The Red Devils, who have demonstrated sensational form over the last month, exploded in the second half to grab an improbable 3-2 win in the first leg of their Champions league Round of 16 match-up.

Wayne Rooney continued to show the world that there is life at United without Ballon D’Or/FIFA Player of the Year winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney scored two sensational headers in the second half, and helped United bag three away goals, virtually assuring their place in the final 8.

Ronaldhino, who was electric for Milan, took a deflected Beckham free kick in the 3rd minute and smashed it home off a United defender. The oft-criticized Brazilian help to create numerous first- half chances for Milan, who to be fair, should have been leading by two goals or more at the half. Milan was left to rue these missed chances, as United found their attacking flair in the second half, and made the most of their chances. Sir Alex Ferguson showed once again why he is the ultimate ‘gaffer’, with a brilliant second half substitution that immediately translated into a United goal. United substitute Antonio Valencia, with his first touch of the game, crossed a deep ball to Rooney, who headed the ball passed Dida in the Milan goal. A few minutes later, Darren Fletcher showed his quality, with a brilliant chip right onto the head of Rooney. Clarence Seedorf scored an exquisite back heel in the 85th minute to pull the game back to 3-2, giving Milan some hope for their return leg at Old Trafford.

Two months ago United looked like a team that had no chance of winning the Carling Cup; let alone a fourth straight Premier League title, or booking their third straight trip to the Champions League final. The midfield lacked expression, Rooney was the only player who could find the net, and the defense was decimated by injuries.

Liverpool is garbage without Fernando Torres and has zero depth. Arsenal is not the same without point man Robin Van Persie. And, pre-season favorite Chelsea have underperformed recently, leaving the door open for United to claw back into the title race. Chelsea currently maintains a slim one point lead over United in league play, and may succumb to the pressure being applied by a rejuvenated United side. Furthermore, Chelsea may be sent home by their former manager Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan in the Champions League, leaving United as the class of England once again.

I am tired of people thinking that Manchester United is a bandwagon team that buys the world’s best players. I am tired of the perception that they are the New York Yankees of English soccer. United brings in young, unheralded players on the cheap, develops them into stars, and sells them to big clubs for massive profit. United has a proven system that is bigger than individual talent. United has a manager that demands effort and excellence. United has a starting XI that lacks the celebrity of Chelsea, Barcelona, and Real Madrid; but, they get results with hard work and determination.

This goes out to all Chelsea fans: this was supposed to be your year and you better get your act together quickly. After United sold Cristiano Ronaldo, all the pundits counted out United as a viable title contender. Your roster is full of players that are overpaid and play out of position. By the time your Russian owner gives up on this underachieving group and buys a new crop of overpriced stars, United will be firing on all cylinders. Sir Alex is grooming the next generation of talent with young players like Valencia, Nani, Macheda, and Obertan, who will compliment soon to be player of the year Wayne Rooney.

United banked 80 million dollars with the sale of Ronaldo, and will certainly bring in an expressive midfielder like Luka Modric this summer. This was the year to dethrone the Red Devils, but by looking at their current form, they may be the team to beat once again. It will be glorious to shut the mouths of all Blues fans.

Woodman – Man United fan, and proud of it

It is very rare that a game of this magnitude would simply end 2-0 and provide such little drama. There were no bogus red cards, the officiating was solid, and the game never got out of hand. There were no own goals or horrid turnovers that lead to goals. Both tallies were goalscorer’s goals and exciting to watch. (Granted Vidic could have stepped and closed out the space before Xavi put a brilliant ball on Messi’s head to salt the game away). However, Eto’s toe poke and Messi’s header were great goals on a huge stage. And, despite both teams having some glorious chances, the final score was only 2-0. This was the exact value of the game and the result reflected the play on the field. Here is my breakdown:

1) Manchester United’s tactics: I blogged yesterday that United would play a 4-5-1 and try to hit Barcelona on the counter. However, the reality is that Barcelona controlled midfield, but not to the extent that United anticipated. United had their tactics all wrong and they didn’t need the industry of Park and Anderson to clog up the midfield. What they needed was the class of Berbatov to hold the ball, value possession (when they actually dispossessed Barca), and show the quality required to score in a game of this magnitude. United were trying to play long balls over the top to Ronaldo and attempting to counter on the flanks. In retrospect, they should have played a traditonal 4-4-2 and had Berbatov on the field. When United got into the attacking third of the field, they had the wrong personnel out on the pitch (or players playing out of their normal positions) and could not get any quality. You can argue that resting many starters against Hull last weekend was not a good move for United, and the quality of their touches were extremely poor. Carrick (who is normally a trustworthy passer who values possession), could not link up with his teammates at all and his long balls were terrible. When the long pass was there, Ronaldo was offsides. The first 60 minutes of the game was the worst I have seen United play in a long time and there was no class to the reception and distribution. Against a team like Barca, you have to be at your best.
2) Wayne Rooney was horrible. I feel like I jinxed him when I touted him in my blog yesterday. I truly feel like he gets credit for his work rate and hustle, but not enough credit for his quality and finishing prowess. Yesterday however, was the worst performance Rooney put in all year. And not withstanding the first 10 minutes of the game, Ronaldo was rubbish as well. When your two best players play poorly, it is hard to win. Let’s give credit to both because United wouldn’t have played in the Final if it were not for Ronaldo’s lightning bolts and assists by both players.
3) Henry, Eto, Messi – when they ran at the United defenders, they were falling all over themselves. Considered the best central defender pair in the world, Vidic & Ferdinand had no answer for Barca’s forwards. Henry made some great runs and I felt like he was going to get a goal. It would have been fitting for all three Barca forwards to get a goal. Ironically, Messi who is not known for his heading ability, scored on a header and not on a trademark 1-2 in tight space. To be fair, Barcelona could have scored 2-3 more goals.
4) Carlos Puyol – I thought United would attack him relentlessly on the flank and he would be a weakness for Barca. Not so. The Catalan captain was brilliant and was everywhere on the pitch. He neutralized United’s attack, countered with great energy himself, and was almost rewarded with a goal late in the game. He was the a silent MVP yesterday.
5) Xavi & Iniesta – what can you say? It was like watching Spain in Euro 2008. They combine and link together so well and both have sublime quality in delivering the final ball to their brilliant attackers. Xavi (my player of the game) hit a post on a free kick and was special the whole night. Anyone who thinks these two have been overshadowed because of the star power of this roster, now know their true worth to the team. These two just keep getting better.
6) Berbatov – I can guarantee you this–every big game that United plays in the next few years, regardless of the tactics, he will be on the field. On the biggest stage you need to play your best players. Period. Lesson learned. He immediately came on and had better touches than any United player.
Known for their last minute comebacks and late game heroics, United could not find that spirit last night in Rome. Both teams look to field strong squads next year…so who knows, United vs. Barca II in 2010?
By the way, I am so tired of the Ronaldo to Real Madrid talk. I want to fly to England and pack the guys bags myself. Bye bye Ronaldo, hello Ribery.
and last but not least…Ole Wolfsburg! Champions of the Bundesliga!

~ Ryan Sebring

Wayne Rooney

1) Irony – I find it very ironic that for many years Manchester United were the attractive offensive team that scored many goals and played flowing, attacking football. However, they would get into the Champions league and run into Italian & German teams that would grind them out. They would stack the midfield, eliminate space, make it hard for United to combine passes. Teams would try to get United caught up in offense and beat them with a counter or a set piece (often resulting from a tackle that was necessary to stop the counterattack). There was always a stigma attached to Manchester United that they underachieved in Europe and had very little hardware to show for their great teams. Ironically, this is the exact philosophy Manchester United will use in attempt to derail the offensive juggernaut that is Barcelona. Today the shoe will be on the other foot and Barcelona will be the team trying to avoid the “underachieving” label.

2) Wayne Rooney – I said it on the show a few weeks ago and I am laying down my marker again. I think Ronaldo and Messi will both play well on this stage. However, I think that the star of the game will be Wayne Rooney and I predict him to score all of United’s goals today in a 2-1 upset over the Catalan giants. (My prediction) Starting with this game today, Rooney is going to embark on a journey that is going to end next summer in the Final Four of the World Cup in South Africa. Between now and then, he will be the best player in the world and it will start today. Just remember when you start hearing all of the Wayne Rooney hype, you heard it first on the Jack of All Sports.

~ Ryan Sebring