Jackal.:

@ Nazzyon,

Of course. . . . .I know the 2nd leg would be explosive. . . .

United should turn on the heat at Old Trafford.
No cagey stupid game against a dire Barca side that play like Arsenal. . . .
However, don't u think its about time Fergie ditches Giggsy?? That ol' man should be allowed to go in PEACE.
There's no pub in Northern England today that pundits are not asking the same question. . .
I think it's about time Giggsy moves on.

Giggs has signed his entire life time to United.

Sending hime aways will be a hard thing to do.

If he is willing to continue, the manage can just slot him into the reserve team.

Over there he will serve not only as a player but also as a trainer since he has the dream becoming a coach.

@ Doyin13,

United should edge it at OT!!!!!
The sides that trounced Milan 3-2 last season and walloped Real Madrid 4-3 in 2003 are def'ly weaker than this squad.
My only worry is United didn't really have a GO. . . . I'd rather we had a go and the game ending 0-0 than what i saw today.
It was more like. . . we have a great DEFENCE, come and score us. . . .SHOW US WHAT U GOT!!!!
The whole scenario was ugly. . . .Fergie better get it right at OT!!!

P.S. I think Ronaldo shoulda had a 2nd penalty when he breezed past Marquez or when Yaya Toure scythed him from behind.

@ Nazzyon,

Giggsy slows us down a lot . . . . Scholes is no longer what he used to be when he is pressed, Michael Carrick is a slow donkey.
Just imagine what ANDERSON coulda done against Xavi and Iniesta?? I cant believe Ferguson left him out of the whole action tonight.
Its pathetic. . . . . . .It now bores down to who outscores each other . . . . . . What a heap of fuckery.
Giggsy should declare himself UNFIT for the rest of the season and let Park/Nani continue where he stopped.

Jackal.:

@ Nazzyon,

Giggsy slows us down a lot . . . . Scholes is no longer what he used to be when he is pressed, Michael Carrick is a slow donkey.
Just imagine what ANDERSON coulda done against Xavi and Iniesta?? I can't believe Ferguson left him out of the whole action tonight.
Its pathetic. . . . . . .It now bores down to who outscores each other . . . . . . What a heap of fuckery.
Giggsy should declare himself UNFIT for the rest of the season and let Park/Nani continue where he stopped.

Park and Nani are good as replacement for Giggs, I don't know why Sir Alex always hide them.

Ever since J Park returned, I have never noticed any weakness in him. But Ferguson prefer to let the inform guy sit and watch the old boyz play.

@ Nazzyon,

Fergie is human. . . . .and sentimental.
Giggsy should not be wearing a RED SHIRT at all. . . . .Chris Eagles is better than him.
He was the cause of the DRAW in Boro and Blackburn. . . . .Fergie had to pull him off @ HALF TIME.
What was the point starting him when he was gonna be subbed after 45 mins. . . . He is a complete wack-ass.
I mean. . . . He is a great ambassador but he shouldn't put himself at risk of being a villain. United fans are getting impatient.

Jackal.:

@ Nazzyon,

Fergie is human. . . . .and sentimental.
Giggsy should not be wearing a RED SHIRT at all. . . . .Chris Eagles is better than him.
He was the cause of the DRAW in Boro and Blackburn. . . . .Fergie had to pull him off @ HALF TIME.
What was the point starting him when he was going to be subbed after 45 mins. . . . He is a complete wack-ass.
I mean. . . . He is a great ambassador but he shouldn't put himself at risk of being a villain. United fans are getting impatient.

He can join Solskaer.

@ Nazzyon,

Its getting frustrating. . . .
I pray everytime for Giggs to have an injury that will rule him out of the season. . .
When u need Giggsy, he is out injured or one other factor. . . When u dont need him, he is fit. . . .Isn't life a bitch?

Fergie has got decent replacements everywhere he looks.
Anderson, Park, Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Nani can all play on the left flank.
Why play Giggsy consistently even when he doesn't contribute effectively? Its insane!!!!

geez !!!  

for all the mouth-making aberrations here on NL all we could get aftre 90 minutes is a barren draw ?  

this game is one of the most boring semi-finals I have ever watched . . . .PILLOCKS !  

pray tell . . . didnt I say that Fergie made a mistake having not rested a few players against Blackburn a very physical side  . . .now, what do u have ?

Manure couldnot even muster the strenght to come attacking at Nou Camp COS THEY OBVIOUSLY WERE JADED AS I HAD SAID WOULD HAPPEN,

[i]WHAT MAKES IT WORSE IS THAT THEY ARE UP AGAINST CHELSEA ON SATURDAY IN A MAKE OR MAR ENCOUNTER. . .THEREAFTER THE BATTLE OF OT . . . . [/i]
Manscum was properly outplayed thruout the game but the abokis from Catalonia could not just score a goal to gain theirselves a spot in heaven   I swear that Barca team is sh@te  . . . .

Barca came out strongly attacking knowing fully well their defensive frailties . . .but HOW MANY TIMES WAS VALDES TESTED ?  

I thunk CARRICK WAS SUPPOSED TO LOB THE BALL BEYOND VALDES FOR MANURE'S  GOAL ACCORDING TO CHACAL'S ASSERTION    

prophet Chacal what happened ?  

HAS FERGIE LOST THE PLOT      

That united performance was one of the most resolute i have ever seen
This was not one based on flair,
it was about the most resolute defence in the world of soccer!
rio, brown were excellent.
Hargreaves is a class player any day, on that right wing he showed that he can hold his own against any player.
Van der sar is a class act!
carrick is a phenomenom, he has matured so quickly, scholes did a job without being booked,
when was the last time any side came back from the nou camp in a champs league match without conceeding?
the boys just said NO to barca,
messi, deco, iniesta, henry, bojan, eto (na name we go chop?)
the fergie tactics was simle, let them do what they like anywhere except the final third,
it was not the most pleasing to watch, but it was the kind of performance that we lacked in the 2nd leg against milan last year
The best thin abt this united team is their refusal to lose against all odds.
this was united's defence proclaimin that they too (not just the forward boys) have come of age
next leg in the theatre of dreams will be a very diff game, united in with a massive chance to repeat 99!!!

MU came to get a clean sheet - despite all the ravings of 'attacking footie' that we heard before now.

It is highly surprising though, once again the 'UNHOLY TRINITY" have FAILED to score , Ronaldo probably choked on that first penalty under pressure - imagine if he scored! This game would've ended like 3-3 or something.

Poor CR actually deserved a pen for the Marquez tackle, but two pens against the home side? highly unlikely. After that, he started his advertisement for the 'CR Diving School' Since its summer time, he needs to make some quick cash before the Euros start

Iniesta promptly joined in the diving act, heck they should form a company together. All in all, Messi's rustiness showed, and Eto' lacked the killer touch today, letting MU get off the hook. Deco's long absence from the team also showed, though Marquez did a good job on CR. Henry came in late and didn't do much, the OT game is definitely going to be a cracker, CR is already promising to score.

The two semis have been boring displays unfortunately, something Arsenal would definitely have brought into the fixtures. The desire to 'win' seems to be overriding the full expression of the players and their talents, not the best advertisement for football at its peak.

Gunner 1915

@ Debosky,

Give Fergie some credits. . . . .

Vidic's stomach bug probably forced his hands to play the way he did.
Hargo as RB destroyed Fergie's blueprint. . . . .Vida was fit when they left England only to get to Spain to go under the weather.
He had to push Brown to the middle and that was the real McCoy!!!!!

Nevertheless, United felt the need NOT to concede. . . . .Its a safer option playing in an AWAY game.
U wouldn't bet against United playing that way if Barca had scored. . . Maybe u should see the Lyon AWAY game. . .
Watch United's comeback when Benzema got their 1st goal. . . . .United have shown they can play some real attacking footie when its required.
Arsenal saw that side of Man Utd some weeks ago. . . . .Next week's game will be different, Barca will crash out!!!

debosky:




The two semis have been boring displays unfortunately, something Arsenal would definitely have brought into the fixtures. The desire to 'win' seems to be overriding the full expression of the players and their talents, not the best advertisement for football at its peak.

I see.

Like they play against Villareal the other time

@ Akolawole,

God Bless You.
Debosky lacks retentive memory!!!!!!!
What about the other night they were playing Porto AWAY?
Arsenal and Porto kept the ball within themselves knowing a DRAW would put em to the knock-out stages.
Hypocritical scumbags!!!!

@ AK

at least the first leg at Highbury was exciting if the second leg was a bit duller that usual

@ jackal

This 'not conceding' crap is not as important as before in my opinion - look at Arsenal-Liverpool in the quarters - just play as openly as you can, especially against a team like Barca - you know they can't play defensive even if they play 10 defenders and you play timid for 90 mins? I was highly disappointed in Fergie - a win here would've given them tremendous momentum to face Chelsea, but instead its the Abramovich boys who will be more confident.

Granted the injury to Vida changed things, but playing Scholes and Carrick was a poor decision, both of them waste too much time and don't attack players as much. Anderson was MADE for a game like this. Why were Tevez and Rooney playing so withdrawn? It is almost ALWAYS a bad decision to play CR through the middle, keep the Tevez/Rooney tandem, let CR roam and let Anderson snap at Iniesta and Xavi. Carrick kept trying to play like Xabi Alonso or other maestros when he can't manage it. MU wasted a good chance tonight.

The second leg will be dicey and the pressure will be on Utd. . .a Barca goal changes EVERYTHING.

@ Debosky,

Check the facts. . . . .

Vida was ill, Anderson wasn't fit too. . . . He had a thigh strain, Fergie couldn't risk him(he said so on MUTV).
Rooney was kept on the left axis to assist Evra to double up on rampant Messi(which worked well).
CR7 cannot chase like Wazza does so he was prefered to lead the attack. . . . The trick worked against Roma. . . . i see no reason why it shouldn't work in Camp Nou. . . .If Ronaldo's spot kick had sailed into the net, we woulda seen a different game. . .
Are u going to blame Ronaldo's miss on Ferguson too?

United will edge Barca at Fort Knox.
The last time i checked, United have won 11 European matches back to back at OT.
Milan, Roma(TWICE), Lyon, Lille and so many other teams bit the dust at Old Trafford, Barca wont be different.
There's no way United won't outscore Barcelona. . . . .United's attack is more potent.
Write em off at your own peril. . . . .Barca has lost their chance to advance to the final.

Liverpool had not conceded in 9 European SEMI FINALS till yesterday. . .I would be wary of 'records' this time of the year, they usually get spectacularly broken. Why not play Pique at CB and let Hargo play in the midfield? That would have been a better bet IMO, Hargo in the middle would've been far more effective alongside Scholes than Carrick was. I understand the need to stop Messi, but I don't think its a good enough reason, since Messi will be there in the second leg, it means Rooney will be stuck there as well too?

I have not written off MU, but you better not write off Barca either - Puyol will be back, Messi will be better with more games under his belt, so will Deco. Apart from Vida coming back and maybe Anderson, I don't see a huge improvement coming from MU, especially if they get drained in the SB encounter in between. Barca have it easier, they are virtually out of the league and can rest players - MU don't quite have that luxury, Chelski's game could be crucial for the title.

Its going to be an interesting week to come.

@Jackal and Debo

# How did arsenal played against United in 2004 FA cup final? One of the days i hated football like mad. #

@Debo

United has a plan and it was well executed. The way their defense was organised today, it will be very difficult to score them in an open play.

Let Barca continue to caress football

Though it will be dicey in Manchester.

@ Debosky,

I thunk the onus was on Barca to WIN at HOME. . . . . Thats the way it should be.
How can u play Pique alongside Rio in the defence? Pique is Barca through and through . . . the occasion would get to him and make him lose his discipline. Brown was preferred as he has played with Ferdinand at the back before(easy decision for Fergie).
Pique can only be risked against small teams like Arsenal not a good club like Barca.

The injured players forced Fergie's hands to go defensive. . . . I dont blame him at all.
Trust me, the duel at OT will be more expansive. . . .Barca cannot shoot straight.
If they score 2 goals, United will bang 3 goals. . . .If the referee was brave, Ronaldo should have had anutha penalty or 2 more.
The defence played extremely well and Barca was clueless in the final third. . . .couldn't find their breakthrough.

Leave the game at SB to sort itself.
The worst United can get there is a closely fought DRAW like the Emirates. . . .
Our players dont get drained. . . .they were being rotated constantly to deal with these HUGE games.
Vidic and Anderson should be fresh. . . Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez are young and should be fit for saturday.
Add Rio, Evra, Hargo and Carrick to the mix and u have a formidable squad. I'd rather be a United fan tonight than a Barca fan.

Barca played typical Arsenal football yesterday.

If ManUtd allow them do that at OT, then its a Chelsea-Barca final

RONALDO?HuhHuh

How could he have missed a penalty in this kind of match.

This aint no Derby County Barca is a big name in football that is why Divino could not do anything. Can anybody pls for the sake tell Divino that football is play standing and running not lying down and whinning like a bitch. Even Messi was not falling down all over the pitch like Divino He is a disgrace.

RONALDO?HuhHuh

How could he have missed a penalty in this kind of match.

Nervousness. He is a little kid and what do you expect of him when it comes to the big stage?

Well This game should have been a show of character but some teams just lack it.

firstly I am not impressed with barca at all I was disappointed with that kind of insipid display from them. I think Henry should have been introduced earlier for Deco. and Messi should have played Longer. Evra heaved a sigh of relief when Messi Left

@ MC, Who is better Evra or Abidal?

All the big European teams have beaten Barca at the Nou Cam p in the UCL why not Man Utd. They are not a BIG team.

Real Madrid: Beat Barca 2-0 at the Nou Camp 2002 UCL semi final

AC Milan: Beat Barca 2-0 at the Nou Camp in the 2001 UCL 2nd group stage

Liverpool: Beat Barca 2-1 at the Nou Camp in 2007 UCL second round.

Bayern Munich: Beat Barca [b]HOME and AWAY [/b]in the 1999 UCL group stage ( Only team to beat Barca home and away)

Ajax : I can't remember them playing Barca at any time in the recent past.

Juventus : Even Juventus beat Barca 2-1 at the Camp Nou UCL quarter final of the 2003 UCL (Jackal take note)

So why can't Man Utd do It ? The game, the arena overawed them

dayokanu:

Well This game should have been a show of character but some teams just lack it.

firstly I am not impressed with barca at all I was disappointed with that kind of insipid display from them. I think Henry should have been introduced earlier for Deco. and Messi should have played Longer. Evra heaved a sigh of relief when Messi Left

@ MC, Who is better Evra or Abidal?

All the big European teams have beaten Barca at the Nou Cam p in the UCL why not Man Utd. They are not a BIG team.

Real Madrid: Beat Barca 2-0 at the Nou Camp 2002 UCL semi final

AC Milan: Beat Barca 2-0 at the Nou Camp in the 2001 UCL 2nd group stage

Liverpool: Beat Barca 2-1 at the Nou Camp in 2007 UCL second round.

Bayern Munich: Beat Barca [b]HOME and AWAY [/b]in the 1999 UCL group stage ( Only team to beat Barca home and away)

Ajax : I can't remember them playing Barca at any time in the recent past.

Juventus : Even Juventus beat Barca 2-1 at the Camp Nou UCL quarter final of the 2003 UCL (Jackal take note)

So why can't Man Utd do It ? The game, the arena overawed them

So the fact that united didn't beat barca at the nou camp means united are not a big team?!or the fact that everytime you come onto niaraland you open up another page on your browser and point to wikipedia and start posting stats after stats and keep telling yourself you are a pundit?!dude u must be the dumbest Bleep to walk this planet (never thought anyone could be this dumb!).
juve beat barca at the nou camp in the 2003 UCL and what happened with united and juve the previous year?we beat them home and away ,as far as i know no team has done that,so is juve a small team?Everytime we have met Lyon we have beaten/drawn with them never lost but madrid always have problems with them,is madrid a small team?same with roma and madrid?Hasn't your beloved bayern dropped out at the group stage once?does that make them no a small team?or the fact that inter havnt been in a final since probably the sixties?thats why its football you fool,if you could predict what would happen everytime then there would be no point in watching or supporting a team would there?
For once in your retarded life THINK before you post and dnt jump onto wikipedia everytime checking and posting bullshit stats!! you've posted all these teams that beat barca,did you actually watch anyof them?can you tell who scored which goals? oh!i forgot wiki is your best friend.

Pein,

Take it easy on him. at times, people are poor analysers of soccer matches

Our match on Saturday is much crucial Vidic is crucial in our defence. Unfortunately, the guy is doubtful. I hope The Boss gets substancial replacement.

@ pein

Dayokanu is a retarded Nazi mongrel who tries to be relevant with his very stupid analysis.

Forgive the idiot.

coded guy:

@ pein

Dayokanu is a retarded Nazi mongrel who tries to be relevant with his very stupid analysis.

Forgive the idiot.

ouch!!

my take of the game,


Apparently manutd's original gameplan had been disrupted, and it was obvious for all to see,

i personally think if vidic was in the team yesternight it would have been a different story,

but vidic was out and SAF had to play that way, and they had one thing in their mind, hold the play and try to score on the break with ronaldo as the spear head,

and again, it reached a point that barca actually ran out of ideas, it was unbelievable, they had no clue as to how to break the defence,

messi had a good game but one must give credit to evra for standing his ground, scholes did a good job of making life difficult for the catalans as well,

and carrick for the first time impressed me,

not bad, they had the intention not to concede, and they did it,

@Dayokanu
must u remain stupid all ur life?

United didnt beat Barca @ Nou Camp and cos of that United is not a big team.
why pick Barca and not Juventus?

how many times have we beaten Juventus at Turin?
or Juventus is not a big team?

PS: we just got a draw @ d the Nou Camp so whats the fuss?
The last time i checked, you guys couldnt beat Getafe in Spain
Getafe of all clubs?
shits

@lordimpaq
at least you are reading the game the way u see fit,not stealing info from various sites and claiming them to be right.

@ituen
guy deserves more for spewing shit out everytime!the fool actually is all over the place posting hw messi is better than ronaldo jugded on one match .


@tkb417
i think vida will be okay for chelsea, SAF probably didnt wnt to risk him and if things go real bad we'll be down one sub.hope he'll be okay though,it a stomach virus and he's started eating at least.fingers crossed

Its obvious that the United that played yesterday was not the one we all Know.
But i think it was strategic because Fergie tries to be very cautious when playing in europe, coupled with the absense of Vidic and Anderson.

All in all, i still think it was a good performance, especially because we did not conceed.
As rightly observed by peeps on N/L Barca played like Arsenal, all possession and no Bite. They looked confused in the final third.

I was actually happy and Knew that nothing would come out of this Barca Team when Messi was substituted, he seemed to be our biggest threat. Hope we cage him at OT.

The return leg will be explosive, United will definitely up the Ante, Knowing that if they conceed then it becomes a lot more difficult. O-O draw in an away match can be considered a good result.

I Know my UNITED IS CAPABLE.

But Madrid can't usually beat Getafe ANYWHERE

You all make me laugh with your analysis

Fact

That game was the most boring Semis ever witnessed to date in the UCL (Despite what Boris Kolawolsy says about Arsenal vs Villareal). I feel asleep and woke up, yet no difference.

I knew the first half would be cagey, didn't expect the second half to be cagey as well

Secondly, as much as a "Barren" draw is ok for Scum United, it must be noted that it is also brilliant for Farca. All Farcelona have to do is match Scum United goal for goal and they are through (Funny TKB mentioned the Bayern vs Getafe game, cause Farca just has to do what Bayern did in Spain, and get the same goal number as The Scummies and they are through to Akola hometown ).

I still believe Fergie took a big risk, he will have to play his best against Kolawolsky's team, and hope none of his "Phony Trinity" picks up an injury.

Peeps say Divino should have gotten another penalty D'UUUUUUUUHHHHHHH!!! You actually think a ref will give 2 pens to a visiting team at the Nou Camp Its like giving 2 pens at OT ain't going to happen. Besides, E'to could have also gotten 1 for Farca if he had decided to go down under Rio's challenge.

All in all, there is still a lot to play for, but i believe Farca will be quite ok with the Nil draw, as they know The Scum will have to be more open at OT, thereby leaving room at the back for them to also exploit.

It will eventually comes down to who takes their chances better on the night.

WE SHALL SEE!!!

GOONER 89

@loyika
have you ever considered the fact that both sides cancelled eachother out,barca attacked we defended,they didnt score we didnt concede.when have you ever seen a match of that status where both teams go all out except maybe for finals? liverpool v chelsea? juve v milan? arsenal v villareal?
personally though i felt we defended to much but with vida out and brown being drafted into the centre, it obviuosly changed the game plan.Games like these tend to be "boring" till one side takes a chance and the whole tie explodes but no one did,so fair result to both teams.it could come back to haunt united with the away goals rule like in 2000 or 2002;barca just need a scored draw and we need to win outright,so it'll make for an interesting second leg.