MANCHESTER UNITED
Group C: Manchester United | Benfica | Basel | Otelul Galati
Status: Premier League champions
Nickname: Red Devils
THE RECORD: United are three-time European champions, with their legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson making it his priority to add to the club's solitary 1968 victory in this competition when he took over as Old Trafford chief way back in 1986.
He has succeeded in that task, winning his first Champions League crown in 1999 and backing it up with a 2008 triumph in a decisive penalty shoot-out against Chelsea in the Moscow rain. His side's defeat in the final game of last season's competition against Barcelona merely served to fuel Ferguson's ambitions for this campaign.
TACTICIAN: Sir Alex Ferguson
The granddaddy of all football managers, Ferguson's legend was set in stone once he claimed his first Champions League crown in the famous 1999 Final, which featured two last gasp goals to see off a crestfallen Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.
With a stunning 27-major titles to his credit in his historic reign as United chief, this 69-year-old shows no sign of losing his appetite for the sport he has mastered in nearly four decades patrolling the touchline. Fergie will hope believe there is at least one more Champions League triumph to toast before he heads into retirement sunset.
THE GAMEPLAN: Ferguson opted to play Wayne Rooney as his lone striker in Champions League games a couple of seasons back, especially away from home, yet the emergence of Javier Hernandez meant a two-man attack was favoured at the back end of last term.
Their lack of numbers in midfield allowed Barcelona to overrun United in last season's Champions League Final at Wembley, so bulking up the midfield may be his game plan this time. The electrifying pace the English champions can operate at is too much for most of their rivals to deal with.
MAIN MAN: Wayne Rooney
Rooney suffered a Tiger Woods-style public meltdown last season, which included tabloid scandals, a dramatic decline in form on the field and an attempt to walk out on United to join local rivals Manchester City at the height of the turmoil.
By the end of the campaign, United's No.10 was reinstalled as their talisman in chief and he was one of the few United players to emerge from the Champions League Final defeat against Barcelona with his reputation enhanced. With a trimmed-down physique to go with his cosmetically-planted new hairdo, Rooney looks ready to rock Europe this season.
BIG SIGNING: Ashley Young
A few eyebrows were raised when Ferguson snapped up Young from Aston Villa during the summer as the critics of this speedy winger have long suggested that his end product is not up to the job at the highest level.
However, it seems as if the £15 million move to United has already taken Young's game onto another level, with his confidence soaring and his threat down the flank apparently cranked up a couple of notches. He loves nothing better than cutting inside a full-back and unleashing curling right-footed shots that can be delivered come with unstoppable power and accuracy.
THE RISING STAR: Phil Jones
United beat off competition from Arsenal and Liverpool to secure the services of centre-back Jones this summer and the £16 million fee agreed with Blackburn seemed hefty for teenager unproven at the highest level, yet it seems as if he is already emerging as a genuine threat to first team stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
"I have always watched players like Rio in the past and tried to copy what he does, so it seems crazy that I might now be playing alongside him at the biggest club in the world," says the starry-eyed youngster. "I have to prove I'm good enough to play for United every week."
THE X FACTOR: The Young Guns
A fresh and youthful United have emerged this season and they appear to have a few more strings to their repertoire after a summer of heavy transfer investment.
New keeper David de Gea, defensive starlets Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, hungry midfielders Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley and strikers Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck have dramatically dragged down the average age of this United line-up. If they combine with the club's old guard in double quick time, the extra dimension boss Ferguson is looking for may already be within his grasp.
FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: United's youthful additions could yet turn out to be a weakness for Europe's elite to exploit, with De Gea's uncertainty between the sticks an obvious pressure point for opponents to press. The Spanish stopper is still a raw talent and his mistakes could cost United dear.
There must also be question marks over whether the likes of Cleverley and Young could unsettle Barcelona if a rematch of last season's Wembley Final comes to fruition. Against the very best, any minor defect will be exposed. Ferguson should have pushed through a deal to sign Inter's Wesley Sneijder in the summer, as the Dutch master would have given United's midfield the extra class it still lacks.
WHAT THEY SAY: "There is no doubt that United will be one of our main rivals again and they seem to be even stronger this time," states Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola. "We are talking about a side who played a Champions League semi-final with a lot of reserve players last season and ended up winning 4-1. Their squad is better than everyone else and, obviously, they have the greatest manager of them all."
VERDICT: Another run to the final is a strong possibility, but Barcelona still look a step ahead of United's youthful entertainers.
source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/953974/champions-league-2011-12,-group-c?cc=3436
Status: Premier League champions
Nickname: Red Devils
THE RECORD: United are three-time European champions, with their legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson making it his priority to add to the club's solitary 1968 victory in this competition when he took over as Old Trafford chief way back in 1986.
He has succeeded in that task, winning his first Champions League crown in 1999 and backing it up with a 2008 triumph in a decisive penalty shoot-out against Chelsea in the Moscow rain. His side's defeat in the final game of last season's competition against Barcelona merely served to fuel Ferguson's ambitions for this campaign.
TACTICIAN: Sir Alex Ferguson
The granddaddy of all football managers, Ferguson's legend was set in stone once he claimed his first Champions League crown in the famous 1999 Final, which featured two last gasp goals to see off a crestfallen Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.
With a stunning 27-major titles to his credit in his historic reign as United chief, this 69-year-old shows no sign of losing his appetite for the sport he has mastered in nearly four decades patrolling the touchline. Fergie will hope believe there is at least one more Champions League triumph to toast before he heads into retirement sunset.
THE GAMEPLAN: Ferguson opted to play Wayne Rooney as his lone striker in Champions League games a couple of seasons back, especially away from home, yet the emergence of Javier Hernandez meant a two-man attack was favoured at the back end of last term.
Their lack of numbers in midfield allowed Barcelona to overrun United in last season's Champions League Final at Wembley, so bulking up the midfield may be his game plan this time. The electrifying pace the English champions can operate at is too much for most of their rivals to deal with.
MAIN MAN: Wayne Rooney
Rooney suffered a Tiger Woods-style public meltdown last season, which included tabloid scandals, a dramatic decline in form on the field and an attempt to walk out on United to join local rivals Manchester City at the height of the turmoil.
By the end of the campaign, United's No.10 was reinstalled as their talisman in chief and he was one of the few United players to emerge from the Champions League Final defeat against Barcelona with his reputation enhanced. With a trimmed-down physique to go with his cosmetically-planted new hairdo, Rooney looks ready to rock Europe this season.
BIG SIGNING: Ashley Young
A few eyebrows were raised when Ferguson snapped up Young from Aston Villa during the summer as the critics of this speedy winger have long suggested that his end product is not up to the job at the highest level.
However, it seems as if the £15 million move to United has already taken Young's game onto another level, with his confidence soaring and his threat down the flank apparently cranked up a couple of notches. He loves nothing better than cutting inside a full-back and unleashing curling right-footed shots that can be delivered come with unstoppable power and accuracy.
THE RISING STAR: Phil Jones
United beat off competition from Arsenal and Liverpool to secure the services of centre-back Jones this summer and the £16 million fee agreed with Blackburn seemed hefty for teenager unproven at the highest level, yet it seems as if he is already emerging as a genuine threat to first team stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
"I have always watched players like Rio in the past and tried to copy what he does, so it seems crazy that I might now be playing alongside him at the biggest club in the world," says the starry-eyed youngster. "I have to prove I'm good enough to play for United every week."
THE X FACTOR: The Young Guns
A fresh and youthful United have emerged this season and they appear to have a few more strings to their repertoire after a summer of heavy transfer investment.
New keeper David de Gea, defensive starlets Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, hungry midfielders Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley and strikers Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck have dramatically dragged down the average age of this United line-up. If they combine with the club's old guard in double quick time, the extra dimension boss Ferguson is looking for may already be within his grasp.
FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: United's youthful additions could yet turn out to be a weakness for Europe's elite to exploit, with De Gea's uncertainty between the sticks an obvious pressure point for opponents to press. The Spanish stopper is still a raw talent and his mistakes could cost United dear.
There must also be question marks over whether the likes of Cleverley and Young could unsettle Barcelona if a rematch of last season's Wembley Final comes to fruition. Against the very best, any minor defect will be exposed. Ferguson should have pushed through a deal to sign Inter's Wesley Sneijder in the summer, as the Dutch master would have given United's midfield the extra class it still lacks.
WHAT THEY SAY: "There is no doubt that United will be one of our main rivals again and they seem to be even stronger this time," states Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola. "We are talking about a side who played a Champions League semi-final with a lot of reserve players last season and ended up winning 4-1. Their squad is better than everyone else and, obviously, they have the greatest manager of them all."
VERDICT: Another run to the final is a strong possibility, but Barcelona still look a step ahead of United's youthful entertainers.
source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/953974/champions-league-2011-12,-group-c?cc=3436
