Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login
In the lead-up to the second match opposing Manchester United and Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho openly boasted the fact that in his five visits at Old Trafford, he had only lost once. After a 0-0 draw at the San Siro, a 1-1 score would have been enough for the Nerazurri to go through. Unfortunately for them, Van der Sar's posts answered the call while his forwards put two goals past Julio Cesar in crucial moments to put the game beyond doubt.

United didn't waste time getting on the scoresheet with Vidic's header ending in the back of the net after only three minutes of play. On the set-piece, Patrick Vieira's coverage of the defender was simply pitiful as he could stop and stare at Vidic rising up to meet the ball. The home side was much looser after that, leading to some sloppy plays quickly picked up by Inter's midfielders. At the 28th minute, Ibrahimovic's header hit the crossbar while Stankovic's shot at the 36th was tipped away by Van der Sar. Inch by inch, Milan slowly started to control the game, and their mobility made passing a lot more easier than at the beginning of the game. Ibrahimovic, who was well covered by Ferdinand and Vidic, decided to move a lot more, measuring himself to both O'Shea and Evra in order to gain some advantage.


Since Inter mostly used the flanks to construct their attacks, Ferguson switched up Rooney and Giggs, putting the English striker on the left wing and leaving the veteran as a free-roaming player. The plan worked as Rooney's pace made Evra's job a lot more easier by tracking back and his crossing ability on the attack was used to the max. It was one of his crosses that led to United's second goal as Cristiano Ronaldo headed the beautifully weighted ball past Cesar.

When all is said and done, United weren't at their best on Wednesday but they still managed to come up with a win. Inter's mistake to me was to play both Cambiasso and Stankovic way too low in the opening stages of the game. Ibrahimovic had almost no support in the opening fifteen minutes and that's where the game was played. Ryan Giggs was hands down the best player on the field. Inter was so pre-occupied with shutting Ronaldo out that they didn't realize that the Portuguese winger spent the entire game on one side of the pitch (as opposed to his usual mobility) while Giggs darted in and out of Inter's midfield line showing off superb ball control and composure. United's stalwart was at the origin of both goals - he was the one who kicked the corner right on Vidic's head, and he was the one who found Rooney to set up Ronaldo. A great game for the veteran who still has the legs to perform at the highest level.


Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; John O'Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Cristiano Ronado, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes (Anderson, 69th), Ryan Giggs; Wayne Rooney (Park Ji-Sung, 84th), Dimitar Berbatov.

27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437" height="288" id="viddler">
54
Vote
   


Julio Cesar, Inter Milan
Cesar is Player of the Match
Out of all of this year's fixtures in the round of 16, Manchester United against Inter Milan is probably considered the biggest and most newsworthy of them all. Although the first leg ended in a 0-0 draw, then enthralling match that took place is only an appetizer for things to come in the second leg.

The game was a story of two halves – one for each team on the pitch. The first 45 minutes were dominated by Manchester United who, if it wasn't for Julio Cesar, could have ended the half leading by at least two goals. The goalkeeper made his biggest save just five minutes into the game, stopping Ronaldo's powerful header after a corner-kick. United got several free-kicks around Milan's 18-yard box, but they were either inches wide or stopped by Cesar. At the other end, Edwin Van der Sar wasn't really worried. His defense made an excellent job of preventing Inter's strikers to make space and turn towards the net to take an effective shot. But most of United's excellent work came in midfield. The pressure sustained by Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, and most importantly “Energizer Bunny” Park made the home team look like a bunch of amateurs. Inter's midfielders were unable to string more than two passes together without having a red shirt or two circling in. With an ineffective midfield, Inter spent most of their time kicking the ball over the top from defense to attack only to have United regain possession.

The situation was completely reversed in the second half. Inter came in with a renewed focusing their attacks towards the flanks. They especially abused a weakened O'Shea on United's right-side. With the visitors often having to backtrack to help out their defense, legs started to get heavy in midfield. As the hour-mark came and gone, Ryan Giggs' strength was slowly wilting away to the point where he rarely kept up the pressure on his opponents, focusing instead on his positional play to prevent getting caught by surprise. As a matter of fact, I wonder why Ferguson didn't put Scholes in his place. They don't play the same role but fresh legs never hurt.

In the end, Inter missed some good chances but where they had two clear-cut scoring chances, United had many more throughout the game notably with Ronaldo and Giggs. Although a 0-0 looks okay on the outside, Ferguson is probably disappointed by his team's result. Now they'll have to keep Inter off the mark for another game because a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford will see the defending champions get knocked-out.



Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; John O'Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra; Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung (Wayne Rooney, 83rd), Ryan Giggs; Dimitar Berbatov.

Inter Milan's line-up: Julio Cesar; Nelson Rivas (Ivan Cordoba, h-t), Davide Santon, Cristian Chivu, Maicon; Dejan Stankovic, Sulley Ali Muntari (Julio Cruz, 75th), Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adriano (Mario Balotelli, 76th).

27
Vote
   


The Champions League's first knock-out stage is upon us, and there are already several match-ups that can make any fan drool with anticipation. Here's how things look up this year.

First, the confrontation between Manchester United and Inter Milan reunites old nemeses Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. Both teams are currently sitting at the top of their respective leagues and have been making headlines recently for their impeccable defensive play. United's Edwin Van der Sar has broken the British record for consecutive clean sheets in a season while it takes a great deal of resiliency to break through Milan's disciplined back-four. Both teams are also solid in midfield with Esteban Cambiasso, and Dejan Stankovic orchestrating the play for Milan. United have the veteran Paul Scholes whose knack for jumping late on a play often disturbs the opposition defenders, and Michael Carrick – a shutdown midfielder-type with a great vision of the field. Ryan Giggs can also come in and make an impact in center midfield for the Red Devils.

It's in attack that things differ. While Ferguson can count on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, and Carlos Tevez, Mourinho has the solid duo of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano. Both strikers are dangerous, but sometimes it feels like they work individually instead of combining their forces – a far cry from United's constantly shifting forwards.

All signs point to a tight battle between both teams. Still, English clubs have the reputation to fail badly in Italy. Manchester United went against history last season by eliminating AS Roma 3-0 on aggregate (Arsenal also achieved this feat with a majestic performance at the San Siro which allowed the Gunners to eliminate AC Milan). This one has all the makings of a classic.

Next up is Arsenal who will meet AS Roma. Here we have two teams struggling to string great performances together, Arsenal more so than Roma. Arsene Wenger's men seem to have lost all the flash and creativity that distinguished their play. The loss of Fabregas and Theo Walcott has hurt considerably especially since Samir Nasri seems to be slowing down. Arshavin has shown some promises on Saturday against Sunderland, but the big question mark will be how they'll counter Roma's attacking midfield which is really the heart of the Italians' attacks. I still say they're missing a solid defensive midfielder, and their defense is prone to mistakes when facing relentless pressure.

Barcelona is the only club in this round of 16 which can expect an easy victory barring a miraculous performance by Olympique Lyon – a highly unlikely possibility. The Spanish giants seem to have slowed down in their domestic season probably due to the number of fixtures packed in January-February. You can be sure that Pep Guardiola isn't too happy about his team's recent results so expect Barcelona to come out guns blazing on Tuesday.

The final confrontation taking place this Tuesday will see Atletico Madrid facing Porto – a balanced match if you ask me. But don't expect either the team to go far past this round.

I'll post Part II sometime between tonight and tomorrow afternoon.
43
Vote
   


It's been a while since I commented on Serie A games. The Milan derby was a perfect opportunity to get back to the Calcio.

The first thing that struck me while watching the game is how porous and focus-less (is that even a word?) the Rossoneri's defense is. Inter knocked a the door early in the game with a free-kick from midfield that somehow found Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header inside the 18-yard box with no one marking the striker. Fortunately for Milan, Ibrahimovic's header went way over the bar, keeping the game scoreless. Milan's back-four was caught again at the 17th minute, but Ambrosini's last-ditch tackle prevented Stankovic from placing a perfect shot against Abbiati


[ Click here to read more ]
53
Vote
   


Group A

Chelsea – CFR Cluj: 2-1
The return of Joe Cole and Didier Drogba proved to be instrumental in Chelsea's qualification for the next round as Droga scored the winning goal after coming on as a substitute


[ Click here to read more ]
41
Vote
   


Group A
Bordeaux – Chelsea: 1-1
What is going with the Blues lately? Not only they are slowing down in the Premiership, their Champions League latest performances are leaving a lot to be desired. After convincingly defeating Bordeaux 4-0 in Matchday 1, they could only get a draw in the return match. Are they simply exhausted or are other teams figuring them out? Thanks to this draw, Bordeaux still have a chance to qualify. They'll have to defeat Roma on Matchday 6 to get through


[ Click here to read more ]
26
Vote
   


2008-2009 Serie A Wrap-Up (Week 1-10)

November 15th 2008 02:18
Summer talk in Italy has been monopolized by the two Milan teams with AC Milan picking up a disgraced Ronaldinho from Barcelona while Inter put ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho under contract. Here's how the teams stack up after ten weeks.

1. AC Milan (10-7-1-2 | 22pts


[ Click here to read more ]
49
Vote
   


Group A
A win by both Bordeaux and Roma leave things wide open in Group A where any team can now go through.

[ Click here to read more ]
45
Vote
   


Casual observers and “fans” alike have always criticized Italian football for being dull. There are not enough goals, the action is too slow, it's too defensive, nothing's happening – all excuses for their disdain of something they can't quite grasp. Yes, Serie A football isn't as open as the Premiership, neither is it as technically exquisite as Spanish and Portuguese football. Instead of those things, you find a highly tactical environment where the match is turned into a game of chess, each team tinkering and probing to find their opponents' weaknesses. Sometimes, it does look boring. I have to admit, a game tied at 0-0 with most of the action happening in the midfield rather than either end doesn't attract me much. Yet, there are also those games that can stay scoreless and still leave you fully satisfied. The Milan Derby is one of those games. This year's edition ended only 1-0 in favor of the Rossoneri, but it was one of the best games (tactically-wise) that I've seen so far in this season.

Ronaldinho was the star of the game on Sunday. He scored the winning-goal – with his head, no less – and seems to have found a nice complicity with Kaka. Ancelotti must feel pretty good about that. Indeed, there was never time in pre-season for the two players to hit it off since Ronaldinho was in the Olympics with the Brazilian national team and Kaka's knee was still bothering him. Consequently, the Rossoneri had a rough start to their season, losing their first two games due to subpar performances. Now though, the Brazilians ('Dinho, Kaka, Pato) have found their groove, and this win against Inter could prove to be the springboard needed to get them going


[ Click here to read more ]
34
Vote
   


This week, both Mourinho and Ancelotti were looking for their first win of the campaign. In order to do so, both coaches made some changes to their roster to mixed results.

Inter Milan – Catania: 2-1
[ Click here to read more ]
50
Vote
   


Transfer News

September 5th 2008 23:48
Gosh, I meant to write this post so much earlier this week. Returning to university completely screwed up my writing process.

So, there was a lot of movement in the European soccer world on Monday, the deadline for summer transfers. Most of the important transfers took place in the EPL, but Serie A teams were also pretty busy including Inter and Juventus who both picked up a new player


[ Click here to read more ]
42
Vote
   


The Italian Calcio kicked off yesterday with a surprise result when Sampdoria got a draw against Jose Mourinho's Internazionale Milano. The Great One's arrival in Italian football had been the talk of the summer (along with Ronaldinho's signing), and people couldn't wait to see what he would do with three-times defending champions Inter.

As is the case in Italian football, the match was a tactical battle between the two teams - Sampdoria used Cassano as a roaming forward while Inter opted for technical skills on the flanks with Mancini and Figo supporting Ibrahimovic in front. Injury problems among Milan's defenders forced Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso to play alongside Marco Materazzi


[ Click here to read more ]
47
Vote
   


Ann 2's Blogs

16477 Vote(s)
37 Comment(s)
230 Post(s)
12083 Vote(s)
1142 Comment(s)
137 Post(s)
Moderated by Ann 2
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]