Ibrahimovic won't even make the bench in United he is over rated and loose mouthed. He was made to look like a makinwa yesterday by Johnny Evans. United will roast Inter at OT if Inter dare attack. Common United i see a 4-1 Victory over Inter.

Chelsea 1 Juventus 2
Madrid 3 Liverpool 1

i am so so disapointed with Jose.his team did not even have a shot on goal and Van Der Sar was just on the field to make up the number.
me thinks that AF should have taken a gamble and gone for the kill because the inter players especially the midfielders were disorganised.
anyway,there is no way that team can get a win @ the theater of dreams let alone score a goal.

nuff said!

Akolawole:

@sharoun

Your 2- prediction failed abi?

Rooney did not start.
Julio Cesar has already confessed he is scared of Rooney.

biina:

It was a similar opinion a close friend of mine had in 2000, after united got a draw in the first leg against Real in Madrid. In the return leg, united had a nightmare loss of 2-3 in the theater of dreams (they were actually 0-3 down before scoring 2 late goals).

Do u know your football at all??
Comparing the Real Madrid side of 2000 to this Inter team shows you dunno too much about European footie(i am afraid).
I still insist a team that failed to score with their 81,000 fans would freeze at OT with Vidic and Rafael back in the team.

This is a new United side. . . . .Forget what happened in the past. A lot has changed with this team.
For instance, compare the team that got raped against AC MILAN 2 years ago to the one of last night?? Massive difference.
United have now mastered the art of the European game. Comapring United now to the times where we have Caroll, Silvestre, Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson in the first team is a tad folly.

I agree that the united defense should be much better if vidic and rio play, but man u has to score and win. An early goal from inter and united is in trouble.
The knockout round is usually less about which goals you scored, but more of which goals you conceeded

If Inter score 5, United would score 6. It's as simple as that.
Man Utd and Ferguson know there would be no 3rd leg. We are playing at home and we would expend all the firepower in our kitty to outscore Inter.
Do u still think Carrick is inferior to Zanetti and Cambiasso?? I don't think so.

~Sauron~:

Do u know your football at all??
Comparing the Real Madrid side of 2000 to this Inter team shows you dunno too much about European footie(i am afraid).
I still insist a team that failed to score with their 81,000 fans would freeze at OT with Vidic and Rafael back in the team.

This is a new United side. . . . .Forget what happened in the past. A lot has changed with this team.
For instance, compare the team that got raped against AC MILAN 2 years ago to the one of last night?? Massive difference.
United have now mastered the art of the European game. Comapring United now to the times where we have Caroll, Silvestre, Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson in the first team is a tad folly.

If Inter score 5, United would score 6. It's as simple as that.
Man Utd and Ferguson know there would be no 3rd leg. We are playing at home and we would expend all the firepower in our kitty to outscore Inter.
Do u still think Carrick is inferior to Zanetti and Cambiasso?? I don't think so.

In hind sight, you probably feel the madrid team of 2000 were spectacular, but the evaluation wasn't so prior to the triumph in the final.

Basis for valid comparism:
In 2000, ManU were the defending champions, and their fans were ranting about how they were the best team in the world. They were confident they were going to defend the UCL title, a feat still undone in modern day UCL. Prior to that game, Madrid had played badly. Madrid (like inter) barely scraped through to the knockout stage (based on head to head against Dynamo kyiv). Madrid had lost to bayern twice (2-4 in madrid and 4-1 in munich) in the group stage, had a manager change in november, and were considered the weakest team in the knockout round. Prior to the return leg at OT, the manU of then looked better on paper than the man u of today, and madrid looked worse than the current inter. Still madrid defeated manU in OT, knocked out same bayern in the semi's and defeated valencia (the cinderella of the tournament) in the final.

Man U line up against madrid in 2000: Bosnich, G Neville, Irwin (Silvestre), Berg (Sheringham), Stam, Giggs, Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Cole (Solskjaer), Yorke,
Against milan in 2007 only Heinze is no longer with manu, and 8 of the same 11 played against inter yesterday (omissions being brown, scholes and heinze).
There were no djemba djemba or kleberson in both games. In fact, kleberson and djemba had only 30 and 20 appearances respectively for united in 2003-2005. They were both acquired in 2003 while the 'Red herring' Queiroz was away at madrid.

Nobody masters the game of football - it has never been done, and never will be. Making such statements just makes it more obvious that you are a fan and not a lover of the beautiful game.

It is in united's best interest that SAF not take your advice and turn it into a shootout (as this favors the visiting team) but rather work towards not conceding a goal.

If you are still comparing carrick to cambiasso or zanetti, I am at a loss. I had explained earlier that it is wrong to compare players unless you are looking at a specific category. Carrick is a better ball passer than both cambiasso and zanetti, but they are also far better ball winners than carrick.

You seem so confident of your soccer knowledge, and yet all you write are fanatic statements without analysis or content. Reading your posts give the impression that, when watching a football match, you only stare at the color of the jerseys, and are less interested in the game it self.

For your information I am not an inter fan, and I will not claim to 'know football', but I am an avid student of the game.

biina:

In hind sight, you probably feel the madrid team of 2000 were spectacular, but the evaluation wasn't so prior to the triumph in the final.

They were spectacular. . . . . .RAUL was in his prime then so is Redondo and other top draw players.

Basis for valid comparism:
In 2000, ManU were the defending champions, and their fans were ranting about how they were the best team in the world. They were confident they were going to defend the UCL title, a feat still undone in modern day UCL. Prior to that game, Madrid had played badly. Madrid (like inter) barely scraped through to the knockout stage (based on head to head against Dynamo kyiv). Madrid had lost to bayern twice (2-4 in madrid and 4-1 in munich) in the group stage, had a manager change in november, and were considered the weakest team in the knockout round. Prior to the return leg at OT, the manU of then looked better on paper than the man u of today, and madrid looked worse than the current inter. Still madrid defeated manU in OT, knocked out same bayern in the semi's and defeated valencia (the cinderella of the tournament) in the final.

With this evidence, do you still think that Madrid side were mediocre??
Look at the calibre of teams they trounced on their way to the UCL. . . . .You have contradicted yourself mate.
They pulverised Valencia. . . . .I doubt any UCL team in this generation can beat that Valencia side.
The way they disgraced Barcelona @ Nou Camp still makes me quiver.

Man U line up against madrid in 2000: Bosnich, G Neville, Irwin (Silvestre), Berg (Sheringham), Stam, Giggs, Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Cole (Solskjaer), Yorke,
Against milan in 2007 only Heinze is no longer with manu, and 8 of the same 11 played against inter yesterday (omissions being brown, scholes and heinze).
There were no djemba djemba or kleberson in both games. In fact, kleberson and djemba had only 30 and 20 appearances respectively for united in 2003-2005. They were both acquired in 2003 while the 'Red herring' Queiroz was away at madrid.

Do you know your football?? Don't be mad for asking you this question??
In 2007, Ronaldo and Rooney were still work-in-progress. U can tell the difference last night with the way he took the game by the scruff of the neck and he was unlucky not to have scored a brace at least.
The look on Julio Cesar's face after the game should tell you he was telling Zanetti he didn't see Ronaldo's freekick.
Comparing the Man Utd side of 2007 to what we have now in terms of maturity and experience is folly.

Nobody masters the game of football - it has never been done, and never will be. Making such statements just makes it more obvious that you are a fan and not a lover of the beautiful game.
It is in united's best interest that SAF not take your advice and turn it into a shootout (as this favors the visiting team) but rather work towards not conceding a goal.

Anutha heap of applesauce. . . .

What are you talking about?? Man Utd played better than Arsenal that won 1-0 at the Emirates last night.
Have you seen the game stats. Shots on goal, possession, etc??
That United did not score was not because they were defensive. . . . .If Ronaldo had scored a hatrick last night, Inter fans wouldn't have complained.

If you are still comparing carrick to cambiasso or zanetti, I am at a loss. I had explained earlier that it is wrong to compare players unless you are looking at a specific category. Carrick is a better ball passer than both cambiasso and zanetti, but they are also far better ball winners than carrick.

U didn't watch the game yesterday. . . .Please admit.
Carrick made not less than 20 good tackles yesterday and he was dispossessing Inter players with ease through perfect timing n positioning.
Did he get any yellow card yesterday while doing his duties?? That is Michael Carrick for you. Quiet but effective.
I will get his stats in the midfield later when i am free.

You seem so confident of your soccer knowledge, and yet all you write are fanatic statements without analysis or content. Reading your posts give the impression that, when watching a football match, you only stare at the color of the jerseys, and are less interested in the game it self.
For your information I am not an inter fan, and I will not claim to 'know football', but I am an avid student of the game.

I know footie like the back of ma hand. U are a student because you are still yet to learn the ropes.

On the basis of what i saw last night, Inter might as well stay in Milan next fornight.
They will be torn apart with an offensive United side at OT. Vidic and Rio would give players like Carrick the freedom to bomb forward.
Did u even know Evans and O'Shea played with injections last night. Their feet were still swollen when they laced their boots last night.
Ferguson said he left Rooney out cos defensively, Rooney is too short to help his defence. All these variances won't be present next fortnight.

I don't see Inter as a threat.

The only club that has the strength to deny us the trophy is Barcelona.

~Sauron~:

They were spectacular. . . . . .RAUL was in his prime then so is Redondo and other top draw players.With this evidence, do you still think that Madrid side were mediocre??
Look at the calibre of teams they trounced on their way to the UCL. . . . .You have contradicted yourself mate.
They pulverised Valencia. . . . .I doubt any UCL team in this generation can beat that Valencia side.
The way they disgraced Barcelona @ Nou Camp still makes me quiver.

Obviously you weren't actively watching when the game was played. Prior to the knockout stages, madrid struggled in the group stages, and were 6th in la liga. In the knockpout round, they were underdogs going into every match. They were far from spectacular and shocked bookmakers with their victory. I haven't contradicted myself, but only shown that  for guys like you hind sight is 20/20.

Do you know your football?? Don't be mad for asking you this question??
In 2007, Ronaldo and Rooney were still work-in-progress. U can tell the difference last night with the way he took the game by the scruff of the neck and he was unlucky not to have scored a brace at least. The look on Julio Cesar's face after the game should tell you he was telling Zanetti he didn't see Ronaldo's freekick.
Comparing the Man Utd side of 2007 to what we have now in terms of maturity and experience is folly.

That was in response to your claim on djemba djemba and kleberson. I didnt say the 2007 manU team was better, but to say they are incomparable is wrong.

Anutha heap of applesauce. . . .

What are you talking about?? Man Utd played better than Arsenal that won 1-0 at the Emirates last night.
Have you seen the game stats. Shots on goal, possession, etc??
That United did not score was not because they were defensive. . . . .If Ronaldo had scored a hatrick last night, Inter fans wouldn't have complained.

Yet again you missed the point. The comment was in response to your suggestion of a 6-5 victory, as it is well known that when playing at home, 1-0 is better than 2-1 due to the away goal. As long as man u does not concede, they are in a good position to qualify. If they do concede, then they have to outscore inter.

U didn't watch the game yesterday. . . .Please admit.
Carrick made not less than 20 good tackles yesterday and he was dispossessing Inter players with ease through perfect timing n positioning.
Did he get any yellow card yesterday while doing his duties?? That is Michael Carrick for you. Quiet but effective.
I will get his stats in the midfield later when i am free.

I know footie like the back of ma hand. U are a student because you are still yet to learn the ropes.

On the basis of what i saw last night, Inter might as well stay in Milan next fornight.
They will be torn apart with an offensive United side at OT. Vidic and Rio would give players like Carrick the freedom to bomb forward.
Did u even know Evans and O'Shea played with injections last night. Their feet were still swollen when they laced their boots last night.
Ferguson said he left Rooney out cos defensively, Rooney is too short to help his defence. All these variances won't be present next fortnight.

If you don't know the meaning of the phrase 'student of the game', then its pointless discussing with you. If (as someone 'who know footall like the back of his hand')you feel carrick is a better ball winner than cambiasso or zanetti, all I can do is wish you all the best.

All will be settled in a fortnight, and I wonder what your excuse would be if inter eliminates man u. Home ground advantage has been shown to have less influence as the tournament progresses.

biina:

Obviously you weren't actively watching when the game was played. Prior to the knockout stages, madrid struggled in the group stages, and were 6th in la liga. In the knockpout round, they were underdogs going into every match. They were far from spectacular and shocked bookmakers with their victory. I haven't contradicted myself, but only shown that for guys like you hind sight is 20/20.

I disagree. . . . .
Madrid did not struggle in the group stages, stop spreading chaff.
In em days. . . . .Teams go to the group stages TWICE. They topped their group in the first round and came 2nd in the second round.
A team that has Morientes, Anelka, Raul, Redondo, Roberto Carlos etc all in their prime can never be underdogs.
Their form could be dodgy but they had a permanent class throughout.

That was in response to your claim on djemba djemba and kleberson. I didnt say the 2007 manU team was better, but to say they are incomparable is wrong.

2007 Man Utd team had no Rio and Vidic playing against Milan. Vidic was rushed back @ San Siro and the whole defence was a make shift schitzo.
With Rio-Vidic-Evra playing in both legs, i doubt Milan woulda scored that number of goals but that is history now.
The strength in depth we have now plus the maturity of the players cannot be quantified. SAF mentioned that yesterday.
There's no European team United WILL NOT outscore at Old Trafford with elimination at stake. . . . .(quote this in a fornight).

Yet again you missed the point. The comment was in response to your suggestion of a 6-5 victory, as it is well known that when playing at home, 1-0 is better than 2-1 due to the away goal. As long as man u does not concede, they are in a good position to qualify. If they do concede, then they have to outscore inter.If you don't know the meaning of the phrase 'student of the game', then its pointless discussing with you. If (as someone 'who know footall like the back of his hand')you feel carrick is a better ball winner than cambiasso or zanetti, all I can do is wish you all the best.

All these things are hypothetical. I don't believe in em.
Inter would be more defensive in a fortnight and the onus would be on United to come forward.
If we had won 1-0 last night . . .danger still looms and we would be here talking about Inter getting 1 goal and making it difficult for Man Utd.
Had Inter won 2-1, Inter fans would still be saying once they score one goal at OT, then United have a huge mountain to climb.
If, therefore, hence, wherefore, so etc are all hypothetical. . . . .Inter missed an opportunity to make it count with a make shift United defence on their soil.
That is what you fail to realise.

All will be settled in a fortnight, and I wonder what your excuse would be if inter eliminates man u. Home ground advantage has been shown to have less influence as the tournament progresses.

Home ground advantage counts by miles.
United will only beat Roma 7-1 at OT not in Rome. Arsenal can only beat Slavia Prague 7-0 at the Emirates, it won't happen anywhere else.
Crowd will influence decisions, players will be charged playing in front of their own fans and there's a slight advantage.
When this draw was made. . . . .I predicted Inter will not score a single goal. I have 14 days left to be proved wrong.

What Ronaldo [color=#550000]Rooney [/color] and Barber couldnt do, get one past an italian freak 

@Biina

Keep it up boy!

Biina is very right. I am impressed. School em boy.

That Madrid team of 2000 lost 8-3 to bayern on aggregates and qualified on the final matchday beating Rosenborg I think.

That season Madrid did not make top 4 in La Liga and Zaragoza was dropped for them to go as defending champs in 2001.

@ Biina,


Read this piece: CARRICK

This is a link showing Italian media creaming themselves over the Michael Carrick you underrate!!!!
When i say Carrick is the best midfielder in England, i know what i am saying.
Just because some players hate the spotlight does not mean they are wackies.

@Biina

Welcome to Nairaland sport jare!!

@Sharoun

Every single united player is the best in their position? C'mon boy.

Akolawole:

@Sharoun

Every single united player is the best in their position? C'mon boy.

Nope. . . . .
We don't have a standard Right Back defender. . . . .
Rafael is a talent and he has the potential but he is not the best in England.
All the other positions belong to Man Utd players except Ashley Young's position.
He offers more threat than JS Park or Nani.

whoever came up with that madrid analogy is almost on point. except inter are three time domestic champions and likely headed for a fourth while that madrid team was erratic at best.

fact is this inter team is shit and i don't know what game mourinho is playing. playing stankovic so central and so deep, a player as erratic as they come, was pretty daft.

Nope. . . . .
We don't have a standard Right Back defender. . . . .
Rafael is a talent and he has the potential but he is not the best in England.
All the other positions belong to Man Utd players except Ashley Young's position.
He offers more threat than JS Park or Nani.

what about Gerrards position?
whos better in UTD? nobody
what about Torres's position?
Alonso/Masherano?

tkb417:

what about Gerrards position?
whos better in UTD? nobody
what about Torres's position?
Alonso/Masherano?

Gerrard has no position and i doubt he would fit into Man Utd unless Ferguson changes his 4-4-2 formation to accomodate Gerrard.
He is not even trusted to be a midfielder in Liverpool cos he lacks the discipline to be one.
Gerrard is not technical and he tends to be caught outta position time n time again.
Benitez has recognised this and this is why he plays Gerrard just behind Torres as a supporting striker.
Who would you rather have as a supporting striker?? Gerrard or Rooney??

Alonso/Mascherano?? United don't play with a defensive midfielder.
Carrick/Scholes/Hargreaves/Anderson are all box to box midfielders so we don't need Alonso/Mascherano.
Teams like Chelsea and Inter have created the Makelele role in their team. Something Ferguson does not believe in.
Torres?? He is too unhealthy to be an important member of Man Utd. Torres is a rich man's Louis Saha.
Effective when he plays but then whatz the point of having a striker who can never be fit to play 50 games in a season??

Before i answer you, ill advise you change your profession to the legal profession
u sabi twist and turn things

Gerrard has no position and i doubt he would fit into Man Utd unless Ferguson changes his 4-4-2 formation to accomodate Gerrard.
He is not even trusted to be a midfielder in Liverpool cos he lacks the discipline to be one.
Gerrard is not technical and he tends to be caught outta position time n time again.
Benitez has recognised this and this is why he plays Gerrard just behind Torres as a supporting striker.
Who would you rather have as a supporting striker?? Gerrard or Rooney??

lets assume, Gerrard wants to play where we have carrick, who would you pick?
ill pick Gerrard. Lets look at it from this angle, Gerrard and Carrick are both England internationals, if the coach needs one of them to complete his team, im sure he wont look at Carrick.

Gerrard is better midfielder than all we have now. Of course Rooney is better in his position than Gerrard

Alonso/Mascherano?? United don't play with a defensive midfielder.
Carrick/Scholes/Hargreaves/Anderson are all box to box midfielders so we don't need Alonso/Mascherano.
Teams like Chelsea and Inter have created the Makelele role in their team. Something Ferguson does not believe in.

Nah!! The likes of Djemba, Hargo, keano and co were/are defensive midfielders and they do/did exactly what Alonso/Mascherano are doing
Im sure if SAF has the luxury of adding a defensive player to his team and the opportunity of taking any of those two guys comes up, he wont thnk twice.

Torres?? He is too unhealthy to be an important member of Man Utd. Torres is a rich man's Louis Saha.
Effective when he plays but then whatz the point of having a striker who can never be fit to play 50 games in a season??

Torres is better than all our strikers put together and all the strikers in the EPL and maybe in the world.
not sure of that!!!
Have you forgotten, SAF loves Torres like mad!
we actually wanted him but the spanish connection messed it up.
Torres and Benzema are strikers SAF rate very highly and would do anything to have them if possible

tkb417:

Before i answer you, ill advise you change your profession to the legal profession
u sabi twist and turn things

It's an ART!!!

lets assume, Gerrard wants to play where we have carrick, who would you pick?
ill pick Gerrard. Lets look at it from this angle, Gerrard and Carrick are both England internationals, if the coach needs one of them to complete his team, im sure he wont look at Carrick.

And this is why England fail in major tournaments. Gerrard and Lampard are just brands. They are not suitable to drive England forward.
Gerrard has to be the most useless midfielder England have ever produced. He lacks the discipline to be a midfielder.
For every good move Gerrard makes in a match, there are 300 lame moves to follow it but people tend to remember the good ones.
Benitez plays Gerrard deep inside the opponent's half so that when he loses the ball. . . .It won't hurt his team as much as if he was playing as a defensive midfielder. Gerrard cannot keep the ball a la Lampard.
I'm sorry. . . . . .I would choose Hargreaves and Carrick in the United midfield before any other English midfielders.

Gerrard is better midfielder than all we have now. Of course Rooney is better in his position than Gerrard

You are looking at his name, not what he produces.
The hardworkers in that Liverpool team are Mascherano and Xabi Alonso.
Liverpool cannot play 4-4-2 with a midfield of Gerrard and either Masch or Alonso. . . . .They will get raped.
Gerrard loses the ball too often while trying to do the HOLLYWOOD PASSES.

Nah!! The likes of Djemba, Hargo, keano and co were/are defensive midfielders and they do/did exactly what Alonso/Mascherano are doing
Im sure if SAF has the luxury of adding a defensive player to his team and the opportunity of taking any of those two guys comes up, he wont thnk twice.

Keane was a box to box midfielder at Man United in his prime. Go and watch his clips in em Arsenal/Man Utd encounters where he covers the length n breadth of the pitch and scoring important goals.
A defensive midfielder never ventures forward a la Makelele, Mikel and Lassana Diarra.
Hargreaves is a central midfielder. . . . .He does not sit. Bleep all these Football Manager bullshit that introduced DMF, AMF, CF, LWB, RWB.
It is all a dream.

Torres is better than all our strikers put together and all the strikers in the EPL and maybe in the world.
not sure of that!!!

I disagree.

Have you forgotten, SAF loves Torres like mad!
we actually wanted him but the spanish connection messed it up.
Torres and Benzema are strikers SAF rate very highly and would do anything to have them if possible

He rates them does not mean they would fit into the Man Utd set up.
How many Liverpool players will make the Man Utd team?? Maybe 2(Gerrard and Torres) and SAF has to change his winning formation to accomodate the two. Nobody gels well with Ronaldo than Wayne Rooney.
When the 2 of em starts upfront. . . . . .They are the best strike partners in the world by a distance.

@Biina

You make a whole lot of sense. Hope you become a regular here.

I haven't seen anywhere where Biina said Carrick is a poor player or is overrated.  .  .all he said is Carrick is a better ball passer than a ball winner when compared with Cambiasso and Zanetti. . . .I agree 'cos Carrick is lighter on his feet than the Italian dudes. Makes skillful passing and subtle moves a breeze for a player of his caliber, but ball winning requires more strength than hez got. He does win balls yeah, but he is better at passing.

    And fact remains that a team playing at home is no guarantee of a win. All fortresses get broken down eventually, whether the team deserved it or not. It's soccer.  .  .deserved and undeserved shit does happen. Lousy refs, slight but costly mistakes, etc etc. All the fans can do is keep crossed fingers and hope the gaffer takes all possible eventualities/scenarios into consideration and have effective back-up plans.

    TKB.  .  .Not sure I agree that Torres is a better player than our Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a very skilled and very versatile player.  .  .he would shine anywhere,so long as he is on the pitch. Torres is great, but fixed in his area of expertise. I prefer versatility.

    Fergie rates Torres and Benzema means he believes they are classy enough to fit in his team. Who woulda thought Berba would blend in the way he has now? Roon - Ronaldo are a powerful combo, but we can't be certain Ronaldo - Torres wouldn't be an equally powerful combo till it's been tried. As for Fergie having to change United's winning formation, soccer strategies evolve constantly. If a new formula proves better than the present winning one, anything wrong in working with both? Makes your team less predictable to opponents IMO. No need making it sound like it's a bad thing.

Im enjoying it , Keep it up Biina

biina:

All will be settled in a fortnight, and I wonder what your excuse would be if inter eliminates man u. Home ground advantage has been shown to have less influence as the tournament progresses.

Biina the historian at Real Madrid has gone missing.
When people do arm-chair analysis, it gets me ticked.
Inter will do like Madrid and score 3 goals in the first half. . . . .What have you got to say now??