Real vs United
We’re inviting our Twitter friends, and now resident thought sharer Iwan Lehnert, to share some of their ‘Pre and Post Match’ thoughts with us from now on. If you want to share, get in touch! You can still enjoy my nonsensical, confusing, punctuation buffets below their proper good ones…
Iwan (@IwanLehnert):
Before I begin, a few omens for you.
Manchester United haven’t been knocked out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage since 2005 (last season and 2006 permitting). Real Madrid haven’t reached the final of the biggest competition in club football in eleven seasons. They’re currently third in La Liga, sixteen points behind leaders Barcelona. Manchester United have won the Premier League on their way to their last four final appearances, and currently have a twelve point lead over second placed Manchester City.
Omens can sod off, to be honest.
It’s not that the domestic form of both teams isn’t necessarily important, because it is. Of course it is. Overhauling Guardiola’s Barcelona to the league title was a massive victory for Jose Mourinho’s side but this season, they’ve been so off the boil that they’d practically conceded their trophy by Christmas. To me, that could be the deciding factor. Everyone connected with the club is desperate for that tenth European title anyway, but with La Liga gone, constant stories of dressing room unrest and speculation about where Mourinho fancies taking up temporary residence next, it’s starting to feel essential to their campaign.
That’s not the same for us. I’m far from declaring us Premier League champions this early, and we all know why, but we’re in a great position to get that 20th title, and we’ve a home tie in the FA Cup next week to boot. If we get knocked out by Real, it’ll be gutting, a massive disappointment and another European failure. But the chances are that it won’t define our season. That’s where I think the deciding factor is, just how hungry each team and each manager is to win. It’s all or nothing for Real, and that’s where I think the tie will hinge. Real could easily dominate the opening exchanges and beyond in the Bernabeu, and we have to be prepared for that.
Don’t get me wrong; the boss is probably the most competitive person at the club, and will do all he can to win another European Cup. So will players like Van Persie; he moved to us to achieve that kind of glory. He’ll be one of a number who still feel like they have something to prove on the biggest stages. Why not here?
It’ll be weird coming up against Ronaldo. He’s the first player since Beckham left United that I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid watching because seeing him in another club’s shirt just doesn’t sit right. It’s daft, I admit, and I completely understand why some United fans are glad that they don’t have to suffer his posturing, dramatics or self-importance anymore. But I still hold a big soft spot for the guy, all the same. Only now, over three seasons since he left do I feel like we’ve managed to properly compensate for him leaving. If you think about it like that, then there isn’t a better time to be playing Real Madrid.
….Other than after a bout of Spurs-style food poisoning.
Line-up: DDG, Evra, Vidic, Rafael, Carrick, Jones, Cleverley, Kagawa, Van Persie, Rooney. Still think Kagawa was left out at the weekend with this match in mind.
Prediction: Wouldn’t advise looking at the games at City and Chelsea this season as guides as to how we’ll play. Focus will be on the defence, but I expect them to pull through. An away goal is a fanciful thing, and I’m not overly confident that we’ll get it, but we’ve scored so many this season that it’s hard to bet against us, too. 1-1.
Brett:
As Paul off of the Rant Cast proclaimed – and in doing so articulated the anticipation and sense of occasion wonderfully succinctly – this game is ‘Football Christmas!’ I feel almost irrationally excited about it. Trying to predict what might happen, or make sense of what happened in the aftermath of these games is almost impossible and in many ways missing the point. Games this size, played out by two teams with their respective natures as they are, exist in a void where reason and rationality don’t set the agenda. You must allow yourself to be swept along in the madness. This is football.
As I’ve said a few times this season, from my own point of view, Fergie has been relatively bold with his team selections in all competitions, and though there wasn’t any doubt he would put out the strongest eleven possible for this game (if that really exists as a defined concept anyway), I can see potential for another of those bold calls: The surprise inclusion of Ashley Young. Why would you take him?! I’d personally much prefer Giggsy – who is without doubt one of the form players of the past month or so – to take the Left Midfield berth, there’s a long time before the next game for recuperation. I think the option of Nani is a becoming a misnomer, in that you can’t really consider him an option. I’d be pretty appalled if he got the nod (Cue a Nani screamer in the opening minute and me snogging the television screen). Wingers have always been integral to our play and of course remain so, which makes it doubly annoying that TV has been enveloped by his winter of disconnect. With him at 70% they’d struggle to cope – let’s hope he can get near that. Making up the rest of the midfield, Cleverley and Carrick have it in them to match most opposing combinations. It’s really down to minute details on the night – as I suppose are most of the battles.
Though I’m biased, I think (the line-up I’m predicting) De Gea, Rio, Jonny Evans, Evra and Rafael are the stronger of the two defences. All having blown big raspberries in the faces of their detractors this season. Rafael is a joy to watch. The rambunctious Rafael of old is still in there, but in just the right amount. The Pre-Rafaelites (fans of GNev) will soon come round. Rumours of Evra’s demise were always greatly exaggerated, show me a Left Back that can defend impeccably and I’ll show you something that contradicts what you’re showing me, yeah – that’s fighting talk. Jonny Evans is one of the best defenders in the Prem and Rio is Rio. It’s naive to think they can keep Real at bay with their shedloads of attacking options and wheelbarrows of facets but I’m comfortable in the knowledge that there’s very few defensive units that could do better.
If you’re not excited by the immense potential of all of our central attacking players then go somewhere else out of my sight. Go on!
You can really sense in Fergie these past few weeks, with how he’s been conducting himself (for better and perhaps worse), that he’s getting his sh!t together and he knows it himself.
Whadya know I went through the whole post without mentioning Mourinho once. Hey! that doesn’t count.
I have to tell you: I have this real feeling we’re going to do this.
Prediction: 1-3
Goals: Carrick, RVP, Rooney.
David (who?)
Big Sam K predicts a red card in this one. But more importantly Rooney will grab an away goal that will probably see us through the tie to prove that at least the “footballing” part of his “footballing/hooligan” split personality is true. I’m thinking the return at Old Trafford will be a 1-0 seat of the pants job.
Prediction: Real 2 – 1 United
