HOW IT HAPPENED AT BERNABEU (MADRID 1-1 MAN UTD)

So I managed to clean out my desk and leave the office early enough for the game. Its been a while and I must apologize for the long absence. I'm back! Since the draws were made in December,we all knew this would be the star game of UCL's round of 16. Madrid playing at home first. Madrid (4-2-3-1): Lopez,Arbeloa,Ramos,Varane,Alonso,Khedira,Ronaldo,Ozil,Di Maria and Benzema Man U (4-2-4) DeGea,Rafael,Evans,Ferdinand,Evra,Carrick,Jones,Kagawa,Welbeck,Rooney and Van Persie Madrid started the game pressing high up the field and taking charge around vital areas. This allowed them the opportunity to force DeGea into early saves. What Madrid did well during the half was pass the ball around quickly with swift player movement. This caused united a lot of troubles early in the game. Nevertheless, United threw some good balls forward trying to find Kagawa who spent a better part of the 1st half watching Madrid's defense line. He tried hard to beat the offside trap and succeeded on 2 occasions. Madrid kept attacking until Welbeck put United in front with a good header from a Wayne Rooney corner kick. Welbeck got the better of Ramos who in my opinion, thought Lopez was going for the ball. As crowded as United's midfield looked, Madrid easily found space and the forward players got into spaces between United's midfield and defense. Ozil who started from the left had drifted to the right at this time, swapping positions with Di Maria. The Argentine got into a good position on the left side and delivered one of the many good aerial passes we saw from Madrid tonight. Ronaldo rose to get the header into the net in a manner similar to that with which he scored against chelsea in the 2008 finals. He got the better of Evra. In the first half, Madrid started most of their attacks from the right side around the centre of the park,exchanging passes and paces diagonally towards the left flank. Ronaldo and Khedira were the link men. We saw what I like to call, aerial passes rather than crosses considering the way the balls are measured and delivered. For long periods in the half,Rooney was anonymous. Van Persie initiated most of United's attack as Evra,Kagawa and Welbeck helped force Madrid's midfield and backline into some runnings and defending. Degea was the star of the half as he made some crucial saves. Benzema was poor and heavy. It was Jones who was called upon to mark heavily in the second half and he did not disappoint. Di Maria kept creating spaces between United's midfield and backline. He got into good positions but was unlucky not to have scored. His replacement by Modric came as a surprise to me because he was by far the best Madrid player on the field. Khedira and Alonso were centrally positioned to keep united out. Earlier in the second half, United's attacking players were forced into deep roles to close-up the spaces in midfield and this even got better with the introduction of Giggs. Higuain's introduction re-affirmed the fact that Benzema had a poor outing as he had an immediate impact, moving across the defense with good pace and anticipation. United's defending everywhere on the field was excellent in the latter stages of the game. Madrid also did very well defending and winning balls. United were close to getting a second goal but Van Persie was unlucky as he was denied by the cross bar and then the goalkeeper. United return to England with an excellent result and we hope to see an even more exciting game in the second leg Conclusion: For most part of the game,Madrid lacked a direct player. This was clearly revealed when Modric came on to help his team penetrate through the centre. United did a good job by scoring an away goal and leaving Bernabeu with a draw. They kept their cool and worked hard. DeGea-Man of the match. Great saves, good composure and showed good reflexes Jones-Did a great job of watching over Ronaldo Kagawa-His job was clear but lacked the ability to execute Evra-Very solid and resourceful all through the game Ronaldo-Good goal and great movement but would have done better if he had a more direct player starting beside him;Kaka or Modric Di Maria-The most impactful Madrid player tonight Khedira-Once again showed his abilities as a box-to-box midfielder Ozil-He is the player expected to have the 'Iniesta' touch for Madrid but he does not play that role well enough. Man of the match-David DeGea Battle of the night-Jones vs Ronaldo Subs Madrid: 59' Higuain on for Benzema 74' Modric on for Di Maria 81' Pepe on for Alonso Man U: 63' Giggs on for Kagawa 72' Valencia on for Welbeck 83' Anderson on for Rooney Goals Madrid: 29' Ronaldo Man U: 20' Welbeck Feel free to leave comments and ask questions. You can also follow me on twitter @coachsanmi