I am very confident and composed, verging on cocky. Good thing I'm not playing, I would've been complacent. However, my mood will probably change in 30 hours.
Manchester United vs. Chelsea
- Thread starter VidaRed
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Even if we score first and they equalise at any stage, the alarm bells will start ringing and they'll still only need another one to go through. Very dangerous game this, it's human nature to play more tentatively than usual when going into a game knowing a draw will do(see us v Arsenal in 2009 0-0 league decider, Spurs 0-0 v Milan etc).
Judging by the way Chelsea have performed in their last two outings I'm not expecting Fergie to have the handbrake on tomorrow night.
Maybe not to begin with but the longer the game goes at 0-0/1-0, the more tentative and concious of defending we'll become.
As long as Chelsea remain at 0-0 or at worst 1-0 down, they are only ever a goal away from taking the initiative in the tie and putting us on the back foot.
I'm sure we'll be fine.
Somehow the approach needs to include keeping it as tight as can be at the back AND scoring relatively early - no mean feat against Chelsea, even if we are at home
I really hope we dont just sit back and defend the lead whilst hoping to catch them on the break. I dont think my nerves can take it. Please score a couple early doors and put the game to bed. Nani and Valencia both wings from the off and rip into them.
My mate just rang me there he's won MUTV's competition for 2 tickets for tomorrow night. Posh box seats by the sounds of it but still its still a ticket. My chances of going are v slim due to a new job. fecks sake. I need a miracle
This for me too.
Dodgy approach though. This is Chelsea we're talking about. If we go all out at first, they could easily sting us. I think they are going to look control the midfield first and foremost, so that is where we need to be strongest, and hope that our most attacking 3/4 players (guessing three or four from Nani, Valencia, Rooney & Hernandez, depending whether we go 4-3-3 or 4-4-2) can somehow get round their defence. I can't see this being a game where we throw the kitchen sink at them from the off.
Rafael's injury aside I expect pretty much the same team as the first leg with maybe Anderson in for Hernandez, sadly Nani will be benched.
I've submitted my team in the line-ups thread but I think Scholes and Giggs will be in there for experience, Rooney will be up front on his own and Park will also make his customary appearance.
I love that when Nani get's left out of a game it's for "tactical reasons" but when Berba suffers the same fate he's "dropped".
In some quarters that opinion would land you in hot water and open to accusations of being foolish and/or short sighted to Nani's talents that will nearly always be followed up with a variation of "Look at the stats, he has to play"
But I, for one, agree. I didn't think he's start the away leg either, despite some insisting he was 'rested' at Upton Park. We could of course be wrong but leaving Nani out would make sense, at least to how I think the manager will approach the game.
It is pretty much of a muchness. However if you say that Nani will be dropped you're likely to get five pages of everyone telling you how much of an idiot you are for thinking that. It doesn't happen with Berbatov.
Therefore Berbatov is 'dropped' and Nani is, as always, left out for tactical reasons.
Pretty much.
It's basically just a case of Fergie preferring the defensive workrate of Park and he's willing to sacrifice some of our creativity by using him over Nani.
The only way I see Nani starting is if Park shift central and Nani plays in place of Hernandez as part of a front 3.
For me that is the only scenario Nani would play in too and I cannot see us being that adventurous, at least from the start, tomorrow night.
I just hope we don't try to sit back and defend the one goal we have.
I think that would be suicide.
I think that would be suicide.
They can try, but they won't succeed. We always control the game against them in the first half. Our midfield, for all the criticisms, are better technically and this is always reflected in us having a superior share of the game against them. Their power tends to put us on the backfoot as the game goes on - but I think we've got good options of our own in the sense of lasting the pace; Valencia and Park, in particular.
I think Ferguson will approach the game as though it's 0-0. The safest thing to do is get on the front foot - that doesn't mean being dangerously complacent, however.
No idea why you would think we would do that.
Except if you look at it as 4-5-1, is it that adventurous?
Van der Sar
Rafael Rio Vidic Evra
Carrick
Park Giggs
Tony----------Nani
Rooney
Rafael Rio Vidic Evra
Carrick
Park Giggs
Tony----------Nani
Rooney
Listening to Ancelotti and how he is going to come up with something special - wonder if it's mind games but, if he is watching the game last week again, what he'll realize our left side is where they need to attack. Hopefully SAF will also recognize this was where we were most vulnerable.
I'd start with
VDS
O'Shea, Rio, Vidic, Evra
Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Anderson, Park
Rooney
With Park helping Evra down the left side, Giggs keeping an eye on Lampard, Anderson on Essien and Carrick on Ramires.
Evra needs to really wake the hell up for this one, can't be any more of those give the ball up at midfield or let Bosingwa run free from within his own half. Defensively solid first and then worry about supporting the attack.
I'd start with
VDS
O'Shea, Rio, Vidic, Evra
Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Anderson, Park
Rooney
With Park helping Evra down the left side, Giggs keeping an eye on Lampard, Anderson on Essien and Carrick on Ramires.
Evra needs to really wake the hell up for this one, can't be any more of those give the ball up at midfield or let Bosingwa run free from within his own half. Defensively solid first and then worry about supporting the attack.
Code:
van der Sar
O'Shea Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Carrick Park Giggs
Valencia Nani
Rooney
SUBS:
Kuszczak, Smalling, Fabio, Scholes, Anderson, Berbatov, HernandezYes stanley!
Kuszczak; Rafael, Smalling; Anderson, Scholes; Berbatov, Hernandez
---
van der Sar
O'Shea Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Carrick Giggs
Valencia Park Nani
Rooney
Malouda Drogba Anelka
Lampard Ramires
Essien
Cole Terry Ivanovic Bosingwa
Cech
---
Turnbull; Ferreira, Alex; Benayoun, Mikel; Kalou, Torres
Gibson could make the bench for us, while Zhirkov could for Chelsea. I'm not expecting anything much different. Hopefully we do enough! Really can't wait for this game.
How pissed off were you when Rooney scored last week?
Because it's what they did against Barca for like 70 minutes with a smaller lead when they were a much better team and Barca were shit.
I'd be slightly surprised if Nani started.
Am i the only one who looks at Chelseas potential line up and thinks they look over the hill? sure they are well capable of beating any team and tomorrow will be a hard game im sure but just looking at them you can make a case for all of them being past their best from front to back.
Fergie said Nani is in contention.
I think he'll replace Hernandez from our team last week.
I think he'll replace Hernandez from our team last week.
Strange logic to say the least.
A few things from Ancelotti's press conference:
Torres will play tomorrow, not saying if he will start. No pressure on Torres to score.
Rooney most dangerous Utd player - but they won't change the shape & mentality to control Rooney.
Alex will come back, he's fit but unsure if he will start tomorrow.
Says his team have been treated unfairly and in the future he hopes there will be fair decisions.
Torres will play tomorrow, not saying if he will start. No pressure on Torres to score.
Rooney most dangerous Utd player - but they won't change the shape & mentality to control Rooney.
Alex will come back, he's fit but unsure if he will start tomorrow.
Says his team have been treated unfairly and in the future he hopes there will be fair decisions.
I'd be confident with this team:
Van der Sar
O'Shea - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra
Carrick - Giggs
Valencia - Park - Nani
Rooney
The second half.
I'm actually really nervous for this, got a horrible feeling we'll go out on away goals. :/
I think Carrick will need a conventional centre midfielder in their with him. He put on a great display last Wednesday but even then, Chelsea had a good amount of possession and were piling too much pressure on our defence. We need someone else in there to keep possession. Maybe a 433 with Scholes in the middle and someone else like Anderson, with Valencia and Nani flanking Rooney.
Rafael's sending-off broke our backs, to be honest. Would have been a totally different game, if he hadn't been dismissed.
I hope we go for the killer goal in the first-half, I really do. There's always a chance that Chelsea can nick a goal, whether it's from a corner or a free-kick. Let's take the lead in the first half and I'll be pretty sure we can plan for a fourth semi-final in the last five years.