Football Orphan: Manchester United beat Semi Final imposters to book place in Champions League Final at Wembley
Anderson couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo usually, but scored 2 against pitiful Schalke.
Last night Manchester United beat Schalke 4-1 to set up a dream Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley on May 28th. For all the world we might as well have been watching a Europa League group game. Manchester United fielded virtually a second string to face a team who looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights for the second week in a row. This could not be the team that put five past Inter Milan in the San Siro surely?
The German’s were in fact so bad, that EVEN Darron Gibson got on the score sheet, while Anderson bagged a brace. Not exactly the kind of centrepiece that the big wigs at Uefa had in mind I’m sure. Alex Ferguson decided they obviously had bigger fish to fry with the visit of Chelsea in a crunch match in the Premier League on Sunday. There was little chance of the team selection backfiring on the United boss.
United have gone through an entire campaign without conceding an away goal. This is arguably where most if not all teams should face their toughest tests. It’s quite an astonishing statistic and one that I don’t think will be equalled for quite a while by a Champions League finalist. Ferguson will contest his fourth Champions League final later this month. The Scot will be rubbing his hands at the prospect of righting the wrongs of the 2009 final where Barcelona made Manchester United look like a second-rate pub team. The reality of things are that Barcelona are stronger, while Manchester United are weaker, so the United boss is well advised to have an abundance of headache pills at the ready.
If Chelsea go to Old Trafford and beat United, winning the Champions League against the best team in the world to secure their only silverware of the season becomes a bigger task. United have had an incredible season considering they reached the FA Cup semi final, Champions League final, and will challenge for the league title down to the final few games, but they could end the season empty-handed having had an 18 point advantage over rivals Chelsea at one point.
There is a fine line between success and failure. This will be even more evident for Manchester United at the end of the month. No doubt if the season ends in success for the wily Scot, it will be hailed as his greatest ever achievement. If United end the season with nothing, it will be difficult to understand why the United manager didn’t strengthen his weakest squad in almost twenty years.
Football Orphan 