Nothing Special

Blackburn played well yesterday, but we got the result we deserved, thanks to a piece of class from Ronaldo. The papers, predictably, largely opt to focus on the negative though.
Take this, from The Mirror:

The Liverpool manager has been ridiculed for losing the plot with his accusations that Manchester United influence everything from fixture lists to referees.

And once again the Stretford End gleefully sang "Rafa's cracking up" as the champions last night surged eight points clear of their rivals from Merseyside after a 10th successive Premier League victory.

Yet the evidence of referee Howard Webb's gross dereliction of duty at Old Trafford suggests that Benitez needs a sympathetic ear rather than a straitjacket.

Cristiano Ronaldo should have been sent off for a petulant kick at Blackburn's David Dunn with Webb less than three yards away.

Instead, the country's top official appeared to turn a blind eye - and within minutes Ronaldo had delivered a winning strike of pure class.

When Webb also failed to act as United full-back Rafael tangled with Morten Gamst Pedersen with a challenge that could have warranted a penalty as well as a red card, the air must have turned blue in the Benitez household.

To claim that "Rafael tangled with Pedersen" really overstates the case, "touched might be a better word", yet even here, despite the faux outrage, they can only say "could have", rather than "should have". And claiming Howard Webb favoured us and then later on in the article saying he was wrong to disallow our goal seems a little like having your cake and eating it.
The Sunday Times go for a similar line:

It was an evening when Rovers merited more than the defeat that meant another week in the relegation zone. However, they will long argue they were denied by crucial decisions. Should Ronaldo have been on the pitch to enjoy his magic moment? It was one of a number of defining incidents that may yet decide the destination of the championship and the fate of Allardyce’s men.

Rovers were annoyed that Ronaldo was not cautioned by Howard Webb for flicking out petulantly at David Dunn after being challenged by the Rovers midfielder. The Portuguese was booked for diving — and scored the winner four minutes later.

Yes, we go 14 games without conceding a goal, playing some great football, and, of course, "the destination of the championship" will be decided by Ronaldo not getting sent off against Blackburn. Brilliant analysis...
Sir Alex makes some good points on the subject of the decisions, which The Times prints and then ignores:

Ferguson was adamant that a dismissal would have been excessive. “The ref spoke to him when he flicked out,” he said. “Ronaldo says the boy kicked him. The ref gave him a warning. Because it’s Ronaldo, you’re making a meal of it and he has to live with that kind of examination.”

Regardless of the celebrity to which Ferguson alluded, many would observe that the United man was fortunate to escape and, arguably, wouldn’t have done so at an away ground.

Similarly, Rovers, at Ewood Park, would have been confident of securing a second-half penalty, with the score at 1-1, when Morten Gamst Pedersen went down after Rafael Da Silva had put his hands on his shoulders. Webb was unmoved, which cannot be said of Allardyce, who became embroiled in a heated exchange with Ferguson.

“Sir Alex doesn’t think it’s a penalty, but I think it is,” said Allardyce. “It has to be pretty blatant to get them here at Old Trafford.”

Ferguson retorted by insisting that there was no question of a penalty award. On the contrary, Pedersen should been cautioned. “The ref booked Ronaldo for diving — rightly, it was a dive,” he said. “But what did Pedersen do? That was absolutely a dive. It was nowhere near a penalty kick. As soon as he feels the hand on his shoulder, he goes over, and he’s not got a yellow card.”

The admission of that “hand on the shoulder”would appear to confirm that Allardyce had an argument, but Ferguson is not alone among managers in being prepared to overlook misdeeds in their own players that would have them demanding enforcement if their opponents’ personnel were involved.

In which bit does Sir Alex "overlook misdeeds" in his players? Is it the bit where he says Ronaldo was rightly booked because he dived? In fact, doesn't Sir Alex do the opposite of what he's accused of? He brings attention to the misdeed of his own player so he can demand enforcement of the same rule for the "opponent's personnel". Brilliant analysis...
So, I could continue looking at match reports like this all day, however, I think the point is made, so I'll just mention the honourable exceptions. The Mail on Sunday's report, by Joe Bernstein, actually makes sense:

A petulant kick at David Dunn in the 56th minute could have seen him cautioned by a stricter referee than Howard Webb, and that would have meant red instead of yellow when he was caught diving on the edge of the penalty area two minutes later. ...
Then Ronaldo took centre stage. He flicked out at Dunn in a routine midfield battle but Ferguson was correct - a booking would have been harsh. Less savoury was the winger's reaction when Gael Givet came across to challenge. He flew in the air and was about the only person inside Old Trafford surprised that Webb showed him a yellow. ...
A splendid joust, and those killjoys who wanted Ronaldo off the field for the mildest of fouls will surely be outvoted by those who marvelled at his magical winner.

And The Observer's Tim Rich also has words of sense:

What would have angered Ferguson was that by the time Nani was dispossessed and Andre Ooijer's pass found Santa Cruz Manchester United should have had this match comfortably won. United scored early and there had been times when Blackburn's back four, while trying to deal with Ronaldo, had been pulled apart as if they were on ice. By the time Santa Cruz scored, the champions had enjoyed 81% of possession

Moving on to the Champions League previews The Telegraph has some words from Mourinho:

There is no bigger motivation than playing the world and European champions. We have been looking forward and planning for this tie since the draw was made but we know, above all, that we need to focus and play to our biggest strength – playing the tactical game as opposed to the intensity of the English game.

Manchester United and Internazionale operate on different realities. United has a tremendous squad with a lot of young players. Sure, they have Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs from a previous generation; players who can still make an important contribution, but after that they are all young.

You look at players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney and they have years and years in front of them and a lot of ambition, quality and power. I think they are not just a great team of the past, but of the present, as they showed last year by winning the Premier League and the Champions League, and of the future.

The Times too concentrate their preview on Mourinho:

Mourinho, ever precise, remembers each and every one of those encounters. “I have played 12 times in the last few years against Manchester United, so I know their qualities, I know their players.”

He has always been good at this sort of preamble, giving the impression everything on the field, the training ground, the press conferences has been plotted, planned and rigorously puppeteered. Over the next few days he will carry on the act of knowing soothsayer before Tuesday’s collision between the champions of Italy and England.

Mourinho is bold enough to suggest strongly that he knows the mood of Ferguson approaching the fixture between United and Inter in Milan. “I think Sir Alex must be happy,” said Mourinho about the domestic advantage United hold over the rest of the Premier League and the condition in which he sees Chelsea, a club appointing a part-time care-taker manager in a post Mourinho used to occupy.

“Sir Alex thinks it will be easier for him because over the last few years, his only real opponent was Chelsea,” explained Mourinho. “Chelsea won in 2004-05 and 05-06, finished second in 06-07, 07-08. So for the last five years, they have been a real opponent. So if he thinks Chelsea are no longer the same, Sir Alex must be happy.”

Also in The Times Hugh McIlvanney looks at Vidic and how his absence in the San Siro could affect things:

When Mourinho complained noisily about the one-match suspension that will keep Nemanja Vidic out of Manchester United’s Champions League meeting with Internazionale in Milan on Tuesday night, suggesting the Serb should have been banned from both legs of the tie after his dismissal for an elbowing offence in the Fifa Club World Cup final, we had to suspect the annoyance was in direct proportion to the Inter coach’s recognition of Vidic as one of the most effective defenders to be encountered anywhere in football. At San Siro his absence could prove as influential as the presence of the most vibrant attacking talents either side will field.

The Observer look at the "relationship" between Sir Alex and Mourinho:

No wonder Ferguson says: "I think José was a loss to the English game, definitely. I used to enjoy watching him on television. He was always so cocky and confident and it was good for the game here. You can't deny the success he had either, first with Porto, then with Chelsea. He came and called himself the special one and everybody laughed, then within a couple of months we were all chasing Chelsea's tail."

And I like this, from The Mail, where Mourinho has a go at Benitez:

If Mourinho was in danger of sounding unimpressed by the prospect of facing United, he was quick to take the opportunity to praise Ferguson's team in the run-up to the match, dismissing the claims of Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez that fixture schedules and the intimidation of referees were key reasons for United's dominance.

'There is no bias,' said Mourinho. 'Chelsea were champions because we were the best team and Manchester United are champions because they are the best team. If Liverpool want to win, they have to be better.

The best team wins.' And in explaining why he did not rest key players at Bologna yesterday, Mourinho delivered another thinly-veiled attack on Benitez and Liverpool.

'We do not rest players as we have to win the title. The big clubs are the ones fighting for the title and the Champions League at the same time.

'Before we played Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final in 2007, Liverpool rested ten players against Fulham. Liverpool lost and that result helped Fulham against another club in the fight against relegation.

'We're playing to win the title, so there's no rotation.'

In The News of the World Andy Dunn hopes for a Mourinho return to the Premiership so that someone can challenge us:

Sure, he had the backing of Roman Abramovich’s spending at its most lavish but Mourinho set the example for his players.

He saluted the achievements of Ferguson but wasn’t scared of him. He admired a wonderful United team but not as much as he admired his own.

He acknowledged the world-class quality of players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney but believed he knew world-class ways to blunt them.

In short, he thinks Fergie is special — but not as special as him. And that is why the United manager will this week face the sort of challenge that has all but evaporated from the domestic climate.

That is why, regardless of which outstanding side comes out on top, the Premier League needs Mourinho back.

Whether it be at Chelsea, Liverpool or even Manchester City.

Because otherwise, United’s imperious reign will continue until the day Ferguson walks out of Old Trafford for good.

Finally, The Independent have an interview with Van der Sar, the only bit I'll excerpt being this on Dave Beasant's comments from the other week on how he taught Vab der Sar everything he knows:

This is a man of ambition, who according to a newspaper interview last week with his former goalkeeping coach at Fulham, Dave Beasant, was forever demanding to know why he was being asked to do something. Van der Sar admits to this almost stereotypically Dutch trait, though he was not pleased with the article. “He took a lot of credit for things I already did. I think he spoke a lot for himself about how he made me better and so on. A goalkeeping coach needs to improve you but I think a lot of things he mentioned I already had in my bag. But yes, I’d want to know why we were doing something and not something else. We [Dutch] like to ask why we are doing what.”