Manchester United vs. Real Madrid: The Twitter Fallout

Prior to kick off yesterday there was nervous energy and uncontrollable excitement felt by Manchester and Madrid fans alike. The first leg saw Manchester go into the Bernabeu and grab a precious away goal while coming out with a draw, a positive result to say the least. After a two week respite from Champions League competition, the stage now shifted to Old Trafford as the eyes of the football world descended upon the “Theatre of Dreams”.

As the match inched closer to starting Twitter came to life as seemingly everyone had something to say on the contest. It started with the usual score and lineup predictions (none of which were right) but took an unexpected twist as Sir Alex Ferguson did the unthinkable, he dropped one of Manchester’s favourite sons, Wayne Rooney. While many supporters preached loyalty with their #InFergieWeTrust tweets, many (myself included) couldn’t believe the omission. To drop the co-highest paid player (RVP is on similar wages) and arguably the clubs best player was a move reminiscent of the David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, and to a lesser degree Dimitar Berbatov benching’s. All three of those players found themselves leaving United shortly after being left out of the starting XI (Berbatov got a reduced role before leaving), and now speculation of Rooney’s possible departure is rampant.

We all know what happened in the match so I’ll abstain from providing any real summary other than this; the first sixty minutes went to plan for United as they grabbed the first goal and thoroughly frustrated Madrid. Danny Welbeck’s man marking of Xabi Alonso was an unexpected tactic that was a masterstroke as it kept Madrid from establishing any real attacking threat. With Alonso not pulling the strings a victory looked well within United’s grasp; that was until referee Cuneyt Cakir did the unthinkable and sent of Nani for an unintentional high boot (that hit Arbeloa’s arm). A dangerous play that warranted yellow, but nowhere near vicious or dangerous enough to be given a red. That decision swung momentum in Madrid’s favour and they mercilessly attacked a shocked United. Below is a compilation of tweets from managers, players, journalists, pundits, and twitter users on the main storylines from the match.  

Wayne Rooney on the bench

Colleen Rooney (@ColleenRoo): Can’t believe @WayneRooney isn’t starting tonight!!!

Piers Morgan (@PiersMorgan): Sorry, but picking an old man (Giggs) and a 2nd-rate striker (Nani) over Shrek @WayneRooney is a shocking, suicidal decision by Sir Alex.

Jose Mourinho: "Sir Alex Ferguson has won the right (to pick his team) over the years. Every decision is correct and every decision should never have a question mark in front. He's the best, he's the top, he's created an incredible history. You (reporter) are nobody, I am nobody, to put a question mark in front. His team was very well-organised. The defence was fantastic and I think he did a great job."

Mike Phelan: “The decision was tactical, in that dressing room everyone was fit. Big decisions had to be made; tonight we had the balance just right.”

Me (@InOnGoal): People saying Rooney will come on and do a job is ridiculous, you can't leave out your best player and depend on him as a supersub #mufc

Me (@InOnGoal): Wow no Rooney, this is a massive decision that could have an impact beyond this match. Rumuors have been swirling of another possible rift! ---The links to PSG and Real Madrid will only get louder

Michael Owen: "For Rooney not to start it's got to be a big worry for him. It's the biggest game of the season and the manager has not included him"

The Red Card

Mike Phelan: “The decision… was amazing. But we had to carry on. In a game of this magnitude, with the whole world watching, we feel very disappointed."

“We all saw and witnessed a decision that seemed very harsh. We had a massive audience around the world with people watching in how many countries I do not know, and everybody will be sitting there wondering what happened. A great performance was marred by one decision."

“We felt the ball was in the air, the player was watching the ball. Yes, there was contact, but that's the nature of football and to get a red card seems unbelievable."

Jose Mourinho: “Playing with one man down for such a long period is going to change a lot in the game."

Michael Owen (@TheMichaelOwen): Disappointing that a game of that size was decided by a refereeing decision. Can understand why he sent him off but got to say it was harsh.

Gary Neville (@GNev2): Nani is a player who regularly tries to control a pass like this over his shoulder and its never a red card! Changed the whole game! Poor ref

Richard Keys (@tSKeysandGray): Difficult for @gnev2 to be objective at a time like this. Was Nani endangering the well being of an opponent? Yes. Therefore it's a red card

Matt Le Tisser (@MattLetiss7): Some dim people on today who dont understand that nani was trying to control the ball and not making a challenge/planting studs in ribs

Dietmar Hamann (@DietmarHamann): If Nani jumps in like that in a crowded area then its a different story,Arbeloa made up a lot of ground.If that's a red then good night.

Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany): Never a red card.

Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker): Unbelievably harsh red. Rotten decision.

Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton): Red card for that is a joke!

Kevin-Prince Boateng (@KPBOfficial): How can u give a red for that??? Is he serious…??? That’s sad killing a big game like that…#ManUvRealM

Tim Cahill (@Tim_Cahill): @rioferdy5 feel for u and the boys tonight mate. That 1 decision destroyed the game. I was enjoying the game up until then..... #harsh

Edwin Van Der Sar (@vdsar1970): Disbelieve at this score and decisions #manrea What do you guys think of the red card?

The Tactician (@ManToManMarking): Cannot complain particularly. Ruined the game, yes, sadly. However, it was a good decision in the most part.

Me (@InOnGoal): Of course Ramos is the first one in the refs ear…An unintentional high boot, that was barely a yellow

Me (@InOnGoal): “Doesn't make it ok. If it happens once that’s too much. Incompetence shouldn’t be justified by more incompetence” ß-------- In response to people saying Manchester United has gotten the call before

Paddy Crerand: "Roy Keane was in a minority of one. Not one person said it was a red card except Roy Nobody else thinks it was a sending off apart from him. Does Keane want to be noticed? Or is he envious or jealous? Has he got the needle with Manchester United because of what happened to him here? Why are we talking about Roy Keane? What about the other 99.9 per cent of people who said it wasn’t as sending off? Let me tell you… I played for Manchester United. I played in a European Cup final. Roy didn’t.”

Roy Keane (@RoyMKeane16): Nani's tackle was a clear red - no arguments.

Roy Keane: “I think the referee has actually made the right call, everyone’s upset about it and it’s slightly unlucky, but it’s dangerous play. Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. It’s dangerous play – it’s a red card. Whether he meant it or not doesn’t matter.”

An excerpt from the Dailymail.co.uk

But now it can be revealed just how fond the Insurance agent is of waving cards around after it emerged the 36-year-old has not refereed a single game without booking someone all year. He has shown an incredible 36 yellow cards and three reds in just eight club games since mid-January. Only on Saturday, in his last domestic game before travelling to Manchester, Cakir showed six yellow cards in a game between Akhisar Beledi and Elazigspor in Turkey. A week earlier, meanwhile, he booked five players and sent one off in Gaziantepspor’s win over Bursaspor. Turkish journalist Fatih Ozkan confirmed that Cakir has caused controversy in his home country. 'He was one of the best in recent years but after he was assigned to European games, he lost his concentration in the Turkish leagues,' he said.

A Final Thought

"Independent of the [referee’s] decision, the best team lost. We didn't play well. We didn't deserve to win.” --- Jose Mourinho

I am not sure whether or not I believe the best team lost, but I do feel as though Madrid would have struggled to break down United twice if Nani was not sent off. What’s done is done and although this loss stings, it is important to pick up the pieces and look toward the future. A bright future that could still see United win the double. I wish Madrid luck as they continue on in the competition as they handled the incident (Sergio Ramos notwithstanding) with class.

Thank you for reading, if you have any comments please feel free to leave a comment or contact me on twitter @inongoal.

My 2nd Leg Starting Lineup

Sir Alex Ferguson is known as many things, but predictable is not one of them. Week in and week out he changes his bench and starting eleven more than any other manager in the premier league. His refusal to routinely employ the same starting eleven is due to a combination of things; injuries, form, unpredictability, and squad depth. Although this may not be seen as a vintage United side, the quality of depth at each position is staggering. Given his coy nature it is near impossible to correctly pick what his lineup will be for a certain match, but here are my thoughts on what he will do for the second leg against Spanish juggernauts Real Madrid.

 

GK: At this point David De Gea has made himself an automatic selection. He has always shown loads of ability, but his play over the past 2 months has been spectacular. If he plays at the same level as he did in the first leg United will be tough to beat.

DEF: Given their performances this season and lack of a real challenge at their positions, Rafael and Evra locked up the outside back positions. Centre-back is slightly more difficult as the competition for spots is much closer. Given the fact that Nemanja Vidic played against Norwich it is unlikely he will be ready to face Madrid. Rio Ferdinand has been a rock at the back this year and has paired well with Johnny Evans in the past.

MID: For me (and SAF) Michael Carrick has made himself the first name on the teamsheet every week. His work often goes unnoticed by some, but he has continued to elevate his play this campaign and is one of the most consistent players in the Premier League. Ideally, Phil Jones would be paired with Carrick as he was in the first leg, but injury concerns have left him doubtful to participate in the encounter. I have a nagging suspicion that he will, but likely in a reserve role. That leaves young Tom Cleverley as the next best option. He is full of running and bright enough going forward to do a job in a game of this magnitude. Out wide Nani has earned himself the starting role with his recent string of brilliance. Opposite him should be Danny Welbeck who was excellent in the first meeting. His energy and pace gave Madrid problems throughout.

FWD: Technically, Wayne Rooney will be in a CAM position but for the purposes of this piece he will be considered a forward. His work-rate is contagious and will be called upon in this match. With Madrid's lethal counter-attack Rooney will find himself playing a lot of defence yet again. Naturally Robin Van Persie will be the focal piece up top and the main goal threat. He showed in Madrid that his hold up play and ability to track back and receive the ball is another strong part of his game. If United sit back and defend look for the Dutchman to play deeper than normal.

Prediction - In a tight encounter that sees both teams score I think that... you will have to check back Monday to see the prediction.