GUARDIOLA'S SELECTION BLUNDER AND ATLÉTICO'S RESILIENCE

GUARDIOLA'S SELECTION BLUNDER AND ATLÉTICO'S RESILIENCE

D. Ray Morton, 2nd April 2014.

The talk beforehand had been about how much of a mismatch this would be. Struggling Manchester United taking on the cream of Europe in the form of Pep Guardiola's mighty Champions League holders Bayern Munich. And mighty were the Bavarians' possession statistics no doubt but leaving Old Trafford with only a draw and having Bastian Schweinsteiger sent off was never part of the script.

The team selection immediately raised some eyebrows. Mario Mandžukić, a serious tormentor of defences, was left on the bench leaving Thomas Müller up front on his own with the trio of Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben and Toni Kroos in behind. Müller didn't offer a focal point for the visitors' attacks and the United defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić enjoyed a rather pleasant evening as a result.

As the first half wore on and Bayern racked up the passes, it suddenly dawned on those watching that maybe this side just wasn't going to be all that incisive on the night. It was described as "sterile possession" in some quarters, reminiscent of Pep's Barça when Lionel Messi wasn't available for selection.

United grew in confidence, defended with spirit and unrattled the Germans. They took the lead on 58 minutes when Vidić glanced home from a corner kick. The old vulnerability from set pieces remains as a Guardiola trademark, something which wasn't obvious in last season's treble winners lead by Jupp Hynckes.

Though Bayern did equalise on the night and set themselves up to take control of the tie in Munich, the other potential semi-finalists will be pleased that die Roten have had some weaknesses exposed. It was the eventually red-carded Schweinsteiger who got the goal, finishing sweetly from substitute Mandžukić's knock-down header. Surely the big Croat will start in the second leg. The result has hurt Guardiola it seems. His post-match press conference was uneasy as he cut a frustrated figure in front of the English media's bombardment of questions.

In the other clash last night, Atlético Madrid will be delighted to have secured a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou against Barcelona meaning the Catalans have failed to beat Diego Simeone's men in four attempts so far this season. Simeone will point out that the same goes for Atléti failing to beat los culés but Diego Ribas' sensational strike could make a key difference should the second leg be as cagey.

Barça still struggle against defensive-minded teams and though Atléti are well capable of playing attacking football, they change up their game plan when they face "Tata" Martino's side. Neymar managed to get an equaliser late on getting on the end of Andrés Iniesta's sumptuous through pass but surely the side from the capital will be happier with the result. Barça's woes continue today with the news that FIFA has banned them from signing any new players for the next two transfer windows.

Looking ahead to tonight's clashes, a game of huge interest should be Paris St. Germain vs. Chelsea in the French capital. José Mourinho gets reacquainted with Zlatan Ibrahimović in a potential classic between the ambitious Parisians versus the defensive and tactical toughness of the Londoners. Chelsea don't have Nemanja Matić available to them which is a big loss, so PSG will try to inflict as much damage as possible tonight in order to set up the away trip. It's a very hard one to call because as much quality as the French champions have, Mourinho's tactical nous in big European clashes is unmatched.

Mourinho and Zlatan, best of chums at Inter

In the other game, Real Madrid face an off-form Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabéu. Though the Germans triumphed in the same clash last season, injuries have ravaged their squad and the side from the Spanish capital should have enough to kill this one off in the first leg provided the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have their shooting boots on.

VIDIC TO LEAVE AND AN EXODUS TO FOLLOW

So much for the captain being the last one off a sinking ship!

Nemanja Vidic has announced he will leave Manchester United at the end of the current season after spending eight years at the heart of their defence. He has won trophies galore including several league titles and a Champions League honour. At times during his spell at United he has rightly been considered the best centre back in the world. Powerful, determined and astonishing in the air, Vidic etched out a reputation where very few strikers got the better of him. His form had been so consistent that his very few bad performaces stood out like a sore thumb. There were one or two blips along the way provided by the likes of Samuel Eto'o and Fernando Torres but generally, Vidic was a rock solid presence for United. At 32, the club captain has decided he wants a new challenge and will join Inter Milan's project in Italy next season.

Questions will be raised about this however. Although he has shown his age in the past two seasons or so, why would a key figure leave United in such a time of crisis in order to join another team that are struggling for form and indentity in what is considered now a weaker league? At his age, you would expect him to see out his career at Old Trafford, maybe play two seasons more and see if he can help them transition into a newly-challenging side in the post-Ferguson era. One feels that the atmosphere around the club at present could see an exodus of their established stars in the summer.

Patrice Evra is very likely to leave, Monaco, an ex-club of his, being the most likely destination. Rio Ferdinand might call it a day and retire as he has now lost most of the pace that made him such an excellent covering centre half in his prime. Ryan Giggs, at his age, is very likely to retire too and Darren Fletcher though only 30 will have to be monitored closely due to the possibility of his illness returning. Shinji Kagawa appears unhappy at United and may force his way out of the club. Jurgen Klopp would happily take him back to Dortmund. Ashley Young and Nani look like spent forces and may also seek employment elsewhere. All of their strikers, barring Danny Welbeck, seem frustrated too. Robin van Persie has taken Ferguson's retirement badly. Injuries and inconsistency have returned and playing David Moyes football had never been part of the script when he joined from Arsenal. Wayne Rooney is yet to sign that bumper £300,000 a week contract (crazy, right?) and may be tempted by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea or the same mega bucks provided abroad outside of Sky's media glare. Javier Hernandez will also seek a move, annoyed at his lack of opportunities despite nearly always putting in decent performances.

So that's quite a large chunk of United's squad and you would wonder how they will go about recruiting players next summer. Last summer was a mess with United publicly targeting players that had no interest in moving. Moyes doesn't attract the same level of player as Ferguson did, the club's stature and Champions League qualification must do this. Should United miss out on an ECL spot, they'll be forced to hoover up talents from mid-table clubs and over-spend on lesser players due to the fact that all selling clubs will know that they have the money. This exodus may be what Moyes needs. Get out the old guard and really shape your own squad. The sheer numbers lost could be too many though. Clubs often deal with two or three veterans leaving in one year but losing seven or eight members of a first-team squad represents major redevelopment. United fans will be hoping for regeneration rather than a downward spiral into mediocrity like their rivals Liverpool suffered in the '90s.

D. Ray Morton, 7th February 2014.

@D_Ray_Morton