After their 2-0 win in Gelsenkirchen, Manchester United are all but through to the final of the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League. Even if this was the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, or one of their close rivals in England, a side managed by Alex Ferguson would be called heavy favorites for the return leg of a tie like this one. Schalke 04 are not in that class, and as a result, they are incredibly massive underdogs.
Manchester United Vs. Schalke 04, 2011 UEFA Champions League: Preview
Schalke’s strategy in the first leg seemed to be to defend for 90 minutes, despite the great effort put in by Raul and Jefferson Farfan throughout the game to try to get something started going forward. They were unsuccessful in their endeavors, and Schalke were as thoroughly dominated as a team has been in a UEFA Champions League semifinal in recent history. Though it took United a long time to get a goal, the wait was more due to poor finishing than great defending. They very easily could have had six goals, and Schalke looked very much like a team that is only mid-table in the Bundesliga.
Do we have a good reason to believe that Schalke can get back into this tie? No, absolutely not. Alex Ferguson’s tactics are unlikely to be completely negative, but I’d be willing to bet that a clean sheet will be his highest priority. In the end, United will probably scrape out a 1-0 win in a relatively ugly game where Schalke never looked like they had a chance to make it interesting. It’s going to be every Champions League game at Old Trafford in the history of forever.
But just in case Ralf Rangnick has a Herb Brooks moment, tune in. Plus, if you live in the United States and you have cable television, you can see it in glorious high definition!
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