your point about a higher tempo game being advantage is highly debatable.. history has shown that the gung-ho headless chicken english brand makes easy fodder for the continental teams (think back to the AC milan v Man Utd game at the San Siro a couple seasons back). i would say that the EPL successes has more to do with the quality of their teams rather than the style of play..
also, ronaldo's form is a factor in man utd's game this season, but something should be said of the impact that the departure of Quieroz must have had. Similar thing happened when he left the first time around..
Anyhow back to business...
glad to see the youth Santon getting the start here. Keeping an eye on him.
Agree with this somewhat. United play a slower, more "Continental" brand now becuase they used to play that high tempo game, lose possession a lot and get picked off when they make a mistake. They play much slower now. Liverpool and Chlsea have also been playing an even slower more defense-minded brand since Rafa and Mourinho respectively.
That being said let's be honest Mourinho's Inter plays no differently. Despite the players at his disposal you will still see no wingers and hard runners in midfield and the team playing on the counter, even at home.
Disagree with the Quieroz assessment. When he left last time the team was an absolute shambles defensively, but still ripping going forward. However his departure coincided with uncertainty over Ferguson's impending retirement. The biggest hit was on defence where they were not organized. Despite his departure this time the defence is just as solid and the team is actually playing more compactly, and keeping possession better, albeit not as spectacularly as last year.
Suffice it to say that this tie is evenly matched. Inter is not Barcelona and still hasn't played well in Europe. United hasn't been great either but year on year are a more confident side in Europe. I could see Mourinho taking a draw in this game and fancying his chances of scoring at Old Trafford as he did with Porto.
