Five Thing We Learned in This Game..( Schalke 0 vs Man Utd 2 )!!

SIR RYAN GIGGS...makin tua makin menjadi..!! :p

1) Manuel Neuer showcased why Ferguson has been linked with him

After the match Sir Alex Ferguson paid a glowing tribute to the German shot stopper, claiming it was one of the best performances he had seen against his team. Without Neuer’s imposing presence between the post, United might well have put more past Schalke, with the big keeper proving tough to beat throughout the match, making at least 8 crucial saves to deny them an opening goal or to prevent them adding to it later on.

Neuer’s commanding presence as well as his ability to stay up and make himself look big in front of United’s forwards made one-on-one situations incredibly difficult, giving him the edge and appearing to have the presence of a wall in front of his goal. Combined with his consistent play and some superb reactions saves, getting down quickly to the ball made for a night where the likes of Rooney, Hernandez and Giggs may well have wondered where a goal might come from. Perhaps, psychologically, Hernandez’s disallowed goal was the breakthrough they needed. Although it did not count, it proved he was beatable, and may have lifted the spirit of the forward line to keep persevering until an opening was found with an exquisite through ball from Rooney to Giggs to slot home coolly in the 67th minute.

2) Michael Carrick – Midfield Executive

For all the criticism that Carrick has come in for this season, of late he has given fans reasons to justify his presence within the United squad. Despite the outward appearance that many see as an anonymous figure in some games with little effect, the statistics suggest he has a vital role to play within United’s midfield.

Referring to an article on this site, entitled “The Taken for Granted Brilliance of Michael Carrick”, we find he has the greatest pass success rate of any of the starting line up, at 86.9%. Indeed, he has come in for criticism from myself regarding his effect, but one must admit the statistics do not lie, and his role of sitting in front of the back-four worked wonders on Tuesday night, as he took a commanding role in supplying the ball from midfield, able to set up play, with Rooney taking a central role in front of him allowing for greater creativity in the middle, and for Carrick to revel in his place as United’s “engine room”.

With a far stronger midfield, United were able to take control of the game, at a pace that their German counterparts simply could not keep up with. The strength of Carrick’s part in this is emphasised when we see such numbers as the fact that in the first half he made 56 passes at a 91% success rate, higher than anyone else.

3) Are Fabio and Rafael competing for the same position?

With Rafael Da Silva having been injured in recent weeks, it is understandable that having just recovered that he would not be rushed back in to action, especially when one considers the importance of the matches due to be played. This season we have seen Rafael stake his claim in the side with a string of impressive performances, displaying an attacking pedigree that makes him a real threat in the right back position, and combined with a strong attitude made for an interesting future prospect.

However, with his injury and the lack of a true right back, it has fallen upon his brother Fabio, normally a left back to take up the role. With Patrice Evra having cemented his place on the left side of defense, the opportunities afforded to Fabio have not been as regular as those for Rafael, given the availability of the right back position. But with Fabio having been given a chance to impress on the right, we have witnessed the reasons why both brothers were signed up.

Having given a very positive performance against Everton the previous Saturday, the travelling United support were treated to another highly promising outing for the Brazilian youngster, showing yet more attacking promise, getting involved in plenty of build up play, and finding himself with a couple of opportunities to make his mark on the game with his sharp runs and burst of pace. Like his brother, a natural maturity will need time to develop, such as when making tackles, but overall one must admit he has shown plenty of promise that cannot be ignored.

4) Has Ferguson found his preferred line up?

On such big occasions, the last thing United need is for defensive frailties to be exposed, or for a lack of attacking creativity to hinder their goal-scoring opportunities. On Tuesday night, one may argue that the line up the United manager sent out was exactly the one he would prefer to have available for such times. For example, Valencia and Park were deployed on the wings and in terms of their role as wingers, they are far more traditional, in the sense they tend to stick to either flank instead of roaming around with relative freedom.

This means that both Evra and Fabio behind them could be more assured that neither would be caught out on either side, particularly given Park’s and Valencia’s tendency to fall back to cover, allowing for a far more secure set up than using Nani would allow, given his tendency to cut inside and take up a “Ronaldo-type” position. It also meant that both full backs could get forward and get involved with attacking play. Of course this was helped by the fact United were rarely troubled defensively, meaning they could go forward at will without suffering any consequences, but one could not help but feel that the set up made for a far more stable unit.

Also, up front we saw more evidence of Hernandez and Rooney’s partnership continuing to blossom, each showing good link up play with the other. The young Mexican forwards energy and positioning seems to give defenders an extra worry, leaving Rooney with far more creative freedom in a central role, and was rewarded with a well timed short through ball from Hernandez to Rooney for a simple finish sealed the victory in the 69th minute. The celebration that followed showed how much they enjoy partnering up front.

5) Were United brilliant, or Schalke poor?

Simply put: a bit of both. Certainly, the German side’s midfield and defense were areas of weakness that allowed for United to take complete control in the middle of the park and for Carrick to direct play as he pleased. Schalke always seemed to be caught out by the pace at which United played the game, unable to keep up and limited there chances going forward, failing to provide much of a threat, despite the potential threat of Farfan.

The evidence of the ease of play for United is shown by the 66% possession and the 18 attempted shots as opposed to Schalke’s 8. Of course, the poor performance of Schalke would not have been exposed so much had United not made the effort. However, fans were treated to an efficient performance full of energy that showed attacking promise, and were it not for the aforementioned heroics of Neuer, it may well have been more. Such was the comfort that United were in that players could be rested early, with Park, Hernandez and Rooney all able to come off with an eye to Sunday’s clash with Arsenal. Such a luxury is a rarity in a Champion’s League clash, but was made possible by the commanding 2 goal lead that Ferguson’s men can take back to Manchester.

-courtesy of redflagflyinghigh.com

Yeehaaa...Man Utd selangkah je lagi ke Wembley ujung May nanti!!! Aku teruja and berminat utk berkongsi dgn korang semua artikel yg aku baca ni..coz aku setuju sangat2 dgn poin2 yg dikemukakan..!!  Bagi aku utk poin pertama : memang si Neuer tu bagus and dia buat aku tensen and tak senang duduk time 1st half..asik dapat save jer cubaan UNITED..kalau tak bole 10-0 la Man Utd menang!! Poin kedua : Persembahan Carrick semakin meningkat game demi game kecuali time lawan City tu dia buat kesilapan kecil tapi impak sungguh besar..takpela,player mana yg tak buat salah kan?? I still support u bro.. Poin ketiga : Memang takde beza la cara Rafael n Fabio main..SEJIBIK la!! Poin Keempat : Sir Alex is the MASTER TACTICIAN ..dia tau player mana yg paling bagus utk game tertentu!! Poin Terakhir : Man Utd was BRILLIANT last night...thats it!! Ekekeke...Korang setuju tak??