Sir Alex or Jose: Who got it right on the night?

When Manchester United and Real Madrid drew each other during the Champions League round of sixteen, it invariably became the single most exciting contest to look forward to. With Sir Alex once again coming up against the ‘Special One’ and Cristiano Ronaldo facing his old teammates, this match promised to provide everything that a football fan looks for in a Champions League clash. But prior to the first leg, it wasn’t a difficult task to identify the favourites for this tie – Real Madrid by some margin. With arguably the best footballer in the world in their ranks and a pool of talent worth hundreds of millions to pick from, Jose Mourinho always had the better chance to help Real go through to the quarter finals. But how is the two legged tie shaped up after the first ninety minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu? Who came out on top and are now the favourites to find themselves in the last eight? Has Sir Alex pulled off a masterstroke by claiming a crucial away goal? Let’s discuss.

Having followed Manchester United very closely over the years, I knew that Sir Alex would definitely spring a couple of surprises in his line up when the day arrived. I doubt if any pundit over the internet successfully predicted the starting eleven that the gaffer put up against the might of Real Madrid. With Jose Mourinho making odd trips to Old Trafford over the last couple of weeks to have a closer look at United’s style, it was imperative that Ferguson tried to catch his Madrid counterpart off guard.

Rio Ferdinand was the obvious choice in the heart of defence after being rested against the Toffees last weekend alongside Jonny Evans. Michael Carrick picks himself and if there is anyone at all capable of keeping a keen watchful eye on Ronaldo, it’s Phil Jones. But it was the attacking quartet of Robin Van Persie, Shinji Kagawa, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney which surprised almost everyone. Real’s side was pretty much what most expected to be, with youngster Raphael Varane playing alongside Sergio Ramos in the centre of defence. Fabio Coentrao’s selection over Marcelo didn’t raise many eyebrows either since the Brazilian hasn’t had much playing time on the field since his return. So, I wouldn’t be grossly wrong if I conclude that Sir Alex’s side had an element of surprise unlike Mourinho’s. But then, many would argue that it had to be for United to stand a chance against a much stronger Real Madrid side.

Most pundits predicted Sir Alex to park the bus at Madrid by playing five men across the midfield, something they have done successfully in the past against strong oppositions in European matches. But this rather top heavy starting eleven must have definitely come across as a suicidal ploy to many. ‘Attack is the best form of defence’ – this common footballing algorithm was adopted by Ferguson on Wednesday night. With likes of Rooney and Welbeck in the flanks, United had industry as well as pace to hit them in the counter attacks. Unlike Antonio Valencia, who has not been as effective as last year, Rooney and Welbeck are multi-dimensional and have a better skill set to take on defenders as well as participate in link up play. Besides, Welbeck being primarily a striker does always have an odd goal in him and his aerial prowess came to the forefront as he beautifully guided a Wayne Rooney corner past Diego Lopez.

Real Madrid’s ineffectiveness from corners at the attacking end and poor defending at theirs were perfectly exploited by the United boss. Sergio Ramos failed to get a challenge in at Welbeck who steered Rooney’s corner past the goalkeeper; one straight from the training grounds. Corners came thick and fast for Real Madrid but they rarely troubled the United goalkeeper, the deliveries on most occasions being terribly disappointing. Phil Jones stuck to his job astoundingly well, his biggest assignment so far, by sticking close to the Madrid number seven and not letting Ronaldo get at the end of any corners. Despite the fact that Ronaldo scored the equaliser, Jones deserves special mention as he did a staggering job by keeping him quiet for large parts of the game. Rafael, who had a bizarre first half and was looking to challenge for every ball that there was to be won, settled down really well in the second half, much to the joy of United fans who feared a repeat of last season’s Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich when the young Brazilian’s sending off cost them dearly. Full marks to the gaffer for not being tempted to withdraw him, that second half would do a world of good to his confidence when United face Real Madrid again in another week’s time.

It’s often said that football managers are paid for the substitutions they make and on Wednesday night, both Ferguson and Mourinho used all their available substitutions. The Portuguese used them smartly as he brought on Luka Modric and Pepe in the midfield to have more of the football and shore up the defence in the final quarter of the match. Pepe’s introduction, which came across as a negative move in place of Xabi Alonso drew flak from fans but with the tie evenly poised at 1-1, that was a tactical masterstroke by Mourinho, so as to avoid gifting United their second away goal and have a mountain to climb at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex brought on Antonio Valencia in place of the tiring Danny Welbeck, a forced move rather than a tactical ploy as the young England striker looked tired. Ryan Giggs came on for Shinji Kagawa to give a bit more solidity in the heart of midfield as he functioned in a much deeper role as compared to the Japanese. As the game wore on, United shifted to a more conventional 4-5-1 with Van Persie playing up top. Neither of the two teams looked particularly eager to go all out to get their second goal, but more intent on keeping their defence in order.

Sir Alex scored one over Jose Mourinho as far as the tactical battle is concerned. To come back with a crucial away goal from the Bernabeu is good, but to just concede one is even better. But I think Sir Alex missed a trick by going a little defensive in the final minutes of the match, especially when Real Madrid looked satisfied with a draw. An extra striker alongside Van Persie could have just been the difference between a single away goal and two. Mourinho’s ploy to strengthen his defence made sense, Real Madrid will always score and now with the tie poised at 1-1, they have a high chance of progressing if they manage to find the net twice at the Theatre of Dreams. United could have really done with an extra away goal. Had they conceded a goal as they went in search for their second, would it make much of a difference? No, since they could have still won the fixture if they sneaked in a 1-0 victory at home.

Purely based in terms of result, I still feel Mourinho would be happy with the scoreline. But it was just due to Sir Alex’s sheer tactical acumen that has forced him to be so with a draw. Real Madrid are still the favourites in my opinion and Sir Alex would need to surprise his Mourinho once again to make sure the Red Devils make it through to the quarter finals. Strange things have happened in this game, stranger things await.