The Devil In Me

He plays for the Reds. He plays for whites…?
Well who knows. It seems as though over the course of the last week the debate has shifted from will he/won’t he, to one for justifying the reasons why we should in fact sell him.

Two things appear to be clear, Ferguson doesn’t want to sell him and he wants to go. I, for one, am not in the business of testing the big man’s resolve on any matter, so I feel it is still a matter of whether or not he goes, rather than simply when and for how much.

History backs me up on this. After the last international tournament Ronaldo publicly stated his desire to leave for Real Madrid only to be talked out of it and quickly hushed upon his return to Manchester. You will have read by now that he has gone on holiday and the state of play has still not changed. Same as last time.

The reasons being mooted for selling him are as follows. Firstly the money. Yes we would get a big pile of cash off the Spaniards but there is no way that £60million would buy us a winger and a goalscorer of such quality in such a short space of time. But the Glazers might want it to pay off the debts I hear you cry! Well that’s their problem, I am assuming they have some kind of business plan which didn’t involve unexpected piles of money landing on their laps so they can stick to that.

No player is bigger than the club. I agree with this one, and there are those amongst us who still rue the sales of Rvn and Sir David but the precedent has been set and we should stick to it. I actually don’t think that he has got to that stage yet, he still plays for the team and is not asking for outlandishly special treatment around the club. His training is legendarily diligent and as such his professionalism is still sound enough for United.

He doesn’t want to play for us so get rid. Fair enough and this is the argument that will be the clincher for most of us but to me it smacks of, well, being a bit self-defeatest. It is important to remember that this guy can do stuff that nobody else can do, he really is that good, and if he plays he will play well of that I am sure.

But the reason I really want to keep him? If he stays I think we can make it in Europe again next year. And you know what? Ferguson agrees with me.

Could it simply be the weather? For a man who spends the majority of his professional life wearing a pair of shorts, is the opportunity to do that in you spare time as well such a draw?

After this morning’s press leakage (which I am led to believe emanates rather bizarrely from a Brazilian tabloid) the mood has gone immediately to one of resigned acceptance. How much money can we get? We didn’t really need him anyway, etc. etc.

He would not be the first genius winger to ship off early to the Iberian peninsular but Ronaldo seems to want to go for slightly different reasons to the ones George chose.

At the moment I am slightly peeved to be honest with. With no England failures to cloud my summer I was expecting another couple of months of basking in glory.

Let’s just wait and see…

After the final ball had been kicked, and saved, two besuited men strode onto the pitch to address the players of their clubs. Peter Kenyon, the embodiment of the back-stabbing, money takes all culture at Chelsea spoke to the men in blue. Sir Bobby Charlton, the embodiment of attacking football, the traditions of Manchester United and the history of the world game spoke to the men in red. Tonight was a victory for football.

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We are there again and whilst I think Chelsea are a fine side and that the game was close, too close, I am certain that we deserved it. As soon as they started hitting posts I knew it was our night, luck only smiles on one participant.

One man who will not be smiling tonight is John Terry. Well sorry mate, no karaoke parties for you this week. As a small aside I found it greatly amusing that Michel Platini cannot disguise the contempt he has for some players. Every Frenchman who collected a medal was given a hug and a smile whereas he looked like he could have watched Michael Ballack burn at the stake

It is easy to look back at the game and say that it was perfect in many ways. Scholes played, Ronaldo showed up, Giggs surpassed the appearances record and all of this under the cloak of the Munich anniversary. It just feels great to be a United fan right now and we should allow ourselves a pinch, just a pinch, of whimsical thinking here and there.

When we look back on this season we will do so with a great sense of happiness, but it is important to remember that we were one kick away from losing this final. The reason for that is simply because they make us suffer. But more often than not, they make us smile too.

FOOTNOTE:

Ronaldo had better stay.

The moment is upon us chaps. Frankly words fail me, all I can say is that even though we are separated, tonight we shall all be United.

They say that the three most stressful things you can do in life are move house, get married and have children. ‘They’ have obviously never been fervent United fans. Thedevilinme himself is moving house shortly and the stresses of that pale in comparison to waiting for this final.

It is important to note that United have not really played 4-4-2 all season, more 4-5-Rooney in fact, so when second guessing the team selection we should probably not have that formation in mind. Despite the return of Gary and Silvestre from injury I still think that we should go with the same back four as we’ve had all season. It is the front six where picking things becomes tricky.

For that part of the equation it becomes necessary to have a look at Chleski’s areas of strength. In my humble opinion, the way to beat Chelsea is to keep Drogba and Ballack quiet, harrass Terry and keep an eye on Joe Cole. So which players are going to do that then?

Jono has made the excellent point about Hargreaves’ familiarity with Ballack, and I agree that they should start opposite each other, we have no other player who understands the German’s bag o tricks better than him. Vidic is probably the only defender in the world tough enough to keep Drogba chained up and, provided he doesn’t get hospitalised by the bloke again, I think he can do it.

Rooney and Ronaldo should be up to the task of giving the Chelsea back four a hard time. That really is where we will either win or lose the match, whether they score is crucial, obviously. Wesley, keep an eye on Cole, you train opposite each other for England, you know what he’s up to.

So what else do we need in the team? Class, quite simply, and cool heads, I think Scholes (the already picked) fits in to that category and the only other dilemma is whether to go for Giggs or Anderson? The answer is (drum roll please…) Anderson, because Giggs and Nani are better impact players from the bench.

And so the team is…

VDS

WES RIO VIDIC EVRA

OWEN SCHOLES

RONALDO ANDERSON CARRICK

ROONEY

Bench: Giggs, Nani, Silvestre, Fletcher, Mark Payne

Anyway I must dash, getting married this afternoon, nearly forgot.

We are a superstitious bunch football fans. The game is so intellectualised and anaylysed nowadays that people seem to have lost sight of the importance of lucky socks, or standing in the right place in the pub, or more simply just seeing the game with your mates. It is the prevalence of omens in football, more than any of the above, that keep our superstitious juices flowing. What is more, there are simply too many to ignore their significance, the year is lucky for Spurs when it ends in one, England will always lose in a penalty shootout, and any team that was lucky enough to have Stanley Matthews in it will not win a trophy again, ever.

So it is wistfully that I cast my eye over the delicious list of omens we have stacked up in the last 24 hours.
-The last time the title was up for grabs, and involving United, on the last day was 99. We went on to win the European cup.
-The last time two teams went into the final day of the season on equal points was 68. We went on to win the European Cup.
-The last time United won away 2-0 on the last day of the season (03/04 vs Aston Villa). We went on to win the cup final we were playing in.

Other than that, it would be rude not to join in the all United love in that last days of the season have started to become. Giggs scoring was a nice touch and although he has come in for a bit of stick for his recent performances his form at the start of the season, lest we forget, was very strong. He was also magnificent all of last season.

And yes they did make us suffer again, the goal line clearance and Ferdinand’s givage of a penalty made us look a little bit lucky. The best part of the day was the Moonraker-clad Ferguson talking about how much more hunger he has to win trophies, fantastic. In the meantime I’ll be looking for my lucky socks.

Bobby Robson was once asked what the secret was to good management during his time with Barcelona. He replied simply “Pick the best players and play them in their preferred positions.” It does sound simple doesn’t it? But the reality is that with teams challenging for trophies everywhere and injuries cropping up that we are now in a position of having the best squads winning the major prizes. It is, however, the best team that generally wins football matches and now United fans have only two to concentrate on it is something of a worry that the best team is still not known.

It is fair to assume that Ferguson will pick the team against Wigan that he would like to play against Chelsea in Moscow, both matches are of crucial importance and are spread out in such a way that overtiring the players need not be a matter for too much concern. What is of concern is that Ferguson has gone on record as saying that he would ‘pick Paul Scholes on sentiment’ and backed up the claim since. With Giggs just one, or two, games away from Bobby Charlton’s record does this mean he will be picked using the same criteria? United are without a shadow of a doubt a club that does things the right way, always providing tickets for ex-players and commemorating them appropriately with testimonials but these things happen, crucially, after the players have retired. The man who dropped Jim Leighton for the 1990 FA Cup Final replay was a man interested in winning. The first match in that encounter with Crystal Palace was a six goal belter. The replay was a dour, stodgy match indeed but it did bring home the trophy. There is often talk about playing the Manchester United way and whilst I wholeheartedly endorse this, we need to play the team that is going to win the game.

Wes Brown should start at right back and Evra at left back. Vidic, VDS and Rio pick themselves.The forward six should be Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Hargreaves Anderson. Simple. Yet I have a nagging thought that Fergie might get the jitters and try a new tactical formation that doesn’t work. I see Ronaldo playing as an out an out striker for example.

Thoughts?

To put it mildly, that’ll do. This is a result and a message to Chelsea at the same time. Despite the guff in the papers I actually thought that West Ham showed up in this match. True they can’t defend but that is why they are tenth in the table. They chased every ball and were giving us grief until Ronaldo’s third minute hop skip and jump. Aston’s overhead kick was also a corker and we have been linked with him recently, can’t say I disapprove.

We have learnt a lot of thing s about the players this season. Anderson can’t shoot, Hargreaves is a great crosser of the ball, Tevez will not be signing any modelling contracts in his spare time and Nani can be a useless plonker. The fact that we played and controlled the game for sixty minutes a man down is a sign of durability. Which is precisely what we are going to need in Moscow.

We have been written off over the last three days and if we are honest, by ourselves too, almost. Last chances don’t come any more final than this and they don’t come even more brutal than the one facing a certain Mr. Scholes in what could well be his final season.

All of our minds drifted back to Turin, all of us thought we needed an old head to calm the nerves and show experience. I for one thought that Scholes was the man for the job but that he was too much of a quiet chap to actually do it. Luckily his feet did the talking and it was truly a goal worthy of winning any football match.

Although you do (in pun terms only) feel slightly confident against players going by the names of Shabby and Messy, it is noticeable that Ronaldo spent the evening diving and complaining. He deserved his yellow card. Messi was, Rio aside, virtually undefendable and never complained or dived once. An interesting point and frankly, I think, a truly great player.

This really was a victory for mental fortitude (and perhaps a pinch of luck) and I agree completely with Jono that this turns the season around again. Fergie is a genius once more. So it’s Russian gangsters or scousers in the final now. Sadly I expect English football fans to let themselves down whatever the outcome, I hope I am wrong.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Park Ji-Sung:
Although Tevez and Evra have shouts to say they matched him for work-rate I can think of no other man in a red shirt who deserves it more. He never, ever accepts that anything is a lost cause and is the only player we have at the moment who is picking himself. Significantly on a field containing Messi and Ronaldo, he was by far the best winger on the pitch.