We’d been drawn in opposition to Roma within the Champions League quarter-finals they usually actually did have an excellent crew on the time. The primary leg out in Rome was robust. Tactically it was a problem as a result of Roma didn’t have a striker, they simply had Francesco Totti dropping deep, often flicking the ball on, one-touch, to one in all their runners. It was a bit totally different to how Barcelona used that false 9 strategy a number of years later, within the sense that Barcelona had the runners, however there was much more play in midfield, whereas Roma would ship the ball in to Totti and also you’d actually have 4 of his team-mates – two excessive midfielders and two wingers – simply bombing ahead. It was one thing fairly new that we hadn’t actually come up in opposition to they usually did it rather well. Totti was prime, to be sincere. Generally you come up in opposition to gamers with reputations and also you possibly suppose: truly, he wasn’t fairly pretty much as good as I believed, however he was definitely a kind of the place you come away pondering: yeah, prime participant.
As for the Stadio Olimpico, what a terrific place to play soccer. The environment was unbelievable. There was a little bit of bother between United followers and the police within the stands, so there was a proper edge to the sport and you may really feel it within the stadium. It was my first season on the membership, so actually I used to be nonetheless having my first style of the Champions League, taking part in huge away video games of that nature, so it was robust however I beloved it.
After all, we all the time do issues the exhausting means. Having Scholesy despatched off after half-an-hour was a blow, then we went 1-0 down not lengthy afterwards. One factor that stands out, I bear in mind, was that we have been warned beforehand by the workers about Roma’s multi-ball system, whereby when the ball went out of play for a nook, the ballboys would run on and put the balls proper on the nook spot so Totti may actually run up and simply take it instantly. We have been warned by the supervisor and the coaches, however their first aim got here from it. Ball goes out and earlier than you understand it, the nook’s coming in and Taddei scored from it.
We have been determined to get an away aim to take into the second leg; that was one thing the supervisor all the time inspired us to do as a result of he appreciated the significance of getting that away aim within the bag in the event you wanted it if you acquired residence. Dropping Scholesy after which going behind was a double blow. The gang was up, the environment grew much more and out of the blue, due to the way in which they performed, you out of the blue felt like every thing was being thrown at you, so that you needed to knuckle down and dig deep. It was a correct, bite-down-on-your-gum-shield state of affairs.
We landed a giant blow within the second half after we acquired that away aim on the counter assault. Cristiano went on a terrific run down the fitting and fed Ole. Now, Ole doesn’t get sufficient credit score for his capability for granted winger, in the event you ask me. He had a terrific supply in him, as he confirmed on that event by placing a superb ball in for Wazza, who took his time and put in a terrific end. Big aim. We’d been underneath strain and hadn’t seen a lot of the ball, so we have been hanging in, however that aim gave us an enormous enhance for the remainder of the sport and going into the second leg. It gave us an actual sense that it was sport on. We conceded a second and misplaced 2-1, however I bear in mind the supervisor coming in afterwards and he was fairly pleased with the consequence, very optimistic.
“Once we get them again residence, we’re in an excellent place,”
he stated, so we went into the second leg in a really optimistic mind set anyway.