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Fergie plots revolution - and Berbatov is being set up as Manchester United's fall-guy
By Matt Lawton Chief Football Correspondent
Last updated at 11:20 AM on 29th May 2009
Manchester United did what most people would do after having their weaknesses so cruelly exposed here on Wednesday night. They got trashed.
They drank right through the night, some until it was time to head for the airport and
the plane home, allowing them no sleep and no private moments for painful introspection.
It was that kind of game. The kind of game that forces a manager to make changes that could all but end careers. The kind of game that starts a revolution — in the head of Sir Alex Ferguson, anyway.
He probably knew it was coming, probably realised it was the end of the line for Paul
Scholes and possibly even the remarkable Ryan Giggs, at least at the very highest level.
End of the line? Giggs and Scholes suffer alongside Rio Ferdinand
But what will disappoint Ferguson, and perhaps trouble him as he now plans for another season, is the way the players who were brought in to replace them were made to look so average by the brilliance of Barcelona.
Compared to Andres Iniesta and Xavi, Michael Carrick, Anderson and Ji-Sung Park were every bit the second-class citizens of Rome.
It was not a disaster. United remain the finest team in England and the second best in Europe. But Barcelona raised the bar at the Olympic Stadium and the challenge now
facing Ferguson is to regain the upper hand against a team, remember, that they had
beaten in the semi-finals of the Champions League the previous year.
Clearly, it is in midfield that much of the rebuilding work has to be done. United won a third consecutive Barclays Premier League title because they have some wonderful
forwards and a brilliant defence. Brilliant, that is, when Rio Ferdinand is fully fit.
But they have the third best midfield in England, a fact that became so depressingly apparent when they ran into Pep Guardiola’s side this week.
Much to think about: Ferguson must overhaul a midfield so ruthlessly exploited by Barcelona's Iniesta and Xavi
While the result might not have been much different, the midfields of Liverpool and Chelsea would have coped better with the demands imposed on them by something Ferguson has tagged a Catalan carousel.
Look at Liverpool: Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano. Or Chelsea: Lampard, Ballack and Essien. Not to mention Mikel. Two midfield units blessed with the power, pace and passing ability to provide more of a challenge to Xavi and Iniesta than that mounted by United.
It still didn’t stop Chelsea losing their semi-final and it still wasn’t enough to stop United winning the title. But among them are players Ferguson would dearly love to have, players who would complement what he already has and provide him with the necessary strength to win that third European Cup he so craves.
In fairness to United, they had one or two key absentees. Even if Wednesday night probably called for a Roy Keane or a Bryan Robson, the younger, fresher legs of Darren Fletcher would have been more effective than those of a 35-year-old Ryan Giggs. And if Owen Hargreaves can regain the fitness that makes him such a magnificent athlete, United have a marvellous holding midfielder.
But the worry for Ferguson is how hard it could prove to acquire new blood. Xavi and Iniesta? Forget it. They will never leave Barcelona. Cesc Fabregas? Over Arsene Wenger’s dead body.
Going nowhere: Xavi and Iniesta
Xabi Alonso would be a terrific acquisition and someone Rafa Benitez might just be prepared to let leave but, again, it would probably be to anywhere other than Old
Trafford. The same goes for Javier Mascherano as well as Chelsea’s resident powerhouses.
More...
Someone like Yaya Toure might be available and the physically imposing Barcelona midfielder could be just what Ferguson wants.
But he needs pure quality as well. Antonio Valencia might be a useful acquisition from Wigan, if still something of a gamble.
Much depends on what happens to Cristiano Ronaldo. If he stays, players might have to be sold to increase a transfer kitty probably sitting at around £30million and put
United in a position where they can join the race for Franck Ribery.
If he goes, Ferguson will have to move heaven and earth to lure Kaka from AC Milan. The Brazilian had no interest in joining Manchester City but United are a rather more
attractive proposition.
If Ronaldo does stay, Ferguson still needs to work out how best to deploy him in partnership with Wayne Rooney as well as address the problems associated with Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez.
On the evidence of recent weeks, it might still be worth trying to get Tevez at a knockdown price and then sell Berbatov. A courageous call, perhaps, but worth it if the
right kind of players can then be acquired.
Likely scapegoat: Berbatov has struggled to justify his £30million price tag, let alone a place in the starting line-up for the latter stages of the Champions League
Berbatov has not worked, as his absence from the starting line-ups for the Champions League final and semi-final have shown.
There are some big decisions to make after Wednesday night but nothing that should lead to a sense of panic. Not when Ferguson has been here so many times before.
By Matt Lawton Chief Football Correspondent
Last updated at 11:20 AM on 29th May 2009
Manchester United did what most people would do after having their weaknesses so cruelly exposed here on Wednesday night. They got trashed.
They drank right through the night, some until it was time to head for the airport and
the plane home, allowing them no sleep and no private moments for painful introspection.
It was that kind of game. The kind of game that forces a manager to make changes that could all but end careers. The kind of game that starts a revolution — in the head of Sir Alex Ferguson, anyway.
He probably knew it was coming, probably realised it was the end of the line for Paul
Scholes and possibly even the remarkable Ryan Giggs, at least at the very highest level.
End of the line? Giggs and Scholes suffer alongside Rio FerdinandBut what will disappoint Ferguson, and perhaps trouble him as he now plans for another season, is the way the players who were brought in to replace them were made to look so average by the brilliance of Barcelona.
Compared to Andres Iniesta and Xavi, Michael Carrick, Anderson and Ji-Sung Park were every bit the second-class citizens of Rome.
It was not a disaster. United remain the finest team in England and the second best in Europe. But Barcelona raised the bar at the Olympic Stadium and the challenge now
facing Ferguson is to regain the upper hand against a team, remember, that they had
beaten in the semi-finals of the Champions League the previous year.
Clearly, it is in midfield that much of the rebuilding work has to be done. United won a third consecutive Barclays Premier League title because they have some wonderful
forwards and a brilliant defence. Brilliant, that is, when Rio Ferdinand is fully fit.
But they have the third best midfield in England, a fact that became so depressingly apparent when they ran into Pep Guardiola’s side this week.
Much to think about: Ferguson must overhaul a midfield so ruthlessly exploited by Barcelona's Iniesta and XaviWhile the result might not have been much different, the midfields of Liverpool and Chelsea would have coped better with the demands imposed on them by something Ferguson has tagged a Catalan carousel.
Look at Liverpool: Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano. Or Chelsea: Lampard, Ballack and Essien. Not to mention Mikel. Two midfield units blessed with the power, pace and passing ability to provide more of a challenge to Xavi and Iniesta than that mounted by United.
It still didn’t stop Chelsea losing their semi-final and it still wasn’t enough to stop United winning the title. But among them are players Ferguson would dearly love to have, players who would complement what he already has and provide him with the necessary strength to win that third European Cup he so craves.
In fairness to United, they had one or two key absentees. Even if Wednesday night probably called for a Roy Keane or a Bryan Robson, the younger, fresher legs of Darren Fletcher would have been more effective than those of a 35-year-old Ryan Giggs. And if Owen Hargreaves can regain the fitness that makes him such a magnificent athlete, United have a marvellous holding midfielder.
But the worry for Ferguson is how hard it could prove to acquire new blood. Xavi and Iniesta? Forget it. They will never leave Barcelona. Cesc Fabregas? Over Arsene Wenger’s dead body.
Going nowhere: Xavi and Iniesta
Xabi Alonso would be a terrific acquisition and someone Rafa Benitez might just be prepared to let leave but, again, it would probably be to anywhere other than Old
Trafford. The same goes for Javier Mascherano as well as Chelsea’s resident powerhouses.
More...
- EXCLUSIVE: Scholes out? Stoke target United legend as player-coach
- Ronaldo's Real dream shattered as weary Madrid move for Bayern Munich's Ribery
- The four key questions: Jamie Redknapp and Andy Townsend assess what went wrong in Rome
- MARTIN SAMUEL: Yes, they are the masters - no dispute, Barca delivered
- Pique: I lived my Champions League dreams against United... then Barcelona went crazy
- MANCHESTER UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB
Someone like Yaya Toure might be available and the physically imposing Barcelona midfielder could be just what Ferguson wants.
But he needs pure quality as well. Antonio Valencia might be a useful acquisition from Wigan, if still something of a gamble.
Much depends on what happens to Cristiano Ronaldo. If he stays, players might have to be sold to increase a transfer kitty probably sitting at around £30million and put
United in a position where they can join the race for Franck Ribery.
If he goes, Ferguson will have to move heaven and earth to lure Kaka from AC Milan. The Brazilian had no interest in joining Manchester City but United are a rather more
attractive proposition.
If Ronaldo does stay, Ferguson still needs to work out how best to deploy him in partnership with Wayne Rooney as well as address the problems associated with Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez.
On the evidence of recent weeks, it might still be worth trying to get Tevez at a knockdown price and then sell Berbatov. A courageous call, perhaps, but worth it if the
right kind of players can then be acquired.
Likely scapegoat: Berbatov has struggled to justify his £30million price tag, let alone a place in the starting line-up for the latter stages of the Champions LeagueBerbatov has not worked, as his absence from the starting line-ups for the Champions League final and semi-final have shown.
There are some big decisions to make after Wednesday night but nothing that should lead to a sense of panic. Not when Ferguson has been here so many times before.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
Bowing out: Stoke want the 34-year-old United legend to leave Old Trafford after 15-years to become their new player-coach at the Britannia Stadium 
Plenty to ponder: A dejected Scholes watches Xavi celebrate Bara's Champions League Final victory as he is left to contemplate his Manchester United future 
In the shades: Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Manchester after having been outshone by Barcelona's stars
Run ragged: Ronaldo and United struggled to contain Barcelona in Rome
Bernabeu-bound: Ribery will swap Bayern Munich for Real Madrid in a £40million deal
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