PSV vs Manchester United Match Report

United Left Shaw-Less after Defeat in Holland –

Manchester United players and fans were left distraught after their first game back in the Champions League led them to a 2-1 defeat against the Dutch champions PSV. But it wasn’t the defeat that really left the players and fans alike distraught, it was the fact that Luke Shaw suffered a double fracture to his right leg. The promising English left back made a great run and found himself with a chance on goal but was tackled by PSV defender Hector Moreno. The tackle at first glance looked a good one but after seeing the replays, you can see that Moreno trailing left leg catches Shaw hard and forced the double leg fracture. United fans and players were left crying out for a penalty and what was sure to be a red card, but the ref quickly dismissed the appeals.

Coming into the game, United was without their captain Wayne Rooney who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Anthony Martial was given his chance for a starting debut after scoring against Liverpool on the weekend and Ashley Young also came into the side due to his performance on the weekend.

The match started and as expected United dominated and controlled the game, but they struggled to get the chances on goal. The PSV defence was which featured former Chelsea player Jeffrey Bruma, were solid and held a good line against the United attacks. Luke Shaw came in on goal but was tackled by Moreno forcing the injury. After 10 or so minutes down, Shaw was replaced by Marcos Rojo. Memphis Depay who said in the press conference before the game, that if he was to score, he would celebrate against his former club. And he did just that as the Dutch winger beat 2 defenders and placed the ball in the back of the net on his return to his old stomping ground in the 41^st minute. The goal gave United a lift who really could have been 3 or 4 up at this point but that was short lived after PSV defender Hector Moreno scored the equaliser in added time. Moreno received heavy boos from the united fans as it left people questioning whether the defender should still be on the pitch. United legend Peter Schmeichel took to twitter to express his views saying “Moreno should not even be on the pitch”. Once again United started to dominate in the second half but find the goal they needed. Juan Mata had a beautiful opportunity but his touch was poor. PSV broke quick on the counter attack and a great ball found the head of Narsingh who put them up 2-1 in the 57^th minute.

It has been the story of United’s season so far with them dominating games but not being able to find the net. Although the result was harsh on United, it was overshadowed by the injury to Shaw. Van Gaal confirmed after the game that Shaw had suffered a double leg fracture and was sent for surgery immediately. In other news, United’s other group opponents Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow was in action, and the German side won 1-0 at home. At the other side of Manchester, United’s rivals City were in action against Juventus at home, but suffered a 2-1 defeat after Morata put the away side in front.

Manchester United vs Liverpool Match Report

Dream Debut – Anthony Martial scores on debut as Manchester United dismantle arch rivals Liverpool in a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford.

English footballs biggest rivals met at Old Trafford when Manchester United took on Liverpool. In what normally turns out to be a feisty affair brought us a pretty quiet and dull first half with neither side really getting an edge on each other. But that all changed in the second half, as the game came alive with goals from Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Christian Benteke and Anthony Martial. Liverpool never really turned up at Old Trafford and it was a very poor performance from them.

Manchester United’s line up seen Captain Wayne Rooney left out of the squad due to injury so Marouane Fellaini started upfront as the lone striker. David De Gea returned to the Manchester United goal for the first time this season after just having signed a new 4 year deal at Old Trafford after his move to Real Madrid fell through. The world’s most expensive teenager Anthony Martial was on the bench for United after securing a £36 million pound move to United on deadline day. Brendan Rodgers was without his star midfielder Philippe Coutinho and captain Jordan Henderson, so he granted Danny Ings a debut for Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Both teams were very poor in the first half after neither side managed to get a shot on target. The game was crying out for a goal. And that goal came 4 minutes into the second half as Daley Blinds fantastic finish beat Simon Mignolet in the 49^th minute to give United the lead.  It was a well worked set piece from United as Ashley Young’s low cross found Blind on the edge of the box who thumped the ball into the back of the net with a first touch finish. The goal brought the came alive as both sides really started to attack. Blind was also influential at the back for United after denying Danny Ings on the line to keep United in front. Louis Van Gaal decided to introduce United’s new signing, the world’s most expensive teenager, striker, Anthony Martial who came on to replace Juan Mata in the 65^th minute. 5 minutes later Ander Herrera was brought down in the box by a very poor challenge from the young defender Joe Gomez which gave United a penalty. Herrera smashed home the penalty from 12 yards out to give United a 2-0 lead. The game was not over yet though, as Christian Benteke gave Liverpool a late lifeline with an audacious overhead kick in the 84^th minute. The stunning effort was Benteke’s 2^nd goal since joining the club and it silenced Old Trafford. But that silence didn’t last for long as United’s newest signing Anthony Martial picked up the ball and ran at the Liverpool defence, dribbling in between Clyne and Skrtel and then showing his composure as he tucked away his right footed effort past Mignolet. The 19 year old Frenchmen electrified Old Trafford with his debut goal in the 86^th minute. Martial who has been dubbed the ‘New Thierry Henry’ showed his class with a goal Henry himself would have been proud of. The final whistle blew and United picked up all 3 points.

The loss for Liverpool puts Brenden Rodgers under immense pressure now after they fall to 9^th place having only picked up 7 points from 5 games. The cry from most Liverpool fans now is to see Rodgers sacked and the ever so popular Jurgen Klopp be brought in to take charge at Liverpool. While on the flip side United rose to 2^nd place in the table with 10 points. United could drop to third place though depending on the result today in the game between Leicester and Aston Villa. United’s performance was very good in the second half when they came alive which seen Daley Blind pick up the Man of the Match after his very solid performance at centre half. A lot of critics were also silenced after the way Anthony Martial announced himself to Manchester United with his great debut goal. Martial scored with his first shot in the Premier League. The Frenchman is the 1^st united player to score on his club debut against Liverpool since 1963, giving it a real special meaning for him.

Will Barcelona’s Dominance Continue??

FC Barcelona is one of the most successful clubs in the world and they are coming of the back of a very successful season which seen the club win their 2nd treble, becoming the first club to win 2 trebles. Following the treble that was won under Pep Guardiola in the 2008/09 season, new manager Luis Enrique looked to follow in his foot steps and emulate a treble in his first season and that he did. Barcelona managed to win the Liga BBVA league title, the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League after a very successful season. They managed to clinch the league title at the Vicente Calderon after beating the defending champions Aletico Madrid. They reached the Copa Del Rey final and beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at the Nou Camp. After completing the double, they looked for the treble at the Olympiastadion in Berlin but standing in their way we’re Italian giants Juventus, who were looking for their own treble after completing a domestic double themselves. Barcelona blew Juventus out of the park with an impressive 3-1 victory to win the champions league and complete a treble. Now after such an impressive season, I ask the question, can Barcelona’s dominance continue into the 2015/16 season? 

Barcelona will look to have another successful year next season, but can they. Every club looks to strengthen their team for the next season but that’s not something Barcelona can necessarily do. They have a transfer ban which doesn’t allow them to sign anyone until January, however they can announce and submit deals now. This is something Barcelona have already done after announcing they have signed Sevilla fullback Aleix Vidal for an undisclosed fee. So this means Vidal can train with Barcelona but won’t be officially able to play with them until January, so this begs the question of will any top world class player want to join Barcelona and miss a big chunk of the season? This is something I highly doubt, as no world class player will want to miss that much of a season, even if you are joining a club of Barcelona’s level. With this transfer ban they have to make sure they keep the world class players they already have and this is something that was done yesterday after Barcelona announced that Dani Alves has signed a new 2 year deal with the club. 

With this transfer ban in place you can imagine it will be hard for Barcelona to be as successful as last season. After a poor season for Real Madrid, the galacticos  sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti and have replaced him with Rafa Benitez. Now after such a poor season, you can believe Real will look to strengthen their squad massively with adding big names and world class players to their squad. They have already announced the signing of Brazilian right back Danilo from FC Porto, but you can except more to come. Heavy rumours are linking Manchester United’s David De Gea with a move to the Spanish giants, which seems very likely to happen. Other moves that are rumoured are for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. If Real managed to get these players or other world class talents you can believe that they will challenge to get a treble of their own next season. So they will give Barcelona a challenge as well as other big clubs like Bayern Munich, Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester United. 

The transfer ban is definitely something that could hinder Barcelona’s changes of another successful season but when you consider the world class players they have in Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Neymar and of course Lionel Messi, you certainly can’t dismiss them. Next season will surely not be one to miss. 

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Report

MESSI MAGIC – Barca Storm Past Bayern With A 3-0 Win At The Nou Camp 

Two of Europe’s biggest giants clashed in the first leg of the Champions League semi finals as Barcelona hosted Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp. It was more than just a game though as Pep Guardiola returned to the Nou Camp in the opposition dug-out for the first time since leaving Barcelona. He won 14 trophies in his four year spell as Barcelona manager, including a treble in his first season, something that the current Barcelona manager Luis Enrique looks to emulate in his first season. Guardiola’s return to the Nou Camp wasn’t a happy one though as Barcelona stormed past Bayern with a 3-0 win. The goals came late in the game with some Messi magic as the Argentine put 2 past Manuel Neuer in 4 minutes and Neymar topped it off with a third in added time.

Guardiola’s side came to the Nou Camp with two huge misses in the squad as both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were both out due to injury, but Polish striker Robert Lewandowksi was back for them playing with a broken jaw and nose. Barcelona had a fully fit squad which seen the unbelievable striking trio of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all started up top.

Within the opening minutes of the game, you could tell it was going to be a good one, with Bayern’s man marking style left gaps for Barcelona to open up. Luis Suarez was denied early by a great save from Manuel Neuer. Bayern had a fantastic change themselves but Robert Lewandowski failed to connect cleanly with his left footed effort and the shot went wide. Surprisingly the first half came to a 0-0 end. Despite being goalless the game was a great one but you can never doubt the attacking brilliance of Lionel Messi, who broke the deadlock in the 77th minute. Messi hit a low left footed strike into the right bottom corner beating Neuer at his near post. If that wasn’t good enough for him, this certainly was as his astonishing piece of skill left Jerome Boateng falling over his feet and onto the floor as Messi calmly chipped the ball with his right foot over the giant frame of the German goalkeeper in the 80th minute. Bayern dropped their guard in the last 10 minutes and continued to push forward in search for an away goal and that ultimately punished them as a Barca counter attack led to Neymar being clean through on goal as he slotted his right footed effort between the legs of Neuer to make in 3-0 in stoppage time.

Luis Enrique outshines his former team mate Pep Guardiola at the Nou Camp. Lionel Messi’s two goals now puts him back to being the all time leading goal scorer in the Champions League history with 77 goals. One goal in front of rival Cristano Ronaldo who found the net in Madrid’s 2-1 defeat in Torino against Juventus. Barcelona are now clear favourites to make the final in Berlin as Bayern will struggle again to stop the Barca trio in Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez even at the Allianz.

Chelsea vs Manchester United Report

Mourinho Masterclass

The two inform teams in the premier league met for a big clash thriller which seen 1^st vs 3^rd, Mourinho vs Van Gaal, of course, it’s Chelsea vs Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United were unbeaten in 6 games and came to the Bridge high in confidence after their derby day victory at Old Trafford over rivals City in a 4-2 winner, but, that came to a crashing end with a Mourinho Masterclass with Chelsea grinding out a 1-0 winner to see them stay top of the league and 10 points clear. Manchester United dominated in possession and played some really nice football but that unfortunately played into Mourinho’s plan as he set his Chelsea team out to sit back and allow United to dominate so he could hit them on the counter and that of course came through their first shot on target as star man Eden Hazard beat David De Gea to give Chelsea the 1-0 victory.

With Manchester United missing key players like Carrick, Jones, Blind and Rojo it seen Van Gaal reshuffle his inform united team. The reshuffle seen Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair come into the defence, while Wayne Rooney was dropped into the midfield which gave Falcao a rare start upfront. Chelsea were without their top scorer Diego Costa and substitute striker Loic Remy for this game, so that gave an opportunity for Didier Drogba to start upfront. Mourinho’s tactics were seen early with the announcement of his team as he brought young and talented defender Kurt Zouma into the midfield, a role he has played comfortably under Mourinho before.

United started brightly and really should have been up within the first 10 minutes as Wayne Rooney got onto Luke Shaw’s cross but placed his shot just inches wide. The shot was so close that it had Manchester United fans and even David De Gea celebrating until they realised the shot had gone wide a few seconds later. United continued to dominate and looked the better side but Chelsea once again proved why they have been leading the race for the title after another rock solid defensive performance from them. Chelsea’s resilience paid-off when they countered and scored with their first shot on target. Chelsea broke after Terry out-muscled Falcao near the half way line and Oscar’s clever backheel played in Hazard whose shot beat David De Gea in the 38^th minute.

Early in the 2^nd half Chelsea had a few chances to double their lead but they couldn’t. United showed their class as they continued to take the game to Chelsea but couldn’t find the back of the net. Van Gaal continued to push his team with him bringing on the attacking options of Angel Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj but Chelsea stayed strong and United couldn’t break them down. Falcao who is still trying to find form for United had a great chance 12 minutes from time to level it but his strike hit the outside of the post. Ander Herrera was seemed to have been brought down in the box by Gary Cahill in stoppage time but referee Mike Dean denied the appeal and gave Herrera a yellow card for diving. When the final whistle blew, there was a sigh of relief from the Chelsea fans and players who seem to now truly believe they will be the Premier League champions. The player’s reactions and celebrations helps back up this statement although manager Jose Mourinho still remains persistent that it’s not over yet because they need 8 points to be crowned champions.

Mourinho got his tactics spot on and proved why Chelsea are sitting at the top of the table. His decision to bring Kurt Zouma into the midfield worked as he dominated Fellaini and kept him relatively quiet during the game. Manchester United had 70% possession throughout the game but that didn’t faze the Chelsea manager who stated that this is the way his team set out to win the game with a solid defensive performance and to catch united on the counter and to make their chances count. Of course it’s a lot easier said than done, but this performance really proved why Chelsea deserve to be champions.