Rome 2009

Strange to think how close we were to achieving what Real did last night. That 08-09 team were perhaps a bit more mechanical than the one of the previous two seasons but still should have given Barca more of a game than they did. Fergie got it massively wrong on the night unfortunately.

Giggs in midfield ffs

Hargreaves fit or replaced with someone as industrious, Fletcher available maybe, and Scholes picked and who knows.. the sentiment in picking Park nailed him as well.

In hindsight, Barca must've been £#%&!ing delighted when Scholes was on the bench

Giggs was in great form at that time though. The same as 2011, was clearly ahead of Scholes on performances. However against the pressing of Barca we really needed Scholes and his spatial awareness, one touch movement of the ball, it was a bad match up stylistically for the midfield we put out.

Ando had a shocking half as well, occasion got to him.

If Ronaldo stuck that early chance away we'd have won. Still convinced about that.

It was a great Barca team but they weren't the machine they became later on.

The best team on the day won but it could have been so different.

The Park decision was just

Confirmation that Fergie had turned soft.

Iirc Yaya Toure played as a centre back?

When I saw the Barca defence before kick off I though we were nailed on to win, even came out and told my old man that we'll 'walk this'....

Safe to say I've never backed us to win in any game, ever, since

iirc Ronaldo should have been given a pen and Pique should have been sent off in the first few minutes.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Giggs was in great form at that time though. The same as 2011, was clearly ahead of Scholes on performances. However against the pressing of Barca we really needed Scholes and his spatial awareness, one touch movement of the ball, it was a bad match up stylistically for the midfield we put out.

Ando had a shocking half as well, occasion got to him.

And not to mention he was fat £#%&!ing fraud who had no business starting

Messi's header ffs. No one near him at all.

Reminded me of Crespo's goal for Milan 4 years previously

Can't believe we didn't win a European cup final with John o"shea, Park and Anderson starting.

Originally Posted by AK14

Iirc Yaya Toure played as a centre back?

When I saw the Barca defence before kick off I though we were nailed on to win, even came out and told my old man that we'll 'walk this'....

Safe to say I've never backed us to win in any game, ever, since

As funny as Barcelona beating chelsea was in that semi final - and the carnage that followed - it was a disaster for United. We'd have beaten that Chelsea team easily in the final, they were nowhere near us.

Anyone who had watched Barcelona that season could see they were a seriously seriously £#%&!ing good side. You weren't the only one predicting United to walk it which i found staggering to be honest. Apart from the first 10 mins, we were never in it as a contest.

The two goals we conceded were utter £#%&!ing shite though.

Originally Posted by irk

And not to mention he was fat £#%&!ing fraud who had no business starting

One moment always sticks out for me. I think it was shortly after their 1st.
Anderson completely miskicking the ball just as we started to break. I'm pretty sure it was a child like swing and a miss. And they broke from there.

I felt like I was coming down on e's watching that. Sick as a dawg.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Can't believe we didn't win a European cup final with John o"shea, Park and Anderson starting.

Anderson in midfield against the great Xavi and Iniesta duo, ffs.

Still, the line-up and performance we put together in 2011 was even worse.

United's biggest failure in the last 20 years is the inability to build on the successes of the two European Cup wins in '99 and '08.

Originally Posted by irk

And not to mention he was fat £#%&!ing fraud who had no business starting

Not in 2009. He had a great season the year before, then missed a lot of games with injury. He started both games in the semi-finals against Arsenal, was an important part of Utd dominating that tie.

Our midfield was Carrick, Fletch and Ando in both those ties, it was very nicely balanced, plenty of energy from the latter 2 with Carrick playmaking. Park was great in those ties as well, his selection was not evidence of Fergie going soft or even debatable at the time, 2011 was questionable though.

Anderson ahead of scholes.

Against barcelona.

Biggest problem was not having either Hargreaves or Fletcher available, if not both

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Not in 2009. He had a great season the year before, then missed a lot of games with injury. He started both games in the semi-finals against Arsenal, was an important part of Utd dominating that tie.

Our midfield was Carrick, Fletch and Ando in both those ties, it was very nicely balanced, plenty of energy from the latter 2 with Carrick playmaking. Park was great in those ties as well, his selection was not evidence of Fergie going soft or even debatable at the time, 2011 was questionable though.

Correct. He played the team almost everybody on the forums was going for with the only debate being would he pick Giggs, Scholes or tevez. I think he should have went for Tevez personally.

I was very confident going into that match

Originally Posted by Stickman

Correct. He played the team almost everybody on the forums was going for with the only debate being would he pick Giggs, Scholes or tevez. I think he should have went for Tevez personally.

I was very confident going into that match

Don't know any United supporter who wasn't.

I'm more negative than Sparky and even I was convinced we'd walk it

some will scoff but i still think fletcher was a big miss that night. had a great season and his absence unsettled and unbalanced the team in all sorts of ways. not least carrick, whose confidence was destroyed for the best part of a year by that game alone.

Originally Posted by taff

some will scoff but i still think fletcher was a big miss that night. had a great season and his absence unsettled and unbalanced the team in all sorts of ways. not least carrick, whose confidence was destroyed for the best part of a year by that game alone.

True. Although, wasn't Carrick carrying an injury?

Read in various places he was and even carried it into the following season

Originally Posted by Lok

If Ronaldo stuck that early chance away we'd have won. Still convinced about that.

It was a great Barca team but they weren't the machine they became later on.

The best team on the day won but it could have been so different.

Yes, they were a lot more beatable then than in 2011. We were widely fancied before the game for a reason.

Even then they were just about the worst possible side to fall behind early on to, though