Former Chelsea boss, Guus Hiddink, has claimed that he was was bored whilst watching the Champions League final this year, thanks to the poor tactics of United.
“I had no joy watching the Champions League final,” said Hiddink. “It was boring. There was only one team on the pitch and it was Barca. There was no real fight and it was proof that it’s very important to analyse the opponent. Barcelona played their own football, but they also knew in advance all the weaknesses of Manchester United.”
As painful as it may be to admit, he’s hit the nail on the head here.
Man Utd News 24/7
Yeah, i was gonna say the same thing.
Meh, the first 10 minutes were good…
asshole, and what about his tacktics vs barca
lidija – that was what Hiddink was trying to say. Chelsea knew they couldn’t ‘out football’ Barca and played to beat them by targeting thier weaknesses (and they should’ve won being honest). The fact that we didn’t do ‘a Chelsea’ on them when it proved so sucessful to me shows that Fergie got his tactics totally wrong. We simply turned up and tried to out play Barca rather than attack their weaknesses and we lost as a result.
he’s right
united should of stuck 11 men behind the ball like chelsea did against them
now thats entertainment
at least we got to the final Mr Hiddink…
I agree with both Hiddink and GHTT. It’s a little hypocritical for him to say that the 11th minute onwards was boring, when he made 118 minutes boring before Platini made sure Barca made the final.
Very true, OK a big team shocks u in 10 mins and ur totally laid back.. atleast the FA cup final was exciting come back after a goal under a minute..
Anyways its just one of those days!! Sigh!!. ,
ok fair comment,but i also recall only one team in the champions league semi in the nou camp whilst the other parked the bus.
i thought tht was boring.
Utd actually took the game to barca from the off, and whist we didnt take advantage of the chances tht came our, way thy scored with their first attack frm what i recall as weak defending-not barca fault- after tht thy kept the ball very well and limited our opportunities. I was only dissapointed by our own ball retention,although many ppl fail to recognise barca worked extremely hard to retain possession. Overall i feel utd lacked bite in midfield, ala hargreaves,fletcher to sit and restrict iniesta frm dictating the game,with rooney and berba up front bringing the midfield into the game instead of chasing it..although i was happy with SAFs team before the game, so ive no real complaints.
I also think guus is still hurting frm the 2nd leg outcome with barca,which is understandable..maybe he should analyse his own players behaviour, decisions go against teams all the time.Its how you respond tht counts and his team did themselves no favours.
hiddink was right about united. you can say that we played well in the 1st 10 minutes but that doesn’t mean anything cause it’s win that matters.
hiddink tactics against barca was right considering their type of players although it may look like a dirty play. but i’m sure if he is our manager, the tactics will be different cause our palyer are better…
Well, to be fair, his Chelsea played similar tactics to United. But they made a far better fist of it. Barca never looked like scoring against Chelsea until the last minute. Chelsea had several good chances and some bona fide penalty appeals turned away. United, on the other hand, never got the ball in the final.
lidija – To be fair to Hiddink, his tactics worked against Barca. If not for ridiculous refereeing, it would have been Chelsea in the final. Their tactics, whilst totally anti-football, worked. Ours did not.
i don’t give a shit what Guus says and Scott it would be better not to put topics on the final again. we had too much of the pain.
Hiddink knows his stuff, glad he´s not staying on at chelski-he could have made life difficult for us next season…
wazza the final is apart of manchester united history
ya cant just forget the loses
the loses build a team
its how the kids bounce back
its the desire to do better next time
its the neville scholes giggs to show the leadership and dont let the teams heads drop
on of the best games of football i seen last season was our lose 2-1 to arsenal
what a fantastic game of football
i dont wanna forget it cause we lost
losing this final can crush young players
or turn them into the next giggs
I think there may be an over reaction here.
United go to the Final so there is no need for a major overhall of the starting 11, squad, or the style of play. We must have done something right.
But I think at the very very top level we have problems.
That game was crying out for Carlos Quieroz and his input.
A few players were found out that they aren’t up to scratch. I’ve always said that the central midfield do not score enough goals and lack creativity.
Plus Portugal are 3rd in the World Cup Qualifiers Table.
How selfish does it sound but I hope they don’t qualify and Carlos Quiroz comes back to United. Might give Ronaldo some rest that Summer too.
If Portugal fail to make the world cup im sure that he will be back.
Fergie is many GREAT things, but a PISS poor tactician – sorry if that upsets some, but if SAF wants to understand WHY he has not won the Eurpoean CL trophies he craves, its because of poor team formations and tactics. You all gotta be honest, United were very lucky against Bayern Munich, who hit the post 3 times in Barcelona, and against Chelski, as much as I hate Chelski’s Terry, he was unlucky on the penalty that would have won for them in Moscow. This farce of a trip to Rome, I was waiting for our team to wake the fuck up, but noooooooooooooooo, we got the same zombi, snooze football that we have endured in many games this season. And yes I do go and scream with the United faithful home and away! If we are going to make an IMPACT signing, it should surely be a master tactician coach. SAF has too many other responsibilites, he works like a feckin trojan – the guy needs a tactical GENIOUS to help with the team.
It was boring in what sense?That it was a monlogue after the 10th minute?I agree on that.But it wan’t boring in terms of tactics.A boring game in my book is one where very few chances are created throughout.United opted to be open and that made it more interesting because Barca got a chance to showcase their attacking talents.Give me this over Hiddink’s catenaccio any day of the week.
Agreed ISaidSo
SAF is a brilliant manager but at the very very top level he is lacking the tactics.
That is why we need Carlos Quieroz (and Karim Benzema will make things easier too!)
I will agree that Fergie was indecisive in his Rome approach,but if Park or Ronaldo had scored early on,none of this would have mattered.Rome was a case of oe game too much.But i do think that Fergie needs someone to help out tactically.There is a story about CQ changing SAF’s mind about bringing O’Shea on in Moscow and rather going with Anderson.Given that we needed Ando for penalties,i think it was a smart move.SAF might need someone second guessing him like that more often.
I find it staggering that people can say that SAF, after 35 years in management, and well over 50 in football, that he isn’t a good tactician, and that he needed Queiroz or McClaren or Kidd or whoever to do the tactics for him, while all he does is plug in the hairdryer.
The fact is, you cannot be as successful as SAF is without being a complete and thorough understanding of tactics. Just because he’s a fiery Scotsman, and not a continental European, doesn’t mean he lacks tactical insight. Sure, he got it wrong against Barca, but he’s got it right many many more times. Where the people calling Fergie a piss poor tactician after the Chelsea game this year, or the Arsenal semi finals?
what is he complaining to? they produced 180 minutes of boring football against barca. actually, it was an anti-football
@confoundedbridge:
Personally i feel that in modern football, SAF and CQ have fitted it’s other like a glove and they made a string team. Nothing against both men’s individual talents, but i think that they were magic as a team. Obviously SAF will alway prosper on his own but as i said above, it’s nice once in a while to have someone challenge him.He is a good tactician,but in some cases he needs input from somewhere else.
confoundedbridge, spot on.
If CQ was such a brilliant tactician why is he such a failure as a manager? You do not win what Fergie has in the game is you are not a good tactical manager, and coupled with a exciting brand of football.
I don’t care what he says. Absolutely.
We are ManUnited (c)
I don’t know where the point that Chelsea overplayed us or we got lucky from. We played better in the first half, they played better in the second. In the first half if we took our chances and Chelsea wouldn’t have scored that stupid glao we were cruising to victory. Chelsea has a more physical team and it counted.
In 99 our team lacked experience and the likes of Keane and Scholes (twoo very important figures). But yes, we’ve got lucky. That’s why yes, i can not understand the Fergie’s moaning about the lack of trophies. We’ve got lucky sometimes, sometimes not. That’s life.
But i will say it once again. I started to love ManU because of our free flowing football. Please, Fergie, i want 06-07 season. Everything else would be a bonus.
@Stephen:
CQ is a failure as a manager because he can’t handle the load.He is better off playing second fiddle to someone else.I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in this decade we have had our best results against Liverpool and Arsenal with him as an assistant.It’s not a knock on Sir Alex by any means,but i always felt better when CQ was around taking some of the load of his shoulders.
CQ at least took the responsibility to give some indications to the players while Phelan sits on the bench. He is not a coach, he is more of the bodyguard, friend etc.
Spot on confoundedbridge. The bloke has already left us twice, he would do it again as soon as another “management” job comes up.
What do you mean he can’t handle the load Costas? He had a number 2 at Real went on to lose their final five matches and finished in 4th, and his he is an international manager, he is not as if he is working week in week out like club management.
King Eric, I totally agree everytime he gets a better offer he leaves, what happens if he comes back, tail between legs when he gets sacked as the manager of Portugal, and then gets offered lets say the Inter job if Mourinho leaves, he will be off again.
Not the workload Stephen.I meant that he can’t handle the responsibility of being the one to call the shots all the time.Also, i think that SAF is a better man manager than him.I am not of the opinion that he should come back to the club.As you said,he will always be ambitious.But i would like to see someone like Blanc coming in and offering his 2 cents once in a while.Not that it would happen now.Blanc is doing fine on his own.
@All
The best way to put it is this:
Are Manchester United more successful with or without Carlos Quieroz?
Oh and the ABU’s are making a big deal out of this story.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11667_5369084,00.html
Erm I think we should stop saying Barca shouldnt even okay the final already. It makes us sound bitter. To me, Chelsea was guilty for wasting too many chances. When you dont take your chances, then that’s it for you.
Also Hiddink, the yet another “nearly” manager of Chelsea, i dont think he is entitled to give a comment on the final. What he has done with Chelsea was nothing, Avram Grant was better. At least he got no2, and managed to get into the CL final. Hiddink’s style also was not beatiful. I dont agree he is any better than any other except TNSSO
@Alpha RS: CQ came into our lives 7 years ago. He was 5 years in total at the club.We won the title in 3 of the 5 years.In the other 2 years,we won the title once.I don’t know if we can compare the 2 eras.We won trophies during both of them.Personally,i think that with the team of SAF and CQ we were a bit better off.
So a top international manager isn’t entitled to offer an opinion but the semi-literates of the world can! LOFL, the Sky generation know-nothings!
@Costas
I believe we were a better team with CQ as we beat the other top 4 more than without him.
@Blue West
Hiddink is right in what he is saying.
We did win a few things before he was at the club, I think people go a little over board about CQ’s importance at the club, he has walked out on us us twice and would never want him back, especially as manager.
Goals change games – and both of Barcelona’s goals were the result of shoddy, shoddy, shoddy defensive play.
Rio, Anderson, and Carrick played with injuries serious enough to put an end to their seasons; Fletcherinho was suspended; Hargreaves was out of the picture. That meant UTD’s midfield and key central defender were playing at less than match-fitness while only Iniesta in the opposition’s midfield was in the same predicament. That was the reason why TheLads couldn’t impose themselves in midfield – Scholes and Giggs don’t do that so, in essence, UTD were facing an uphill struggle that was exacerbated when those three early chances went a-begging.
I’ve been told by friends that UTD were “trounced” and read that Barcelona were playing “on another level”. Of course, it’s a ex post facto revisionism and it’s hard to argue with the result but a serious analysis of the game has to see the result in context, not just blather on about the inevitability of the superior team’s victory. HIddink has missed the point altogether and his comments sound like nothing so much as sour grapes.
Confounded bridge, no wonder you are confounded mate! I didn’t mention CQ coming back. I said SAF needs a tactical genious by his side, and I stand by that. Never heard of the old adage, that two heads are better than one? I also didn’t say that SAF wasn’t great at getting it right in the PL, because he has consistently proved that he can. However I do still believe that even in the PL we were lucky this year. Those who couldn’t see this, go down to specsavers, they got a good deal on lol!. What I did say, was that in the CL which SAF admits we should have won more, one has to ask themselves why we haven’t. We were to the unbiased mind, fortunate against Bayern and Chelski. We were barely there at all against Barca, if we hadn’t have shown up at all and sent a ghost squad, we couldn’t have done worse. I believe even SAF himself has said that Tactics are not his strongest asset. Anyway each to his own. I still follow the lads come hail, rain or snow, I’m just not blinded to SAF’s or the players imperfections that’s all!
Everyone makes mistakes and Fergie had one aginst Barca. Guaranteed he will have sat up for the last two weeks and considered all the other possibilities, that’s just the way it goes, nobody ever stops learning.
denton davey – “ex post facto revisionism” ?? How is that for iliterate Blue West? Good points denton.
Jake – Absolutely, even the best still have things to learn.
Isaidso , I don’t believe I said anything about Queiroz coming back myself.I agree that it always helps to have a good person along side you to bounce ideas across with. I was mainly disputing what you said about Fergie being a “piss poor tactician”. That simply isn’t true, with or without Queiroz. He’s a great tactician, even if he hasn’t reached the standards he’s set himself fo Europe.
Oh please Scott no more posts about the CL final….I’m trying very hard to erase that day from my memory ……..although I agree with him…
Dummies, i guess Hidink’s message is lost on you. Man Utd got to the final playing weaker teams and see the way they crumbled under the 1st real challenge, unlike Chelsea that Barca had to qualify over with away goals, of course Hinddink fared better than Fergusson against Barca
Not again..we know for fuck CHRIST…That fergie got his tactics wrong..
That players didnt showed up in the final…And it was pretty shitty football we played against barca…WE GET THE FREAKING POINT..Just let go will you..
I got to agree with gingerprince,its freaking HARD or GOD DAMN hard to erase that painfulll memory in Rome…SO no more posting 8bt the CL final…
@confoundedbridge- spot on mate. Fergie is a tactical genius and no one can deny it. Yes he get’s it wrong sometimes but after all he’s only a human. We all get wrong sometimes. And to say we were lucky against chelsea and bayern is just totally crap. Chelsea were even lucky to be even in the game at half time. And as for the Bayern game if you have seen it thoroughly then you will see that we had created more chances than bayern and it was only a miskick by yorke infront of a nearly open-net that we were denied an equaliser and we also missed many-many chances that day so you can’t say we were lucky in both the finals
Confounded Bridge fair enough mate. You are entitled to your opinions, as I am to mine. The sheep who think it is almost absolute sacrilege to think SAF doesn’t have any weak points at all, will no doubt stay in denial, but most fans know really. SAF himself, said on MUTV, that he doesn’t sub players for tactical reasons, but to keep players fresh. I heard that myself mate, while listening to SAF in interview, so that should tell you something. Anyway, no point in continuing, because I will not agree with most of my Man United supporters on our blogs, because I truly believe SAF is piss poor tactician in Europe. Notice I said Europe, because fans on here are going on about his years of fantastic tactical knowledge in the league. Anybody who read Roy Keane’s interview in most of the media, Roy said SAF is the best Manager EVER. but falls short in the tactical prowess. So that coming from a player who adored SAF and vica-versa.
I wasn’t bored with the final, just embarrased. I haven’t seen a United team be so out played since the 5 – 0 thrashing by Crystal Palace in 1972/73 season. We were second best and unfortunately I have to say that Fergie got the tactics wrong this time.
If no one has said it above, I’ll say it here…we missed Carlos Queroz.
Rich for Guus to come out with that seeing what the Chavs did in the FA Cup a couple of years back. As the Barcelona fans and media claimed, the Chavs play Anti-football.
For the first ten minutes in Rome there was only one team in it. Ten minutes of United is worth a lifetime of anything the Chavs can produce and Ancelloti won’t exactly bring a feast of football to the Bridge.
The only reaosn he got the job was because he was the manager of another side full of OAPS.
Rome was an Off day, nothing more and nothing less.
I don’t want to remember the match was ever played.