vs Manchester 9-1 loss

We went into this one hoping that manchester were more hung over and fat after the christmas excesses than we were. It seemed like we would have a large complement of subs at training on Tuesday so we were not unduly worried before the match. Valbonna is always a bitch to play at. Its a big pitch and an awful surface but we were in good spirits as we waited for the players to turn up at the meeting point, only to realise that lucho, Chris, and Mike didn't turn up. We had a couple of new guys who had never played for us before but the subs bench was a lonely place.

Immediately we kicked off with Tom at left back and Caj at right. Dom and Me in centre of defence and a 5 man midfield of Lluis, Kyle, Hugo, Branko, and Fritz, leaving Ian feeding off scraps up front. The worrying scene of 5 subs for the opposition boded badly for us.

The first goal was due to a lazy backpass after 5 minutes, the second a missed header into the sun, and the third, some very good wing play. The one thing you noticed about these guys was that they finished excellently. Jordi made 6 or 7 class saves within 20 minutes, and we were in danger of falling apart. Branko popped up with a 25 yard thunderbolt that moved in the air and dragged us back to 3-1, but the onslaught continued. Their wingers were marauding down the left and right, and with Hans their captain at his inspirational best, it was difficult to cope with them. At 5 or 6-1 by half time, we knew it would be hard work for the next 45 minutes. Our 1 sub came on at left back for Caj who was struggling to keep up with their lighning fast winger. The first 20 minutes of the second half we kept them at bay and a couple of chances came our way but were not buried, but then came their subs. They brought on 5 players wth fresh legs and all were as good as those that they replaced. The game was up when one of their attackers scythed Jordi in the box and dropped him onto his lower back, the scene of a previous injury that kept him out for 6 months. The rest of the game we chased shadows and had a goalkeeper who couldn't move. The final 3 goals were impossible to stop as tired legs gave way to the furious pace of the game. A sound thrashing, lets hope Jordi recovers or our season is in trouble.