Inter Milan v Manchester United Match Thread 24th Feb 09

Spud83

Boggles wrote: »

Who said that Alan?

It was a preemptive strike. As the argument/conversation has been had a couple of times this season, I could feel it happening again when we should be concentrating on who actually could be in the team.

Boggles

alanmurphy83 wrote: »

It was a preemptive strike. As the argument/conversation has been had a couple of times this season, I could feel it happening again when we should be concentrating on who actually could be in the team.

Fair enough Commander Murphy.

Headshot

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Depends what he ment - i took it that he is considering a change of position within the usual formation, so we are going for a different formation tonight to cover the issues in defence.

he's probly going for berba up front and Rooney on the left

which ill hate to see

Boggles

I wouldn't be overly surprised if Evra, Ferdinand, Evans and O'Shea started in defense, Ferguson playing silly buggers.

redout

Highsider wrote: »

Can't see anything but an Inter Milan win here. Mourinho always gets the better of Mr. Ferguson and don't think it will be any different over the two legs. Also can see Rooney getting singled out for some rough treatment and losing his head.3-1 to Inter

How shortsighted brother !

Spud83

Headshot wrote: »

he's probly going for berba up front and Rooney on the left

which ill hate to see

Although we hate to see it. Sometimes it is needed otherwise you are looking at dropping one of Rooney and Berbatov. Rooney doesn't do well up front on his own. Berbatov might we have to wait and see. It also gives us flexibility on the pitch to change things around without the need of a substitution.

Boggles wrote: »

I wouldn't be overly surprised if Evra, Ferdinand, Evans and O'Shea started in defense, Ferguson playing silly buggers.

With Evans sitting out training yesterday I find it hard to be positive about him. O'Shea yes, but Evans I dunno.

redout

Boggles wrote: »

I wouldn't be overly surprised if Evra, Ferdinand, Evans and O'Shea started in defense, Ferguson playing silly buggers.

Not sure on Evans as he done nothing yesterday. No training for him so I am not sure he is going to pass the late fitness test and even if he did I wouldnt be to confident sticking him in there if he hasnt trained since the end of last week.

Insect Overlord

I just realised I won't be able to watch this tonight

Hopefully United will pull a draw out of it at the very least, I know they're potentially good enough to win it though...
That said, a score defeat (2-1 or whatever) wouldn't be a disaster.

Spud83

redout wrote: »

Not sure on Evans as he done nothing yesterday. No training for him so I am not sure he is going to pass the late fitness test and even if he did I wouldnt be to confident sticking him in there if he hasnt trained since the end of last week.

Ah he played 60 minutes on Saturday. So I would say its only two days without football. Wouldn't be a massive problem once he doesn't feel any restricted movement when going onto the pitch.

Mitch Connor

I still reckon that, at best, we'll see Evans on the bench, and even then only there for an absolute emergency.

Iang87

bet united fans never thought they'd see the day they'd be sweating over johnny evans fitness. Fair play to evans though he got put in a few times at the deep end this season and didnt look out of place.(As a pool fan thats as good a compliment i can give).

I think it'll be tough going for united tonight over there, Inter know this is their chance big time but i can see ye getting the away goal which will be massive in a tie like this. i'm looking towards 2 - 1 Inter or 1 - 1.

Headshot

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vds

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raf---Rio

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oshea

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evra

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carrick

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Rooney---giggs --Fletcher---Ronaldo

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berba

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actually i changed my mind about Rooneys position you can't have him on the left

the right side is going be a worry for me tonight

Mitch Connor

Headshot wrote: »

---

vds

---

raf---Rio

---

oshea

---

evra

---

carrick

---

Rooney---giggs --Fletcher---Ronaldo

---

berba

---

actually i changed my mind about Rooneys position you can't have him on the left

the right side is going be a worry for me tonight

Rafael is injured.

ShoulderChip

And Pique is doing so well at Barca, getting better every game.

Headshot

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Rafael is injured.

oh ya ****ing forgot

looks like it could be fabio according to Fergie

Mitch Connor

Headshot wrote: »

oh ya ****ing forgot

looks like it could be fabio according to Fergie

which i would find odd given we have a right back in the squad.

Headshot

Mitch Connor wrote: »

which i would find odd given we have a right back in the squad.

Fabio Da Silva is set to get the nod at the back, according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Obviously we have some injuries and we won't know until Tuesday (whether the players will be fit). O'Shea did a light session on his own and Johnny Evans didn't train. Everyone else who travelled trained," he said.

"With Gary Neville and Wes Brown injured and Nemanja Vidic suspended for the game it is a worrying moment for us.

"I hope one will be OK, probably O'Shea. But that leaves us with a problem at right-back, probably young Da Silva (will play).

"I wish we were in a better position tomorrow defensively in terms of availability but that happens."

which i find very strange

maybe fergie thinks fabio is injured not raf

RichTea

Rooney on the left has worked a charm in Europe over the past two years. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. United are very, solid when he plays there. True, they don't play as fluid a game as they otherwise would but winning is the aim of the game. However now that Park is performing at a high enough level to take over that role and let Rooney play up front we might see a typical-ish United set up tonight.

I'd still expect Rooney playing towards the left though. I think this game is made for Carlos Tevez. If he comes on early enough (or even starts :eek:) expect plenty of gaps at the back.

Confident United will at least get a draw here. 0-0 wouldn't be disastrous, 1-1 is my prediction.

Spud83

ShoulderChip wrote: »

And Pique is doing so well at Barca, getting better every game.

Hindsight is great but realistically you can only have a certain squad size. Keeping both Evans and Pique happy this year would have been impossible IMO. You can't foresee these kind of injury problems.

Neville, Brown, Vidic (suspended), Rafeal all out.

O'Shea and Evans doubtful.

Then we have Hargreaves who was a stand in right back last year out as well.

Headshot wrote: »

oh ya ****ing forgot

looks like it could be fabio according to Fergie

Where did ya get that from?

EDIT: Never mind you provide it already.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

which i would find odd given we have a right back in the squad.

True but both don't have a lot of experience, and Fabio is right footed I believe. So maybe Fergie is just going with the better player.

RichTea

Headshot wrote: »

which i find very strange

maybe fergie thinks fabio is injured not raf

Fabio is actually very good at right back. Perhaps even more so than Rafael. Don't think United will play the type of game that allows him to show how talented he is tonight.

Boggles

ShoulderChip wrote: »

And Pique is doing so well at Barca, getting better every game.

Ferguson just didn't rate him, will be interesting to see who is plying their trade at the top end in 5 years, himself or Evans, hopefully both.

Spud83

RichTea wrote: »

Rooney on the left has worked a charm in Europe over the past two years. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. United are very, solid when he plays there. True, they don't play as fluid a game as they otherwise would but winning is the aim of the game. However now that Park is performing at a high enough level to take over that role and let Rooney play up front we might see a typical-ish United set up tonight.

I'd still expect Rooney playing towards the left though. I think this game is made for Carlos Tevez. If he comes on early enough (or even starts :eek:) expect plenty of gaps at the back.

Confident United will at least get a draw here. 0-0 wouldn't be disastrous, 1-1 is my prediction.

The problem was never Park. The problem is Ronaldo. He hasn't been trusted in previous seasons to play on the wing so he has been pushed up front with Rooney taking his slot on the wings. Now with Berbatov in the squad and probably in the side its going to be interesting to see if Fergie will trust having him on the wing.

PHB

I think both will be to be honest. I still think Pique is the superior player, but maybe just not as suited to the English league's physicality.

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So it seems Fergie's ideal defence is

Fabio----Ferdinand---O'Shea/Evans---Evra

I think if i had to pick there, I'd pick O'Shea, for his presence in the air. I am quietly confident of Fabio putting in a good performance personally, I think he's better than Rafael defensively, more controlled in his play and his positioning.

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As for the whole Ronaldo Berbatov issue, people seem to be forgetting that Berbatov has been playing normally behind Rooney in most games they've played together. I expect to see a front line along the lines of

---XXX

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Berbatov

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Rooney

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Ronaldo

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Ronaldo played up front for so many games in Europe, and I just wouldn't trust him to keep Inter's RB/LB at bay. Beyond that, he's surprisingly good at holding up the ball and bringing players into the game. Berbatov will drop into the middle, Rooney will always get stuck in.

Overall:

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VDS

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--Fabio---Ferdinand---O'Shea----Evra--

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Carrick

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Giggs

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--Fletcher

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Berbatov

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Rooney--

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Ronaldo

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Then agian, maybe he'll surprise us Ronaldo, Rooney Berbatov and Tevez up front, Carrick and Scholes in midfield, and just say **** it

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I think overall the team will be

Mitch Connor

To be honest, i think Ronaldo has become more of a winger this season, and I actually think he is putting in more defencive effort this season too.

RichTea

Boggles wrote: »

Ferguson just didn't rate him, will be interesting to see who is plying their trade at the top end in 5 years, himself or Evans, hopefully both.

Although I was disappointed to see Pique leave, the fact of the matter is that Evans is a better prospect at centre-back than the Barcelona man. Pique is more suited to La Liga anyway.

Boggles

PHB wrote: »

I think both will be to be honest. I still think Pique is the superior player, but maybe just not as suited to the English league's physicality.

Well PHB considering United play in England, that would make Evans the superior defender for us.

Zonda999

I do hope Darren Fletcher's performance wont be affected by the fact his house was robbed

Really lookin forward to this one now. Match in HD and pancakes at half time too:D

dubmick

I think he should put Fletcher in at right back. Fabio has no experience at all at this level. Sure I think he has only played about a half an hour for United this season.

ROCKMAN

Part of me wants Utd to just go for it , Right if we are down to the bare bones at the back ,its more than likely that we will leek a goal or even two. So why not play to the strengths we have left, our forward players. And try to get an away goal or two , christ even 4-2 would not be the end of the tie.
Worse case tonight would be 0-0 1-0 2-0 . IMO be a very dangerous scorelines to bring to OT .
For madness

..............VDS...................

FABIO...RIO......????.......EVRA

RONALDO..CARRICK...SCHOLES..
......................................ROONEY
...............TEVEZ........
...............BERBS........

Zonda999

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Part of me wants Utd to just go for it , Right if we are down to the bare bones at the back ,its more than likely that we will leek a goal or even two. So why not play to the strengths we have left, our forward players. And try to get an away goal or two , christ even 4-2 would not be the end of the tie.
Worse case tonight would be 0-0 1-0 2-0 . IMO be a very dangerous scorelines to bring to OT .
For madness

..............VDS...................

FABIO...RIO......????.......EVRA

RONALDO..CARRICK...SCHOLES..
......................................ROONEY
...............TEVEZ........
...............BERBS........

I dont think 0-0 would be a bad result at all!

Paul Tergat

ROCKMAN wrote: »

, christ even 4-2 would not be the end of the tie.
Worse case tonight would be 0-0

I just cannot understand how people can say this sort of thing!?

If we get a nil nil id be confident in our defence at home (Vida back and probably a RB available) to shut them out and our attack to finish the job.

0-0 > 4-2 surely?

ROCKMAN

Zonda999 wrote: »

I dont think 0-0 would be a bad result at all!

Maybe not it just I don't know if my heart could take it in the second leg .
It may not be a bad result but its still a very dangerous one . One slip up at home....................

Zonda999

Yea but surely the odds of a slip up tonight are far greater than at home.

Mitch Connor

Zonda999 wrote: »

I dont think 0-0 would be a bad result at all!

I'd certainly take 0-0 over a 4-2 defeat (don't get why anyone would not) but i'd take a 1-1 draw a lot quicker!

ROCKMAN

p_larkin99 wrote: »

I just cannot understand how people can say this sort of thing!?

If we get a nil nil id be confident in our defence at home (Vida back and probably a RB available) to shut them out and our attack to finish the job.

0-0 > 4-2 surely?

0-0 is one slip-up away from disaster Vidic back or not
4-2 ok maybe a bit over the top but any scoreline with an away goal would be great for Utd in my view. For me the perfect result tonight would be 0-1 ,0-2 or I would take your arm off for 1-1 right now.

ROCKMAN

Mitch Connor wrote: »

I'd certainly take 0-0 over a 4-2 defeat (don't get why anyone would not) but i'd take a 1-1 draw a lot quicker!

I say 4-2 as part of my post about playing to your strengths (tonight) And yes 4-2 would not be great but my point was that it would not be the end of the tie, Think we have enough to overturn alot of results at home even 2 goals as any away goal could be priceless in the 2nd leg.

Tom65

Zonda999 wrote: »

I dont think 0-0 would be a bad result at all!

My worry with a 0-0 is that there is pretty much nobody better than Mourinho at getting a goal, then closing the game. If it's 0-0, I can see them getting a goal early on (at OT) and just shutting up shop. Considering how we've struggled to break down mid table (and lower) PL teams this season, I'd worry about scoring against a Mourinho-led Inter who are doing the same.

PHB

Players aren't just about trophies. Zlatan is a top class player. I'm just hoping he has an off night, as I'm sure any sensible Inter fans are hoping the same of Ronaldo.

Iang87

Dave! wrote: »

Oh lawdy... once again you start making legitimate posts but end up losing and then resorting to thumbing your nose How sad

7 points baby, how's that workin out for ye?

Get a grip

strange one that i'll correct a mod but am can we stay on topic please or it will result in bans and warnings

Zonda999

Hey, its a pretty anticipated tie:)

To be honest, i preferred it a few years ago when there was a second group stage. Then, in a situation like this, you could be sure that United would be in the quarters anyways. That said, considering we're playing Inter now, our opponents in the quarters and indeed semi's may be easier. Why, could'nt Inter have just topped their group!! Then, we'd be playin Panathinaikos and i dont think anyone would be remotely worried!:pac:

therecklessone

*sigh*

Mod note:

There's a match topic here for people to discuss tonight's match. Anything else is off-topic, and will be deleted. Any further off-topic posts risk infraction and/or bans. I do hope that is taken on board.

Thank you.

therecklessone

Iang87 wrote: »

strange one that i'll correct a mod but am can we stay on topic please or it will result in bans and warnings

Dave! doesn't mod this forum. Nor do you, if you have a problem with a post report it.

me-skywalker

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VDS

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----Fletch O'Shea Rio Evra

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Carrick

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Giggs

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Park Ronaldo

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Rooney

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Berba

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1-2
Cambiasso - Park, Berba

Headshot

Im really looking forward this this match

its along time since iv been this geared up for a match

Inter Milan v Manchester United has to thy match of the CL so far

Fergie v Mourinho
current utd manager V possible future manager

im looking for to RTE prematch build up

deisedevil

Headshot wrote: »

Im really looking forward this this match

its along time since iv been this geared up for a match

Inter Milan v Manchester United has to thy match of the CL so far

Fergie v Mourinho
current utd manager V possible future manager

im looking for to RTE prematch build up

Same here, it's our biggest challenge so far this season and there's an extra edge to it so I haven't been this nervous about a game this season. I'm driving my gf crazy talking about it all day. Gonna hit the offy for supplies soon.
Was lookin at paddypower there, it's been a long time since I seen Ronaldo at 6/1 1st goal or United to win 1 - 0 at 6/1, just shows how difficult a game we have ahead of us, but these are the nights that make a season memorable.

eclectichoney

This is gonna be so tough

I think Park will come in, he's great for the big games and will help a lot defensively as well which we need. I would actually prefer to see Fletch at RB as I think he can do a job there. Tevez could come on for Giggs if needs be, with Rooney switching out to the left. If Fabio is playing I think we defintely need Fletch or Park on the right for the extra defensive cover compared with Ronaldo.



.............VDS...................

FABIO...RIO......O'SHEA.......EVRA

PARK..CARRICK...GIGGS. RONALDO
......................................
...............ROONEY........
...............BERBA........
__________________
..

Harpy

i can't see fabio playing i think it's be a big mistake especially at right back seen as he's a left back and more importantly becasue he hasn't really played at all, i'd prefer fletcher to be thrown back in defence if it comes to that

PHB

We need Fletcher in midfield though.

keane2097

When will we see a confirmed line up?

redout

BBC
1837: Breaking teams news... John O'Shea and Jonny Evans start, Wayne Rooney is on the bench for Manchester United.