Is it the WAY'ne out for Rooney

                It has been 3 weeks since the second leg of R16 between United and Real Madrid when Rooney was benched and the tongues have not stopped wagging about his possible departure from Old Trafford. With international break kicking in, I thought why not share my views on this speculation. He has been one of the finest talents the empire has ever produced and I guess that is a given. Revisiting the Madrid game, I tend to agree with the gaffer’s reason for not starting Wazza a tactical one and it proved damn right despite the contentious decision by the Turkish referee and the subsequent result.

                Rooney has been United’s talisman for quite a while now and his ego would have taken a dent for not starting this particular match. Now, this incident in isolation could not have triggered the rumours or for that matter this post would not have seen the light. We have seen a lot of star departures from Old Trafford for crossing the line with Fergie and Rooney has had few run ins of his own with 2010 drama still fresh in our memories.

Allegedly, Fergie is the one who doesn’t forget the troubles caused by a player in the past and rumoured to wield the axe when you don’t have a faintest of idea. Wazza has always been hot headed and never intimidated easily but you don’t show attitude to your manager. When Rooney handed in the transfer request in October 2010 claiming the club has shown no ambition to compete with big money spenders Chelsea and Manchester City, David Gill was taken in by surprise. And so was Fergie when Rooney followed up on his agent’s call that he wasn’t going to renegotiate for a new contract with the then contract expiring in 2012 summer. Though he made a U turn in a couple of days, he had scarred the faithful and I should say though he has clawed back some goodwill, not everybody has made peace with him for the stunt. Eventually United went on to win the league and lose out to all conquering Barcelona in the Champions League in Wembley.

Reverting to the topic under dissection, let us look at what the options are. Definitely as a player, he still has a lot to offer and the club will benefit with him in the roster. This season he has proved how versatile he is with playing in multiple positions – left and right wings, attacking midfield in a diamond formation apart from his striker role. But it has been made abundantly clear that he has his task cut out for a striker’s role to compete with RVP, Chicarito and Welbeck. However he brings a lot of energy in the field and can drop deep to link the midfield and the forwards which the above 3 cannot match. Further, he has demonstrated his defensive skills as well this season tracking back to cover Evra (suspectful at times) when deployed in the left wing. He is still in his twenties and could be a top player for the next 2-3 years at the least.

On the downside, selling him this summer could ease the burden on the club’s financials from a £ 250,000 on weekly wages. With RVP established as the main point man, he has to fight off a talented Welbeck and “Ole” in the making Chicarito for another berth if Fergie goes with 2 strikers. To operate behind a lone man, Kagawa advertises to be apt choice and thus shunning an automatic selection for Rooney. Does it augur well for the club then to have a utility player who commands a hefty wage?  The more disconcerting of all is how easily Rooney can gain extra pounds during off season/injury lay off given his unhindered diet programme. It gets trickier to get him get going post break as he needs 2 to 3 games to regain match fitness. With another rumour floating around on CR7’s possible return, it would serve purpose in United offloading Wazza if the above indeed happens as CR7 has license to wander anywhere in the field. J.

So far I have not mentioned if I want him to stay or leave but just listing the essential points to deliberate, discuss, argue and what else you may want to. From Rooney’s perspective, will he relish a role that is not a top billing? Will his ego give way to play second fiddle to Welbeck, Chicarito and Kagawa? During his transfer request fiasco, he cited the club’s inability to bring in top talents losing to the new rich clubs. Little did he know that it may pinch him later when Fergie shocked everybody by grabbing RVP from the Gunners and Kagawa from Borussia (Champions at that time). Taking stock at the moment, there was no settling down time if at all for RVP as he slotted perfectly within the team scoring 19 goals so far. Kagawa,  though failing to lit the league with fire is expected to come to terms with the physicality of the game here in England. Further, if he decides to leave, there aren’t many clubs that can match his current wage and a shot at trophies every season. Barcelona and Madrid, though in the same league as United in terms of grandeur, are not going to treat him as royalty. I could see only Chelsea or City being realistic destinations though he would be loathe to join the blue side of Manchester.

Personally I would like to see Rooney ply his trade here in United for 2 more years as a striker after which he can mould himself into a midfielder and dictate the games. But if all the talk of his future does arise in the summer and he ultimately decides to extend his contract (current contract ends in 2015), he may have to climb down from the high horse and the negotiation would be at Fergie’s terms with a pay cut. Seems to be the only course forward, again only if he decides to don the red jersey and heed the fans’ wish.

United pass the Reading test - barely

    A team galloping towards its 20^th title playing a relegation threatened underdog compounded with no manager doesn't make an even contest. Now, a glimpse of 3 strikers in United's line up to crush the opponents will have even the Reading hardcores expecting a worst possible scoreline. At the final whistle however, I could not resist thinking the fans (except Reading of course) were robbed of goal fest which was distinct possibility with the eleven fielded by Sir Alex.

    To start with, the gaffer made 8 changes to the team that started the FA game against Chelsea with Rooney, Ferdinand and De Gea retaining their berths.  It was back to the default United formation with Young and Welbeck (another new position – RW) deployed in the wings. Rooney and RVP were paired at the front, Giggs and Ando forming a central midfield partnership. Vidic teamed up with Rio Ferdinand at the heart of defence who was playing his third consecutive match. Buttner and Smalling deputised for Evra and Rafael respectively. Even with 8 changes made, it was still a team to beat, at least on paper.

                The initial few minutes resembled a training session with teams trying to poach the ball from one another. Perhaps the afternoon result was still on the united player’s minds that they were happy to keep the ball rolling. The body language of Reading players lacked any fear for their opponents and were lacking only in talent in the final third. The game also reminded me of the times of Nistelrooy when only long passes were the order of the day. There was one such a pass (delicious) from Ferdinand to Young on the left who could not muster enough curl and missed the far post and RVP. Better judgement could have resulted in a simple tap in for RVP. United was keeping the pressure on and Welbeck skied a right footed volley well over the crossbar few minutes later.

   The game was lacking in tempo and United were resolute in not moving to the third gear. Even the usually ebullient OT was silent with a full sell out. It took another brilliant move from Ferdinand who robbed the ball from McCleary’s poor pass, jinked forward before laying it to Rooney who controlled the ball with his first touch and shot towards the Reading goal which took a huge deflection and found the back of the net and get the game moving forward. Ferdinand rolled back the years and justified his recall to the national setup with a roaring performance. It was unfortunate for Reading as their goal keeper made the right move to stop except for wicked deflection leaving him flabbergasted.

Wicked deflection

  Rooney, for all the rubbish about him being booted out of Old Trafford was the engine for the team, dropping back to collect the ball and making forward runs or finding the right pass. RVP was lacking in confidence that he displayed by scuffling a lot of shots trying to score the impossible. Few minutes after the United goal, visitors went close to equalise with a 25 yards curling effort from Robson-Kanu that barely missed the far post. There was a sudden shift in the possession visible with Reading showing an attacking intent as they were trailing. If not for the CB partnership, we could have witnessed another slaying of Goliath by David.

Ferdinand rolling back the years

  If the first half was a failure to dominate by United, the second half was a commendable effort from Reading as they pushed United deep, forcing them to make mistakes. Fortunately for United, in the 46^th minute the referee failed to spot Vidic shoving Mariappa in the box which was a blatant penalty and the Reading players could not be faulted if they felt even the fate was conspiring against them. This was followed by a ten minute bombardment from Reading but lacking a finisher in their fold was left high and dry by the solid United defenders.

 There were occasional counter attacks initiated by United – Young scuffing a volley, RVP’s well directed free kick denied by Taylor’s awareness and a Rooney’s chip which was inches wide of the bar. However, it was evident that they were happy to accept a 1-0 win by trying to maintain possession which by far was becoming more difficult with lazy passes and the losing balls to the opponents – 86% of tackles by Reading won them possession back!. As if this was not enough, there was a late scare in the United box when communication broke down between the defence and De Gea resulting in Vidic making a hasty clearance.

 Anderson who had come in for Carrick in this game could not drive the team and lacked imagination that the Englishman carries in abundance, required Carrick himself to be brought in to replace an injured Young. He immediately started providing a calming influence and this directly reflected in the ball retention within United. Moment later, an intelligent play between Giggs and Carrick from a corner almost doubled United’s lead. This was followed by another set of beautiful moves with Giggs being the pivot, involving Welbeck and Carrick before Rooney’s hit sailed over the crossbar again. With five minutes added to the injury time, United were more than happy to waste time by passing between themselves and an odd shot at the target, an overhead kick from RVP that he was adamant to send higher up in the stands. 

Ryan Giggs running down the wings

  Overall, a game expected to produce a lot of goals turned out to be a damp squib. The difference between the two teams was a deflected goal. RVP has now scored once in last 10 games. United were content to see the game out rather than stamp its authority on the championship bound Reading. There was one standout performance however, a youngster in the United ranks, mesmerizing with cross field passes, intelligent link play, searing runs in the wing and you know who I am talking about. I would even venture to say he was the youngest in the field. Ahoy, hear the crowd......

Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again.

Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again.

Chelsea pull the rug out from under United

                A game of 2 halves is what I would call the QF match between United and Chelsea. But before we delve into what happened, let us take a step back and look at any misgivings from the team sheet. Of course there were none, Wazza started the game along with Nani to redeem himself (if he was feeling guilty for the Real debacle). Evans, Kagawa and Chicarito returning to the fold as well thereby benching Vidic, Welbeck and RVP. The teams were evenly poised and the matches between these 2 are always hotly contested if their recent meetings were an indicator.

               It was all cagey with the initial few minutes, get your touches, push the ball around before United drawing first blood on an unsuspecting blue’s defence. From the telecast I could see Nani signalling Carrick to pass crossfield to the right and Carrick lofting the ball angled towards the goal. It took a moment to appreciate his brilliant picking of a run from Chicarito who sent a looping header far beyond Cech’s reach – 5 minutes. The chant of “It’s hard to believe it is not Scholes” was not a flattery perhaps for this deserving and unassuming midfielder.

              United were content with moving the ball across and keeping possession before Nani was tripped by Moses leading to a free kick. It was Rooney’s to pose a threat to Cech’s D and the delivery he sent with a dip towards the end found its way undisturbed into the far corner, thanks to poor marking and non-existent communication within the Blue’s defence. 2-0 up in 11 minutes is more than you can ask for against Chelsea. Another 10 minutes and it could have been 3-0 had it not been for the Czech custodian with quick reflexes denying Rooney his brace and saving Luiz blushes. In the first half, Lampard’s tame effort was the closest they came to score and that was straight to De Gea to remind him he was indeed in the game.

             United were menacing in the attack, balanced in the middle and composed in the defence with Rio Ferdinand giving the English manager watching from the stands second thoughts if it was indeed right to drop the defender from the national setup.

             The low points in the otherwise good first half were Nani pulling his hamstring (Valencia coming on for last few seconds) and Cleverley’s inept display at the midfield. He was consistently finding a blue shirt with his passes and had his memory on positional play temporarily plugged out. As I said, a game of 2 halves, from a United’s perspective we have seen the best and could have gone all the way knocking Roman’s door to remind him of his decision to fire the manager..oops. interim.

           When the second half kicked in, it was the same 11 on the pitch for both the teams but the body language was different from the outset for the blues. An attacking intent was palpably visible and who better than Mata to demonstrate it. United had to be content with stifling the advances in the final third. At 52’Rafa made 2 substitutions – Hazard for Moses and Obi Mikel for Lamps. With Hazard, Oscar and Mata against you, there is no room for complacency with a 2 goal lead that exactly was what we witnessed.

           Hazard, that he is to the defenders, nimble footed and a quick thinker, initiated the proceedings with choking Rafael from his forward bombardment and cutting in to the middle to interplay with Mata and Oscar. It took just 7 minutes from his introduction to the first goal for Chelsea how appropriately scored by Hazard with a curling effort. The travelling blue fans were in for a treat and the united should have been on their toes.

           Fergie, to keep a lid on the score, brought in insurance in the form of RVP for Chica which I believe was not the right switch as he ended up being a spectator towards the end. Valencia on the right could not make any impact on the game with Rafael tied up in the defence and his one dimensional play restricting him to make any meaningful contribution. I feel Young would have been an ideal replacement for Nani and could bring more to the table than Valencia could with his erratic passes (from his last few games).

           There was a brief moment of possession for the reds after the Chelsea substitution but again were robbed off, courtesy Cleverley keeping the momentum. L When you are continually attacked in the final third, there is every possibility that few would breach the goal line and so it did with Ramires being the architect with a marvellous run finishing with a low curl brushing De Gea’s fingers. After the first half, United suffered for tempo and rhythm and were clearly outshone in every department. Welbeck replacing Kagawa to bring fresh legs did little to ease the pressure as I could spot 21 players camped in United’s half.

            The last 15 minutes were a harrowing experience for me as the possibility of playing just for one trophy from being in competition for three few days ago loomed large. United were able to see through to the final whistle though not without a scare. Mata’s low driving effort was instinctively deflected away by De Gea’s with his legs which otherwise would have been a winner for Chelsea and deservingly so.

            2-2 is definitely a great score for the neutrals and the ones not to have enjoyed the outcome would be us – United fans for squandering a SF clash with City and having to face the same foe again sometime in the next few weeks. I was surprised to see a lot of headlines referring to Chelsea earning a replay at Old Trafford. With all due respect, it was United who undeservingly earned a replay at Stamford Bridge which is not going to be an easy affair so to speak.

           If I were to pick a player who was worth his salt yesterday, I will go with Carrick belying his age with a fantastic performance. I feel aggrieved that FA had ignored the services of Scholes earlier and Carrick now by not picking them. If the FA is content with stars and not the players who can make a difference on the pitch, it is their loss (or United’s gain as to how you view).

PS1: It is bold for me to say that Sir Alex was not at his tactical best yesterday by bringing in Valencia instead of Young and allowing Cleverley to stay the whole 90 minutes. Hey it is my view of course and the gaffer may have had his own reasons.

PS2: To think Howard Webb officiating the match yesterday and knowing about how much stick he gets for allegedly being United’s twelfth man, I was secretly hoping if that so happens to be true to avoid any panic attacks. But then, he had a good game after all being a neutral he is supposed to be. 

UCL R16: Manchester United vs Real Madrid

           The round of 16 draw for the UCL 2012-13 threw up a mouth watering clash between 2 footballing powerhouses (Manchester United & Real Madrid) pitted against each other. Clearly not a match for the early rounds but nevertheless had everybody drooling on. A clash of titans would be an apt description for an encounter of this magnitude. 

1^st Leg (13/02/13):

            For many in the red jersey, this was their first experience of absorbing what Santiago Bernabeu had to offer and becoming overwhelmed. For players who have had the experience of playing before the noisy madridstas would have wanted to feel those goose bumps again. A team filled with star players and oozing talent, Madrid was always going to be the bookmaker’s favorite. For United to return with an away goal showed why Fergie at 71 is still at the peak of his career. Though there were a lot of wasted opportunities at both the ends, the moment that stood out was a breathtaking leap by CR7 leaving Evra rooted to the ground and head a wonderful goal from a precise cross thanks to Angel Di Maria. With the final whistle, the stage shifted to the theater of dreams – Old Trafford.

Towering header

Pre-Match: 

           Though billed as the tie of the year, the first leg failed to live up to the expectations of the neutrals and this hyped the expectations from the second leg. Notwithstanding the great teams playing, few subplots were up for grabs in the local (UK) press.

Giggs - 1000th appearance

• Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the best managers if not arguably the best ever pitting his wits against former nemesis, friend & the “Special One” – Jose Mourinho who has publicly stated his desire to return to England (few tongues wagging him being a potential replacement for irreplaceable Fergie).
• Ryan Giggs playing his 1000^th senior game.
• Return of THAT BOY CR7 back to his former hunting ground after his high profile transfer to Madrid. Viva Ronaldo!

THAT boy

Oh Manchester.... is wonderful..(2nd Leg - 05/03/13)

          As the whole world was waiting with abated breath for the event to unfold, everybody except perhaps MU staff were surprised (fans - not pleasantly) when Rooney was left in the bench. A bold decision from Fergie for a key match which could be a stroke of a genius or a gamble went awry but you can never second guess the young man after being at helm for the last 25+ years. 

          The player’s entry was greeted with a huge cheer from the home fans, reserving the best adulation for Giggs and Ronaldo. CR7 enthralled the OT faithful between 2003 and 2009 and has always been their darling. There were no surprises to see hoardings requesting him to return to OT for good. It would have been a very emotional night for him with all the love and affection in the air. The very factor Evra and Rio mentioned could undo him and enable united ease through to the last 8. However, no player is great unless he can check his emotion and rise to the occasion when the team needs. No doubt, CR7 belongs to that category. He did acknowledge their support  and when the referee nodded play, the crowd as expected got behind the home team and booed CR7 as he tried to take a free kick in the opening minutes.

          Fergie went for a rare 4-2-3-1 formation with Carrick partnering Cleverley to dictate the game from deep and cover the back line. Vida partnering Rio underlined their standing in the team and in Sir Alex’s plans despite on the wrong side of 30s. The second surprising tactic (1 – Rooney) was deploying Giggsey on the right. At a ripe old age of 39, he was entrusted to contain Madrid’s bombardment from their left flank led by his erstwhile teammate and cut supply from Coentrao. Oh boy, he did turn the clock back with his mazy runs leaving the LB fumbling on his forward forays while sticking to the youngster and tackling boldly to steal the ball in defense. To say he led the team from the front the whole 90 minutes is an understatement.

         Nani was deployed slightly high on the left with a task of backing Evra in the defence and attack Madrid on the counter (Arbeloa being the easy target among the Madrid back line). It was a controlled game from him not that we have seen in the last few outings where his only quality on display being selfishness. A commendable job indeed (you know till when).

         
         Van Persie leading the front line was given, and Welbeck playing in the hole to contain Alonso dictating the tempo proved a prudent decision. He was a thorn in the midfielder’s game. Just after the goalless first half, a chance was created from the left flank that involved Nani and Welbeck and the ball found the back of the net, courtesy own goal from Ramos though he could not be faulted. This was enough for the home crowd to go ballistic and roared their support.

The RED Card Incident:

          However their joy was short-lived as a decision by the referee at 56’ minutes ripped the whole affair apart. Nani trying to control a high ball jumped with his stud pointed at the onrushing Arbeloa and was knocked out. After a few moments, waiting for Nani to rise from his play acting, was given marching orders for the challenge. A contentious decision it was. I could have sworn Fergie was ready to shoot the Turkish referee as he fumbled and charged towards the technical area while the united players had swarmed across the referee. Nani could not believe his eyes, well hoards of fans were bewildered at the decision.

 

          Though I am not an expert, I thought it was yellow at the most with Nani not even aware of the charging Madrid player and caught him unawares. Brandishing red was a harsh and a questionable decision. But you could interpret the rules both ways and the decision can be ruled correct as well. I believe the occasion, the game and the incident should have been factored into the referee’s decision making as this pulled the juice out of it. I was very confident that decision would make the headlines rather than the beautiful game. How unjust for the sports enthusiasts. To be frank, I felt the referee was itching to go down in the history having officiated a wonderful tie but without the red card brandished, he could have been mentioned in the footnote. I could feel the irony in calling OT “The theatre of dreams” - how fitting the name is.

Aftermath:

          The damage was done, with 10 against Real Madrid is always going to be a difficult ask. It was those unsettled 10 minutes where Madrid kicked united in their teeth with 2 goals. It was a tactical nous from Mourinho to sub Arbeloa with Modric who swung into action immediately and scored with an unstoppable shot. CR7 doubled the score within few minutes leaving United to score twice to advance further. From a defensive setup waiting to counter, the team moved to attack with all its might leaving spaces for a counter. However hard and well they played, Casillas understudy was time again denying united any change in the score line.

          A mention is required about the tactical genius of Mourinho as he used substitutions with perfect judgement. Fergie, not sure if he was not able to compose himself lost again in the tactical battle with the special one again (but only after the dubious red card). As much Fergie and Giggs tried to mobilize the crowd support (and the fans rallied behind upon war cry), the Los Blancos saw through the match and advancing to Quarter finals on an aggregate of 3-2 score.

Concluding thoughts:

Ronaldo apologetic for dumping united out

• The game proved Fergie's decision to bench Rooney right and would have been hailed a master stroke had it not been for an undeserving red for Nani and changing the game midway. I would still say that was an astute choice and hope he continues to lead United to glory forever.

• CR7 being emotional on his return to his former home ground, refused to celebrate his goal out of respect for his adoring fans like he did in Madrid. Respect!

• Giggs having played his 1000^th senior match before the home crowd at 39 the whole 90 minutes   would have made every football fan salute him.

• Sir Alex Ferguson aggrieved at losing the tie under dubious circumstances, scurried into the tunnel. He made a wise decision on not making it to the mandatory post match conference and being fined by UEFA rather than speaking his mind which would have led him into more trouble.

• I was disappointed with the conduct of Jose however, as he refused to celebrate his team’s win, then went on to say the best team lost. Not sure if he was currying favors at United to be their next manager or endear to the United fans but a clear disservice to a club with rich legacy and its players on the field is what I perceive.