Top class punditry from Arrigo Sacchi

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

personally I think United were brilliant in Europe in 1997/98

Feyenoord home and away were littered with top class moments and were generally highly efficient and tactically sound displays. Juventus at home was absolute quality as United showed they can mix it with the best around.

the Monaco away game was a tense chess match against a very good team on a very poor pitch. I seem to recall Andy Cole being played in behind the defence only to be wrongly given offside.

we didn't lose that tie through poor play, or poor tactics. basically Trezeguet hit an unstoppable shot pretty much out of the blue and we were just unable to recover because injuries had decimated us by the 2nd leg - and continued to during the game!

Monaco were robbed in the semi-finals by Juve, who went on to lose a dour final

All absolutely true, but I'm talking about the result itself.

A lot of people - including tons of clueless pundits - spoke at the time as if a 0-0 draw was something to be delighted with. Getting a 0-0 away in the first leg is nothing more than ok.

For me it was an example of the prevailing attitude towards Europe, that European teams are aliens from outer space who play football we can only dream of. The same applied to the games against Real.

English teams have now shaken that off and realised that Barca, Real, Inter, etc. are just blokes playing football and can be beaten.

Which is why it bodes well for Wednesday - the same applied last year and Barca were overcome relatively comfortably.

yeah true, the mystique of it all has worn thinner and thinner and English footballers are no longer so scared of it - although you'd hardly have known by the way Ferdinand started at Inter the other week

i just think United approached that Monaco game in a very considered tactical way, basically guarding against £#%&! ups and trying to snatch an away goal that didn't quite happen. they probably should've been a bit more adventurous right enough, but it wasn't a bad result even if it wasn't great.

I remember the Phil neville winner at Chelsea before the 1st leg setting us up perfectly for the league, and i remember the Arsenal game before the 2nd leg where all our players got nobbled. looking at the records though we lost at Sheffield and drew with West ham between the two legs

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

yeah true, the mystique of it all has worn thinner and thinner and English footballers are no longer so scared of it - although you'd hardly have known by the way Ferdinand started at Inter the other week

I think Rio is carrying an injury to be honest.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

yeah true, the mystique of it all has worn thinner and thinner and English footballers are no longer so scared of it - although you'd hardly have known by the way Ferdinand started at Inter the other week

i just think United approached that Monaco game in a very considered tactical way, basically guarding against £#%&! ups and trying to snatch an away goal that didn't quite happen. they probably should've been a bit more adventurous right enough, but it wasn't a bad result even if it wasn't great.

I remember the Phil neville winner at Chelsea before the 1st leg setting us up perfectly for the league, and i remember the Arsenal game before the 2nd leg where all our players got nobbled. looking at the records though we lost at Sheffield and drew with West ham between the two legs

I'd forgotten about that. Came out of nowhere

Can't worry about the away goal. In fact, shouldn't worry about the away goal. It doesn't really make a difference. At least we know how to approach the game. Had it finished 1-1 or 0-1 in the San Siro, we'd be in that awkward position of not quite knowing how to approach the game. Do you attack? Do you sit back and wait for a break?

Now, the goal is simple: win the game! Away goals mean dick all now because no kind of draw or defeat is any good to us anyway. If Inter score, so be it. We'll still need to win the game.

I'm more confident of us scoring more than one than them scoring at all.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

I think Rio is carrying an injury to be honest.

He hasn't looked right since he came back imo. Definitely not the Rio of the first half of the season

Originally Posted by Ether

He hasn't looked right since he came back imo. Definitely not the Rio of the first half of the season

I think it might be an idea, though also a gamble perhaps, to play evans with Vidic on Wednesday. A fully fit Evans, if he is fully fit, is better than a struggling Rio.

Mind evans may have to play RB on Wednesday.

I have a horrible feeling that Inter will score, in fact they WILL score.

Were going to have to get a couple of goals to progress. This should be achievable, but i have my doubts. We need an early goal or we could find ourselves in that horrible 2nd half situation.

If we are up at the break i think we will progress. If Inter score or its 0-0 we will struggle.

It depends if Negative Inter turn up or if they give it a go.

A hard side to break down.

2-1 United.

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

I have a horrible feeling that Inter will score, in fact they WILL score.

.

Maybe they will, simple fact as with most games at united, united need to win, OK there's more on this than most but if you just look at it like that, it's not a scary proposition, just a game we need to win.,

The tie will be as good as over by half-time.

I am extremely confident regarding this game. So much so, that I believe we are going to win by 3 or 4.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Maybe they will, simple fact as with most games at united, united need to win, OK there's more on this than most but if you just look at it like that, it's not a scary proposition, just a game we need to win.,

Exactly. So Inter score. Big deal. We'll have to score 2. Does anyone think we can't score two on a massive Euro night in this kind of form against a questionable side missing defenders?

Needing to win your home leg by 1 goal is a decent position to be in. If we have to score twice, that's no big thing. 2 goals over 2 games is an acceptable notion.

Provided we play well and aren't dealt a ridiculous amount of bad luck/refereeing, we'll be fine.

The 0-0s on Monaco and Real Madrid are ancient history. We're a totally different side in Europe these days.

If Rivas plays centre back we will £#%&!ing hammer them.
Park on to stop Maicon bombing on and it should be a comfortable win.

If we take our chances we could score 3-4.

VDS

O'Shea - Rio - Vidic - Evra

Carrick - Scholes

Ronaldo - Berba - Park

Rooney

What's their injury situation?

Who was the crap guy who was taken off at half time?

Originally Posted by Ronaldosgoodallthetime

Was thinking on Saturday before the game that I really wanted to beat Fulham and hopefully get to the Final as a guy at work always gets tickets for the game so I have more chance of going to that than the CL.

how very unselfish of you

Originally Posted by Withers

I'm feeling like a cockney postman at the minute.

what, crushed by a lorry?

Originally Posted by waynes ear's

what, crushed by a lorry?

Nope, try again. Or have a fag.

Originally Posted by waynes ear's

how very unselfish of you

But if you read the rest I'm saying that I'd rather win the other two or is that what you're saying or are you being a trifle sarcastic?? Me no sure....

Originally Posted by The Return of JC

What's their injury situation?

Who was the crap guy who was taken off at half time?

Rivas.

Apparently Chivu is definitely out - good news for me, he's decent at free kicks as well as being nails hard.

Samuel has travelled with them. Materazzi & Burdisso also out.

All good news.

Full article:

Cristian Chivu is out of Inter Milan's trip to Manchester United, but Walter Samuel has been included in Jose Mourinho's squad.

Inter coach Mourinho has several defensive worries for the second leg of his club's UEFA Champions League last 16 tie at Old Trafford.

Marco Materazzi and Nicolas Burdisso have already been ruled out of Wednesday's clash and Chivu has joined his team-mates on the sidelines.

However, Mourinho has received a boost after Argentinian stopper Samuel was declared fit enough to travel with the squad to Manchester.

If Samuel is deemed fit enough to face United he is likely to be partnered at the back by Ivan Cordoba, although Mourinho has been considering dropping Esteban Cambiasso into defence.

Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti acknowledged it is a blow for Inter to be without such experienced players for the tie, which is finely poised after a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the San Siro.

Moratti told reporters: "Yes, it is a pity to have to face this game with many important absentees, players of experience and class that can not be on the pitch."

Originally Posted by Baron_van_Marlon

Rivas.

Apparently Chivu is definitely out - good news for me, he's decent at free kicks as well as being nails hard.

Samuel has travelled with them. Materazzi & Burdisso also out.

All good news.

Full article:

Getting their excuses in early I see.