Season Four: Manchester United
May 26, 2010
Just over two weeks ago, Manchester United came from behind to topple AC Milan in the second leg of the Champions League Semi-Finals. The reward: a spot in the finals, a spot to prove that England produced good football. But who would be United's opponent? Benfica? No, no. They were defeated by Liverpool. Yes, it would be an all-English Final, a testament to the achievements of English football. United fared well against their rivals in the league, and the English Cup, but that was with the aid of players like Alan Smith and Cristiano Ronaldo. United would not have their services this time; however, Louis Saha returned from injury to claim his starting role once again. The French striker, who scored 44 goals so far, would hope to see the team that stuck by him for so many seasons lift the cup at the end of 90 minutes. His fellow Frenchman, Djibril Cisse, had other plans in mind. Cisse hit 39 on the year, and his strike partner Fernando Morientes hit 36. How would this final with so many great goalscorers turn out? A fastpaced goalfest, or a slow, one goal affair?
Manchester United Lineup:
GK: Tim Howard - 84
RB: Wes Brown - 83
CB: Rio Ferdinand - 93
CB: Roberto Fabian Crespo - 93
LB: Gabriel Heinze (c) - 86
RM: Carlos Torres - 77
CDM: Paulo Gavilan - 74
CAM: Darren Fletcher - 80
LM: Kieran Richardson - 82
ST: Ruud van Nistelrooy - 95
ST: Louis Saha - 88
Substitutes:
GK: Francisco Bravo - 65
CB/LB/CM: John O'Shea - 84
CB/LB: Mikael Silvestre - 81
RB: Jelli Bisconti - 77
CAM/LM/RM: Park Ji Sung - 84
ST: Guissepe Rossi - 69
ST: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 83
Liverpool Lineup:
GK: Pepe Reina
RB: Josemi Gonzalez
CB: Jamie Carragher
CB: Huusko
LB: Djimi Traore
RM: Luis Garcia
CM: Steven Gerrard
CM: Xabi Alonso
LM: John Arne Riise
ST: Fernando Morientes
ST: Djibril Cisse
The match started off with Liverpool attacking right away, but they were stifled by Gavilan, who was playing deeper in the midfield to allow Fletcher more attacking freedom. In the 15th minute, Gavilan went on a mazy run past Alonso and Gerrard, striking a speculative shot from 30 yards. Reina did not move as he knew that the ball was sent wide, but the ball swerved, and just narrowly missed the top corner of the net. Five minutes later, Cisse won a corner kick, and Gerrard lobbed a high ball into the box. Howard came for the ball, but missed, allowing Morientes to head towards an open goal. But his composure failed him, and he headed high over the net. Howard and United dodged their first bullet of the game. That miss proved costly however, when in the 25th minute, when van Nistelrooy played the ball outside to Torres, who then sent in a whipped cross. The ball sailed over the heads of Saha, Huusko, and Carragher, but Kieran Richardson was able to pick up the ball, and blast a volley towards the far side. It appeared to be sailing wide, until Jamie Carragher stepped in front of it, and the touch off of his arm sent the ball into the net! 1-0 United, midway through the first half.
The pace was stepped up by both sides after the opening goal, with a lot of good end to end play, ultimately resulting in good saves from both Reina and Howard. In the 45th minute, Alonso played a lovely ball through to Cisse, who was breaking around the midway line, and he had the potential to beat Heinze, the last man back, but the whistle blew for half time.
In the second half, Liverpool looked the stronger of the sides. The team adorned in red created chance after chance, but were kept out by Howard, Crespo, and Gavilan. At the 60 minute mark, Park was brought in to replace Richardson, the goalscorer, who picked up a knock after a hard tackle from Josemi. His presence was felt immediately. Playing a throw-in with Fletcher, Park darted down the flank and had the ball played to him. He sent in a cross that Reina was able to punch clear, but the rebound fell to a late-running Saha, who struck the ball on the half-volley into the upper corner! 2-0 United, and they had insurance!
All the while, an intense midfield battle was being won by Gerrard and Alonso, who were able to beat, but not expose, Gavilan and Fletcher. Liverpool enjoyed much of the possession, but created few chances from the center of the park. The game was drawing to an end, and the hardworking Riise broke down the left side and played in a cross to Fernando Morientes. The striker chested the ball down and played a clever turn around Brown, and struck the ball to the far post. Howard got a deflection with his arm, but directed the ball into the center of the net. 2-1 United, but in the 84th minute, Liverpool fans held their breath!
United had been caught sleeping, and were punished. Now could they rekindle the passion and desire that had given them the initial lead? It was a question of devotion and mentality: would they sit back and weather the storm, hoping to avoid magic from Cisse, Morientes, or Gerrard, who all had an abundance of skill, or would they take the game into their own hands and see out the final minutes? It would be the latter. Gavilan and Fletcher contributed much of the effort, possessing the ball and winning it when it was lost. Park Ji Sung held the ball up near the corner flag, winning a brace of corner kicks. It was Roberto Fabian Crespo who had the last touch of the game, a booming ball in stoppage time that sent the ball back into the depth of Liverpool’s territory. Nielsen finally blew the whistle, and United had done it! A European and League double in 2010 saw Manchester United – a club with a history rich with success – get back to their winning ways that had so frustratingly eluded them in the first decade of the new millennium.
The Sun: Fantastic! May 26, 2010
Manchester United brought home the Champions League trophy after their cup final win. “That was incredible fun, everything worked perfectly. I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now, this is definitely the greatest moment in my career. We haven’t given up and we have played a perfect match. Our players can be proud of their performance. It may take 20 years for people to realize what we have accomplished here tonight, as success has been such an integral part of United’s past, and I hope that this night will allow the club to reenter a period of similar fortune.”
Leading Goalscorers:
Louis Saha – 45
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 41
Fletcher – 16
Smith – 7
Rossi – 5
Gavilan – 5
Solskjaer – 4
Torres – 3
Ronaldo – 2
Ferdinand – 1
Crespo – 1
Bisconti – 1
Manager Stats:
2005-2006: Boavista - 67 points (19-10-5) - 2nd place
2006-2007: San Jose Earthquake - 70 points (21-7-5) - 1st place - MLS Open Cup Winners
2007-2008: San Jose Earthquake - 99 points (33-0-0) - 1st place - MLS Open Cup Winners
2008-2009: Manchester United - 77 points (23-8-7) - 1st place - UEFA Champions League Winners
----------
Season 5: Manchester United
The Sun: Ready for New Challenge August 1, 2010
FA Premier League starts today. The club and the fans are expection a lot from the coming season. “It’s all about the growth of the team, and if we achieve union in the team, we’ll go far. There’s everything to win here. We’ve learnt from last season and this year should be our best yet.”
May 26, 2010
Just over two weeks ago, Manchester United came from behind to topple AC Milan in the second leg of the Champions League Semi-Finals. The reward: a spot in the finals, a spot to prove that England produced good football. But who would be United's opponent? Benfica? No, no. They were defeated by Liverpool. Yes, it would be an all-English Final, a testament to the achievements of English football. United fared well against their rivals in the league, and the English Cup, but that was with the aid of players like Alan Smith and Cristiano Ronaldo. United would not have their services this time; however, Louis Saha returned from injury to claim his starting role once again. The French striker, who scored 44 goals so far, would hope to see the team that stuck by him for so many seasons lift the cup at the end of 90 minutes. His fellow Frenchman, Djibril Cisse, had other plans in mind. Cisse hit 39 on the year, and his strike partner Fernando Morientes hit 36. How would this final with so many great goalscorers turn out? A fastpaced goalfest, or a slow, one goal affair?
Manchester United Lineup:
GK: Tim Howard - 84
RB: Wes Brown - 83
CB: Rio Ferdinand - 93
CB: Roberto Fabian Crespo - 93
LB: Gabriel Heinze (c) - 86
RM: Carlos Torres - 77
CDM: Paulo Gavilan - 74
CAM: Darren Fletcher - 80
LM: Kieran Richardson - 82
ST: Ruud van Nistelrooy - 95
ST: Louis Saha - 88
Substitutes:
GK: Francisco Bravo - 65
CB/LB/CM: John O'Shea - 84
CB/LB: Mikael Silvestre - 81
RB: Jelli Bisconti - 77
CAM/LM/RM: Park Ji Sung - 84
ST: Guissepe Rossi - 69
ST: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 83
Liverpool Lineup:
GK: Pepe Reina
RB: Josemi Gonzalez
CB: Jamie Carragher
CB: Huusko
LB: Djimi Traore
RM: Luis Garcia
CM: Steven Gerrard
CM: Xabi Alonso
LM: John Arne Riise
ST: Fernando Morientes
ST: Djibril Cisse
The match started off with Liverpool attacking right away, but they were stifled by Gavilan, who was playing deeper in the midfield to allow Fletcher more attacking freedom. In the 15th minute, Gavilan went on a mazy run past Alonso and Gerrard, striking a speculative shot from 30 yards. Reina did not move as he knew that the ball was sent wide, but the ball swerved, and just narrowly missed the top corner of the net. Five minutes later, Cisse won a corner kick, and Gerrard lobbed a high ball into the box. Howard came for the ball, but missed, allowing Morientes to head towards an open goal. But his composure failed him, and he headed high over the net. Howard and United dodged their first bullet of the game. That miss proved costly however, when in the 25th minute, when van Nistelrooy played the ball outside to Torres, who then sent in a whipped cross. The ball sailed over the heads of Saha, Huusko, and Carragher, but Kieran Richardson was able to pick up the ball, and blast a volley towards the far side. It appeared to be sailing wide, until Jamie Carragher stepped in front of it, and the touch off of his arm sent the ball into the net! 1-0 United, midway through the first half.
The pace was stepped up by both sides after the opening goal, with a lot of good end to end play, ultimately resulting in good saves from both Reina and Howard. In the 45th minute, Alonso played a lovely ball through to Cisse, who was breaking around the midway line, and he had the potential to beat Heinze, the last man back, but the whistle blew for half time.
In the second half, Liverpool looked the stronger of the sides. The team adorned in red created chance after chance, but were kept out by Howard, Crespo, and Gavilan. At the 60 minute mark, Park was brought in to replace Richardson, the goalscorer, who picked up a knock after a hard tackle from Josemi. His presence was felt immediately. Playing a throw-in with Fletcher, Park darted down the flank and had the ball played to him. He sent in a cross that Reina was able to punch clear, but the rebound fell to a late-running Saha, who struck the ball on the half-volley into the upper corner! 2-0 United, and they had insurance!
All the while, an intense midfield battle was being won by Gerrard and Alonso, who were able to beat, but not expose, Gavilan and Fletcher. Liverpool enjoyed much of the possession, but created few chances from the center of the park. The game was drawing to an end, and the hardworking Riise broke down the left side and played in a cross to Fernando Morientes. The striker chested the ball down and played a clever turn around Brown, and struck the ball to the far post. Howard got a deflection with his arm, but directed the ball into the center of the net. 2-1 United, but in the 84th minute, Liverpool fans held their breath!
United had been caught sleeping, and were punished. Now could they rekindle the passion and desire that had given them the initial lead? It was a question of devotion and mentality: would they sit back and weather the storm, hoping to avoid magic from Cisse, Morientes, or Gerrard, who all had an abundance of skill, or would they take the game into their own hands and see out the final minutes? It would be the latter. Gavilan and Fletcher contributed much of the effort, possessing the ball and winning it when it was lost. Park Ji Sung held the ball up near the corner flag, winning a brace of corner kicks. It was Roberto Fabian Crespo who had the last touch of the game, a booming ball in stoppage time that sent the ball back into the depth of Liverpool’s territory. Nielsen finally blew the whistle, and United had done it! A European and League double in 2010 saw Manchester United – a club with a history rich with success – get back to their winning ways that had so frustratingly eluded them in the first decade of the new millennium.
The Sun: Fantastic! May 26, 2010
Manchester United brought home the Champions League trophy after their cup final win. “That was incredible fun, everything worked perfectly. I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now, this is definitely the greatest moment in my career. We haven’t given up and we have played a perfect match. Our players can be proud of their performance. It may take 20 years for people to realize what we have accomplished here tonight, as success has been such an integral part of United’s past, and I hope that this night will allow the club to reenter a period of similar fortune.”
Leading Goalscorers:
Louis Saha – 45
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 41
Fletcher – 16
Smith – 7
Rossi – 5
Gavilan – 5
Solskjaer – 4
Torres – 3
Ronaldo – 2
Ferdinand – 1
Crespo – 1
Bisconti – 1
Manager Stats:
2005-2006: Boavista - 67 points (19-10-5) - 2nd place
2006-2007: San Jose Earthquake - 70 points (21-7-5) - 1st place - MLS Open Cup Winners
2007-2008: San Jose Earthquake - 99 points (33-0-0) - 1st place - MLS Open Cup Winners
2008-2009: Manchester United - 77 points (23-8-7) - 1st place - UEFA Champions League Winners
----------
Season 5: Manchester United
The Sun: Ready for New Challenge August 1, 2010
FA Premier League starts today. The club and the fans are expection a lot from the coming season. “It’s all about the growth of the team, and if we achieve union in the team, we’ll go far. There’s everything to win here. We’ve learnt from last season and this year should be our best yet.”