Reds set off the Moscow !
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Reds set off for Moscow
Sir Alex Ferguson is taking a full squad with him to Russia's capital Moscow as the team departed from Manchester international airport on Monday afternoon.
The boss takes 24 players with him for the Champions League final against Chelsea. He says he already knows his team, but picking seven substitutes - and subsequently leaving six players out - will not be easy.
"I know my team, but picking the substitutes is the biggest problem," he said. "I’m not going to enjoy it. There are going to be some very good players I have to leave out.
"It’s not easy to tell players that. The consolation for anyone not playing in the final is to be on the bench, because they do feel part of it. I just hope that, at some point in the Champions League, they extend the substitutes’ bench to 11 players as they do in World Cup games. That would be justified in a final. The dilemma I have should be taken from me."
Sir Alex, of course, has had to make such difficult decisions many times before. But he admits that "it doesn’t get any easier with time.
"If anything it becomes more difficult," he says. "This team is starting to blend together and mature. So you get to know the players better and therefore they know that they’ve contributed a lot to the season. To be told by me that they’re being left out, no matter what I say, doesn’t resonate with them."
Travelling squad
(Goalkeepers) Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton (Defenders) Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Brown, Neville, O'Shea, Silvestre, Pique (Midfielders) Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Hargreaves, Anderson, Fletcher, Park, Nani (Forwards) Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Saha, Welbeck. -
my XI for the game:
Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Park, Rooney, Tevez
Subs:
Kuszczak, Silvestre, Hargreaves, Anderson, Fletcher, Nani, Giggs
Left out:
Heaton, Neville, O'Shea, Pique, Saha, Welbeck.
i believe this is the most appropriate line-up... this XI has been SAF's 1st choice for the last few games... pretty well balanced imo. brown and owen could swap places.
the subs: silves and owen to cover the def, anderson and fletcher the centre, nani and giggs the wings.
heaton and welback confirm drop... i don't see neville playing.. o'shea and pique doesn't offer much.. saha doesn't fit in the system and i dont see him scoring although i would love to see him come on as a sub to score the winner.