Manchester United Blog

Barnsley FC 0 – 2 Manchester United: Some Thoughts [League Cup]

Franky — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:57:57 +0000

As expected Sir Alex made different changes to the squad and the Red Devils started with a completely different line up. Foster made his return in goal and as predicted Fabio, Michael Owen, Danny Wellbeck and Machedo all started. Other players to start were Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Rafael Da Silva, Evans, Anderson and Obertan who made his debut for ManUtd.

It were ManUtd who started the game furiously and after only 6 minutes Danny Wellbeck headed in from a corner from Anderson. We dominated the game with a not too impressive performance but we can easily say that the ‘youngsters got the job done’. Both Obertan and Wellbeck had chances after ManUtd took the lead but failed to convert. The last 10 minutes of the first half were controlled by Barnsley who couldn’t convert either, even though Foster had to concede 4 corners in that period.

Danny Wellbeck celebrated Powel style.

ManUtd also started the second half as the better team and it was Michael owen who scored in the 59th minute, only minutes after missing an open chance. Gary Neville, who clearly thought he hadn’t gathered enough of attention at Anfield on Sunday, was send off minutes later for a clear and silly high tackle.

It was great to see that our youngsters are able to control a game, even if against opposition of lower Leagues. It also is a good thing to see that Anderson controlled the midfield and Obertan’s first appearance, combined with a good display of Zoran Tosic who came on with 20 minutes to go were comforting. Other than that… it was a Carling Cup game.

But worse than anything, the game was overshadowed by supporter trouble. During half time ManUtd fans stormed a drinks and food stand, threatening the staff and stealing money. Police is investigating. Only minutes before the end two Barnsley fans stormed the pitch when Foster wanted to take a freekick. Poor and shameful behaviour, luckily on Saturday we return to business with a home game against Blackburn, followed by a Champions League game at home against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

Barnsley FC – Manchester United [League Cup]

Franky — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:59:17 +0000

Tonight we play the fourth round of the League Cup, AKA Carling Cup or Milk Cup, away at Barnsley. There’s not much to say about this game other than that we can expect many changes again and it is likely that Fabio Da Silva will start, together with Owen and possibly also Macheda and Wellbeck. If Darren Fletcher is recovered from his groin injury picked up during the international break he might also feature.

For Alex Ferguson it will be an ‘emotional’ meeting with the guy who once saved his career and allowed the gaffer to become one of the most illustrious manager s in the history of the game: Mark Robins.

As usually highlights will be updated on the Manchester United blog Facebook page, followed by thoughts afterwards.

Liverpool FC 2 – 0 ManUtd: Some Thoughts

Franky — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:41:21 +0000

It has taken a while to recover from Sunday’s game. Losing always is difficult, but losing to the Scousers is even harder. And Sunday’s game was one of those where nothing worked.

Let’s admit it: they ran faster, ran harder and wanted it more. And they had the support of top flight unexperienced referee Andre Marriner who blatantly helped the Dippers.

Last but not least… Ngog scored.

How to overcome all this?

Of course there’s today’s Carling Cup 4th round game away at Barnsley to forget to sorrows, but I think we have to look at ourselves to understand what went wrong on Sunday. Let’s face the harsh reality. Were Liverpool better? Nope. Did they want it more? Yes.

The red Devils started with what might have been called a surprise with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes in the centre of the midfield. Although i can understand the choice for Carrick, it was a surprise to say the least: the gaffer certainly had hoped that the midfielder, who is struggling to win a place in the England 11, could deliver some of his lauded long passes over 50 to 60 yards in an attempt to work round the Agger – Carragher tandem. But it has been too long now since we have seen those passes. And Carrick hasn’t been the same since he missed his spot kick against Burnley. There is no doubt that for a midfielder his work rate was at a very high standard again but that just isn’t good enough when playing the Dippers. The choice also was strange because on the left wing was the rejuvenated Ryan Giggs, not the optimal or fastest choice when hoping for those long passes.

Another problem we had to deal with once more was our lack of creating chances. As usual we saw moments of fast and fluid one-touch football but there was no sharp edge. Berbatov really has upped the ante this season, always playing more and more in the role of the smart provider for the strikers but where are the strikers?

At the risk of offending many I am going to say it: Rooney is NOT the player to rely on up front. The talent is a player who can and will make the difference in many games but not the sole striker always there. His conversion rate in recent years has proven this, so has his low number of last 10 minutes goals. Rooney is best with someone next to him, preferably someone who plays even deeper than he does. Rooney’s great when on the counter or from second line. As can be seen in the tribute video, his speed is mortal. Not his work in the box though. And when playing a duo like Carragher and Agger, he will always struggle to make the difference.

What Needs To Happen?

It is hard to say, we have played some great football at time already this season. Our back four is returning to previous strength and form. valencia is improving on a weekly basis and found the crossbar a second time in less than a week. Both times were goal worthy, not accidental crossbar hits. Nani has shown at times what he can bring: pace, dribbles and good crosses, just as great shots from outside the box. Anderson has shown that he is ready to fight for a place in the squad. Hargo is hopefully close to his return.

Everything seems fine, still we fail at creating chances. That’s not something new. Ever since RVN found his place on the bench, and later left for some minor team abroad, we have struggled at scoring against teams who play defensively. Most of our goals have come whether from fast outbreaks or from second line. It is not just our problem, it seems to become a standard in modern football that goals are based on very fast gameplay with lots of space. It’s pretty much the style the Spanish League is based on. Leagues known for their organised play, like the Bundesliga and Serie A often have less goals. But it makes for a dull experience for the fan and team like our Devils struggle to score when playing the likes of Bolton, Wigan or Sunderland. Who is that tall, deadly guy in the box who can stand up and make a difference?

15 Years Ago

Franky — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:14:12 +0000

15 Years ago after a thrilling 3-3 draw The Kop unrolled this banner at the end of the game.

Liverpool FC – ManUtd Preview: THE Game [Prem]

Franky — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:27 +0000

Tomorrow is THE game and this year the trip to Anfield Road comes with two more bonus elements. First of all there is the question if the Anfield loyals will show Michael Owen the respect he deserves for his time at The Kop. The other factor is whether it will be the last game in charge for the Spanish waiter.

Rafa Benitez has lost 6 games out of 13 games played this season so far and I will be nice here but he actually is a good manager. A good manager with a bad attitude. A manager who seems to have lost passion.
One could give the Spaniard the bonus of the problems in the board room, some people even say that he doesn’t have money to buy players but that argument is bollocks for the guy who has bought more than 70 players in his time at the Merseyside.

Our freebie, Michael Owen, has had an illustrious career at Anfield and spend the debut of his career with the Dippers, making 216 appearances and scoring 118 goals for the side between 1996 and 2004. He is one of the most successful strikers for The Kop but will he be respected for this. Are the Scousers mature enough to see that he left Anfield 5 years ago already?

As usual with a derby game there is no clear favourite although the pundits and bookies seem to have punished the Dippers for their poor performances so far, but in the words of SAF: ‘Anyone can win it‘.

Park-Ji Sung is certainly out and there still are doubts around the fitness of Wayne Rooney. For Benitez things look more serious with both ~~Mr. Loserpool~~ Steven Gerard and Fernando Torres doubtful.
At the back everyone is fit and with EVDS present in between the posts again our back four seems to have found their tenure again and SAF certainly has selection problems with Gary Neville performing very well again and Wes Brown also being fit again. Both John O’Shea and Evans also played well so far this season but we will probably see our preferred centre back duo, Rio Ferdinand – Nemanja Vidic again. Evra, who has been passed fit as well, probably will return to his left back position, after a great performance of Fabio Da Silva in midweek.

Tomorrow is our chance to finally knock the Dippers, who did the frackin’ double over us last season, of their perch. If they lose the season seems over already for them and history will repeat: ‘Next year we will win it will become the official Dippers song again after they briefly dreamed that it would be this year.

It is hard to predict the outcome, but I will say 1 – 2 for ManUtd with an injury time winner from Michael Owen.

The Arabs Need A Translator, Hughes Needs A Calculator

Franky — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:11:36 +0000

If you thought that the Abu Dhabi family’s problems could have been made easier with the help of a decent translator, which could have saved them the embarrassment of buying a team without own stadium, you’ll have to think again.

Not only do the multi-billionaires have to live up that error now it also seems that they will have to send their manager to ground school again. Former ManUtd legend Mark Hughes admitted that he will keep an eye on the game at Anfield on Sunday ¹ but contrarily to other seasons this time he will look at the result in the hope that one team might drop points and improve Citeh’s position. According to the greying Welsh man top 4 teams seem to perform worse than in previous seasons:

When we go up against the top four teams, if we can do our work and take points off them, then that will help us in terms of the ambitions we have,” he added

Let’s have a look at the table for ManUtd so far: we played 9 games, won 7 times, drew once and lost once, totalling 22 points out of 27.
There are 38 League games in the Prem or 114 points to be earned for every squad. If to keep things simple we quadruple our total points so far, this would lead to 88 points (and actually two more games or 6 more points to be won).

How many points were needed in the last five seasons to win the title?:

2008 – 2009: ManUtd 90 points, Liverpool 86 points

2007 – 2008: ManUtd 87 points, Chelsea 85 points

2006 – 2007: ManUtd 89 points, Chelsea 83 points

2005 – 2006: Chelsea 91 points, ManUtd 83 points

2004 – 2005: Chelsea 95 points, Arsenal 83 points

As can be seen from those tables, 88 points are sufficient to clinch the title and then there still would be two games to be played.

Who will not, especially since no other game is played at the same time

Liverpool FC – ManUtd [Prem]: Historic Videos

Franky — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:59:31 +0000

With another derby in front of us, probably the most exciting one every year, against the Dippers, what better way to preview with some older and memorable videos from the last years.

The Waiter Looks for Excuses Why Liverpool Might Not Win The League, AKA Rafa’s Epic Rant.

Long before Christmas Rafa Benitez launched an epic rant against Ferguson last season. After the rant Liverpool’s results started to get worse and worse. Once more it has been proven that the Achilles heel of Liverpool one Spaniard is. Fact.

Neville Celebrates Victory

After the final whistle in January 2006, a game won 1-0 after an injury time goal of Rio Ferdinand, our skipper Gary Neville ran the whole length of the pitch to celebrate the victory and kiss the ManUtd badge… in front of the Liverpool fans. Rooney also joined in on the fun. Neville would later be fined £5000 by the FA.

Ferdinand’s Injury Time Goal – January 2006

An injury time header from Ferdinand decided the game at Old Trafford.

Rio at Old Trafford – October 2006.

Some months later Rio Ferdinand again would score against Liverpool. This probably is one of his best goals ever and gave ManUtd a deserved 2-0 victory after Paul Scholes’ goal in the first half.

John O’Shea at Anfield – March 2007

The moment John O’Shea became a Legend: an injury time winning header at Anfield.

CSKA Moscow 0 – 1 Manchester United [CL]

Franky — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:47:45 +0000

Manchester United booked their third win in as many games in the group stages of the 2009-2010 Champions League last night and is now all but qualified for the knock out phase with two home games and one away game at Vfl. Wolfsburg to go.

The Reds delivered a performance worthy of Champions and after CSKA was better in the first 10 minutes ManUtd quickly took control of the game, without pushing the Russian squad too hard. It was obvious that we needed to get used to the ‘plastic’ pitch and there were some awkward moments initially but as time passed the Russian could only enjoy the odd counter anymore as the English Champions controlled the game brilliantly. The first half was dominated by the ever so great Paul Scholes, Nani and Valencia. Brazilian youngster Fabio Da Silva also delivered a great performance in the first half, but had to be stretchered off near the end of the second half with a cramp.

At the start of the second half the Reds continued to control the game in a mature way and upped the tempo as time ran out. The back four delivered a solid performance after they got used to the pitch. Ferdinand and Vidic aren’t back to infamous level yet, but it was obvious that the defence felt a lot more reassured with EVDS back in goal. Brown who came on after 56 minutes for Rio also delivered a solid display, although hardly threatened. Neville looked at least 5 years younger and at some point even almost scored with his left foot!

With 20 minutes to go Scholes was substituted by Owen, who showed his hunger and mistimed his volley on a cross from the excellent Valencia. When Owen came on Berbatov had more space and someone to play off/to but it would be Valencia who scored for ManUtd in the 86th minute, only minutes after hitting the crossbar after a brilliant combination play with Berbatov.

One minute after scoring the Red Devils substituted youngster Fabio Da Silva who suffered a cramp and Carrick came on. SAF clearly was looking for the kill and Anderson almost scored his second of the season but his goalbound effort was deflected.

All in all a very solid display and the Reds won deservedly in Moscow. Now we can get our beach balls ready for Sunday when we will beat Rafa and inflict the waiter with his 7th defeat out of 14 games this season.

Squad:Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio Da Silva, O’Shea, Valencia, Scholes, Anderson, Nani, Berbatov // Subs: Kuszczak, Brown, Owen, Carrick, Welbeck, Jonathan Evans, Macheda.

ManUtd Travel to Moscow Without Five Stars [CL]

Franky — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:17:18 +0000

The second game in the Champions League group stages sees Manchester United travel to the Russian capital without several stars. Rooney, Giggs, Fletcher, Evra and Park Ji-Sung all are sidelined and stayed in Manchester.
Berbatov and Vidic are doubtfull but travelled with the squad.

The game is the third in the qualification stages and if after wins in Besiktas and at OT against Vf. Wolfsburg we can be victorious again in the Russian capital a big step towards the knock out stages of this years CL will be made.

Ferguson will select the squad from the following players who all travelled Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster; Neville, Rafael, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, J Evans, Fabio; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, C Evans, Anderson, Nani; Owen, Berbatov, Macheda, Welbeck.

I really wonder what happened to Zoran Tosic. After he was allowed some appearances last season everyone seems to have forgotten about him. There is no doubt that with Ryan Giggs in the form of his life (again) and Nani still waiting to deliver on a constant base we have cover for the right wing, but one would have thought that the Serbian international would at least have played himself in the travelling squad in the absence of Giggs.

ManUtd 2 – 1 Vfl Wolfsburg Live Blog Report

Franky — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:24:00 +0000

Welcome to our live report of the second game in the Champions League group stages: Manchester United – Vfl. Wolfsburg.
Follow the live report after the jump.

Michael Carrick scores the winner for Manchester United.

22.03
Other results for tonight:
AC Milan 0 – 1 FC Zurich; Apoel Nicosia 0 – 1 Chelsea; Bayern Munich 0 – 0 Juventus; Bordeaux 1 – 0 Maccabi Haifa; CSKA Moscow 2 – 1 Besiktas; FC Porto 2 – 0 Atletico Madrid; Man Utd 2 – 1 Wolfsburg; Real Madrid 3 – 0 Marseille.

21.39

Giggs equalises with his deflected free kick from almost 25 yards.

21.33
Wolfsburg try to equalize in the last minute but Evra just clears and concedes a corner on aheader from Dzeko. No danger from the following corner though and we say FT at Old Trafford: 2-1.
That’s it from me guys, 2 games, 6 points. 3 Points more than Liverpool in their group after 2 games and still top of the League table for Manchester United.

Congratulations to Wolfsburg who fought hard and did not dig themselves in in their own box like many teams do when visiting the Theatre of Dreams but after 90 minutes the Red Devils deservedly take the 3 points home.

21.31
2 Minutes stoppage time. Fletcher and Rooney try to finalize the game but the youngster’s cross is easily collected by the German goalie.

21.30
Quick break away over Rooney but his low, great cross between keeper and defender, was too deep for Berbatov.

21.30
Elsewhere Chelsea and Zurich still lead and it’s a hard fought stale mate at the Allianz Arena between Bayern Munich and Juventus.

21.28
Vidic concedes a free kick outside of the box for what might as well have been a second yellow. The Serbian gets away cheaply there with his tackle from the back!

21.27
What a missed chance by Anderson! A quick and long one-two with Berbatov and the Brazilian is alone in front of the Wolfsburg keeper but his first touch is poor.

21.26

Dzeko celebrates his opening goal

21.24
Guys, I tell you Wayne’s up for it. Watch him he’s hungry and was just flagged off side again. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was to score tonight.

21.22
Double substitution: Darren Fletcher replaces Valencia, who worked hard but could not deliver a decisive cross and even should have scored. On the other side Grafite is replaced by Obafemi Martins.

21.20
The excitement just took over from me. I obviously meant 2-1, Michael Carrick with a perfectly placed shot from slightly left outside of the box!
Before the ball came to Carrick, Berbatov almost scored from a Giggs’ cross but the Bulgarian who was slightly off balance laid back to the midfielder who curled the ball next to the far post!

21.19
~~2-0!~~ 2-1!

21.18
Another cross from the left, Giggs of course, but the Germans can clear before Rooney’s sliding tackle connects.

21.17
Meanwhile at the Bernabeu it is 3-0 for Galacticos II and FC Zurich and Chelsea still are leading 0-1, respectively against Milan AC and Apoel Nicosia.

21.16
After Ferdinand almost scared us with one of his more infamous controls inside the box he launches Berbatov quickly but the Bulgarian’s long pass is too hard for Giggs. Throw in for Wolfsburg.

21.15
Ferdinand concedes a corner but Kuszczack is solid and wins the ball.

21.14
Substitution: Hasebe is replaced by Ziani. Anderson now will have to deliver a great performance covering Ziani.

21.12

Berbatov in action

21.11
Rooney’s shot just from the edge of the box is deflected but the international doesn’t get the benefit of the deflection. Only a minute later Giggs’s second goal is cancelled for off side although the ball came of the leg of a Wolfsburg defender.

21.08
Valencia wins a free kick 28 yards out on the right. Giggs (who else) behind the ball

21.08
The Welsh ManUtd legend kicks the ball somewhere in the second tier almost.

21.06
Valencia’s cross is too short but the Ecuadorian wins a throw in this time.

21.03
Dangerous free kick from Giggs but Valencia’s following cross falls before Vidic who can not connect at all and the following on Giggs’ cross is cleared.

21.03
The game is completely open now and Wolfsburg win a corner.

21.02
Rooney wins another free kick and Costa is deservedly booked for his foul on the England International.

20.59
Giggs!!!!!!!
Who else could turn the game here than Ryan Giggs who scores his 150th goal for Mancehster United with a deflected free kick from 25 yards! 1-1

20.58
Giggs cross almost could have lead to the equaliser but no one was present at the far post.

20.57
And the Germans have done it! Dzeko heads the ball in out of reach from Kuszczack and we read 0-1 on the score board at Old Trafford.

20.55
What a save by the Wolfsburg goal keeper on a volley from Anderson. That’s his third save of the night already

20.53
Against the flow of the game the ball lands on Gendtner’s left but his shot from just outside of the box is easily captured by Kuszczack.

20.52

Berbatov comes on for the injured Owen and soon would change the flow of the game.

20.49
The German goalie concedes a corner after a Barthez styled clearance on a cross, but no danger comes from Giggs’ corner.

20.48
Valencia wins a corner after his cross was just too short to reach Rooney.

20.47
Costa could have done better with his header on a corner won by Wolfsburg after another poor defensive show of Vidic/Evra.

20.45
Meanwhile in Milan FC Zurich leads AC Milan 1-0 at the San Siro. And off we go for the second half at Old Trafford.

20.43

Michael Owen shortly before he was substituted due to a (probable) groin injury.

20.40
Back already here and the glass is full with Cider and black. When two days ago I said youngsters have to step up in the midfield, the one solution which would be my preferred one is exactly what we saw in the last 20 minutes: Dimitar Berbatov controlling the game, playing in a slightly more forward role than Scholes usually does.
Showing that he can be that one guy… the successor to King Eric!

20.30
HT. The Reds are clearly in control and bothValencia and Carrick should have scored but if we continue like this it is only a matter of minutes and then goals could fall in buckets. Much like the rain at Old Trafford. See you guys in some minutes, this time I’ll have a full pint. :)

20.29
Carrick tries his luck with a diving header but can not connect properly to the rather weak cross from Valencia.

20.27
40 Minutes played and Manchester United is firmly in control of the game. The only thing we need now are goals and Rooney almost was there but his shot from the outside after a brilliant backheel from Berbatov is too poor.

20.24
Vidic is booked for a rather stupid foul on the midfield line. The Serbian has taken quite some yellow cards already this season, a little toom many for my liking. Needed foul, maybe but one would expect a great defender like Vidic to come up with better than fouling there.

20.23
But the Germans get no second to breathe and this time it’s Anderson who launches the Bulgarian but Berbatov is correctly flagged off side.

20.21
Manunited now completely are in control and almost scored again: Giggs tried to find Berbatov at the far corner but the ball just bounced a little too high and the cross didn’t land 100% the Bulgarian just can not connect enough and concedes a goal kick.

20.20
Berbatov stumbles when he tried to find Giggs with his pass after a quick breakout.

20.19
Wolfsburg could have made Kuszczack life harder with that corner but the header went over wide and high. Poor cover from our back four.

20.18
In an early game tonight CSKA Moscow beat Besiktas 2-1 .

20.15
Not 2 minutes later, Rooney wins a corner after Berbatov again launched Anderson who found Rooney outside the box on the right.

20.14
What a missed chance by Michael Carrick. Berbatov who’s first attempt from outside the box was blocked smartly passes to the midfielder whose attempt is blocked by the Wolfsburg keeper.

20.13
Assitant flags O’Shea off for passive offside when Berbatov was trough after a smart lifted pass from Carrick. The alst 10 minutes Wolfsburg have barely seen the ManUtd box anymore.

20.11
Is Valencia the new Anderson? After a great pass from Berbatov the Ecuadorian is trough and places his attempt just wide at the far corner. This should have been his first one for ManUtd.

20.10
Rooney flagged debatably flagged off side. In Cyprus Nicholas Anelka scored the first one for Chelsea against Apoel Nicosia.

20.09
First real danger from the Red Devils now: Berbatov launches Rooney in the box, the youngster is dispossed and Giggs crosses deep for Valencia at the far post but the newly signed winger can not control the ball.

20.08
This time it is Giggs who takes it and the Germans just clear before O’Shea could connect at the far post.

20.07
Valencia is dispossessed but wins a throw in near the corner flag. After Valencia tried to claim a hands ball in the box the ball comes to Evra who goes down rather easily but wins a free kick just outside.

20.05
Substition: Owen goes off and Berbatov comes on.

20.03
Anderson wins a free kick a couple of yards outside of the box. Rooney places the ball just wide.

20.02
Hard work from Rooney but neither Valencia nor Anderson manage to deliver a great cross and the ball goes out.

20.00
ManUtd is now slowly controlling the game more and more but there still seem to be minor issues with the passing.

19.58
Should we be worried because Berbatov is already warming up? Is this why everyone was laughing when SAF signed Owen?

19.56
Another attempt from Dzeko from more than 25 yards out but the ball flies wide.

19.55
Whenever Wolfsburg come forward we do not close on the ball fast enough. One would have hoped that with both Carrick and Anderson the Germans would not receive much time but both clearly still have to wake up.

19.53
In the first minutes Wolfsburg clearly is the more disturbing team, but master Giggs is omni-present and just found Michael Owen. The former international could not connect properly though.

19.51
Rooney was looking for Owen but his pass was blocked and Wolfsburg countered quickly and again Vidic seemed confused but Ferdinand calmly clears.

19.50
And once more poor clearing from Vidic and the ball comes to Dzeko who forces Kuszczack to go down.

19.48
Poor attempted clearance from Vidic but Grafite’s control is even poorer and we win a throw in. But the ball is lost quickly again and Ferdinand needs to clear.

19.47
Anderson, who IMHO was selected rather surprisingly, wins a free kick in the German half.

19.45
And off we go, ManUtd have won the toss and kick off.

19.41
Capello is at Old Trafford. Reckon he will see the 2010 World Cup front line tonight?

19.39
Rooney makes his 50th Champions League appearance today. He will break records also in the Champions League, it seems this record be something between him and Galactico Raul

19.32
I am optimistic today and think we’ll win this one 3-0. Owen scoring twice and the third for Rooney.

19.26
Wolfsburg squad: Benaglio, Riether, Madlung, Ricardo Costa, Schafer, Josue, Hasebe, Misimovic, Gentner, Dzeko, Grafite. Subs: Lenz, Martins, Santana, Ziani, Pekarik, Dejagah, Barzagli

19.25
Team sheet’s in: Owen and Rooney start up front and Evra’s declared fit as expected. Kuszczak who always performed rather well in the CL starts as well (Kuszczak, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Owen, Rooney. Subs: Foster, Brown, Berbatov, Nani, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Fletcher)