1. Are Man United any better after Van Gaal’s £250million investment?
MAN UNITED HAVE spent in the region of £250million since Louis van Gaal’s appointment, yet are they considerably better off now than when Moyes left?
More optimistic fans will point out that they currently lie three points off the top of the league, while they were only beaten this evening courtesy of a late goal against an impressive Wolfsburg side.
Yet the feeling persists that the club are stagnating under the Dutch coach. Although the results, domestically at least, have been far from disastrous, the style of football, encompassing six goalless draws this season, represents a pale shadow of the side at their thrilling best during the Alex Ferguson era.
Clive Tyldesley’s famous quote during the 1999 Champions League final — “Can Manchester United score? They always score” — now seems a very distant memory indeed, as it contrasts starkly with the side’s increasingly cautious and creativity-free approach under the ex-Ajax and Barca boss.
And despite the many millions spent, Van Gaal managed to end tonight’s game with four inexperienced youngsters in the team — Nick Powell, Guillermo Varela, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Jesse Lingard, with two other rookies — Paddy McNair and Andreas Pereira on the bench.
After the game, BT Sport’s analysts — a trio of ex-United players comprising of Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen — reckoned a best XI of players sold by Van Gaal would beat United’s team this evening in what was a particularly damning assessment of the under-fire Dutch coach’s problematic tenure to date.
2. Sterling & Silva inspire City
Man City secured a 4-2 victory against Borussia Moenchengladbach this evening to unexpectedly top their group and claim an all-important seeding for the last 16.
It represents progress for a City side that have often flattered to deceive in the Champions League in recent years, and two players in particular played an integral role in the win.
Raheem Sterling scored a brace and was involved in all four goals in some capacity. Meanwhile, David Silva blasted home the hosts’ first goal and had a similarly influential evening, as the Spanish international had a hand in two of City’s other goals.
Sterling has certainly delivered since his much-publicised move from Liverpool, adding some much-needed pace and vibrancy to the club’s attack, while chipping in with some important goals to boot.
Meanwhile, City look a different team without the irrepressible Silva, and his fitness will be key to Manuel Pellegrini’s side maintaining their form both in Europe and domestically this season.
3. Ronaldo the best goalscorer in the world, if not the best player
Cristiano Ronaldo produced another bravura display tonight. The 30-year-old attacker managed an incredible four-goal haul in the space of 20 minutes as Real Madrid outclassed Malmo in an emphatic 8-0 win, with the Portuguese superstar in the process taking his total tally in Champions League alone this season to 11.
As tempting as it is, however, to compare Ronaldo’s achievements with the similarly magnificent Barcelona star Lionel Messi, it ignores their different qualities.
While Messi may be the better player overall given what he brings to the team as a whole, in terms of pure goalscoring, Ronaldo is achieving unprecedented feats currently, as his side earned their record Champions League win.
Moments like tonight — unheard of in most footballers’ careers — are becoming so regular that they are taken for granted at this stage, so it’s safe to say there will never be another player quite like the Real Madrid star.
