Article 19 — Manchester United 2007–08
After winning back the Premier League, reaching the final of the FA Cup and semi-final of the Champions League in 2006–07, the current generation of Manchester United players had to prove that they had the hunger, desire and consistency of the previous generations to keep winning and challenging for major honours every season. From the previous generation, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes remained to pass on their experience to the players that won the league for the first time last season. Then there was the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson as well.
The team ended 2006–07 looked tired and stretched near the end and that ultimately cost the team the chance for more honours but that was a vital lesson for this season. Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t waste time in strengthening the squad. In came English international, Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich, highly-rated Brazilian Anderson from Porto and another youth product from Sporting Lisbon after the success of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani. Tomasz Kuszczak was signed permanently as well. Argentine forward, Carlos Tevez who had a great season, saving West Ham United from relegation the previous season was signed on loan as well.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer announced his retirement at the end of the 2006–07 season. Youth product Kieran Richardson left to join Sunderland as he found his chances limited and that was the same for Giuseppe Rossi who had built a reputation in the Reserves as a striker to join Villareal. Alan Smith and Gabriel Heinze left to join Newcastle United and Real Madrid respectively.
United got off to a good start to the season by winning the Community Shield 3–0 on penalties against Chelsea after a 0–0 draw over 90 minutes.
In the league, United was winless in the first 3 games including an unlucky 0–1 defeat away to Manchester City before getting their first league win of the season 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur at home thanks to a screamer by Nani. He then introduced the United fans to his spectacular goal celebrations.
After 3 successive 1–0 wins, United entertained our title rivals, Chelsea. Chelsea had parted company with Jose Mourinho 2 days before the game after a slow start to the season by the London side. United took full advantage of the change in management in Chelsea’s ranks and Chelsea going down to 10 men for John Obi Mikel’s 2 footed challenge on Patrice Evra to beat them 2–0 thanks to Carlos Tevez’s first goal of the season and a second by Louis Saha.
That win gave the team a change of luck that they needed. Before that win, United dominated games but found it tough to score as the team struggled to get into a rhythm. The win over Chelsea was to be the catalyst for a change in the form and the flow of the team. Arsenal had taken advantage of United and Chelsea’s slow start to lead the Premier League and the first encounter between the arch-rivals was less feisty than previous encounters at the height of the title tussle between the two teams. It was played at Emirates Stadium and we witnessed an exciting 2–2 draw.
Two weeks after this match, United suffered their second loss of the season, 0–1 away to a team that can be considered a bogey team for United, Bolton Wanderers.
United brushed off the defeat to go on a run of consecutive wins before they lost the last league match of 2007, 1–2 away to West Ham United at Upton Park. The Hammers came from 0–1 down to beat United. The leadership at the top kept changing hands. United had gained leadership on the 12th January 2008, lost it after a 1–1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on the 2nd February 2008. A week after to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, both Manchester United and Manchester City don special kits to reflect the kind of kits worn in the 1950s. The emotion of the occasion got to United as they under-performed and lost 1–2 to their neighbours.
Arsenal had only added a FA Cup and a first-ever Champions League final appearance in 2005–06 after their Invincibles season. They were left in the wake of Chelsea’s emergence and United’s re-emergence last season but were now the front runners in this season’s title challenge. They began to waver and stumble from the last league match of February onwards. There was an unfortunate and horrific injury suffered by Arsenal’s Eduardo in the match against Birmingham City. Birmingham grabbed a late equaliser in that game to leave Arsenal’s captain, William Gallas seething and in tears. He stayed on the pitch long after his team-mates had gone into the dressing room, a sign that the Gunners had lost the plot.
Arsenal couldn’t win their next 4 matches and coupled with United’s run of wins, United were back on top. Arsenal’s collapse saw Chelsea overtake them, 5 points behind United. An exciting title race gathered pace as United could only draw 2–2 against Middlesbrough, like Bolton another bogey team for United and Chelsea beat Manchester City to cut the lead to 2 points.
The following week, United played against Arsenal at Old Trafford, a match that could bring the Gunners back into title contention or end all hopes of a title challenge. Arsenal took the lead through Emmanuel Adebayor’s handball which was not spotted by the referee and his assistant referee. Justice was done when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty before Hargreaves won the tie for United by placing a brilliant free-kick past Jens Lehmann in the Arsenal goal. United’s win and Chelsea’s 1–1 draw against Wigan Atheltic gave United a 5 points lead.
Chelsea closed the gap down to 2 points after they beat Everton 1–0. United needed a late Carlos Tevez equaliser against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park to extend the lead over Chelsea by an additional point. There was another twist in the tale in the next match which was a top-of-the-table clash between United and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. United didn’t perform well in this crucial match on the back of a Champions League semi-final for both teams. Chelsea had a day more to rest and travelled a much shorter distance to Merseyside to play against Liverpool while United travelled to Barcelona for the first leg of their semi-final.
That extra day of rest made a difference as United weren’t at their best and Chelsea won 2–1 thanks to a late penalty converted by Michael Ballack who had opened the scoring in the match. The result meant Chelsea was now tied on points with United but United retained leadership thanks to their superior goal difference.
United held their nerve to comfortably beat West Ham at Old Trafford 4–1 in their next match. The title was to be decided on the final day of the season.
United played away to Wigan Athletic while Chelsea hosted Bolton Wanderers. United needed to beat Wigan or match Chelsea’s result to win the league title. It was nervy for United at the JJB Stadium and they got the breakthrough that they needed when Emmerson Boyce brought down Wayne Rooney for a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo held his nerve to convert from the spot-kick. United led 1–0 at half time while Chelsea was still scoreless in their match against Bolton. Chelsea took the lead in the 60th minute through Andriy Shevchenko. Ryan Giggs scored in the 80th minute on the day he equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s record number of appearances for United to seal the title. Bolton grabbed a late equaliser to mean United ended an exciting title race as champions with a 2 points advantage.
In the FA Cup, United was doing very well, knocking out Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and thrashing Arsenal 4–0 in consecutive rounds. They looked well in place to go far in the Cup but was surprisingly and unluckily knocked out in the 6th Round by Portsmouth at Old Trafford. The FA Cup this season lived up to its romantic tag as there were shocks galore in the Cup. Portsmouth emerged as champions. In the League Cup, United was knocked out early in the 3rd Round by Coventry City.
In the Champions League, United was re-acquainted with AS Roma in the group stage. United won 5 games in a row to qualify with a game to spare and drew that game 1–1 against Roma, fielding a weakened team. Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani played against their former team, Sporting Lisbon as well in the group stage and returned to Lisbon in the first match of the group stage.
In the 2nd Round, like in the previous season, United faced French opposition in the form of Olympique Lyon, who was a technically superior team to Lille and at that time serial winners of the Ligue 1 in France. The first leg was drawn 1–1 before United won the 2nd leg 1–0 to qualify for the quarter-final with a 2–1 aggregate win.
The quarter-final was a repeat of last season’s quarter-final. Unlike the first leg last season, United won 2–0 away at Stadio Olimpico against Roma thanks to a giant leap and header by Ronaldo and a goal for Wayne Rooney. The return league at Old Trafford had far lesser goals and was less eventful than previous season’s fixture. Daniele De Rossi missed a penalty before Carlos Tevez scored the only goal of the game to seal a 3–0 aggregate win and progress to the semi-final.
The semi-final was against the winners of the 2005–06 Champions League, Spanish giants FC Barcelona. It was the first time United would play against them after the glorious 1998–99 campaign. Unlike the games in 1998–99, both legs of the semi-finals were cagey. United got off to a dream start at Nou Camp as they got an early penalty but Ronaldo wasted the opportunity to score. For the rest of the match, United subdued their attacking instincts to produce a tactical, European performance to subdue their opponents. In the return leg, a typical Paul Scholes long-range screamer gave United an early lead before United retreated to contain the Spanish side and progress to the final for the first time since 1999.
In the final played in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, United played a familiar foe in Chelsea. Chelsea after a shaky start to the season that saw their charismatic and iconic manager, Jose Mourinho leaving early on, settled down and found their feet to get back into the title race and qualify for their first-ever Champions League final. They were now under the stewardship of little-known until then Israeli manager, Avram Grant.
United got off to a great start in the final when Wes Brown’s cross was met by a brilliant leap by Ronaldo to nod in the opening goal. United was on top in the first half and nearly scored more through Tevez (twice) and Michael Carrick. Chelsea got a fortunate equaliser when Michael Essien’s shot from long range ricochet off two players to fall kindly for Frank Lampard to poach the equaliser with Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar wrong-footed. Undeserved equaliser but it all counts. Chelsea had the better of the second half and was unlucky when Didier Drogba’s shot cannoned off the post. The game ended 1–1 and the match extended into extra-time. In extra-time, Lampard hit the bar while a Ryan Giggs effort was cleared off the line by John Terry. There wasn’t much between the two teams in extra-time and in a melee involving both sets of players, Didier Drogba was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic. The game had to be settled by a penalty shootout.
Both teams scored their first 2 penalties before Cristiano Ronaldo saw his effort saved by Petr Cech. United got a stroke of luck when John Terry slipped and his penalty hit the post just as it looked like he would win the Champions League for Chelsea. The match went to sudden death. Giggs scored and Edwin van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka’s penalty to win the Champions League for United. Another Champions League final, another dramatic end, another triumph, 50 years on after the tragic Munich disaster. Sir Matt Busby and the fallen heroes from the 1958 team must have been looking down from the heavens above and smiling.
United went one step better than the 2006–07 season. The squad had greater depth in quality with the addition of Hargreaves, Tevez, Anderson and Nani.
Edwin van der Sar had an immense season, proving to be the right man to replace the legend, Peter Schmeichel since the great Dane left the club. The long, painful search was over when the Dutchman was signed. On the surface, one expected that too when Fabien Barthez was signed, considering his calibre and the things he has won but it wasn’t to be. Kuszczack was not quite Raimond van der Gouw but did a decent job when called upon.
Wes Brown was United’s first-choice right-back this season in the absence of club captain, Gary Neville and I felt he did quite well for a player that is better suited as a centre-back. Neville was out for 13 months due to a succession of injuries from the previous season and made his return in the Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg against Roma but couldn’t stay injury-free for the rest of the season. Young Spaniard, Gerard Pique found some space in the team this season to deputise for the undoubted first-choice Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic whenever needed. Mikael Silvestre made a return after 7 months out injured in the same game as Neville and played only a handful of matches. John O’Shea benefitted from the absence of Neville and Silvestre as Sir Alex rotated his team.
Anderson had a shaky start to his time at United but then grew in confidence to introduce himself as an all-action, box-to-box central midfielder. Hargreaves proved to be a good signing thanks to his experience and tactical knowledge. He was versatile too as he was used in defence as well when needed. Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes’ partnership was further fostered this season. Darren Fletcher didn’t play as much as he did the previous season but played his part again. Ryan Giggs as he did the previous season, played more matches in a central position rather than his usual position on the left-wing. Park Ji Sung returned from a long-term injury for the second half of the season and was an integral part of the team in the semi-final win over Barcelona in the Champions League. Unfortunately for him, he was not even on the bench for the Champions League final. Nani had a good debut season as well chipping in with goals and assists.
In attack, the fluid front three used the previous season was still in use this season but to greater effect. Louis Saha was troubled by injuries so Tevez took his place. Rooney was playing more games selflessly on the left-wing rather than as a centre forward and Ronaldo went up a notch from last season, scoring an incredible 42 goals in all competitions and once again picked up a number of individual awards. He retained the Football Writers’, PFA and Manchester United Player Of The Year Awards and added the Premier League Golden Boot, European Golden Shoe and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year awards.
After the seasons of 1993–94 and 1998–99, this is seen as the next season that can be described as momentous, iconic and legendary. United of 2007–08 will be considered as Sir Alex Ferguson’s last great team. With better luck, United could have repeated the Treble feat this season but it was not to be. I was impressed by the tactical flexibility to alternate from 4–3–3 to 4–5–1 to 4–4–2 and I felt Carlos Queiroz deserved credit for working on that on the training ground. The attacking play was breathtaking, scoring lots of goals for fun and the movement between the players was a joy to watch.
