Poll: UEFA Champions League Final Man Utd vs Chelsea - 21st May **Spoilers**

[weringo]

Yes there are some fantastic midfielders around and I would certainly take Essien, Gerrard, Fabregas... you're getting ridiculous naming Flamini and Hleb to be fair, Barry isn't in the class of any of our midfielders, Alonso massively overrated. But the stats don't lie, over a season our midfield has been fantastic and our standout midfielders have been Anderson and Carrick.

Alonso isn't "massively overated" at all, you admit yourself he was excellent in his first season with us but for some reason you don't rate him at all since then. In 05/06 he formed an excellent partnership with Sissoko and played a big part in what was the best midfield in the league that season.

In the next 12-18 month most pool fans will admit his form dropped which is what you seem to pick up on most, but he was still once of the best centre midfielders around despite struggling with injuries.

Without him this year we probably would have struggled to make 4th place and we certainly wouldn't have done as well as we did in CL, at Anfield he played Arsenal off the park and he was our star performer versus Chelsea.

He's got everything you would want in a centre midfieler bar goal-scoring abilty, but he doesn't play that far up the pitch in the first place. On his day there's no better long passer in football and he's defensively good enough to cope with just about anybody. There's certainly no United players I'd take in place of him.

 

[Fubsy]

Fantasitic. Just finished clearing my garden from rubbich after having a big BBQ with everyone round to watch the game.

No idea who the official MOTM was, but I would have given it to Vidic, that guy was immense tonight.

 

[MikGriff]

I can barely talk right now, screaming in the streets in the middle of manchester, atmosphere in the pub was immense.

 

[NokkonWud]

Alonso isn't "massively overated" at all, you admit yourself he was excellent in his first season with us but for some reason you don't rate him at all since then. In 05/06 he formed an excellent partnership with Sissoko and played a big part in what was the best midfield in the league that season.

I rate on consistency and Alonso has been poor for several seasons now. His total lack of presence against us and then Barnsley knocking you out because he couldn't be bothered.

Alonso is massively overrated, some players would have you believe he's the best DMC in the league, the best passer in the world and one of the best CM's in Europe when he's none of those. Good player, but when people say he's World Class I'd say that's massively overrated. He wouldn't get in Man Utd's or Chelsea midfield and he'd only get in Arsenal's because they couldn't keep Flamini on.

In the next 12-18 month most pool fans will admit his form dropped which is what you seem to pick up on most, but he was still once of the best centre midfielders around despite struggling with injuries.

It's certainly longer than 12-18 months, it's 24 months or more.

Without him this year we probably would have struggled to make 4th place and we certainly wouldn't have done as well as we did in CL, at Anfield he played Arsenal off the park and he was our star performer versus Chelsea.

If you had a decent set of wingers and a front man (all of which seem to be on the agenda) he wouldn't even be in your first XI, it would be Gerrard and Mascerano in the middle.

He's got everything you would want in a centre midfieler bar goal-scoring abilty, but he doesn't play that far up the pitch in the first place. On his day there's no better long passer in football and he's defensively good enough to cope with just about anybody. There's certainly no United players I'd take in place of him.

Scholes immediately comes to mind as a better long passer, he's probably the best the Premierships ever had.
Ahead of Alonso I'd take Scholes, Carrick and Anderson. Or are you on about in total!? As in no Man Utd players you'd take ahead of him at all.. if so, that's just ridiculous.

We've had the best midfield two years in a row now in the league, and we've seen plenty of great ones over our many years of winning Premierships, without sounding arrogant (or at least that's not what I'm trying to be ) I think Man Utd fans are in a great position to judge midfielders and Alonso isn't in your best 2, not is he in Man Utd's best 3. He's massively overrated.

He's a player who had one good season then didn't continue. A bit like Heinze at Man Utd for example.

 

[NokkonWud]

No idea who the official MOTM was, but I would have given it to Vidic, that guy was immense tonight.

Indeed, he was incredible tonight. He even stooped low to head a carbon copy of Riise's own goal, of course, being the master of all things heading, he dealt with it wonderfully.

 

[jojothemonkey69]

I can barely talk right now, screaming in the streets in the middle of manchester, atmosphere in the pub was immense.

Well I should be there. The work has built and built up and I just couldn't get it done. I've just calmed down now and just started my work due in for tomorrow probably 3 hours work.

 

[McBain]

Snip, rant about Alonso.

Areed, saying you'd have Alonso over 'any' of Uniteds midfielders could only come from a Liverpool fan surely? You'd take him over Scholes, Carrick or Hargreaves?

I know I wouldn't!

 

[weringo]

Areed, saying you'd have Alonso over 'any' of Uniteds midfielders could only come from a Liverpool fan surely? You'd take him over Scholes, Carrick or Hargreaves?

I know I wouldn't!

It's strange how not many football fans rate Carrick that highly, you never even heard a lot of Tottenham fans raving about him when he was back at Spurs, yet Utd fans will tell you he's their best CM. Says a lot about how good your choice of centre midfielders really are.

Scholes is past it and no one knows that better than United themselves, 5 years ago I'd agree that he was a better player than Alonso, but now... not a chance.

We all know Hargreaves is a good player but is limited to what he can do, he has a high work rate and can track players well, but is simply not the footballer Alonso is.

So to answer your question (again), yes.

@Nokkon: I was specifically talking about United's CMs.

 

[McBain]

It's strange how not many football fans rate Carrick that highly, you never even heard a lot of Tottenham fans raving about him when he was back at Spurs, yet Utd fans will tell you he's their best CM. Says a lot about how good your choice of centre midfielders really are.

Scholes is past it and no one knows that better than United themselves, 5 years ago I'd agree that he was a better player than Alonso, but now... not a chance.

We all know Hargreaves is a good player but is limited to what he can do, he has a high work rate and can track players well, but is simply not the footballer Alonso is.

So to answer your question (again), yes.

@Nokkon: I was specifically talking about United's CMs.

Says a lot? Yeah it does really, considering their success in the past 2 years.

'Your' - i'm not a United fan. Whereas with you being a Scouse fan, I feel a little bit of bias might be creeping in

Scoles is the main reason Man united have won the leage the last two seasons, along with Carrick. It's not a coincidence that Scholes returning and the purchase of Carrick led to a turn around in success.

I'll stick by my guns, under no circumstances would I take Alonso over Scholes, Carrick or Hargreaves.

 

[platypus]

I'd have chosen a 'Neutral - Hoping for exciting fisticuffs' had there been that option.

Shame it went to penalties.

 

[fRostiE]

it was a win win, ronaldo and terry cried.

good game

 

[Wayn0r]

 

[Loki]

Im pretty sure he was a Utd fan before joining us.

BaZ is right. Alan Hansen did a show for the BBC a good few years ago. iirc it was when Graeme le Saux was still playing. Basically it was like a 6 part footballers profile kind of thing. Suffice it to say, Hansen said on the documentary he was brought up as a Utd fan. Same with Graeme Souness as well

It's strange how not many football fans rate Carrick that highly, you never even heard a lot of Tottenham fans raving about him when he was back at Spurs, yet Utd fans will tell you he's their best CM. Says a lot about how good your choice of centre midfielders really are.

Scholes is past it and no one knows that better than United themselves, 5 years ago I'd agree that he was a better player than Alonso, but now... not a chance.

We all know Hargreaves is a good player but is limited to what he can do, he has a high work rate and can track players well, but is simply not the footballer Alonso is.
.

Funny how the fortunes of Tottingham Hotspur have gone backwards since Carrick left. I must admit I thought the £16m was a lot of money when we signed him and I'm still nto 100% sure he's worth it. However SAF has moulded a side and Carrick definately does a job for us.

Scholes vs Alonso debate. Well I think you can't really compare the two. One is coming to the end of his career and has had to adapt his game, the other is still relatively young with the best years ahead of him. All I would say is that Alonso has had the opportunity to really cement his place in the Liverpool midfield and hopefully bring a lot of success to the club yet he is the verge of leaving. Alonso has had too many big games where he has been annonymous or a passenger.

 

[FrankJH]

One reason why Spurs have shipped so many goals this season is because they are still missing Carrick - its not co-incidence that the first year we had him in our team he made about 50 appearances and won the league (where in past seasons our midfield had been comparatively weak)

He isnt often in the spotlight which is why most people dont rate him, but he hasnt got back to back EPL titles for sitting on the bench (not to mention the CL medal )

 

[semi-pro waster]

Tevez looks like a serial killer.

I was watching last night night and wondering what Danny Trejo was doing wearing a Utd shirt. Ever so slightly surreal.

 

[FrankJH]

Tevez scored more goals and certainly a lot of important goals.

According to the BBC Tevez has scored one more goal - the penalty last night (dont know whether BBC has updated squad profiles since last night)?

Thats not really a vast amount more even if it doesnt accoutn for last night's Pen by Tevez

Think you are being a little harsh on Rooney - yes I admit he hasnt had a great season all told, but he has had a number of injuries and worked phenomenally for the team like few strikers do

(No I dont think we would get the £30m we paid IF we sold him -around £25m though without a doubt, but thats unlikely to happen until we see who performs better with the out and out striker we are meant to be looking for)

 

[memphisto]

what a fantastic night for english football, no trouble, no bad tackles and one helluva a game.


Im still drunk so that says it all really, however having read just this page, give it up liverpool fans, I dont care about alonso / gerrard etc the reasons we were in the final and you wernt is because they are not as good as us or chelsea.

Carrick was immense tonight, he can tackle as well as mascherano and his passing and energy is better than gerrards. Scholes v alonso, well alonso aint good enough to clean scholes boots.

Hats off to all the man utd players we played out of our skin last night, Rio, Vidic carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes, Tevez, Ronaldo, Evra, Brown in fact all of them played fantastically well last night and it was a joy to watch.

Fantastic night, fantastic achievemnet only spoiled by the scousers on here a\gain.

Unlucky chelsea as a man utd fan i am an over the moon we won but as a spectacle it could not have been any tighter.

 

[Robert]

It's strange how not many football fans rate Carrick that highly, you never even heard a lot of Tottenham fans raving about him when he was back at Spurs, yet Utd fans will tell you he's their best CM. Says a lot about how good your choice of centre midfielders really are.

Scholes is past it and no one knows that better than United themselves, 5 years ago I'd agree that he was a better player than Alonso, but now... not a chance.

We all know Hargreaves is a good player but is limited to what he can do, he has a high work rate and can track players well, but is simply not the footballer Alonso is.

So to answer your question (again), yes.

@Nokkon: I was specifically talking about United's CMs.

Utter rubbish. Our past it midfielder sends us in to the final? You don't win the double with two crap midfeilders pal, maybe that's Pool's problem.

 

[-Ad-]

I live in London and despise Chelsea with a passion. I actually hate them so much, you have no idea.

Ditto

So much for all the money in russia available to buy yourself the double. Guess it isn't all down to the monies.

Fantastic season, an the most scary final I have ever seen. After the ronaldo miss I was cowering on the sofa, but when terry missed I was hopping around. Then when the silly frenchmans shot was saved all hell broke loose.

I don't care about the specifics of last night, it was just a thrilling final, and well played to the ref sending of drogba the ****. Finally he gets his just deserts.

 

[eggyoke]

Im still drunk so that says it all really, however having read just this page, give it up liverpool fans, I dont care about alonso / gerrard etc the reasons we were in the final and you wernt is because they are not as good as us or chelsea.

Wrong. Of course Alonso and Gerrard are good enough to be in the final, the problem is our other players arn't good enough (Riise was the sole reason we where not in the final.)

Carrick was immense tonight, he can tackle as well as mascherano and his passing and energy is better than gerrards. Scholes v alonso, well alonso aint good enough to clean scholes boots.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Go easy on the ale mate