Man Utd - Inter (11 Mar 09)

[Nyall]

I think Inter can and will go through. Man Utd. dominated the midfield because they played with 5 midfielders and never really sent their men forward apart from Berbatov, Ronaldo, Park, Carraick and Giggs. The rest never passed the half way line because they were afraid of exposing their weak back line.

Next game with Vidic back expect them to open up more and play with 1 less midfielder and with Rooney in attack. That will be their under doing as it will give us much more space in attack and we will hopefully be able to capitalize on that alone.

I think we have a 60% chance on going through just as long as Sammy and Cafe start and Muntari has a better game and hope that lady luck comes to our side.

Forza Inter!

 

[Puma]

Wednesday 25 February, 2009
Blog: Interlopers
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/sf16.html

So here we are again. The Champions League knock-out stages and once more Italy’s champions are failing to perform anywhere near as well as we all know they can.

I was silly enough to make the assumption that Jose Mourinho was a magician of sorts and all Inter’s European frailties would miraculously vanish. Alas, it was not to be.

From the first minute of last night’s contest shots were spooned, passes were scuffed, and panicky, amateurish tackles were made repeatedly in dangerous areas. In short, it just wasn’t Inter.

For all their Coach’s bullish pre-match assertions, the players didn’t seem to hold the same confidence in their own abilities. They stumbled across the San Siro turf, seemingly haunted by the ghosts of Villarreal, Valencia and Liverpool. A psychological block of sorts, brought on by these prior European dismissals, seems the only logical answer.

Jose surely could have dealt his side a better hand tactically though. There’s no arguing that the 4-3-3 system with which Inter started the season didn’t really produce optimum performance. Nonetheless this new 4-4-2, while enabling the team to casually gallop Usain Bolt-esque towards the Serie A finish line, doesn’t quite cut it in Europe.

The midfield is rigid, narrow, and pedestrian. With such a lack of pace in midfield there is little option but to launch long balls to Adriano and Ibrahimovic. Mourinho seems to have chosen power and industry over speed and guile, but there is no need for such a choice, the two can be combined.

I find it hard to like anything about Manchester United, but there is a lot to respect. In contrast to Inter they have balance in the middle of the park, with both efficient grafters, like Park and Darren Fletcher, and mercurial flair players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, in the first team.

The Nerazzurri must find room in their side for an Amantino Mancini or a Mario Balotelli, or indeed even consider switching Douglas Maicon and Javier Zanetti’s positions.

That said 0-0 at home is far from a disastrous result in the Champions League, and I still have hope that the real Inter will stand up and show their true talent at Old Trafford.


Wednesday 25 February, 2009
Blog: Down but not out
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/jh79.html

If the present is only intelligible in the light of the past then one has to look at Inter’s history on the continent since they won the European Cup in 1965 to explain their inexplicable drought in club football’s premier competition.

Inter did, after all, make it to two more European Cup Finals in 1967 and 1972 after their 1-0 victory over Benfica at San Siro 44-years ago and had already won the competition once before, beating the great Real Madrid in 1964.

So to say Inter have a pedigree in the European Cup wouldn’t be an exaggeration. In the 1990s the Nerazzurri added three UEFA Cups to their trophy cabinet, enjoying more success in Europe than they did at home in Serie A.

What has changed, then? How can we explain Inter’s recent failure to compete on the international stage? It’s, as if, the past really is a foreign country. For while the Nerazzurri continue to dominate the Italian Championship they appear just as incapable now under Jose Mourinho as they were under Roberto Mancini of succeeding on the continent.

The Italian Press have given Mourinho quite a lot of stick this morning even though his Inter side are still more than in with a chance of progressing to the quarter-finals after their 0-0 draw at home to Manchester United.

La Gazzetta dello Sport awarded him a five out of 10, criticising his decision to start with Nelson Rivas at the heart of the defence and attacking his positioning of Sulley Muntari who showed little of the tactical discipline required to play in a three man midfield.

“The 0-0 is a sweet lie,” wrote Alberto Cerruti in La Gazzetta and the seasoned hack is right. Without Julio Cesar the Nerazzurri would be travelling to Old Trafford in two weeks’ time with an insurmountable deficit to make up. But the lie is also the truth. Inter are still in the tie and they should reflect on that with confidence rather than disappointment.

Inter have only won once away in Europe this season, though, and with Nemanja Vidic set to return from suspension, the Nerazzurri will find it difficult in Manchester. However, almost five years to the day of the second leg the legend of Mourinho was born when his Porto side knocked out United with a 90th minute away goal from Costinha at Old Trafford.

The question is whose history will weigh more on March 11, that of Inter or Mourinho?

 

[Jimmy Page]

For the second match i want this line-up:

Ceasar
Zanetti----Cordoba--Samuel----Maicon
Maxwell --------Cambiasso-----Viera

Stankovic
Zlatan---- Adriano

 

[CafeCordoba]

I think Inter can and will go through. Man Utd. dominated the midfield because they played with 5 midfielders and never really sent their men forward apart from Berbatov, Ronaldo, Park, Carraick and Giggs. The rest never passed the half way line because they were afraid of exposing their weak back line.

Next game with Vidic back expect them to open up more and play with 1 less midfielder and with Rooney in attack. That will be their under doing as it will give us much more space in attack and we will hopefully be able to capitalize on that alone.

I think we have a 60% chance on going through just as long as Sammy and Cafe start and Muntari has a better game and hope that lady luck comes to our side.

Forza Inter!

Bolded part. So how many players should they send if they now sent already 5 players, in away match? Their backline will be better next time and like you said, they will probably have one more forward there. So more trouble for our defence as they have to deal with one more skiller player. If there's Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov, all of them won't be up front, some will come to get the ball if Carrick and Giggs can't bring/pass it there. Their tempo is better than what Inter is used to so we're gonna be in deep trouble right from the start.

I can't really understand your optimism. We just saw our poor we were AT HOME. Think how it will be away, at Old Trafford. On the other hand, I envy that optimism because it makes one feel better (?), but on the other hand, the meeting with reality when the actual match occurs, is so painful with such an optimism.

 

[Nyall]

Bolded part. So how many players should they send if they now sent already 5 players, in away match? Their backline will be better next time and like you said, they will probably have one more forward there. So more trouble for our defence as they have to deal with one more skiller player. If there's Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov, all of them won't be up front, some will come to get the ball if Carrick and Giggs can't bring/pass it there. Their tempo is better than what Inter is used to so we're gonna be in deep trouble right from the start.

We'll see what happens then.

I can't really understand your optimism. We just saw our poor we were AT HOME. Think how it will be away, at Old Trafford. On the other hand, I envy that optimism because it makes one feel better (?), but on the other hand, the meeting with reality when the actual match occurs, is so painful with such an optimism.

I'd rather cry after feeling hopeful than to be content after being in despair.

 

[NimAraya]

I can't really understand your optimism. We just saw our poor we were AT HOME. Think how it will be away, at Old Trafford. On the other hand, I envy that optimism because it makes one feel better (?), but on the other hand, the meeting with reality when the actual match occurs, is so painful with such an optimism.

If you assume you are so realistic and the fact is HOW POOR WE ARE, then why don't you take off this shirt and go support your english gods?!

 

[Jimmy Page]

Now now I think you should calm down, Cafecordoba makes a vaild point and I dont think you should question hes loyalty like that. We didnt play well thats a fact and we were pretty lucky not to concede, especielly with match unfit Rivas in the backfour.

I see two main reasons for why didnt play better, strange coaching from Mourhinio, its a huge risk to put a CB who have been injured for awhile agaisnt one the best teams in the world. Our offensiv players didnt perfrom good enough, in particular Maicon and Stankovic and to some extent Zlatan and Adraino, although I feel of those 4, zlatan did best. I really like maicon and he has been cruciel for Inter many times but his performence against Milan and Man u hasnt been up to his standards. I also think Stankovic has to perform alot better if we are going to have any chance at old trafford.

 

[lonewolf19]

This is going to be hard... really hard...
I think we have only max 20% chance of getting thru....
Forza Inter

 

[Joss]

If people here want to talk about reality than they shouldnt only be one sided.

Yes realistically Man U will try to attack at Old trafford and make things more difficult for our defence. But realistically they will also be suspetable on the break.

The fact that Man U will most likely play Scholes or Rooney can also realistically work in our favour.
The right hand side of our attack or more specifically Maicon, was defended well yesterday mainly because Park played instead of Rooney. Hopefully in the return leg Maicon will have more space to run down the flanks as it likely that the latter will play.

People also critisized how Inters attack was to slow yesterday, but when a team comes to defend with 9-10 men behind the ball, its more then likely that build up play will be slow. So Man U's incentive to go farward in the return leg can also hurt them.

So if we are going to strategize, than we cant only look at the negatives. Rooney and Scholes will most likely play in the retun leg and if all things equal Inters play will more suite the circumstances in such a case for the obvious reasons that dont need to be mention.

 

[Stefan]

What will be will be. I am totally confident in the boys and will always be. The odds might be against us but that's irrelevant in a football match. Its a once off game of 90-120 minutes. Anything is possible. The first goal is crucial.

Also I find this opinion that united can play at such a high tempo for 90 minutes laughable. No side can, they play at high tempo but they slow down just like barca also slows down. Each and every side does.

 

[Ilkinio]

Also I find this opinion that united can play at such a high tempo for 90 minutes laughable. No side can, they play at high tempo but they slow down just like barca also slows down. Each and every side does.

Agreed. Team that can play 90 minutes on high tempo non-stop should win every game. It's not like our players are invalids, and theirs superhumans. On 80th minute they showed average running. And it was in our favour. Easy math and logic tells it all.

 

[shahz_nerazzurri]

Also I find this opinion that united can play at such a high tempo for 90 minutes laughable. No side can, they play at high tempo but they slow down just like barca also slows down. Each and every side does.

What I really find laughable is the claim, that we played like ManU wanted us to play. Or as some posters put it "they were taking a rest" lol. If they were so good, and were managing our play, why didnt they trying attacking us a bit and going for goal, rather than taking a very very risky 0-0 back home?
Home advatnage doesnt mean the same in Europe like it did 5 years ago.

And lol @ the choas right from the start. There can be, but we have very physcial strikers, who were easily winning long balls from the ManU defence, specially Ferdinand. Their defence and midfield were very organized, but when they have to attack, it wont be, and we can easily take advantage of that.
They are still the favourites and were the better team in Sansiro, its 60-40 in their favour, but we are still very capeable of progressing.

If Muntari has to play, he should play in the center and no where else. Even if that wouldnt change anything, if he plays like today. If you cant make a simple pass to your team mate, changing your position wouldnt do shit. I wanna see Vieira back in lineup.
Its really sad that we dont have a Stan replacement. Its about time we get one.

Also I was really pissed off at Maicon. In the first half, it looked liked he was afraid of going forward, maybe because of Mourinho's instruction. We say we are gonna play fearlessly, but it just doesnt show. Our crossing needs to drastically improve for the second leg.

Lastly our players need to watch videos of Christiana Ronaldo, Park and Carrick and see how efficient they are when they are diving. Figo has been useless this season, maybe he can help Adriano learn to dive. The first rule of god damn diving is, dont dive if you have a very good scoring oppurtunity. !!
Secondly in a crucial game like this, diving in the penalty area wont get you much. Refrees tend to avoid drama, so they wont give you cards for diving, but wont give you penalties either. You need to dive right outside the box and win freekicks, which ManU so wonderfuly did yesterday. Sad thing is, even if do win free kicks, we dont really have a chance of scoring on it. While ManU have Ronaldo, that guy alone takes better free kicks, than all of our team combined.

 

[CafeCordoba]

If you assume you are so realistic and the fact is HOW POOR WE ARE, then why don't you take off this shirt and go support your english gods?!

How on Earth you come to that conclusion that I would like to go and support English clubs? I'm an Inter fan, perhaps too critical one, that you can handle the criticism I present. But I still support Inter and celebrate when Inter wins and I'm disappointed when Inter lose and so on.

Also I find this opinion that united can play at such a high tempo for 90 minutes laughable. No side can, they play at high tempo but they slow down just like barca also slows down. Each and every side does.

I think there's a difference between "the whole 90 minutes" and "almost the whole 90 minutes". My point was that when they start the tsunami right from the start, they won't stop until they score. And what we saw yesterday, the first 30 minutes, it will be like that all over again at OT. We need Samuel back AND JC repeat his performance combined with Manu players screwing the chances they will get like yesterday.

Surely they can't push forward the WHOLE 90 minutes, I mean if it's 0-0 at the break, they just won't continue to push forward again like nothing happened. They will be a little cautious at that point and start the rush again at some point. Hopefully it will go that far (meaning we've kept the clean sheet to that point).

 

[Guderian]

Inter may score at Old Trafford. But you don't look very exciting, do you?

All i know is that Chelsea are painful to watch, so are Inter. Those of you who described united as "anti-football" have got a nerve. United have done that once - last year in Barce. I didn't particularly agree with it, but it got the job done.
i have no doubt we will have too much for a pedestrian Inter side at Old Trafford. I will be in attendance as usual, and am about 1/10th as nervous as i was against Barce last year.
Ibra - ho ho. let me know when he does anything against an English team!
I grew up in the 90s, when Serie A was the best. Now i think the Bundesliga may have a claim to be the 3rd best league in Europe!!

 

[Ziyad]

I am at the stage where i would try out Mancini to any kind of role in there..

 

[Guderian]

No point, he tried for Roma.

 

[Joss]

Inter may score at Old Trafford. But you don't look very exciting, do you?

All i know is that Chelsea are painful to watch, so are Inter. Those of you who described united as "anti-football" have got a nerve. United have done that once - last year in Barce. I didn't particularly agree with it, but it got the job done.
i have no doubt we will have too much for a pedestrian Inter side at Old Trafford. I will be in attendance as usual, and am about 1/10th as nervous as i was against Barce last year.
Ibra - ho ho. let me know when he does anything against an English team!
I grew up in the 90s, when Serie A was the best. Now i think the Bundesliga may have a claim to be the 3rd best league in Europe!!

So whats ur point? You have trouble staying on topic or u just lack. The thread is about Inter- Man U. The whole EPL-Seria A, or ranking of leagues debate is not relevant here. Just because this is an Anglo-italian encounter does not justify your inablity to stay on topic.

 

[shahz_nerazzurri]

I am at the stage where i would try out Mancini to any kind of role in there..

Exactly, he has done well in CL. And we can use his pace while counter-attacking. And anyone is better than Stan, really.

I dont know if we will have a counter attacking game in O.T. though. I dont think ManU will come all guns blazing, they will once again look to play their anti dull football, try to get a lucky long distance goal early on like they did against Barca, and then defend for thier lives, killing the pace of the game.

If their is one thing I really admire about Manu, it is that their defence is very organized. Despite having those big name strikers, it is their defence which also does the trick for them.

 

[NimAraya]

How on Earth you come to that conclusion that I would like to go and support English clubs? I'm an Inter fan, perhaps too critical one, that you can handle the criticism I present. But I still support Inter and celebrate when Inter wins and I'm disappointed when Inter lose and so on.

If you wanna critize your team then do it, not lower them like you're smacking their face to the ground. Even if I say Inter has 100% chance to qualify I'm still not far from truth because I believe Inter are capable of doing it. But when as an Interista I say we won't qualify or we just have 1% chance to qualify I'm taunting my own team. I'm lowering my own team and making our opponent god. What you were saying was anything but critisizing bro!

 

[CafeCordoba]

What I really find laughable is the claim, that we played like ManU wanted us to play. Or as some posters put it "they were taking a rest" lol. If they were so good, and were managing our play, why didnt they trying attacking us a bit and going for goal, rather than taking a very very risky 0-0 back home?
Home advatnage doesnt mean the same in Europe like it did 5 years ago.

And lol @ the choas right from the start. There can be, but we have very physcial strikers, who were easily winning long balls from the ManU defence, specially Ferdinand. Their defence and midfield were very organized, but when they have to attack, it wont be, and we can easily take advantage of that.
They are still the favourites and were the better team in Sansiro, its 60-40 in their favour, but we are still very capeable of progressing.

They didn't want to attack because they didn't want to use all their energy. The 2nd leg is more important than this 1st one. They have a League Cup final at the weekend now, they need to save energy for there. Ferguson knows pretty well that nothing is decided in the 1st leg. And he knows how good Manu is at Old Trafford, so they will concentrate on that. Could you argument that "Home advatnage doesnt mean the same in Europe like it did 5 years ago. " ? Why it mean lesser now? Or spesifically in this case (Manu-Inter)?

And what about that Manu's attack-defence argument then. The defence in midfield aren't so organized when they attack and that means we can take advantage of that? Yeah possibly, but why it didn't happen yesterday when Manu attacked? We didn't have good counters at all, just lousy shots over the bar or blocked by defenders. Hopefully we see that "taking advantage" at Old Trafford when Manu starts to push forward hard.

It's sometimes frustrating to post here my own thoughts because people are so over-happy and -confident of Inter's success and doings, even if the reality we've seen doesn't imply to that at all. Well, you can't please everyone.