United Are Going To Moscow

Unless Sir Alex Ferguson receives a favour from Kevin Keegan, his old sparring partner in title races gone by, it is likely that complete vindication for last Saturday’s team selection at Chelsea will not be forthcoming until victories over West Ham United and Wigan are secured. Tonight’s slender 1-0 win over Barcelona to seal a place in next month’s Champions’ League Final at least kick-starts the reconciliation process.

The location may have changed, but the pattern of play in the opening stages carried over from the first leg in Camp Nou with Barcelona in command. Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick struggled in Catalonia and they were under immediate pressure from Xavi and Andres Iniesta as the visitors seized control. Scholes has by far and away been England’s premier midfielder since Paul Gascoigne’s pre-injury days of the early 1990’s, a feat accomplished without the need to employ a pop svengali, but his recent form has attracted growing criticism from many observers. At 33, the feeling is that his best days are well beyond him. If skilled passing and moving, for so long a trademark of the Salford redhead, were being exhibited by Iniesta, at least Scholes still showed he has an ability to provide the spectacular. His 14th minute goal owed a debt of gratitude to an error by the otherwise excellent Gianluca Zambrotta, but its execution was typical of the man. Scholes, after all, scores goals.

Barcelona quickly regained the upper hand and Deco, the Portuguese playmaker, came close to grabbing the vital away goal on a couple of occasions before half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo, his compatriot, was again finding it difficult to receive possession in space. By contrast, Lionel Messi embarked on a number of slaloming runs but without an end product. Ronaldo enjoyed his best spell shortly after the interval. Firstly he jinked around Zambrotta before sending a dangerous cross into the area which tested the Barcelona defence. Minutes later he provided a sharp return pass into the path of Carlos Tevez who saw his left-foot shot palmed away by Victor Valdes.

With Tevez in outstanding form, frequently battling to retain possession and relieve the pressure from mounting on United’s reshuffled backline, the cavalry charge did not arrive until the final 15 minutes. By then Frank Rijkaard had introduced Thierry Henry and Bojan Krkic to the action. Ferguson responded by installing Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs in midfield at the expense of the less defensively sound pairing of Scholes and Nani. Henry had one decent chance from a corner but could only head tamely at the feet of Edwin van der Sar.

A late injury to Patrice Evra saw play continue until the conclusion of the 96th minute, but United held firm to reach their third European Cup Final. There were a few nerves in the dugout, but the outcome has never been in doubt amongst the Old Trafford faithful who have been proved correct. Since late last year they have been telling us that United are going to Moscow.

United Hold Firm In Camp Nou

The expected glut of goalmouth action served up by two of Europe’s most illustrious attacking line-ups may not have materialised, but Barcelona and Manchester United still combined to produce an entertaining game at Camp Nou in the first leg of their Champions’ League semi-final.

As is usually the case when a high profile player misses from the penalty spot, Cristiano Ronaldo will be falsely accused of lacking bottle rather than simply being subjected to the law of averages. Pressure from the spot does not get more intense than when asked to re-take a successful effort when trailing 1-0 to a title challenger late in the season, as Ronaldo was required to do against Arsenal recently. Sir Alex Ferguson probably called it correctly when he said that, if anything, the opportunity possibly arrived too early in the game. That said he and everyone else would still have backed the Portuguese maestro to convert.

At this same stage in last year’s competition, an injury-ravaged United found themselves outmanoeuvred and outgunned by a fresh AC Milan side able to pour all of their efforts into the Champions’ League. Though injuries have not taken the same toll on the English champions this time around (Nemanja Vidic was the only probable starter to miss out), Barcelona’s faltering title challenge in Spain has provided them with a single focus as the season draws to a close.

In the early stages, Frank Rijkaard’s men pressed high up the field. Their midfield pushed forward onto United’s back line, forcing the heralded triumvirate of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez to retreat into their own half. Resultingly, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick found it difficult to strike up their normal rhythm. Again unfairly for Ronaldo, many observers view this tie as a direct competition between him and Lionel Messi for the “World’s Best Player" accolade. Judging their respective merits on this game is highly misleading. Whereas Messi continually received the ball in the final third with team-mates close at hand, much of Ronaldo’s possession was gained around the halfway line and with little support nearby.

Ferguson will be content that, despite incessant probing, Barcelona could only create one seriously threatening chance when Samuel Eto’o broke into the penalty area early in the second half. He will be less impressed with his side’s ability to defuse some of the pressure heaped upon them by retaining control of the ball for longer stretches. It is doubtful that a side containing Ji-Sung Park and Paul Scholes as well as the front trio were instructed to play on the defensive, so credit must go to Rooney and Tevez for putting in a hard defensive shift when their attacking capabilities were so effectively marginalised.

Overall, United will be happy to return to Old Trafford next Tuesday knowing that a win will see them through to the final in Moscow. Rijkaard will feel confident that his men can score in the away leg, especially with Messi further down the road to full fitness.

A final word of praise goes to Massimo Busacca, the Swiss referee, who gave an impeccable display which ranks among the best that I have seen in recent years. There were, as can be expected, a handful of minor calls which he and his assistants did not get right, but he was exact in all of the major decisions regarding penalty appeals and bookings and allowed an admirable flow to the match without becoming overly officious – too often the case in today’s near non-contact sport.

Riise Grants Avram the Advantage

From the moment that Dirk Kuyt broke 42 minutes of monotony until the dying throes of stoppage time, it looked as though Liverpool and Chelsea would both happily recommence next Wednesday’s Champions’ League semi-final at Stamford Bridge with the Reds holding a slender 1-0 lead. That was until John Arne Riise’s blunder unwittingly swung the tie in favour of Avram Grant’s side.

For those expecting to be entertained, the signs were ominous – three goals in 570 minutes over six painful matches between these teams in recent European campaigns. The torture continued during a first half in which neither side was able to construct any flowing passing movements due to an overly congested midfield area. One wonders what Joe Cole, undoubtedly one of England’s most technically gifted players, makes of having to regularly endure this battleground which so often robs him of the ability to express his natural talents. When a flitting chance to shine presented itself, Cole fluffed his lines by trying to convert Frank Lampard’s deep cross with an outstretched leg. Use of the head would surely have brought greater rewards.

Lampard was otherwise anonymous during that first period; an accusation frequently levelled at him during big matches. As is often the case with England, he was joined in obscurity by Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, as the destructive forces of Javier Mascherano and Claude Makelele took effect. Brief spurts of finesse were provided by Michael Ballack, so often overlooked by those infatuated with the supposed golden generation of home-grown stars, but the German would also be relegated to the fringes for most of the evening.

Ashley Cole is another victim of the current system employed by Chelsea. So often at Arsenal the left-back received plaudits for his attacking instincts and support play. This former hallmark of his game has been all but been browbeaten out of him, and rarely was he seen progressing beyond the halfway line. With Florent Malouda continually ineffective ahead of Cole on the left flank, the majority of Chelsea’s forward options rest entirely on the theatrics of Didier Drogba. Though 6’ 2” and over 14 stone, Drogba’s legs are made from marshmallow. He gesticulated for a penalty midway through the first half after pushing the ball ahead of Jamie Carragher, leaning into the Liverpool defender and then throwing himself to the turf. Konrad Plautz, the Austrian referee, was rightly unimpressed.

When Kuyt finally broke the deadlock, his goal owed more to brute strength and good fortune than any creativity. Seizing onto Mascherano’s woefully miscued shot, he did well to hold off a challenge by Makelele before firing low under the advancing Petr Cech.

Liverpool became more adventurous after the interval as they chased the security of a second goal to take to London for the return leg, but remained mindful of keeping the back door firmly closed. Ballack and Joe Cole were sacrificed as Avram Grant looked to grab a vital away goal. Though much maligned, the Chelsea manager silenced many critics during last month’s victory over Arsenal which pushed the Blues firmly back into the title race. That success owed more to dogged persistence, the long-ball tactic and sprinklings of luck than any inspired tactical nous. Grant was again a lucky man last night thanks to Riise’s late aberration.

Grant claimed afterwards that Chelsea were deserving of the equaliser; a flimsy, desperate claim matching his statement from last week that his dour team also deserves the Premier League title. He was correct in stating that they now hold the edge, especially in light of Liverpool’s recent goal drought at Stamford Bridge, but it is hard to envisage Chelsea reaching the final courtesy of an entertaining performance where the shackles placed firmly around their attacking potential are discarded.

Seventeen years have passed since Red Star Belgrade served up a putrid, unambitious display to thwart a thriving Marseille team in Bari’s Stadio San Nicola. One hopes that the eyes of the viewing millions will not be subjected to a similar display in Moscow in four weeks, but the threat level is rising.