Schalke’ 04 vs. Manchester United – UEFA Champions League: Player ratings for Manchester United (Part 1)
With their 2-0 win over Schalke in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie against Schalke’ 04, Manchester United have probably already reached the final match of the Champions League at Wembley stadium. All that is needed now from the Red Devils’ is a characteristically solid performance at Old Trafford in a week’s time. Manchester United has blown hot and cold this season but their silverware credentials have never been in doubt. Thus let’s take a look at how United’s starting eleven performed at Veltins-Arena against Schalke’ 04 on 26th of April, 2011...
Edwin Van der Sar
Manchester United’s veteran goalkeeper had little to do on the night since their midfield and defense were impervious in possession. Schalke’ 04 had only five attempts on target, two of which were threatening enough to force Van der Sar into some notable action. Other than that, the Dutchman had an easy night out in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904. Rating: 8/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabio-c13152 da Silva
Manchester United’s Brazilian full back mirrored his brother’s tenacious approach in defense and inventive attitude in attack. In a match where Manchester United controlled most of the possession, Fabio got himself booked in the second half due to a weak lunge on Jurado. Nonetheless, the Brazilian full back was at his best when he sped through the Schalke defense in the first half but failed to produce a telling final ball towards http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wayne-Rooney-c36736. Rating: 7.5/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rio-Ferdinand-c31173
Just like wine, Ferdinand seems to be getting better with age. Ferguson has been using his prized center back quite sparingly given his back and calf problems but Ferdinand is still a reliable customer at the back. He showcased his tremendous game reading skills by shackling Schalke 04’s http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Raul-c30652, throughout the match. Not only that, the Englishman had a 94 percent pass completion rate as 87 of his 93 passes on the night reached their intended target. Rating: 8/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nemanja-Vidic-c27550
Vidic’s robust and tough tackling approach is an excellent compliment to Ferdinand’s cool, calm and collected defensive outlook. Vidic won most of his aerial battles with Raul Gonzales and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Edu-c12016 outside the Manchester United penalty area. However, his most useful contribution to the match was his distribution. A player who is seen as a relatively weak passer of the ball, Vidic completed 71 out of 83 passes and in doing so, maintained a completion rate of around 86 percent. The Serbian stalwart also covered 9.25 kilometers during the match. Rating: 7.5/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Patrice-Evra-c29231
After receiving heavy criticism from fans and pundits, alike, in the past few weeks, Evra was at his best against Schalke 04 for Manchester United. This season hasn’t been a vintage Evra season so far as the Frenchman has been struggling with fatigue issues which have caused him to become careless in the defensive part of his game. Nonetheless, the left wing back was marauding down the wing for United at Veltins-Arena on Tuesday night and it is expected that he will do the same at Old Trafford in a week’s time. Rating: 8/10
In the next part of this series, we shall take a look at the player ratings for Manchester United’s midfield four and Wayne Rooney alongside Javier Hernandez.
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