Inter v Man Utd – Champions League Blog Banter

By: Wayne Farry | February 24th, 2009

A few days ago I contacted Johonna over at the Inter Milan Offside with the idea of doing a Man Utd/Inter Offside crossover. Basically, we asked each other questions and are posting each other’s answers on our blogs. Here are the gruelling (not really) questions that I asked Johonna, and the answers to those questions..

Wayne: So here we are, on the eve of the big match. It’s the Serie A champions against the European, World and Premier League champions. Do you think that this is the tie of the round?
Johonna: Well, it certainly is for me. To tell you the truth, though, whichever team Inter were paired with would be the tie of the round for me. I do think that it is interesting that both teams are at the top of their respective leagues and both were tipped as potential winners before the beginning of the league, but I do not think this tie will be any less or more exciting than any of the others.

W: Do you think it’s an advantage for your team to have the first tie at home, or would you rather have the first tie away?
J: I would rather have the away first. That way, you can try to get some precious away goals the first time out. I know it is nice to have home-field advantage, but I hate playing catch-up.

W: Man United are having some major injury problems ahead of the game in terms of the defence, how do you think Jose Mourinho will go about trying to capitalise on this?
J: I think Mourinho has his game plan and his team, and he has for some time. Looking at the call-up list, I cannot think of who he would change. I think we are going to play compact, possession ball in the midfield, the wingbacks will press, and Zlatan and Adri will try to muscle through the defense. On our side, we are without our defender Walter Samuel. He has been in great form recently and his injury is a blow for us.

W: Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have had a very healthy rivalry in previous years, in the CL and the EPL, do you think this will have any bearing on the match?
J: Actually, I think it does. When you read interviews with team members, one thing they say is that Mourinho knows Manchester United and Ferguson and that this gives them confidence in front of the match. I dont think it would be quite the same if Inter were to play Lyon or something. I think, though, that both managers play to win so would be just as ferocious no matter who the opponent is.

W: Where do you think Inter need to dominate if they’re going to win the first leg?
J: First and foremost, we cannot allow any goals. Away goals are the devil in a tournament like this. Still, we also have to score a goal (or two). I think if we can control the midfield (like we did against Juventus), the rest of the game will fall into place.

W: Who do you think is the biggest threat on the United team for this first leg?
J: Edwin Van der Sar. He has an amazing record and will be very difficult to beat. Ronaldo, but only because he has tricky feet that draw fouls and has the potential to be very dangerous in dead-ball situations.

W: What area do you think is Inter’s weakest on the pitch and do you think this will effect the game at all?
J: I think our weakest link is also our strongest. If Ibra is not playing up to his potential then we will suffer. If he is playing like he can, we will be golden. Another big question mark is Davide Santon. He has recently been promoted from our youth team, and while he has been playing well, he has only played 7 games with the first team. If he plays, this will be his first Champions League match. That is a little scary.

So there we go, some interesting answers from Johonna. Head over to the Inter Offside if you want to check out my answers and even to answer the questions yourself. If the answers are not up yet, I’m sure they soon will be.

Let us know either here at the Man Utd Offside or over with Johonna at the Inter Offside what you think of this feature. Cheers folks.