Very well said, JDB...yours was one of the very few pre and post game posts that made sense. From the disagreeable, Kicker saying it would be "naiive" to expect a blowout, to the silliness of comparing what manu did against Chelsea to rationlaise how they might could beat Barca...to the rediculouness of calling VdS "ordinary" on them goals, some of it is rel laughable. Men always calling fuh some player or team to get dey "come uppance" and it cyah come yet. the team (and some of their fans) that really needed any come uppances yesterday was the one that actually got it. Again. From the same team. If VdS looked ordianry on any of the gaols, then he damned sure looked extraordinary on a few of the saves he made to keep the scoreline from being an official blowout, but for all intents and purposes, the game actually was a blowout. It's OBVIOUS VdS was expecting Pedro to put that ball last post. Too bad for him and manu that he didn't realise how out of position he was in giving him so much of his first post. Just like I'm sure that VdS and every body watching was expecting Messi to chook dah ball to he left just one or two more times....yet, he HAS scored goals like that before where he just change it up and shoot. When you playin' against a team like this with a man like Messi, they are so good and keep you so off balance that sometimes they strip you of everything but your instincts and, as in life, your insincts don't always lead you down a correct path. Maybe men who played against a Mucorapo/Ian clauzel could relate...or a Mucorapo Junior Sec. with Ross russell, Bugga, Todd Willis, Sutton and of course, Clint Marcelle or a Sando Tech with Latas or (as I have heard) a Signal Hill with Dwight. there is/was nothing you could do against teams like that and manu was no exception yesterday.
Victor Valdes, for as little as he had to do yesterday, showed great instincts each time he had to come charging off his line. The first one, where he read that Mascherano was going to get beaten by that long ball upfield was nice. manu's defence played relatively well, but Messi must be sex about 4 or 5 men but the one he ress on vidic in midfield was just nasty. He leave vidic in a heap and the way he pull nani to de side and mash 'im up was....well, it was nasty, too.
Credit, though, to alex ferguson....as much as I hate he and he side, and as much gratification I get in seeing him and his side get humbled so, I give him a tremendous amount of credit for the rare occaision where he graciously accepts defeat and lauds the opposition. Some might say he had no other choice, but credit to him all the same.
Edwin Vand der Saar is a man that has not only been an asset and great credit to manu and all hte other teams he has played on, but to the game of football as well. I have seen training videos of him going back to before he even had a starting posotion at Ajax and the man has always been a phenominal GK. Whatever went down at Juventus was sureky an aberration and hats off and standing ovation to a stellar career.
I could easily worry that, with fergie's determination and manu's resolve, they WILL do what it takes to become a team that can really play and dominate like Barca does...but that footage of fergie sitting on the sidelines with what seems to be early stages of MS can't bode too well for his long term plans. Add to that, they have to start (like Chelsea) phasing out their older players....that might not always be a smooth transition. Hard luck to the manu faithful but allyuh done know, the haters in we glee right now.
Bless up!
*ah fuhget to mention what a ass valencia is. He was damned lucky to still be on de pitch especially after coming back from an injury playing such good football...when yuh resort to them kinda tactics all yuh doing is conceding that yuh cyah win playin' football. Me eh know if fergie tell 'im play so, but is was rel foolish*
