The Round Football Column 5.22.08: 152nd Edition – Reaction from Moscow

Posted by Tim O'Sullivan on 05.22.2008

John Terry saves Cristiano Ronaldo’s blushes as Man Utd win the Champions League.


Man Utd won the Champions League last night…..true story.



It was better than we expected, wasn't it?

People will look back on this in ten years and see that Man Utd won the 2008 UEFA Champions League, but it had so much more depth than that.

Folk thought AC Milan were screwed by Liverpool's freakish comeback in 2005 and Arsenal were unlucky to lose the 2006 final after being 13 minutes away from victory – but what Chelsea suffered on Wednesday was a completely different animal.



Sure, Man Utd dominated the opening 30 – 40 minutes, but after that Chelsea were clearly the better team.

I've given Frank Lampard a lot of stick over the years, but that's mainly been because idiots have named him the second best player in the world. Just because he's overrated doesn't mean he's not a very, very good player. He certainly is a very, very good player and he proved that in Moscow. Energy wise, he drifted in and out of the game, but footballistically he was impressive throughout. Chelsea's goal was lucky – blah, blah, blah – but it's hardly a coincidence to see him in the right place at the right time for the millionth time. His tackling, passing and positioning was decent, too. Overall, he's proved he's an extremely impressive player and if he does move to Serie A he can be an English export we would be proud of.

As for United, well it's hard to argue that they've deserved this sort of luck and glory over the course of the season.

I know I'll get shit for this, but I'm still not overly convinced by the whole Cristiano Ronaldo wank-a-thon. He scored a fantastic header in the biggest game in club football, but he was quiet for the other 119 minutes. Prior to the game he revelled in the fact he had scored in the big games, including two against Arsenal, despite the fact that one was a penalty and the other was a tap-in during a very pedestrian performance at The Emirates. His record is phenomenal this season and he warrants all the individual gongs that come his way, but I still think a fully-fit Messi and Kaka are superior players.

Having said that, it was a class header from Ronaldo and more to the point – an absolute stroke of tactical genius from Fergie to play the Portugal star on the left. He really couldn't have given Ashley Cole a bigger compliment. Tied down, with a gun to his head, even Fergie would admit his golden boy has been owned by the Tweedy-cheating, money-grabbing, mobile-loving defender that is Ashley Cole. Even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he has clearly admitted to himself that Cole has Ronaldo sat comfortably in his pocket. Switching him to the other flank was a smart move and Ronaldo capitalised, however brief the fling was.


PLAYER RATINGS

MAN UTD

EDWIN VAN DER SAR: 8

He made some great saves and was the shoot-out hero after saving from Anelka.

WES BROWN: 8

For me, he's ahead of Santa Cruz and Flamini as the surprise star of the season. Another imperious performance.

RIO FERDINAND: 7

For the most part he was his world-class self, but the 30th minute Ballack chance made him look a little shaky.

NEMANJA VIDIC: 7

A few erratic moments in the latter stages of the first half, but once he settled he was vintage.

PATRICE EVRA: 7

Quick and clever – you can't argue that Evra has turned into a superb full-back.

OWEN HARGREAVES: 7

Extremely busy and useful, but lacked creativity in the final third.

MICHAEL CARRICK: 7

As usual, he somehow managed to take the midfield game down to his pace and produced some good passing.

PAUL SCHOLES: 6

One of the top five Premier League players of all-time, but with Carrick pedestrian enough as it is, I can't help but feel this was a reputation pick. Clever passing and positioning, but his tackling was as shocking as ever.

CRISTIANO RONALDO: 7

Great header, but United's tactics stifled him and he never had the chance to shine.

CARLOS TEVEZ: 7

An extremely endearing performance. He worked harder than anyone else on the pitch and was never afraid to try a long shot.

WAYNE ROONEY: 6

He worked the channels well and created space for others, but I really don't know how much longer he can get away with being a striker who's never dangerous in front of goal.

CHELSEA

PETR CECH: 7

Crazy kit, but one of the best double saves you'll ever see. Plus, he nearly ruined Ronaldo's season in the shoot-out.

MICHAEL ESSIEN: 7

His defensive positioning suffered a little bit, but he was amazingly dynamic in the second half.

JOHN TERRY: 8

A night he'll never forget for all the wrong reasons, but before the infamous shoot-out miss he was his usual all-out balls best.

RICARDO CARVALHO: 7

Nothing spectacular, but solid and classy throughout.

ASHLEY COLE: 9

He's had a rough time at Chelsea, but he proved in Moscow why he's still the best left-back in the world on his day.

CLAUDE MAKELELE: 8

The biggest brains on the pitch. So calm, so clever, so classy.

MICHAEL BALLACK: 6

Only Terry looked more gutted at the end.

FRANK LAMPARD: 8

Struggled in spells, but for the majority he was a class act.

JOE COLE: 6

Some nice flicks, but void of the creativity everyone seems to credit him for.

FLORENT MALOUDA: 3

I've backed him up so much and thought Grant was right to pick him here, but he was shocking at the culmination of an awful first year in England.

DIDIER DROGBA: 4

A couple of outrageously good split-second impact moments, but for the rest of the contest he was owned by Rio and Vidic, rolled around like a pussy and got sent off.


As for the penalties, well it was just incredible drama. I was insanely jealous of Chelsea fans being in Moscow on Wednesday, but I wouldn't have swapped Arsenal's cruel quarter-final exit for their penalty pain in a million years. The Blues were one penalty and 12-yards away from winning their first ever Champions League trophy. Imagine that? I feel sick thinking about that happening to my team. What happened to John Terry was beyond huge. It doesn't matter if it was a poor pitch or a lack of bottle – what happened face-to-face with Edwin van der Sar in Moscow will stick with the Chelsea skipper forever. He's a professional and he may prove me wrong, but right now I have to say I'd be surprised if he ever reached his peak again. That may sound ridiculous, but just imagine struggling through six group games, the second round, quarter-finals and a super-intense semi-final, only to lose the final because of YOU missing a kick from 12-yards. How and when he finally sleeps is beyond me.

Would Cristiano Ronaldo have lost his way had Terry netted the penalty and won Chelsea the cup? His penalty would have lost it for United. That really could have happened!

Either way, Man Utd will go down in history as the 2008 UEFA Champions League winners.



End of season awards on Monday. Until then…

O'Sullivan

Done.