Barcelona vs. Manchester United

United Fan 101 said:
Yes. For the first time in 43 years I was hoping the game would just end. We could not compete tonight, weren't even close. Delighted to be put out of our misery there, because they were only going to score more. The result looks semi-respectable - could have been a lot uglier.
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I fecking left early, never ever do I leave a game without at least clapping the boys on. I was completely shattered from a super long and hard day and couldn't bear it at all. I left when the extra time was announced and just got the first train home.

I honestly was hurt by our performance. Putting all the effort that I have in order to sort out people for this final and thinking of all the prices a lot of people I know paid for tickets, I honestly thought that they all, we all, deserved more! We did get it, but not from our team.

It was a good game nevertheless!
 
AgainstAllOdds said:
I fecking left early, never ever do I leave a game without at least clapping the boys on. I was completely shattered from a super long and hard day and couldn't bear it at all. I left when the extra time was announced and just got the first train home.

I honestly was hurt by our performance. Putting all the effort that I have in order to sort out people for this final and thinking of all the prices a lot of people I know paid for tickets, I honestly thought that they all, we all, deserved more! We did get it, but not from our team.

It was a good game nevertheless!
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Yeah, earth shattering. Think of any drubbing we have recieved that you've seen or heard about since the 1960's - I've seen them all and never have I begged for the final whistle like I did for this game yesterday. There was only one thing going to happen if time continued and that was more goals, more hurt and more disappointment.
 
dan_alex said:
We committed football suicide by pitting Carrick and Giggs up against Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. I'm a little disappointed at SAF, because I think he was quite naive in this respect. The only way to stop Barca is to pack the middle of the field, and try to interrupt their passing rhythm.

It could have been an idea to play O'Shea as a holding midfielder, and try to watch for Messi's runs. Carrick alongside O'Shea and Giggs just infront of them. Chicho shouldn't have started today IMO.
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Wouldn't have helped. Shutting up shop just means Barca don't have to defend. Alves and Abidal would've spent the entire game pressing our box. Probably would've lost 2-0.
 
Was simply outclassed, no shame there. Any team would have been beaten there by that team. I honestly dont think there was an answer to it whatever team we had picked. What's really pissing me off is all these nobhead 'supporters' taking the piss.... out of what?? the premier league champions and runners up in the champions league?? twats.
How sad it must be when the highlight of your season is cheering a foreign team on to beat United.
 
I had a text this morning from a city fan who's a friend, not taking the piss but not commiserating either. He said he was looking forward to city playing Barca next year ,as if they would stand a chance! Unfortunately we were up against a wonderful team. Even Keano wouldn't have made that much of a difference, I don't think, although he would certainly been an improvement
 
EricaNo7 said:
I had a text this morning from a city fan who's a friend, not taking the piss but not commiserating either. He said he was looking forward to city playing Barca next year ,as if they would stand a chance! Unfortunately we were up against a wonderful team. Even Keano wouldn't have made that much of a difference, I don't think, although he would certainly been an improvement
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Keane would have been sent off.
 
The side we should've put out

----------------VDS
Fabio----Ferdinand-Vidic----Evra
---------Carrick---Anderson-----
Nani------Rooney-----Giggs
-----------Chicharito

With Berbatov/Park and Scholes to come on and play some part and Valencia as an option.

We'd have been far better in my view
 
Wes said:
----------------VDS
Fabio----Ferdinand-Vidic----Evra
---------Carrick---Anderson-----
Nani------Rooney-----Giggs
-----------Chicharito

With Berbatov/Park and Scholes to come on and play some part and Valencia as an option.

We'd have been far better in my view
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I'd replace Giggs with Park....
 
Wes said:
----------------VDS
Fabio----Ferdinand-Vidic----Evra
---------Carrick---Anderson-----
Nani------Rooney-----Giggs
-----------Chicharito

With Berbatov/Park and Scholes to come on and play some part and Valencia as an option.

We'd have been far better in my view
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I was delighted when the team was announced. I think we all got carried away after the Schalke and Chelsea games and thought we could actually take them on.

Looking back, we should have played anti-football and just tried to stop them playing. Something like:

VDS
Da Silva Ferdinand Vidic Evra
O'Shea
Valencia Carrick Fletcher* Park
Rooney​

*Or Anderson
 
Wizard Keyaz said:
It was evident that we needed a key player in midfield, who could of ran the show, but do you think that we have good players in our midst that can be that special of a player who can turn out to be a class player?
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I pointed out before the game we need a 3 man midfield and to play Chicharito is too much of a risk against Barca. Giggs and Carrick just cant handle Barca's midfield (no 2-man midfield can)
 
The thing I hated about this defeat was that fergie put out the exact team I had hoped for, to the man, but we still got thumped. I couldn't even blame the tactics.

In honesty though, I got so drunk that night that can't actually rememberthe game whatsoever. Really need to rewatch it.
 
Re-watch it and you'll figure that we would need a MF with more tenacity than Carrick, being more stuck in and who didn't mark zonal... We needed Rooney to drop deeper and in the end... We lost because our tactics that we used favored Barca and they have superior players in MF than us...

Also Messi dropping deep from the CF was what cost us in 08/09 too but SAF couldn't find a countermeasure to this yet.
 
I never actually posted my thoughts on the game since I rarely had any internet connection these last few days.It was a rape, I rarely felt so bad watching a United team play, I felt very bad for the players like never before :(
I felt like hiding under my bed during several days, I didn't expect United to realistically beat Barca but I never thought we'd be this humiliated
 
RedThaiDevils#7 said:
Re-watch it and you'll figure that we would need a MF with more tenacity than Carrick, being more stuck in and who didn't mark zonal... We needed Rooney to drop deeper and in the end... We lost because our tactics that we used favored Barca and they have superior players in MF than us...

Also Messi dropping deep from the CF was what cost us in 08/09 too but SAF couldn't find a countermeasure to this yet.
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That is what he wanted to do, but his gaffer was foaming at the mouth telling him who was boss and that he should stay up hoping that Rooney will latch onto a long ball. In saying that, SAF is not the only manager to pull his hair out trying to stop these players of Barca.
 
Walrus said:
The thing I hated about this defeat was that fergie put out the exact team I had hoped for, to the man, but we still got thumped. I couldn't even blame the tactics.

In honesty though, I got so drunk that night that can't actually rememberthe game whatsoever. Really need to rewatch it.
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For me it was the opposite, i could blame the tactics partly because fergie put out the team i hope he wouldn't.

Atleast at halftime, it was painfully obviuos we needed ando or fletch as a third midfielder to claw something out of the game.

Dropping hernandez at half time would've been the right solution, though it probbaly wouldn't have stopped us from losing the match....atleast we wouldn't be embarrased.
 
RedThaiDevils#7 said:
Re-watch it and you'll figure that we would need a MF with more tenacity than Carrick, being more stuck in and who didn't mark zonal... We needed Rooney to drop deeper and in the end... We lost because our tactics that we used favored Barca and they have superior players in MF than us...

Also Messi dropping deep from the CF was what cost us in 08/09 too but SAF couldn't find a countermeasure to this yet.
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I firmly believe that wouldn't have made a difference. Like Scholes said in a recent interview, these Barca midfielders are so good technically, that it's not like you can get close to them easily whoever you are.

No, we needed someone who could keep the ball better. I've watched the game three times now, and that is what stands out. It was always going to be an uphill battle getting possession, but we needed to use it better on the few occasions we did have it. One weakness I've noticed with us is that if one puts us under pressure (and Barca's pressing is second to none) we immediately cough up possession. We did it in spades, Barca penned us so far back we couldn't play out of our defensive third since the midfield was on top of the back four, with hardly any out-ball (well, Hernandez, but then he had three or four defenders on him).
 
RedThaiDevils#7 said:
Re-watch it and you'll figure that we would need a MF with more tenacity than Carrick, being more stuck in and who didn't mark zonal... We needed Rooney to drop deeper and in the end... We lost because our tactics that we used favored Barca and they have superior players in MF than us...

Also Messi dropping deep from the CF was what cost us in 08/09 too but SAF couldn't find a countermeasure to this yet.
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Watched it for the second time since the final today. Our wingers were continously drawn in central positions that their full backs would always find the width required to pressurise us. There was a million things they did brilliant on that day but our midfield was lacking control and whenever we managed to get possesion we never kept hold of it.
 
Neo_Mufc said:
Watched it for the second time since the final today. Our wingers were continously drawn in central positions that their full backs would always find the width required to pressurise us. There was a million things they did brilliant on that day but our midfield was lacking control and whenever we managed to get possesion we never kept hold of it.
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A 2 man midfield against Barca is just not working and it was a mistake to play Hernandez, I said that before the game. Plus, it didnt help that Valencia had an off day (as did many others)

Nevertheless, I dont think we got humiliated, esp. in the first half, we did very well and a draw was a fair result at taht time. 2nd half, they upped the pace and we just couldnt keep up
 
Escobar said:
A 2 man midfield against Barca is just not working and it was a mistake to play Hernandez, I said that before the game. Plus, it didnt help that Valencia had an off day (as did many others)

Nevertheless, I dont think we got humiliated, esp. in the first half, we did very well and a draw was a fair result at taht time. 2nd half, they upped the pace and we just couldnt keep up
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Agreed some players had off days with such a big occassion. I did feel similar to many here that we might play Rooney up top on his own similar to 09/10 season and have that extra midfielder, even though Rooney would be pretty deep himself at times. I know the games gone but it was good to watch it again. Half time we were still in it and it's a shame we didn't start similarly like the first 10mins of the first half. Despite feeling that Barca's goals should have been defended better they probably would have scored anyway because defensively we wasn't there.
 
It was stupid to play 2 men in the midfield. Most fans wanted this, but that's why we're idiots, we don't know shit

They might have beaten us with 3 men in the midfield and Rooney up top, but I doubt we would have been a laughing stock, like we are now. It would have been a hard fought battle.
 
adexkola said:
It was stupid to play 2 men in the midfield. Most fans wanted this, but that's why we're idiots, we don't know shit

They might have beaten us with 3 men in the midfield and Rooney up top, but I doubt we would have been a laughing stock, like we are now. It would have been a hard fought battle.
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Very true
 
Escobar said:
Nevertheless, I dont think we got humiliated, esp. in the first half, we did very well and a draw was a fair result at taht time. 2nd half, they upped the pace and we just couldnt keep up
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Don't know about that. First half I thought we were lucky to go in level. Couldn't for the life of me see how we were going to win this.

They were opening us up at will, and, bar the opening ten minutes and the goal off a Barca mistake losing possession on a throw-in, we didn't threaten.

For me, there was a quite large and obvious gulf in class between the two teams.
 
adexkola said:
It was stupid to play 2 men in the midfield. Most fans wanted this, but that's why we're idiots, we don't know shit

They might have beaten us with 3 men in the midfield and Rooney up top, but I doubt we would have been a laughing stock, like we are now. It would have been a hard fought battle.
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It was ALWAYS wrong to play only 2 men in midfield. Don't know what SAF was thinking. Should have been 3 in midfield. That said - we still would have been trounced because of the nature of our central midfield and the fact that with 66% of the possession, Barcelona could just step up Mascherano from Centre Back to become a defensive midfield player to effectively choke the game!

Only chance we had was with a fully fit Fletcher - and even then....

Fact is - we need a midfield as good and better that we had in the Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs days - not only in terms of their individual skill & brilliance, but in terms of 1-touch passing and team play, and ability to physically dominate & close down the midfield.

We don't have that now and we need to get that again - which is what SAF is trying to do.
 
RedThaiDevils#7 said:
Re-watch it and you'll figure that we would need a MF with more tenacity than Carrick, being more stuck in and who didn't mark zonal... We needed Rooney to drop deeper and in the end... We lost because our tactics that we used favored Barca and they have superior players in MF than us...

Also Messi dropping deep from the CF was what cost us in 08/09 too but SAF couldn't find a countermeasure to this yet.
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Ever hear of man marking? Nobby used to be an exponent- then they played 10 against 10
 
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