It's unclear how disappointing this loss is, I guess time will only tell, but few positives can be taken from it. I was already confident in the ability of Mascherano at shutting down an opponent and he had little problem with one of the supposed best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo. The impressive skills and pace of Ryan Babel isn't a revelation either. Basically everything else was discouraging, but even so, I still thought we were slightly the better side and had fortune smiled upon us instead of them, we would have been the ones celebrating at the final whistle.
On Friday, I wrote a post called 'A rant about Rafa, Trojan Horse formations, and guerrilla warfare tactics', where I stated at least twice that the tactics used against Marseilles wouldn't work against Man U. Apparently Rafa did not share this opinion, but I firmly believe that is why we lost. Rafa opted for a predominantly attacking side with obvious defensive capabilities, but our strategy seemed similar to the blitzkrieg approach successfully used against lesser opponents rather than more cautious means. It looks as if Liverpool were going to try and beat Man United at what they do best and essentially we did, but unfortunately, Sir Alex Ferguson opted for a different approach.
Surprisingly, the Mancs practically played a form of football reminiscent to how our side has played in previous seasons, a physical, defensive approach relying on cunning and quick-strike tactics to score goals. It was quite similar to the modus operandi we used in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal versus Chelsea last year. I wouldn't go as far as to say that Ferguson outwitted Rafa though, he was just luckier on the day. His side won, despite being inferior throughout, and in essence, that's all that matters.
The lack of risk in the line-up Rafa selected probably disappointed me most. I realize that he knows his players better than anyone else, but to me, if a player is on the bench, that says they are physically and mentally able to start as well. I would have rather seen Aurelio at left back, Riise at left mid, Lucas pair with Mascherano in the middle, and Gerrard in a supporting striker role. Kewell and Kuyt would have been the odd men out with Benayoun staying on the right.
Such a line-up in theory would have lead to less congestion in the forward zone, since Man U was jamming that area with as many players possible. We actually handled Ferguson's bottleneck and roadblock measures better than we have in the past, but one less player going forward would have been one less obstacle to overcome. Hindsight is 20-20, but the inability or stubbornness of Rafa to make adjustments is dismaying. I have a hard time believing he didn't understand Man United's obvious game plan early on.
Another aspect of failure was full use of pitch on attack, which would have stretched the defense even further. In the first half, the right side remained mostly desolate and the extreme flank was scarcely used the duration of the match. This is where a fit Jermaine Pennant comes in handy. Had Kewell been more diligent at utilizing the left, congestion would have been less of an issue, but he was either rarely able to do so or try and with Yossi in free-range mode, instead of fighting Man U over control of their side of the pitch, we basically fell into their trap.
The officiating also appeared to be helping out United by allowing them to be overtly aggressive in key areas and at key moments, though we were not allowed such comforts. Look, I understand a few mistakes throughout the match, but come on, early on Man U committed fouls against us almost every possession, but the ref always seemed to be looking the other way. Our opposition showed the lack of class we've come to expect, but to go without penalty is unacceptable. Though the histrionics of Ronaldo weren't rewarded, a blatant handball in the box by Tevez was ignored. Not to mention Rooney taking a kick at Arbeloa after getting the ball taken from him. If he's not punished for that, for which he should have received a straight red to begin with, well, then we know which side the FA favors.
Individually, most our efforts were forgettable, save the previously mentioned Babel and Mascherano. Nearly everyone had their moments, but for the most part were relatively poor. I'll get to my player ratings either later today or tomorrow, but if I had to pick a Man of the Match, I'd have to go with Mascherano. Though he was far from perfect and I've seen him play much better, you can tell he truly wears that badge on his chest with obstreperous passion and a never-say-die attitude. By the end of the match he was all over the place, at the top of the box trying to get a desperate equalizer and then scampering back to help defend. If we don't sign him on a permanent, we have the most thick-headed management on the planet.
Ultimately we lost because we played poor defense for ten seconds and despite having practically an open net on two different occasions, it just wasn't in the books. Not to mention a couple of free kicks at the top of the box and Babel barely missing an outstanding strike. Either way, Man U did not deserve this victory whatsoever, and I find it funny that I've yet to read about their drab and uncreative approach. If that had been us, the press and pundits would have sacrificed us.
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