Ronaldo misses the last penalty 
Manchester United vs Real Madrid
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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.
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ya,it will look good as the players come out of the tunnel
With Jones missing I hope Fergie doesn't do something silly like play Smalling at RB and have Rafael do a man to man job on Ronaldo.
de Gea
Rafael
Evans
Ferdinand
Evra
Carrick
Cleverley
Giggs
Kagawa
Rooney
van Persie
Rafael
Evans
Ferdinand
Evra
Carrick
Cleverley
Giggs
Kagawa
Rooney
van Persie
What are the best odds for a United win then?
Mourinho answers in English and then the fecking muppet Jim White on SSN repeats everything Mourinho has just said. For fecks sake, he's speaking in English, there's no need to translate
DDG
Rafael, Rio, Evans, Evra
Nani, Carrick, Cleverley, Welbeck
Rooney, RVP
I think Rooney is going to end up playing more in CM to drop onto Alonso but, also give him a chance to make more of an impact than he did in the first leg.
Nani will be our out ball, to be able to break and actually finish on the break.
Rafael, Rio, Evans, Evra
Nani, Carrick, Cleverley, Welbeck
Rooney, RVP
I think Rooney is going to end up playing more in CM to drop onto Alonso but, also give him a chance to make more of an impact than he did in the first leg.
Nani will be our out ball, to be able to break and actually finish on the break.
Best odds for United I can find are 5/4 (Betfair) with Madrid 4/5 (Betfred)
Pity there's all this trouble going on with Nani and contracts and such. Bad timing from Fergs etc.....Nani would thoroughly relish a game like this.
Even so, might be worth playing him.
Even so, might be worth playing him.
Great .... Plastic flags, just like CHelsea. FFS
Has Mourinho announced the line-up yet?
Mourinho answers in English and then the fecking muppet Jim White on SSN repeats everything Mourinho has just said. For fecks sake, he's speaking in English, there's no need to translate
Was anything of note said?
Contract talks wouldn't affect his decision to play him in this game or not if he felt he was a good option.
If anything it'd spur Nani on having something to prove.
Not really, just that the whole world will be watching tomorrow and that he doesn't know what deciding factor will tip the balance of the tie. He also said United are league champions and it's only March.
Be interesting to see Nani and Ronaldo up against each other on the same flank.
Cheers.
Downbeat interview from Mourinho. No dramas.
Wish I could agree with you about Fergs but we all know when he gets a downer on a player (for whatever reason) then he tends to wrap him up and shove him in the freezer.
Unfortunately the main loser in that sort of situation is nearly always us.
Manchester United v Real Madrid: Old Trafford side must starve Cristiano Ronaldo of ball by cutting off supply lines
Disrupting service to Real dangerman is one of five ways Sir Alex Ferguson’s men can blunt forward’s cutting edge, says Alan Hansen.
By Alan Hansen
6:25AM GMT 04 Mar 2013
Man-marking
If United are planning to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo by deploying a man-marker, Sir Alex Ferguson will know it is a specialist job, one which demands a player who is single-minded in his determination to defend. That is why Ferguson is so determined to give Phil Jones every chance of overcoming his ankle injury.
In the first leg, Jones was exceptional in protecting the back four because he has the necessary discipline. He has also been magnificent in recent weeks when charged with getting close to Gareth Bale and Marouane Fellaini..
The problem with sacrificing one man to follow Ronaldo all over the pitch is that you need the others to have the discipline to fill any gap left behind as the man-marker. If Ronaldo goes to left-back, your man has to go to right-wing and the space he has vacated needs to be filled.
If Jones fails to recover, United do not have other options for the man-marking role. Anderson isn’t strong enough defensively, while Michael Carrick’s instinct to want to play and go forward rules him out.
Turn him around
The first job of any defender is to identify an opposing player’s weakness and then seek to force him to play on them. That is easier said than done with Ronaldo.
When United played Tottenham recently, they doubled up on Gareth Bale and kept him off his left side as much as possible and the tactic worked, with the Spurs player making little impact.
Ronaldo, like Bale, is a world-beater, but his weaknesses are not really weaknesses. Yes, he prefers to shoot with his right foot, but his left foot can still destroy you. He has also proved time and time again that his mental strength is as impressive as his physical strength, so he cannot be bullied out of a game.
The only way to reduce the threat posed by Ronaldo is to make him face his own goal, get tight to him before he receives the ball and ensure that when he gets the ball, it is with his back to the goal you are defending.
Squeeze space
It will be much more difficult to defend against Ronaldo at Old Trafford than in the Bernabéu because, as the home team, United will not be able to sit behind the ball as they did in Madrid. The crowd will not let them.
So United have to balance out the need to attack with the necessity to be tight at the back and that is why it is crucial that Ferguson goes with the experience of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at centre-half. They will know the importance of minimising the gap between the midfield and back four and are the best-equipped of Ferguson’s defenders to ensure it remains tight and narrow.
If the midfield line pushes forward, the back-line has to go with it. If the gap becomes too big, you invite Ronaldo to exploit the space in between and run at goal before shooting from distance, when he can be deadly.
Bale showed what can happen when the gap between the two lines is too big when he scored against United at Old Trafford earlier this season. Ronaldo and Real are just as capable of capitalising on similar opportunities.
Cut out crosses
When he scored Real Madrid’s equaliser in the Bernabéu with a stunning header from Angel di María’s cross, Ronaldo reminded everybody of his incredible ability in the air.
Neither of United’s full-backs – Rafael da Silva and Patrice Evra – are strong in the air and Ronaldo took advantage of this by out-jumping Evra to score, but even Ferdinand and Vidic would have been unable to stop Ronaldo scoring that goal.
The key to minimising his aerial threat is to stop him getting the ball in the first place. United simply have to cut off the supply and this is all about concentration and discipline.
The full-backs and wide midfielders cannot afford to let Real have the opportunity to deliver easy crosses, so Rafael and Evra, in particular, have to ensure that Di María, Mesut Ozil and Real’s advancing full-backs are not given the time to deliver the ball into the penalty area.
Protect Rafael
Ronaldo will roam across the pitch all night, but he will also target what he perceives to be any United weak spots. The first half in the Bernabéu highlighted the frailties that Rafael has yet to overcome at the highest level.
When you watch the young Brazilian, you always feel that there is a mistake in there somewhere. He has improved since he allowed his naivety to get him sent off against Bayern Munich three years ago, but he is still rash, impatient and impetuous.
In the Bernabéu, he had a really tough half-hour, during which Ronaldo, Ozil and Di María tormented him. If the same happens tomorrow and Ronaldo begins to target Rafael, it will be up to Ferdinand and Vidic to talk to guide him through the storm by relaying their experience.
The positive for United is that Rafael steadied himself in Madrid after his bad start and showed the growing signs of maturity that have been evident in his game this season. He was terrific against Queens Park Rangers last week, but Real Madrid and Ronaldo will be a different challenge entirely and he will be under the microscope tomorrow.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...aldo-of-ball-by-cutting-off-supply-lines.html
Hansen says neither of our full backs are strong in the air.
I think they're both good in the air, and punch above their height.#
It's just if you're against Ronaldo, who is so much taller, stronger and has such a good leap, you're in right old trouble!
I think they're both good in the air, and punch above their height.#
It's just if you're against Ronaldo, who is so much taller, stronger and has such a good leap, you're in right old trouble!
That's why we needed a Jones when he makes those diagoonals and even in the air.
Cheers. Not sure it's worth a fiver.
United are 2/1 with Paddypower, thats to win the match tomorrow.
I can see this line up starting. I only wonder if he'll go for Welbeck instead of Valencia. I can't see Giggs starting. I think Fergie will bring him on. I think he knows that he needs younger legs to start and will rely on Giggs's experience later on the in the second half. I also wonder about Rio coming off the flu. It wouldn't surprise me if Vidic starts in place of him. Otherwise, I'm sure 9 of you line up will start 99%.
Don't take your eye off de Maria. That guy has a canon shot as well.
Pretty much nailed on, assuming Jones really is out. Except I'd still give the edge to Nani over Valencia. Maybe I'm a hopeless Nani admirer, but I see him bringing more game in this situation than Valencia. I still believe Real have two goals in them at OT and that Nani has the ability to dice open a Real back line (leading to goals, of course) which Valencia just doesn't have right now. But I'm not prepared to argue AGAINST Valencia...it's just that I'd argue FOR Nani.
But other than that quibble, this is the XI for me. Giggs to come on late to protect the lead we'll claim in the 63rd minute.
Ronaldo would make most centre-backs tremble with fear with his ability in the air.
my lineup..
DDG
Rafael Ferdinand Evans Evra
Cleverley Carrick
Rooney
Nani RVP Welbeck
I would like us to be defensive and counter-attack, taking the game to them is too risky but at the same time I think its important to have players within the side that are unpredictable and able to retain the ball or make things out of nothing. The likes of Nani and Welbeck can track back.. you don't need defensive minded players to succeed, just give them the tactical instructions and the motivation to win a game of this calibre should be enough to keep them disciplined.
Don't want to see Valencia in the side.
Why are Real Madrid favourites for this?
Because they've better players than us and are coming into the game with back to back victories vs. Barcelona.
because of the media
The wait is excruciating. I want to play. NOW!
I'm actually a bit excited at the prospect of Jones not being able to play, because our offense is better with Cleverley out there.
They have a better midfield than us, that's about it IMO.
The nice thing about the 4231 is that it looks very much like that when we're on offense, and turns into a 451 when we don't have the ball.
From what I can tell, 4231 can become 451, 442, 433 or 4411 at need, which is why I'm a big fan.
For me, Old Trafford makes us favourites.
I'll argue for Nani, then.
The poor guy has been fabulous for us over the years, and never started in the big games in Europe (apart from Bayern at home, where he was magnificant). That Valencia, who is limited in so many ways, started ahead of him must be a sickener.
Only Nani and maybe Giggs/Ano in our midfield (I'm including Rooney here) would have the ability to create enough space to play dangerous through-balls to Kagawa or Van Persie.
Extremely anxious for the match to begin already. Read on ESPN that Jones is out, but also
I love Giggs, but lets be honest here. In what scenario would he make a positive impact tomorrow against Real Madrid? He would be a liability either through the center or out wide.
I love Giggs, but lets be honest here. In what scenario would he make a positive impact tomorrow against Real Madrid? He would be a liability either through the center or out wide.
If we need a goal with 30 minutes to go, he's the first I'd throw on.
They were favourites before those two matches.
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