Red Rants |
- United handed hardest of tests
- Attack, the best form of defence
- Moyes, fans and RVP: Five talking points from United vs Olympiakos
| United handed hardest of tests Posted: 21 Mar 2014 04:31 AM PDT
Bayern qualified for the quarter finals by knocking Arsenal out 3-1 on aggregate, winning 2-0 at the Emirates, before drawing 1-1 at home at the Allianz Arena and will enter the clash against United as overwhelming favourites, as they bid to become the first side ever to retain the Champions League.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg going into Wednesday night fixture against Olympiakos, United produced a memorable comeback to qualify as they won 3-2 on aggregate and will now relish the opportunity of taking on the defending European champions, who have got even better under Pep Guardiola’s stewardship and who last faced United at the same stage of the competition in the 2009-10 season. With United 12 points adrift of a Champions League spot, the Reds’ 19-year-spell in European football’s elite competition will be coming to an end at the end of the season, unless they manage the most improbable of tasks and lift the trophy in Lisbon on May 24th and Bayern are quite possibly the hardest task David Moyes’ men could have hoped for, but if hosting Bayern won’t get people buzzing with excitement, then nothing will.
|
| Attack, the best form of defence Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:50 AM PDT
Having been ponderous and sluggish when going forward throughout the campaign, for the first time this season United reverted to their normal selves on Tuesday night, as they put Olympiakos under pressure with a first half performance that might not have been vintage, but was a huge improvement on this season’s standards.
Asked whether United should adapt the same attacking approach and intensity for the remainder of the season, Rooney was categorical. “We have to. That’s been part of our DNA over the years I’ve been here – that intensity, that running off the ball, the pace we play at,” he said. “It’s a big part of the way we play and it showed that when we do that to teams it’s difficult for them to stop us. I think we’re spurred [on] by the way the games and results have gone. It’s not necessarily the comments which people have made, it’s more the fact that we’re not getting the results and as a team it’s hard to take so we’ve kept working and hopefully it’ll get better. “It was a good performance. I think the performance and the result were much needed. It was a massive game for us. We came out with a great attitude and fully deserved the victory. “After the first game in Athens and especially what happened on Sunday, we knew that we had to come and give a big performance, for ourselves really – for our own personal pride and the manager, and we’ve done that. I’ve said before our performances this season haven’t been good enough and we owe the manager a big performance, but we know as players we are better than what we’ve done this season,” Rooney told the Guardian. “As a group we have to show that and put it right. It’s something we have to kick on from now. We’ve still got a few games left in the season and we want to build on this. Hopefully we can do that.” With United 18 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea and 12 points off a Champions League spot, the European Cup remains the only opportunity the Reds have to restore some pride in what has been an absolutely dreadful campaign, but Rooney, who considers United “dark horses” in the Champions League, claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure made things difficult for the club. “It was always going to be tough when Sir Alex left,” he said. “It was obviously a massive change so we knew it was going to be tough but we didn’t expect it to be as tough as it has been. But we have to put that right. We have to keep working, keep believing in ourselves and hopefully it’ll get better.” |
| Moyes, fans and RVP: Five talking points from United vs Olympiakos Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT
Here’s five lessons we have learnt last night.
1) RVP crucial to Moyes’ future In many ways, Robin Van Persie has exemplified the difficult transition United have encountered this season: a lethal finisher, who looked delighted to simply be wearing the red shirt under Sir Alex Ferguson last season, the Dutchman has often cut a forlorn figure throughout the campaign, as injury problems have gone hand in hand with rumours that want RVP unhappy with David Moyes’ tactics and training methods. And yet, on a night that could have sealed his manager’s future, RVP delivered, like only players of his immense class can do, offering everybody a timely reminder of just how important he remains to Manchester United. His hat-trick last night brought his tally for the season to 15 in 21 appearances between Premier League and Champions League but the Dutchman’s work-rate was perhaps even more pleasing than his goal return: for a player many had linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, RVP looked remarkably willing to help his team-mates last night. 2) Dare to Danny
Welbz caused no end of problems to Olympiakos’ defence last night, his pace and dynamism offering exactly what United have so often missed up-front, for neither Juan Mata nor Wayne Rooney are capable to stretch defences as Welbeck does and the England striker must surely be given more opportunities to shine from now on. Furthermore, Welbz was superbly self-less last night as he chased down every clearance and constantly harassed Olympiakos’ back four, earning a well deserved standing ovation when he was finally replaced. 3) Ryan Giggs defies age There are simply not enough superlatives to describe Ryan Giggs. Quite simply, a man of Giggsy’s age shouldn’t be able to perform at this level and in matches of such importance but he simply continues to defy age and we must enjoy him while he’s around, for the void he’ll leave behind will be incalculable. The fact that Moyes opted to field a 40-year-old in midfield spoke volume of how poor Marouane Fellaini and Tom Cleverley have been this season, but the United manager was repaid as Giggs produced a vintage performance, delivering exactly what United have been missing from their midfielders all season: dynamism, vision and sublime passes.
Yesterday’s game brought his appearance tally in the European Cup to 140, just two behind all-time record holder Raul and with United in the quarter finals, don’t bet against Giggsy equalling the Spanish legend. 4) Moyes deserves some credit After a couple of days when, for the first time since he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson in July, his job was publicly under threat and he was seriously questioned, David Moyes might have bought himself some time last night. Beating Olympiakos might not be exactly like achieving the same feat against Barcelona or Real Madrid and it was in fact the only positive of United’s season so far, but it’s undeniable that the United manager deserves some credit for last night’s result. The decision to hand Giggs a first start in 12 games and to field Danny Welbeck from the start for the first time in eight games proved to be excellent choices, even though Moyes rode his luck yet again by allowing his team to defend deeper and deeper in the second half, thus inviting unneeded pressure on the back four. Moyes’ inaugural season shouldn’t be judged based on last night, for United have seen too many false dawns this season and could indeed still suffer more humiliation before the campaign is over, but it was somewhat pleasing to see that even Moyes can get something right, occasionally. 5) Hard times bring out the best in fans So often adversities are blamed as the catalyst that brings out the worst in football fans, but United have proved to be a notable exception so far. Granted, on social media, in pubs and forums many have voiced their discontent about Moyes and the team – and rightly so – but once inside the ground, personal opinions are put to one side for 90 minutes. The defiant roar that had accompanied the last 20 minutes of Sunday’s defeat was repeated time and again, as Old Trafford got behind their players when they needed it the most, proving once more that we can make the difference at home, even when the opposition isn’t as glamorous as Bayern or Real Madrid. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Red Rants To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Written by TBMU Admin
We are Manchester United Fan located around the World which provides user friendly, effective and easy to browse info regarding our Team. Each support/info is free. Support us by clicking the ads located in this site. Thanks
Posts
0 comments :
Post a Comment