What had gone all so wrong for United?

BARCELONA proved to be worthy winners of the European Cup this season with a mesmerising display that all but crushed Manchester United early this morning in Rome.

It was supposed to be a match between two of the world’s best sides, famed for their free-flowing attacking football, but as we all saw, only one side turned up. It wasn’t even a boring game where United played to negate the Barca triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o.

It just was simply a one-sided game with mesmerising (did I say that already?) football played by the Catalans.

In his post game comments, Sir Alex Ferguson said that the absence of the suspended Darren Fletcher had robbed United of its steel in midfield, although he freely admitted that Barca were the better side.

But what do you think went all so wrong for United, after a bright first 10 minutes?

How can United beat Porto at home tomorrow morning?

LIVERPOOL almost did it this morning, the question now is – can United muster one of their legendary comebacks against Porto tomorrow morning?

While the task that lies ahead of United does not seem as insurmountable as Liverpool’s – who had to win by at least three goals; or two goals, provided Liverpool scored four or more.

In contrast, United are going into the second leg level at 2-2, but the thing is: Porto have not lost to British opposition in the competition in 21 games. That is a record stretching back in 1967!

So if you were Sir Alex Ferguson, how would you line up your team tomorrow night to ensure United’s passage through to the next round?

Do bear in mind these facts:

– Rio Ferdinand is back in contention after injury, but could be rusty.
– Darren Fletcher has been ruled out by injury
– Anderson and Dimitar Berbatov are available
– Frederico Macheda scored two goals in two games, both coming on as late substitutes
– Cristiano Ronaldo has been lacklustre at best, although occasional flashes of brilliance saw him scoring goals against Aston Villa
– Gary Neville’s age and lack of pace was cruelly exposed by Hulk in the first leg

Are the English clubs heading for a slaughter tomorrow morning?

CHAMPIONS League action returns tomorrow morning (Singapore time), as Italian clubs Inter Milan and Roma face off against English clubs Manchester United and Arsenal.

While English football seem to be on the ascent, with three of last season’s Champions League semi-finalists hailing from England, tomorrow’s fixtures could prove tricky for both United and Arsenal.

United’s defence is decimated by injuries – with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the only fully fit and eligible defenders available. With Anderson still out through injury, United could be forced to draft Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher into defence, or rush John O’Shea and Jonny Evans back from injury.

On the other hand, Inter are riding high on top of the Serie A table, with Jose Mourinho managing to bring the best out of Adriano, who seemed to be on his way out of the club earlier this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reaching the peak of his career, while Mourinho has an excellent track record against Alex Ferguson, winning five of their 10 Premiership encounters when he was at Chelsea.

In the other “Italy v England” game, Arsenal’s midfield is decimated by long-term injuries. Cesc Fabregas, Eduardo, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott are all out, while Andrei Arshavin is cup-tied, leaving a shaky midfield core of Denilson and Alexandre Song. That, and the fact that Arsenal’s goals have dried up of late, is hardly comforting for any fans of the London club.

Roma will probably play their usual 4-6-0 formation, choking the midfield while constantly rotating the targetman, with Francesco Totti pulling the strings.

Will the English clubs survive the Italian onslaught tomorrow morning? I hope not, but I am not holding my breath on that.

Who will partner Rio on Wednesday?

DEFENDING European champions Manchester United travel to the San Siro this Wednesday morning (Singapore time) with just one fit centreback eligible to face Inter Milan, after Jonny Evans limped out in the second half against Blackburn.

Nemanja Vidic is suspended, following his red card at the World Club Cup last December, while club captain Gary Neville is still suffering from a virus and a strained leg. Wes Brown is also out, after breaking his metatarsal in training earlier this month.

John O’Shea is still doubtful, and the United medical staff are working overtime to get the Irishman’s heel in shape for the Inter game.

If that does not fall through, any one of these senior United players should get the job of partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence – Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and the young Rafael.

Who would it be?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: My pick would be Fletcher, if the rest don’t come through by Tuesday. The Scot has faced much criticism for his inconsistent performances over the past few seasons, but the 25-year-old has come through for United this season, shining in the early parts of the season where the champions were struggling to find their feet.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season?

MAN United extended its lead at the summit of the Premiership table early this morning, brushing Fulham aside easily with a 3-0 victory.

In the build-up to this game, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger has declared the Red Devils currently “untouchable”, and Sir Alex Ferguson has also said that the title race is now down to his United team and Liverpool, with Chelsea blowing their chances after sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari.

While some critics are saying that Man United are due for a bad patch soon, after a nine-game winning streak (the last time they failed to collect three points was against Spurs in December) and a 14-game unbeaten run.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season? Let’s play it by the numbers.