More like this
Did Sir Alex Ferguson make a mistake in the FA Cup?
On Sunday, Man Utd were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton. Was manager Sir Alex Ferguson correct to leave out key players for the tie?
According to Kevin McCarra in the Guardian, "Manchester United got their calculations marginally wrong as Sir Alex Ferguson tried to win an FA Cup semi-final while making the smallest possible demands of his squad. In consequence his club, after the penalty shoot-out with Everton, lost its chance of winning all five tournaments in which it has taken part this season."
But the defeat, which came about after Fergie had left Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Edwin van der Sar home in Manchester, "in itself, cannnot reduce the manager to despair. Sunday's tie intrigued mostly for the spectacle of a manager trying to establish the minimum level of quality he would need to eke out victory. Gifted footballers came off the bench one by one, as if a pipette was being employed to introduced talent a drop at a time."
The litmus test for Manchester United will be if the resting of such talents as Ronaldo will strengthen the squad for the pursuit of the real glittering prizes left on offer, the Champions League and the Premier League crown. ·
