Article 18 — Manchester United 2005–2007
Manchester United made signings in the summer of 2005 and winter of 2006 that were to prove critical in United’s return to success in the new Millenium. First through the doors of the training ground at Carrington was Dutch goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. He was a veteran at the age of 35 years old when he joined but goalkeepers are known to have a longer lifespan than outfield players.
Park Ji-Sung joined from PSV after a great season with the Dutch club in the Champions League the previous season, reaching the sem-final. Sceptics and critics played it down as a move to increase United’s sales in Asia but Park had more about himself as a player to just be a marketing ploy.
Phil Neville would be the next Class of 92 graduate that will leave in the summer, joining the blue half of Merseyside, Everton. Roy Carroll was released at the end of his contract to join West Ham United and Kleberson left as well to join Besiktas after failing to make any impact at all in his time at United.
Manchester United beat Hungarian outfit Debrecen 6–0 on aggregate to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. The season didn’t quite get off on the right foot. Roy Keane got injured during an uneventful 0–0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield and that proved to be his last game for the club as he left the club by mutual consent in November 2005, a shocking decision at a time when United was having some barren seasons.
Much has been said and written on the circumstances surrounding Keane’s exit from the club. There is a Roy Keane version and a Sir Alex Ferguson version. It is tough to take sides in this story between two juggernauts of United’s history, it is just sad that it ended the way it did and they both look far from reconciling. At that time, much was said about the vocal criticism of the players by Roy Keane on the club TV following the abysmal 1–4 thrashing by Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium, ironically the only thing positive of that game was the 1000th Premier League goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.
United followed that up with one of the highlight wins of the season, 1–0 defeat of title holders Chelsea. Darren Fletcher, one of the most maligned players in the squad scored the winner.
That win coincided with Keane’s exit and propelled United to a run that would see United finish the season in 2nd place, the highest they have finished in the last 2 seasons, 8 points behind Chelsea. At one stage, United were 6 points behind the champions and earned the praise of opposition manager, Jose Mourinho for running his side close. Chelsea became the first team other than us to successfully retain the Premier League.
Other highlight wins in the Premier League were a late, late 1–0 win over Liverpool scored by an unlikely source, Rio Ferdinand and another 2–0 win over Arsenal, both at Old Trafford.
In the Champions League, United had their worst showing since 1994–95. In the first game against Villareal, Rooney showed his flaw, his temper after getting himself sent off for collecting 2 yellow cards in quick succession. One of the yellow cards was for sarcastically clapping at the referee’s decision to yellow card him. Last season’s Player Of The Season, Gabriel Heinze picked up a bad knee injury in the same game and it kept him out for the season. United could only win one game, 2–1 against Benfica at Old Trafford, drawing three games. In the crucial reverse fixture, United lost 1–2 to finish bottom of the group.
In the FA Cup, United was knocked out by arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield, 0–1, the first time in 85 years that Liverpool has beaten United in a FA Cup tie. There was another serious injury in this game when Alan Smith broke his leg trying to block a free-kick. Unlike the previous season, there was some silverware in store for United in the form of the League Cup known as the Carling Cup this season.
United had got the better of Blackburn Rovers in an exciting semi-final winning 3–2 on aggregate to face a surprise opponent in the form of Wigan Athletic. They made light work of Wigan as they devastatingly tore them apart to win 4–0 in the final. It was United’s first silverware after the FA Cup of 2003–04.
The performance in the final, the fluidity and combination in attack bode well for the future but it had a sour note too as Ruud van Nistelrooy was left on the bench for the entire game. He walked around looking sullen at the final whistle and in the lap of honour. He was also quick to not hang around much for the post-match celebrations.
This was a dramatic season but fundamental for upcoming seasons. It started with Keane’s sudden exit from the club. His exit seems to lift the tension and the pressure on the younger members of the team who began to express themselves better. I am sure none of the Keane’s team-mates would admit to that and it might indeed not be true but that is how it is made to be seen.
Heinze and Smith both had terrible injuries this season and unfortunately, they would not be the same again after their injuries. An unknown centre back, Nemanja Vidic was signed in the winter from Spartak Moscow as was Frenchman Patrice Evra from Monaco. I remember Evra as one of the starters for Monaco in their surprise run to the Champions League final in 2003–04. They both had shocking debuts in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium and played little for the rest of the season as they acclimatised to the English game. Park Ji Sung had a decent season, showing his flexibility to play on either flank, stamina, drive and some quality. The best was still to come from the South Korean.
The breakdown in the relationship between Sir Alex Ferguson and Ruud van Nistelrooy was another dramatic event near the end of the season as van Nistelrooy was benched for 6 consecutive league matches and after his sulking response to being on the bench for the League Cup final, you knew as was the case for a few others before him, the writing was on the wall.
Edwin van der Sar was finally the answer to United’s goalkeeping woes. He was linked to the club at various times when United needed a goalkeeper to replace Peter Schmeichel but I guess better late than never. The slow start to the season was a detriment to United’s title hopes as Chelsea maintained their ruthlessness in their title charge.
2005–06 was the final season for utility player Quinton Fortune as he was released at the end of his contract. As expected, Ruud van Nistelrooy was out of the door as he was sold to Real Madrid and David Bellion who had been largely ineffectual returned to his native France to join Nice. United only made one signing and that was of Michael Carrick from Tottenham Hotspur. Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak was signed on loan from West Bromwich Albion while Tim Howard left on loan to join Everton.
As United chased a machine of a team in Chelsea, signing just one player worried me on whether it was enough to close the gap. There was also some concern on any potential fall out between United’s star youngsters, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney after the pair was involved in an incident that led to Rooney’s sending off at the 2006 World Cup quarter-final between Ronaldo’s Portugal and Rooney’s England.
United got off to a flying start thrashing Fulham 5–1 at Old Trafford on the first day of the season with the fluidity of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo up front at their devastating best. They won the first 4 matches of the season before a minor blip saw them lose 0–1 to Arsenal at Old Trafford and drew 1–1 against Reading at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a late Ronaldo equaliser. United responded to that blip strongly going on a winning run. It was unlike Manchester United to hit form straight away from the start of the season but that was the order of the day if they were to reclaim the league title.
Chelsea had already lost twice and drawn once by the time two faced each other for the first time in the season at Old Trafford. The game ended in a 1–1 stalemate to maintain United’s 3 point lead over Chelsea.
United suffered their second loss of the season in December, losing 0–1 to West Ham United at Upton Park allowing Chelsea to cut the gap to 2 points. United then drew 2–2 away to Newcastle on New Year’s Day 2007 but fortunately, Chelsea drew too and couldn’t take advantage. They lost 2 weeks after, 1–2 away to Arsenal but thankfully this time United received a favour from Liverpool who had beaten Chelsea a day before.
United signed veteran Swedish striker Henrik Larsson on loan to give the team’s attacking ranks a further boost in their hunt for silverware. By February, United was starting to feel the strain and pressure of maintaining their title charge. The team’s lack in squad depth was another factor as United was also involved in the FA Cup and the Champions League at this stage. United held their nerve, coming back from 0–2 down to beat Everton 4–2 at Goodison Park to go 5 points clear at the top after Chelsea was held to a 2–2 draw against Bolton Wanderers on the same day.
A tired United just about beat Manchester City 1–0 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty and Edwin van der Sar’s penalty save off Darius Vassell and that coupled with Arsenal’s 1–1 draw against Chelsea meant the title was coming back to Old Trafford after 5 years. There were some incredible performances in this season, incredible goals and some crucial wins when the team was not able to perform at their best and somehow they eked out a win.
In the Champions League, United won their first 3 games including a revenge 1–0 win away to Benfica, the scene of their humiliating exit the season before. They lost the next 2 games 0–1 away to Danish team Copenhagen and Scottish side, Celtic. A final day 3–1 win at home to Benfica confirmed United’s passage to the knockout round, top of the group.
In the 2nd Round, United faced a tricky French opponent, Lille. United had played them twice last season in the group stages and drew 0–0 in both matches. In the first leg, a quick-thinking free-kick by Ryan Giggs gave United a 1–0 lead. It led to protests from the French team including a momentary walkout. In the second leg, Henrik Larsson scored the winner to confirm United’s passage to the quarter-final for the first time since 2002–03.
In the quarter-final, United was drawn to play against Italian side, AS Roma. They lost the first leg of the quarter-final narrowly 1–2 to Roma at Stadio Olimpico. They were down by 10 men in the first leg after Paul Scholes was sent off for collecting 2 yellow cards. An astounding showing in the return leg at Old Trafford awaited the teams and the viewing public. It was one of those nights where everything United shot at goal ended in the back of the net. An unexpectedly one-sided, second leg scoreline of 7–1 for United meant an 8–3 aggregate win.
In the semi-final, United faced another Italian side in AC Milan, a team that had produced a dominant display to knock us out of the quarter-finals in 2004–05. United approached this tie with confidence and we were treated to a classic at Old Trafford. United scored a scrappy first goal through Cristiano Ronaldo before Kaka scored twice, the first a goal of individual brilliance and another after a defensive mix-up between Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra. United fought back to equalise thanks to Wayne Rooney off a beautiful assist by Paul Scholes. Rooney then scored the winner late on. In the 2nd leg, AC Milan was dominant in a game played in driving rain as United looked tired and chased shadows all around. AC Milan deservingly won 3–0 to knock United out.
United couldn’t defend the League Cup won the previous season as they were knocked out in the 4th Round by Southend United. United lasted the distance to the final of the FA Cup which was played at the new Wembley. The opponents in the final were United’s latest local adversary, Chelsea. Both teams played out a turgid 0–0 draw in regulation time. The game was won by Chelsea when Didier Drogba played a one-two with his colleague to find himself clear in the box to score. To be frank, neither team deserved to win but there needed to be a winner and Chelsea scored to win the tie and complete a domestic cup Double.
After 3 seasons of not winning the Premier League, United ended any talk of an end to a United era. They proved that they were not down and out and retained the hunger and desire for more success. The way it was won was unlike any title win by United in the past in the sense that they maintained incredible consistency and ruthlessness to maintain their grip on the top spot from 1st October to the end.
There was a settled look to this United team as well. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra put aside a nightmare start to life as Manchester United players to be part of the first-choice defensive line-up. Rio Ferdinand finally found the perfect partner in Vidic in central defence while Evra did very well as an attacking left-back, keeping Heinze out on his return from a serious knee injury. Gary Neville who took over as the team captain last season after Keane’s departure completed the defensive line-up at right-back. Heinze, John O Shea and Wes Brown filled in well when called into action. Mikael Silvestre played some part in the season but broke his metatarsal bone and dislocated his shoulder which meant he missed chunks of the season.
Michael Carrick inherited the number 16 jersey from Keane but in terms of personality and playing style, he was anything like the legendary Irishman. His style of play complemented well with Paul Scholes who was now one of the senior statesmen in the team. Ryan Giggs, the longest-serving member of the team was alternating between playing on the left-wing and centrally as age caught up with him and he could no longer move up and down the wing, as he used to do. Darren Fletcher was building a reputation as a reliable option to have and a big-game player. Park Ji-Sung didn’t play as much this season thanks to injury.
The real standout star was Cristiano Ronaldo as he transformed from flicks and tricks show pony to an efficient, ruthless attacker. He added more goals into his game as well as some assists and won many individual awards including the Football Writers’, PFA and Manchester United Player of the Year awards. As it turned out, there was no fallout between Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney and they both worked well in tandem.
Since his arrival at Manchester United, Rooney has regularly proved to be more efficient and closer to the finished article than his Portuguese counterpart but this season, Ronaldo’s form upstaged the Englishman. They both ended the season as the club’s top scorers though despite the perceived slump in Rooney’s form.
Louis Saha provided a different threat to van Nistelrooy as he was more mobile and tactically flexible than the Dutchman and rotated well with Ronaldo and Rooney in the game. Only injuries reduced his playing time. Alan Smith battled hard on his return from his leg break and was at the full disposal of Sir Alex, playing in central midfield and as centre forward. His commitment and industry didn’t diminish but perhaps some quality was lost on his return.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer made his return after a lengthy battle with knee injuries to prove he could still do a job at the highest level. It was nice to see him still scoring goals after a lengthy battle against injuries. Henrik Larsson proved to be a wonderful signing to give the team a boost and lend his experience at the turn of the year. It was unfortunate he couldn’t stay for longer or didn’t join the club sooner in his career.
