Second Best By A Huge Margin

Barcelona 2 - Manchester United 0
Scorers
Barcelona: E'to (10), Messi (70)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, Evra, O'Shea, Carrick, Anderson (Tevez 46), Giggs (Scholes 75), Park (Berbatov 66), Rooney, Ronaldo

We lost to a better team, that's the long and short of it.

For a good 10 minutes, Ronaldo threatened to run riot in the Barcelona defense, then a total collapse at the back allowed E'to in to score the opener against the run of play. From then on, it was one-way tragic. Our players simply lost it and were never really in the game. All the poor games we've played the entire season came back to haunt us. This was not Bolton or Boro, but the mighty Barcelona.

Too many players went missing at the same time, but to be really honest, nothing would have changed even if they came back. Barcelona are simply the best team in the world, if not the universe.

The only thing that could have evened the balance out was to have Fletcher back, even then it would be a stretch to match the effectiveness of a very fluid Barcelona attack. By some fluke we survived their onslaught last season in the semis. But this season is different. Their midfield was powered by two pocket dynamos in Ineista and Xavi, not to mention the mother of all pocket dynamos in little Messi in attack. We just didn't have an answer to combat such an awesome force on display.

Anderson, Carrick and Giggs were simply not in the game. In fact it would have been better playing with 8 men. Addition by subtraction might well have worked out better for us.

Rooney probably had his worst game in a United shirt. I could have sworn he was wearing a Barcelona jersey under the white of United. Even single pass he made went to a claret and blue.

The least said about Evra the better. He went missing for the first goal, and went missing again for the second goal. He probably also went missing in the 5th, 6th and 7th goals that Barcelona should have scored but didn't.

We were bamboozled. The gulf between what the best in the world had to offer and what we presented was huge. And it's not something that can be rectified in the transfer market either. There is an air that oozles in the way Barcelona plays their brand of football, and it's called class. Something that we failed to show when Scholes, Rooney, Ronaldo and Vidic tackled recklessly as the game drew to an end. They need to learn to accept defeat to a better team. They need to learn how to retain their dignity in the face of defeat.

It's back to the drawing board for Ferguson and his team of coaches. And congratulations to Barcelona for winning their own version of the treble and showing us how the beautiful game should be played.

Edit: 4 hrs after the game and I still can't get any sleep, so this is a call out to all the @#$% who I caught the game with:

I'm going to put my foot down on this matter, or down your throats. If we ever.....EVER make it to the finals again, we watch it at MY kopitiam. Period. No more accommodating to you pussies. I don't care if any of you drop dead at your meetings in the morning.

Kids End Season On A High

Hull City 0 - Manchester United 1
Scorer: Gibson (24)

Team: Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Rafael (Eckersley 60), De Laet (Possebon 79), Fletcher, Gibson, Nani, Martin, Welbeck (Tosic 88), Macheda

Really nothing much to write about. We played like a bunch of kids who are playing for the first time together. What a minute, we were a bunch of kids playing together for the first time. We were disjointed, at times selfish, but that's completely understandable.

Gibson scored a screamer and really his goal was the only bit of excitement throughout the entire game. No one really stood out. No one was expected to stand out anyway. Still it was a very credible result considering that Hull was up against the wall and fighting for their very existence.

You just feel that if Hull go down, we'd probably not see them back up in our lifetime. They only managed to stay up by the skin of their teeth thru a very good couple of months in the Premiership, where they got their result running on pure adrenalin. After December, they were utterly crap. If nothing changes, there's absolutely no way this bunch will repeat the feat again.

As for us, all that matters is Wednesday. Big game against a big team.

The Celebrations Really Start Next Week

Manchester United 0 - Arsenal 0

Team: Van der Sar, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney (Anderson 90), Tevez (Park 67)

It's amazing just how far we've come. Back in the distant 80s, we were pretty much a midtable club, occasionally giving Liverpuss fits when we played them. Unfortunately, our seasons then were really made of those two home-away fixtures year in year out. We never never able to sustain the momentum for any stretch. The only thing that kept it from being as poor a decade as the 70s were the FA Cup triumphs. For a good long stretch in time, it looked like we were forever mired in mediocracy until Ferguson happened.

Even under him, we were pretty crap for the first few lean years. In fact, as far as rumours go, he was reportedly on the chopping block until a FA Cup win saved his career and set us on a giddy journey of utterly and almost complete dominance. Our run has been so good that we've now drawn level on titles with Liverpuss, a scenerio even the best fantasy writers would have found far-fetched. Yet we created fantasy.

I sincerely hope that, now we're sharing that perch with Liverpuss, I would be writing about how we shoved/bullied/kicked them off that perch this time next year.

As for the title clinching game against Arsenal, there's really nothing much to write about. We were clearly playing not to lose and so were Arsenal. As boring as the game was, the result suited both sides. Arsenal were out to prove that they were not that far inferior to us, while we simply needed the point to seal the deal. It worked out well for both managers and both sets of players, without the need to embarrass anyone.

In a discussion with Michael this morning during my weekly football game, we concluded that the celebrations really should start next week when we put out a shadow team and gift the game to Hull City. Besides defending the Champions League, sending the Barcodes down would really sum up an incredibly good season. Ideally, Liverpuss or Spurs going down would be my dream come true, but having us lend a hand to help shove Newcastle down would be just as sweet.

Last but not least, I leave you with a really good article I read in the Independent on Tevez. I felt it's a pretty good take on the way things have come to being.

Sign Him Up, Fergie

Wigan 1 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Wigan: Rodallega (28)
Manchester United: Tevez (60), Carrick (86)

Team: Van der Sar, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, Scholes (Giggs 75), Carrick, Anderson (Tevez 58), Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov (Park 89)

Wow! What an exciting finish. Tevez was once again the spark that we needed to get back into the game.

Under the torrid downpour, we kept slipping and sliding around the pitch. Even a change of footwear didn't help Vidic stay on his feet, and while he was sprawned on the ground challenging for the ball, Rodallega took advantage, scoring on Van der Sar's near post. The Colombian has really impressed me playing upfront alone.

We were pretty terrible in the first half, spurning a couple of good chances early in the game, before Vidic's slip. To be fair to him, no one could keep their feet under the wet and slippery conditions all night. Both sets of players were engaged in a comedy of errors on the ball, a comedy, we United fans didn't find very funny.

The beginning of the second half was more of the same. Fergie probably had seen enough and sent on Carlitos who made an immediate impact. He redirected Carrick's wayward shot into the Wigan net, drawing us level.

Rooney was too far left to do any damage and Berbatov was often tracking back into midfield to collect the ball. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was simply trying his best to imitate my godson's terrible tantrums, and doing a mightily good job outta it too. The game needed an injection of energy and enthusiasm, and Tevez's introduction provided that. Dodgy deal or not, Ferguson's has got to recognise what Tevez brings to this team.

The dramatics of the night was completed with Carrick scoring a late goal to pull us closer to the finishline.

All we need now is a single point in our last two home games. The title's virtually in the bag. But in order to complete the job, we need to really focus on the task at hand. We nearly didn't gather all 3 points today because some of the players were too busy dreaming of the Champions League finals, thinking that the job is already done. Ferguson needs to refocus the troops and get our priorities right.

Portugese Fucker Mars Win

Manchester United 2 - Manchester City 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Fucker (18), Tevez (45)

Team: Van der Sar, Vidic, Evans (O'Shea 70), Rafael, Fletcher, Giggs, Park (Rooney 60), Fucker (Scholes 60), Tevez, Berbatov

One step closer to the title with this win. Unfortunately, today's game shows everthing wrong with this team. Or at least everything wrong with one particular Portugese fucker. Even after beating our local rivals convincingly, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

I've always found it hard to really hate/dislike a United player. I know there are times I'm just plain mean when I write my blog, but most of it comes from just spur of the moment irritation, tongue firmly in cheek thoughts or just being mean-spirited. The closest I've come to hating was from Heinze, but he's the past and not worthy of my attention.

But this Portugese fucker brings hate to a new level. As fans, we put up with his constant whining, his temper tantrums, his immature play and his complete lack of class but today's outburst brings out everything wrong with this kid. He just doesn't understand what it means to be a United player.

We've always been a team. We've always played for one another. Even in the dark days when Liverpuss was winning everything in sight, we've always had that team spirit, everyone plays for everyone else, even though most of it was done in the pubs. But this little piece of shit just plays for himself. It's all about him. It's ALWAYS all about him.

There was this little incident in the first half that got to me big time. He misplaced a pass, and had the audacity to blame Fletcher for not getting to it. And, of course, there was the very public outburst when he was substituted.

I'm sure if not for his skills, Ferguson would have sent him to Real Madrid in the summer. Quite frankly, I'd rather we win fewer trouphies and just get rid of him once and for all. I'm actually disappointed that he's pledged his future with us.

What's worse is that in tomorrow's papers he's probably going to apologise and sometime in the very near future, he's going to pull the same'o shit again. I'm done with forgiving him. If the price is right, ship him out. We'd do fine without him.

And just to rub it in, we're probably going to keep him over Tevez, which absolutely murders me. I love Tevez to bits although I don't agree with his recent outbursts as well. There are dirty linings you wash in public and there are those which are kept within the locker room. Still, I'll have him over that fucker anyday of the week. Honest player, and it shows on the pitch.

As for today's game, we got into an early lead via that fucker's deflect freekick. Despite his piss poor attitude, he's simply quite brilliant in that department.

Tevez added a second with a thunderous strike. Both teams were pretty sloppy, just that Shitty was sloppier. The good thing about us is that we're peaking at the right time and putting away opponents comfortably.

You know, I've just checked the schedule, and we could very well wrap up the title before Liverpuss plays. Just 4 more points from a midweek game against Wigan, who are on holiday mood, and a early kickoff on Saturday against the Arse, and we're home free. Then we can concentrate on preparing for the Champions League finals against the best team (imo) in the world.

United Marches On To Rome

Arsenal 1 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Arsenal: Van Persie (pen 76)
Manchester United: Park (8), Ronaldo (11, 61)

Red Card: Fletcher (75)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, Evra (Rafael 65), O'Shea, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 63), Park, Ronaldo, Rooney (Berbatov 66)

Simply superb result. Arsenal hardly knew what hit them. Park and Ronaldo give us a huge huge advantage early in the game that sunk all Arsenal's hopes of overturning the first leg deficit.

The first was via a counter attack and a lucky slip by Gibbs that allowed Park the room and time to score, and the second came from a thunderous freekick by Ronaldo just moments later.

With the tie basically sewn up early, the young Gunners lost their will and Wenger's promise of a seige didn't materialise.

Arsenal did try to salvage some pride in the second half, but a perfect counter-attacking move, involving Park, Rooney and ending with Ronaldo sealed the Arsenal fate. Three goals down and needing5 to progress, they were well and truely finished.

Ferguson rung in the changes, saving players who had yellows from picking up silly fouls and missing the finals. Both teams were content to go thru the motions and see the game out.

Then the referee had other ideas of his own. He awarded a penalty to Arsenal and sent Fletcher off. The penalty looked about right, but the red card was just plain silly. What he did was just open a can of worms. Van Persie pulled one back, but the game went downhill from then.

Both teams started making silly fouls and the referee didn't help matters by going whistle-happy at the slightest infringement. The last 15 minutes of the game felt like a freaking eternity. Thankfully we survived it unscathed.

With the champions league finals out of the way until the season ends, we can now fully concentrate on defending the Premiership title, beginning this weekend against a 'massive club'.

United Cruise To 6 Point Lead

Middlesborough 0 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Giggs (25), Park (52)

Team: Foster, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra (Rafael 78), Scholes, Giggs, Park (Nani 75), Rooney, Berbatov, Macheda (Tevez 56)

This was an easy victory despite the fact that Fergie rung in the changes from midweeks exploits. Boro were never in the same class and their horrible defending just showed. They were lucky not to have conceded any earlier.

The game was made even better coz I caught it with a few good friends, one of whom just returned from Beijing with stories of eating binges that parallel those only found in fantasy novels.

Giggs scored in the 25th minute to give United a well-deserved lead. It was a coolly placed shot when the entire Boro defense was in panic mode. The recently crowned PFA player of the year, kept his head when everyone around him was panicking and passed the ball into the net past a static Brad Jones.

Jones could do nothing about United's second goal either. Rooney's vision and passing sliced the Boro backline into shreds, releasing Park on a one-to-one, which he finished. The pass was of a superb quality and the finishing matched it.

The rest of the game was just a matter of going thru the motions, with Berbatov spraying backpasses whenever he got the ball. It's a bit disappointing seeing our prized summer signing playing like he cost a tenth of what we paid for.

Other than that, everyone was good without being outstanding. In the final analysis, we were simply too good for a poor Boro side and thoroughly deserved the 3 points.

With just 4 games to go and a comfortable 6 point lead, it would take a super catastrophe of epic proportions to lose the title. Something that only happens in the worst of nightmares.

With our key players rested for Tuesdays encounter against Arsenal, I'm expecting for a good result to see us to the Champions League finals in Rome. I'm hoping we become the first team to repeat under the new format.

United Lets Arsenal Off Easy

Manchester United 1 - Arsenal 0
Scorer
Manchester United: O'Shea (17)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio (Evans 88), Vidic, Evra, O'Shea, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 67), Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez (Berbatov 67)

I'm kinda surprised just how little time I have since recovering from my bout of flu. A ton of work and readings left piled up while I was down and out. Since recovering, I've hardly had a good night's sleep not to mention half of that time taken up by entertaining friends over this long weekend. Nonetheless, I'll try to sum up my thoughts for the game in double quick time here, before this evening's game against Boro.

We started off the game with a bang, taking off from the way we ended the last one against Spurs. The pace was incredibly high octaned and Arsenal was immediately put on the backfoot, unable to cope with our speed and power. Before O'Shea's goal, we could very well have been 3-4 goals up. That was just how dominate we are.

Almunia played an absolute blinder. He single-handedly kept Arsenal in the tie. He made so many point-blank saves that I doubt any keeper in the Premiership even did in the entire season.

That said, we should have put Arsenal away. We played incredibly well and should have really buried the Londoners. We won every battle on the pitch and our midfield trio of Fletcher, Carrick and Anderson, especially Anderson, were simply outstanding.

Still we carry an advantage over to the second leg. It's a little disappointing to be only up one after such a complete display of football. At least we know in the second leg, Arsenal will be advanturous and come knocking on our door. It will leave plenty of space for our attackers to exploit. Hopefully Ferguson sticks to the plan and continues to stick with this lineup from the start. I cannot imagine Berbatov being effective on the counter.