Quote:
Originally Posted by RS8MB0R8
I think it is a measure of how far United have fallen that fans take a positive view on a home score draw but given the season we've had to endure, you start to look for as many positives as you can. Given that United, with only 24% of the ball, still carved out the better chances, I'll take a repeat performance in the second leg if it means not getting played off the park by a technically superior team.
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Fair enough. I can't possibly see that repeating itself in the next leg. The attention that is given to that one Wellbeck chance still baffles me. First of all - errors like that are very unlikely, even for Boateng. Next week, Dante will be back which will add a layer of security and I just can't see that happen too often. Second of all - it's Manuel Neuer we are talking about. Probably the best goalie in the world. Probably even better in 1-to-1. HE IS HUGE. And he wasn't going down. I recall a much stronger United side going desperate with him holding onto every ball in the semifinals of 2009. It's not like Wellback had to score that one. Far from it. Yes, he could have scored. But I think it was a good attempt and with that mammoth of a human that is Neuer right in front of you, you can't just expect him to score. You can't simply expect that from any striker actually. This is why Neuer is the World Keeper of the Year and not some clown.
Anyhow - coming back to the second leg...I am 100% sure Guardiola will send the following line-up:
-------Neuer-------
Alaba--Boateng--Dante--Rafinha
----Kroos----Lahm-----
Ribery--Mueller--Robben
------Mandzukic-------
Since there was hardly anything coming through United's midfield, I think this will be a much more dangerous side...with the options of Goetze, Shaqiri and Pizarro all coming on for Mueller, Mandzukic, Ribery or Robben.
At first I was a little nervous knowing that all three of our usual nr 6 are out (Thiago, Schweinsteger and Martinez)...but I think that the red card might be a blessing in disguise. Despite scoring a lot of goals lately, Schweinsteiger wasn't in the sharpest of form.