was tonight.
Even the greatest teams will fail more often than in those situations, Plech. The odds were stacked against us the moment Nani was sent off. It threw our whole plan into disarray. XI on XI it was a game amongst equals. With 10 men we had no chance after that horrible injustice. We were not like Inter or Chelsea, who into the game to defend for their lives and hope for the best. We were set up to win.
That whole '99 campaign was full of adversity that we overcame, arguably more adverse than leading at home and having to defend with 10.
We obviously collectively shat ourselves for the 10 minutes after the red card, but after that we created 4 of 5 good chances. I thought we did well enough overall.
It's not an absolute defeat, but after such an influencing factor all bets are off regarding the result. How natural is it to play with a one man deficit?
We were great, that 10 minutes was crucial.
I think it was the shock of the shite redcard more than anything. Had it been a deserved red perhaps we'd have buckled down and played better.
Look its not professional but the players and Fergie are human after all. An injustice like that after playing so well is likely to cause muddled thinking. Its not professional but one can understand why it happens.
Again, I'd like to see the stats, but I'm guessing Barca are no less effective against ten men than most top sides, and probably more effective.
Fully agree.
This, basically. I think the idea that criticising any element of United on here is not only forbidden but actively persecuted is really harmful to discussion. In fact so many posters here laugh at RAWK for exactly the same thing that it's not only harmfu but downright hypocritical.
Because nothing would have changed for a lesser side. They would have gone into the game with their fingers crossed and praying to their favorite Gods.
Real Madrid took advantage of the situation the ref presented them, but to be honest that red did change how the game was proceeding, that can not be denied. How would the outcome have been different without the red? No way of knowing for sure.
Don't get me wrong, I think we would've won if not for the red card, but we reacted really badly to it for ten minutes after it and it did end up costing us the time. Yes, it was harsh, and we should feel very hard done by, but that red card doesn't automatically mean the team should be excused from mistakes or errors. We were still 1-0 up and I believe we could've reacted better to it than we did and still won the match.
That´s not how I remember our performance against 9 men Chelsea.
I´ll tell you this, we tried to hold on twice against this weak tiki takaing with 11 men when Barca were at their peak, we didn´t do all that well.
I think people mostly took umbrage to the 'bottled it' part.
Tends to do so but they were all over us with that midfield. We only really turned it around because Mourinho took Ozil off for Pepe.
This.
I'm guessing that they'd be less effective.
Stats are useless here, how many matches per team are played against 10 men per season? That's before you factor in the quality of the 11 men.
Arguably we did the opposite against Barca ie we had an attacking line up (still can't believe we played Hernandez against them).
Totally. True story and the reason I remember the Italian Dutch game in 2000, but I bet 50 quid it would end 0-0 and the Italians would win on pens. Made the bet as soon as the Italian was sent off. The Dutch had 3/4 of the game to score one goal. Real took 3 minutes to score 2. Not inevitable by any means.
I still think that if the team hadn't just collectively sat there shellshocked for those ten minutes and kept focus we would be in the QF right now.
Exactly, it's bizarre.
That's it. We were terrific first half, and very good (and quite characterful) at 1-2. But we blew it in the 10 minutes when we shat it. Cooler heads would have given us a better chance.
Again, yes it was the shock, and yes they are human. No-one's saying it's incomprehensible or scandalous. What the OP's saying is that it was a failing, which if you have high standards, like United do, it was.
Personally I wouldn't agree it was unprofessional, unprofessional would be getting beaten 10-0 or going mental and getting another two players sent off.
It was a bit weak, that's all.