Some of the young players Ferguson has watched carrying out his instructions to perfection across both games – Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley – will only reinforce his belief that teams must be grown organically and not simply bought.Ferguson will have seen that the last United team to have been shaped by him is a force in Europe and without Cakir's intrusion might have conquered it in May. The intrusion is just football. Games at this stage of the season can often turn on the unexpected.No one knows what Ferguson's precise thoughts on retirement are and any discussion is guesswork.But the manager's finger-pointing and rabble-rousing on Tuesday reveal a man with heart for at least one more tilt for the trophy.
2 Wayne Rooney playing for Manchester City is no longer such an unimaginable prospect
Rooney's omission from one of United's
half dozen biggest games of the past decade will have an impact on the
renewal of the contract, worth £250,000 a week, which United were so
desperate to sign Rooney up to, with Manchester City circling three
years ago.
After he had signed on the dotted line, Rooney
declared that "Believe me if I had gone, it wouldn't have been in
England." But United would not find a £40m bid from Man City as
unthinkable now, because he is simply not a £40m player.
City
would remove £12m a year from their wage bill and Rooney may also find
the wages he wants across Manchester. Would City be willing to pay them?
Already one striker down, after Mario Balotelli's departure, they may
also see Carlos Tevez depart this summer. Roberto Mancini may not be in
situ beyond the summer either, but when Rooney was struggling to agree
terms with United in 2010 the Italian expressed his appreciation. Where
else? Europe is a possibility, though Rooney's representatives have not
responded to suggestions about Paris Saint-Germain.
3 Ryan Giggs has demonstrated that mental energy is as important as physical fitness
His
performance on Tuesday night defied any kind of logic. The player who
was outsprinting Cristiano Ronaldo at one stage and searing around the
Old Trafford turf did not resemble the individual who has looked on a
number of occasions as if his days really have come to an end. That is
the kind of physical output that a surge in mental energy can deliver
you.
4 Real Madrid prove that playing with 10 men is not as difficult as United made it look
Their
manager Jose Mourinho declared this to be the case in his post-match
press conference. "In history there are many examples of the team with
10 men holding out," – and a good example came when it took almost five
minutes to get Kaka on the field after Angel di Maria was injured in the
first half. Madrid maintained almost permanent possession, while when
United went down to 10 men they dropped deep and allowed Madrid at them.
Real also adjusted rapidly to their numerical advantage, turning the
tie on its head before United sorted themselves out.
5 Player of the Year? Robin van Persie has his work cut out
Someone
joked that former Arsenal players are used to the season being over by
February and though there are extenuating circumstances with Van Persie,
the 15th-minute opportunity he could not make a full connection with at
Old Trafford was one of a number of misses against Real Madrid.
His impact at United has been extraordinary, but he has scored once in eight games since striking at White Hart Lane in January.
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