Last week in the Premier League, Manchester United went through great troubles and narrowly defeated Bolton Wanderers in an away game, paying the price of Rooney and Ryan Giggs being injured and unable to play.
The second round of the Champions League was a visit to Mestalla, which was a key match for the group. They tied with Rangers in the first round. Manchester United was extremely cautious about challenging the La Liga leader. Ferguson also gave up commanding the League Cup and went to Spain to scout the enemy's situation and inspect the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.
In the 53rd minute of the game between De Gea and Bolton, Giggs was replaced by Park Ji-sung. The camera quickly captured him discussing the injury with his assistant. After the game, it was confirmed that he had a thigh strain. "Ryan will be absent for at least two weeks." Mesta
Leah definitely can't go.
Giggs is gone, and the saddest thing is not Ferguson, but the Spanish international Mata in the opponent's team, who is still waiting to exchange shirts with Giggs.
Mata is also left-handed. When he was 13 years old, he watched Manchester United's visit and was impressed by Giggs's skills. From then on, he regarded the Welsh elf as his idol: "I always said that Giggs was powerful in school, and Scholes was also my idol."
The most likely person to replace Giggs is Park Ji-sung, but he doesn't have much form. He played 3 games in the Premier League and was substituted twice in away games. After he came on, Manchester United conceded 3 goals, scored only 1 goal, and lost 4 points.
Although he was not directly responsible for conceding goals and points, at least he did not contribute. At the beginning of the season, fans were worried about when Giggs would fall due to injury, but they did not expect it to come so soon.
The one that people talk about the most is Rooney. He was also taken off less than 10 minutes after Giggs came off. At first, people thought it was because of his unexplained dissatisfaction. Soon the camera cut to his fat left foot, which was covered with a bandage.
A large piece of ice, that was the spot where Rooney sprained himself at the Allianz Arena last season. Rooney's injury never recovered, and he was kicked again during the game. As the saying goes, "It's not that Rooney is bad, it's just that his ankle hurts too much."
Manchester United deputy coach Philan hesitated after the game: "Rooney should be fine and can play in the Champions League." The test results showed that Philan was too optimistic. Ferguson said, "He will be absent for two to three weeks."
There was no form on the field, and there was no peace off the field. Before visiting Bolton, Rooney went to Taishan's home to visit Coleen's adopted sister. When Rooney's embarrassing incident was reported, she had a heart attack. Now that her condition is improving, Rooney took advantage of the visit to ask her father-in-law
The mother-in-law admitted her mistake: "It was my mischief that made you lose face."
Although the two elders were still angry, they wanted to put the past past the past for Coleen's sake and hoped to settle the matter as soon as possible. However, the media refused to give up. Former England coach Keegan criticized Rooney in the "Daily Mail", saying that the latter was currently immoral and innocent.
You deserve it, "You can't turn on one faucet, get a bargain from the media (sell the inside story of the wedding to a magazine), then blame others for exposing your secrets, and turn off the other faucet?"
The first playboy star in English football was Best, followed by Keegan, who also served as captain of England and Liverpool. Compared with Best, he was known as "Mickey Mouse".
Keegan is closer to today's Rooney, but he is more talented than Rooney and better at dealing with the media. At least Rooney did not have the opportunity to kiss Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher on the cheek in front of the media, nor did he have a half-full singing voice that would allow him to release a record.
Ferguson was worried before: "It's not that this kid has a problem with self-confidence. He may have finally realized that he is a human being and is not used to the media staring at him all day long." His teammates sympathized: "He is still the same on the training ground.
If he can't play the ball, he is really distracted by off-field matters." Keegan disagreed. After watching Rooney's performance in the "Reebok", he said bluntly: "This kid's confidence has collapsed. He is not the same Rooney as last season. He can't play.
, Manchester United has one less to beat, this is a matter of tofu mixed with spring onions, everything is clear."
Without Rooney, the most likely partner for Li Yu is Owen. He scored two goals in the League Cup but Ferguson didn't see him. He immediately came on as a substitute to score against Bolton, scoring the 200th goal of his career. The media commented: "This
Will Ferguson turn a blind eye again?" Owen was a little upset about not winning: "Goals are part of my career, but this milestone did not bring victory."
In addition to Rooney and Giggs, Scholes did not go to Spain with the team. Due to a calf injury, Jiang will also be out for 10 days. Manchester United's midfielder lost Giggs and then lost Ginger. Maybe it really depends on Gibson's integrity.
A kick saved his life. Carrick's timely comeback may alleviate Manchester United's midfield dilemma. He suffered an ankle tendon injury after the first European Cup qualifying match against Bulgaria and once had to rely on a block to relieve the pain. Last Friday, Ferguson revealed that he had been injured.
Injury recovery training.
From all accounts, Manchester United's trip to Spain will be a watershed moment for its Champions League, which will affect the next Premier League games.
Many teams are now willing to give up their domestic leagues to ensure their qualifying status in the Champions League. Manchester United is no exception in everyone's eyes. The biggest difficulty now is that Manchester United encounters a serious lack of midfielders.
If they fail to score the ideal points against Valencia, Manchester United's subsequent league results are likely to be affected.
The media unanimously believes that the Champions League match against Valencia is a game that Manchester United must win. With a victory, it can suppress the biggest opponent in the group and firmly grasp the favorable situation of qualifying first in the group.
The Spanish team themselves were aware of this and played extremely cautiously after the game started.
It seems that Valencia is more willing to accept a draw at home. They are not in a hurry to attack. Instead, Manchester United must strive for victory. However, this also gives the Spanish team more opportunities to counterattack. In terms of threat, it is still Valencia's.
Attacking is more dangerous.
Manchester United has met Valencia twice in the Champions League group stage, achieving 1 win and 3 draws and remaining unbeaten, including two draws as a guest. In the 198283 season, Manchester United lost 1-2 to Valencia as a guest in the UEFA Cup. Manchester United had previously
They only won one game in 18 visits to Spain. Ferdinand and Vidic partnered as central defenders for the first time this season. Carrick, who recovered from injury, made his first start since the Community Shield. Rafael, Anderson and Park Ji-sung also rotated into the starting lineup. In La Liga,
Leader Valencia also rotated 6 starters in one fell swoop. They had remained unbeaten in 11 consecutive European home games.
Li Yu serves as Manchester United's single forward in this game and will definitely become the focus of Valencia's team.
There cannot be any slack on Manchester United's No. 9. This has become a routine among all teams when playing against Manchester United.
The single arrow also means that the offensive pressure on Li Yu will be great, and the opponent will not easily give him any chance.
It can be seen from the first half of the game that when Li Yulian turned around, he had to face more than two defensive players.
The most common exchange I hear from home team players is, "Don't let him turn around!"
"Seal his angle!"
"Don't let him shoot!"
The game became a stadium that restricted Li Yu. It seemed that not allowing Li Yu to score was Valencia's goal in today's game.
Li Yu was restricted by the tight defense, but Manchester United's No. 9 has more or less adapted to such treatment. If there is no chance, he can completely play for other teammates and create opportunities for his teammates with his own movement.
The game was very silent. Manchester United's original tactics of attacking from the two wings were also successfully restricted by Valencia.
Seeing that a dull tie was about to happen, Manchester United staged a decisive victory in the 85th minute. Nani broke through from the right. Li Yu had no intention of stopping the ball, but crossed Javier Hernandez from the edge of the penalty area. He passed Navarro out of the angle and shot into the lower right corner from 14 yards before Maduro blocked it.
Li Yu used an assist to help the team take a 1-goal lead in the away game.
Little Pea also scored his first goal in the Champions League.
With this goal, Manchester United got three points in the away game as they wished.
Valencia's Mestalla Stadium has never been a happy place for Manchester United. From the first meeting between the two teams in 1982 to the start of this campaign, Manchester United has never conquered Valencia's home court.
Before the game, Valencia started La Liga with 4 wins and 1 draw, leading the standings and in excellent condition. In the European war, they maintained an unbeaten record of 11 consecutive home games, even until 2007. , Valencia has never lost to an English team at home, with 7 wins and 4 draws in 11 games. But in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, Valencia was defeated by Chelsea at home for two consecutive seasons.
Valencia has always had experience playing against English teams. In the 1979-80 season, Valencia defeated Arsenal in the UEFA Cup final in a penalty shootout and won the cup; in the 1980-81 season, Valencia defeated Nottingham in the European Super Cup. Forest won the championship; in the 2000-01 season, the Bats defeated Arsenal and Leeds United on the way to promotion, and finally reached the Champions League final in one go.
Looking back at Manchester United, first of all, they are not doing well recently. They have conceded 7 goals in the last 3 league away games. In the last round of the league, they only relied on Li Yu's savior to narrowly defeat the underdog Bolton 3-2.
The historical record is also very unfavorable to Manchester United. In the previous 18 away games against Spanish teams, the Red Devils only achieved a pitiful victory, specifically 1 win, 8 draws and 9 losses. The only victory was four points in the Champions League eight years ago. In the first leg of the final, they defeated Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 away from home. What makes Manchester United even more embarrassed is that in the last three visits to Spain, Manchester United failed to even score a goal.
Before the game, 26-year-old Manchester United midfielder Fletcher said that when playing against Spanish teams, possession rate is the king. "Possession rate is important. If you concede the ball easily when you play as a guest in Spain against a La Liga team, They punish you. Or at least you don't see the ball for a few minutes because they have good control of the ball."
In this game, facing Valencia, which is known for its technical flow, Manchester United's ball possession rate in the away game reached 46.6%, which is not low; and in terms of passing success rate, Manchester United's passing success rate The rate reached 76.0%. Although it is not high, it controlled Valencia's passing success rate to 79.6%. This data is relatively low among La Liga teams. In other words, under the restraint and counterattack of the two teams, Under restraint, Manchester United basically performed at a normal level, but failed to make Valencia normal.
The 1-0 away victory over Valencia was of great significance to Manchester United. Not only was it the first time that Manchester United conquered the Mestalla Stadium in the past 28 years, but more importantly, this victory reversed Manchester United's qualifying situation in one fell swoop.
Manchester United has once again taken the initiative in its own hands, and qualifying first in the group is undoubtedly Manchester United's first goal.
On October 21st and November 3rd, Manchester United will face the Turkish Bursaspor team consecutively at home and then away.
Judging from the situation in the first two rounds, Bursaspor did not score a single goal and conceded a net goal of 5. Their strength is really limited.
Under normal circumstances, Manchester United has great hope of scoring 6 points at home and away. As a result, Manchester United, with 10 points after 4 rounds, will occupy the most advantageous position to qualify for the group. On the other hand, Glasgow Rangers and Valencia, the two teams
The team will continue to fight for qualification. Manchester United will play Valencia at home in the last round. At that time, with the help of a favorable schedule, Manchester United may qualify in advance. The Red Devils may even decide which team to play between Valencia and Rangers.
Work with yourself to get through.
Manchester United defeated La Liga leader Valencia 1-0 away from home, Chelsea defeated Ligue 1 defending champion Marseille 2-0 at home, Arsenal defeated Partizan Belgrade 3-1 away from home, and Tottenham beat Eredivisie defending champion Twente 4-1 at home.
, the Champions League group stage has entered the second round, and all four teams in the Premier League are winning. This is not common in the Champions League group stage in the past two seasons.
Carrick finally made his debut. In Manchester United's away game against Valencia today, Ferguson sent the English midfielder to play in a relatively important game for the first time. Previously, Carrick only played for Manchester United this season.
A total of 96 minutes of the game: 80 minutes in the Community Shield, the performance was acceptable; the other 16 minutes were used to replace the veteran Scholes who needed to rest when the victory of the league match against West Ham United was already determined.
As a key player in Manchester United's three consecutive Premier League titles and the European crown two years ago, even in the middle of last season, the midfield combination of Carrick, Scholes, and Fletcher was still impressive.
Full of motivation, he is one of Ferguson's indispensable trump cards. However, since Manchester United eliminated Bayern at home in the Champions League last season, the former Tottenham general's form began to decline at an alarming rate, and he was quickly abandoned by Ferguson and Capello.
He didn't even get 1 minute of playing time in the World Cup in South Africa.
If you watched today's game, I believe the fans will remember Carrick's several obvious mistakes in the first half, two of which almost directly led to the team conceding goals.
In the 16th minute, Carrick, who did not pay attention to the situation on the court in time, received the ball near his own penalty area and turned around. He found that two Valencia players were already approaching him. He hurriedly chose to pass the ball across the field, and the ball just reached the home team.
At the feet of Pablo Hernandez, the latter's powerful shot from outside the penalty area shocked Van der Sar into a cold sweat.
In the 28th minute, the "Castle's mistake" reappeared. His careless pass gave the Valencians a chance to attack directly into the hinterland behind them. Fortunately, the Spaniard did not form a final attack.
In the 41st minute, Carrick's casual through ball was somewhat aimless and was sent directly to the opponent's feet. At this time, the broadcaster's commentator lamented that the precise through ball was Carrick's unique skill in the past.
This is what Ferguson valued most about him. 45th minute
Bell, Van der Sar flew up and made a world-class save. The reason was that Carrick took another shot half a beat late at the edge of his own penalty area. Although the referee on duty believed that the Valencia player had committed a foul, this was
The details also show Carrick's current poor physical condition.
Didn't Carrick, who is a defensive midfielder, have any outstanding defensive shots today?
In fact, Carrick's number of successful tackles today was indeed 0. According to opta's post-match statistics, Carrick's number of tackles was only 1, and it was still an unsuccessful tackle. I wonder if it was infected by him.
, the other two starting defensive midfielders Fletcher and Anderson both had 0 tackles in this game.
None of the three Manchester United blockers made a successful tackle in 90 minutes! This also reasonably explains why the Bat Legion's offense had the upper hand for most of the game. Regarding this situation, Carrick himself
Hard to blame.
Although Ferguson explained to the "Daily Express" before the game that Carrick missed a period of team training due to an ankle injury and just returned to the team last Friday. The Manchester United midfielder also missed England's recent European Championship qualifiers.
game, but obviously the reason why Carrick has been ignored in recent times is not just because of injuries.
In the whole game, the England midfielder ran 11.5 kilometers, which was nearly half a kilometer longer than the immortal Fletcher. However, his poor game state made him too inefficient throughout the game and made frequent mistakes. After the game,
Whether it is the official score of "Sky Sports" or the fans' spontaneous score, Carrick has the lowest score in the team. In other words, Carrick in his current state is no longer worthy of Manchester United's starting lineup.
If Ferguson watched the outstanding performance of Tottenham youngster Bale on another field, he would definitely feel unhappy. The Welshman not only scored a goal today, but also caused a penalty kick.
When competing with Tottenham for the former Southampton youngster, Ferguson lost the battle due to various reasons. In the end, he bought Carrick from a competitor at a high price of 18.6 million pounds.
Compared with Bell, the latter's downturn today is on the ground and in the sky. If Carrick is affected by injuries as Ferguson said, then Sir Alex Ferguson may still have the patience to give him a chance; but if time and 1
Although the England midfielder's sleepwalking has not been cured after just one appearance opportunity, the player who has been plagued by transfer rumors recently has only one option left: running away.
How does Ferguson solve the defensive problem in the midfield?
Do we really have to wait for the rumored Sneijder? Now everyone knows that Sneijder is not a defensive expert. The defensive midfielder is the most serious lack of Manchester United.
