Because I don't get the channel that carried the match, I watched it at a nearby pub. I typically sit down for a 2nd viewing of the game at my own home if I initially watched it at the pub so that I can pay attention to more detail -- and less on the female bartenders and drink the fish n' chips. Therefore, because I don't have access to a 2nd viewing for this match, I won't be providing the typical tactical review that TBB usually offers. However, here are some things that stood out to me during Manchester United's 2-0 Europa League away defeat of Ajax -- hopefully they provide some discussion points:

1. A Tale of Two Halves - I doubt you'd receive much resistance if you declared that United played much better in the 2nd half. I'd go into more detail on this, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson did all the work for me with this quote from his post-match interview!

"I’m delighted with the scoreline but I think it was a very ordinary performance by us. We didn’t reach any great heights in the game. We did improve in the second half and I thought we deserved to win it but I didn’t think we played well at all. There was no rhythm to our game. I know Ajax can make it difficult with their system and they pressed the ball really well but we didn’t get any tempo to our game in the first half. We did improve in the second half but it was not a brilliant performance."

- Ferguson | Source: Channel Five

This is pretty much how I felt about the match. Smart man that Sir Alex is.

2. Ajax's organized pressing - It wasn't just that Ajax pressed us, but it was their organization of how they did it that impressed me. Their front 3 actively closed down our defenders but it was Siem De Jong and Christian Eriksen that made it work. They were very systematic and De Jong and Eriksen did very well to close down the passing lanes to Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley. They zonally marked well and the United midfielders found it difficult at times to find space to receive in. This was complimented by Ajax playing a high-line for most of the match -- this helped them compact the playing space. When United were in possession, it was often only 20-25 yards that separated Ajax's forwards from their back four. It was no coincidence that United played better when Paul Scholes entered the match. His movement to find space to receive in was good as was his close-control on the ball.

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That certainly was the case for Paul Scholes. However, it has been 39 days since the return of the midfield maestro from premature retirement and I don't think the fondness for him has subsided one bit for Manchester United supporters during this time.

Since Scholesy's return, United have been involved in 5 Premier League matches and 2 FA Cup ties -- and he's played a part in every single one of them. In those 7 contests, United have won 5 of them and only lost once -- the 1 loss was at Anfield in a match that United clearly outclassed Liverpool FC in. United's recent good form occurring since Scholes' return is not a coincidence. His impact has been far greater than even the most realistic optimist could have imagined.

After his initial appearance versus Manchester City on January 8, it was clear still that his technical ability was matched by only a few in the footballing world. The man dubbed 'Sat Nav' by teammates -- because of the incredible precision he displayed when picking out a pass anywhere on the pitch -- came on as a substitute in the 59th minute at the Etihad and he immediately pulled the strings as he completed an incredible 73 passes at a 97% success rate. However, expectations going forward were still modest because this was a 37-year-old player coming out of retirement and one that professed that his legs were gone last Spring.

After the City match, I wrote this piece suggesting that Scholes could be a useful squad player by coming on late to kill off matches by playing 'keep-ball' (*). While I anticipated that he would make the occasional start, it seemed reasonable to expect that his main role would be as an effective 'closer' late in games as a possession-based midfielder. Scholes did this in the City game, just as he did at the Emirates versus Arsenal on January 22, but his overall impact has been greater than this so far.

(*) The linked piece provides more tactical detail about Scholes and supplements this piece well. It would be rather redundant to repeat the same here.

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Think back to a nine-day span in the Spring of 2010. On March 30, Manchester United and thousands of its supporters had arrived at the Allianz Arena for the first of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final two-legged tie with German giants Bayern Munich. Life was grand for United as they topped the Premier League table while chasing what could be a record-setting fourth successive league title. In addition, Wayne Rooney had exceeded all expectations in his new role as an out-and-out striker to become United's talisman -- it was a season that followed the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. The Englishman arrived in Germany with a 33-goal tally in all competitions and he quickly added a 34th inside of 2 minutes in Munich. All was well. All was soon lost.

What followed was this series of unraveling events: Rooney injured his ankle later during the match in Munich, he missed what proved to be a league title-decider when United lost to Chelsea FC four days later because of that injury, and he returned too soon during the reverse fixture with Bayern on April 7 -- a nightmare at Old Trafford that saw United blow a 4-2 aggregate goal lead and exit European competition while Rooney limped off just short of the hour-mark.

United lost the league title. United failed to reach a third successive Champions League final. United lost the form of their talisman for a calendar year. How did it all go wrong?

Quite simply, Sir Alex Ferguson's side had become too reliant on Rooney.

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OPENING LINEUPS AND FORMATIONS

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson deployed his side in a 4-4-1-1ish shape. David de Gea was the goalkeeper while Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans were the center-back duo. Patrice Evra wore the captain's armband at left-back and Rafael was selected at right-back. In central-midfield, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick formed a partnership. Antonio Valencia was the right-winger while Ryan Giggs played narrowly on the left as a 'interiore'. Danny Welbeck was the lead striker while Wayne Rooney played withdrawn from him.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish started his side in a 4-1-4-1 shape. Pepe Reina is his side's No. 1 and their first-choice center-back tandem -- Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger -- were once again selected. Glen Johnson was chosen over Martin Kelly at right-back while Jose Enrique returned from injury and started at left-back. Jay Spearing shielded the defense as the holding-midfielder while captain Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson played more advanced in central-midfield. Dirk Kuyt played narrowly as the wide right player in attack and Stewart Downing was selected as a left-winger. Luis Suarez was the lone striker.

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OPENING LINEUPS AND FORMATIONS

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson deployed his side in a 4-4-1-1ish shape. David de Gea was the goalkeeper while the center-back pairing was Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans. Patrice Evra wore the captain's armband at left-back while Rafael was selected at right-back. Chris Smalling was unavailable due to an apparent knock sustained in training last week. In central-midfield, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs were the duo and they were flanked by Antonio Valencia on the right and Ashley Young on the left. Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney were up front with the latter playing in a withdrawn role.

Chelsea manager Andres Villas-Boas had his side in a 4-2-3-1 shape -- rather than the usual 4-3-3 the Blues have played in under their new manager. Peter Cech was in goal and with captain John Terry injured, the center-back pairing was David Luiz and the newly acquired Gary Cahill. The latter was making his debut at the club. Jose Bosignwa was chosen over Ryan Bertrand to deputise for the suspended Ashley Cole at left-back and Branislav Ivanovic was at right-back. In the 'double-pivot' roles, Michael Essien and Raul Meireles were selected while Juan Mata was deployed in a 'number ten' role behind lead striker Fernando Torres. Daniel Sturridge was the wide right attacker and Florent Malouda was the wide left attacker.

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One of the tactical keys that was highlighted in our Manchester United vs. Chelsea match preview was the need to force Andres Villas-Boas' side to play on the flanks. As this excellent analysis piece points out -- from the Chelsea fansite We Ain't Got No History -- the goalscoring rates for the Blues tends to drop as their crossing efforts increase. During Chelsea's past five matches, three of their four highest crossing rates from this season has occurred. Their opponents seem to be congesting the middle of the pitch and forcing them wide. This likely has increased as of late because of two reasons: (1) the absence of Didier Drogba -- who is one of the fiercest aerial threats in the Premier League -- due to his current involvement in the African Cup of Nations. (2) Also, outside of Juan Mata, none of Chelsea's wide players -- whether that be wide attackers or full-backs -- are particularly strong at crossing the ball.

Here is a chart that displays crossing statistics for Chelsea's wide players from their 23 Premier League matches this season. Anything over a 30% success rate is considered very good while anything around 25% is decently solid. Following the chart is a brief discussion of each player's statistics and tactical role.

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Manchester United Opening Lineup and Shape

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had his side in a 4-4-2ish shape. Due to the injuries in training to both Anders Lindegaard and David de Gea prior to this match, third-choice goalkeeper Ben Amos got the unexpected start. Rio Ferdinand recovered again from his chronic back injury to be chosen and he was partnered by Jonny Evans at center-back. Chris Smalling -- who adds more height to his side against the aerial threat of Stoke City -- was chosen at right-back over Rafael while Patrice Evra wore the captain's armband at left-back.

In central-midfield, maestros Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick dictated play from the center of the park. On the right flank, the in-form Antonio Valencia was deployed while Park Ji-sung played a narrow role as the left-sided midfielder. Up front, Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) stayed high as an out-and-out striker while partner Dimitar Berbatov often dropped deep to link play -- another reason for the latter's selection was likely his height for defending against set-pieces.

Stoke City Opening Lineup and Shape

Stoke manager Tony Pulis deployed his side in a 4-4-1-1 shape. Thomas Sorensen was between the posts at Old Trafford while Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth were the center-back duo. Andy Wilkinson was chosen over Jonathan Woodgate at right-back -- likely due to the better mobility being an anticipated need versus United's pacy wingers. Opposite of Wilkinson at left-back was Marc Wilson.

In central-midfield, Wilson Palacios and Dean Whitehead were chosen over Glenn Whelan and Rory Delap -- the latter's long-throw ability is nullified at Old Trafford due to the drop-off beyond touchline. Jonathan Walters started as the wide midfielder on the left in place of Matthew Etherington -- the latter limped off at the weekend versus Derby County due to a groin injury and only made the bench for this tie -- while Jermaine Pennant was the right-winger. Up front, Peter Crouch was the target-man while Kenwyne Jones played in behind him.

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Manchester United opening lineup and shape

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson opted for an extra man in the center of the park by deploying his side in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 hybrid shape -- more specifically, it was a 4-1-2-3. Recently demoted David de Gea was given a game between the posts while Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling were the center-back duo -- Rio Ferdinand was deemed only fit enough for the bench after returning to training just a day or two prior to Saturday's match. Patrice Evra wore the captain's armband at left-back while Rafael was selected at right-back. Paul Scholes sat right in front of the center-backs and the maesto operated as a deep-lying playmaker. Michael Carrick was generally positioned just right of center ahead of Scholes while Ryan Giggs started just left of center and even higher up the pitch. Park Ji-sung was narrowly positioned as the wide attacker on the left while Antonio Valencia hugged the right touchline as a winger. Danny Welbeck was the lone striker up front.

Liverpool opening lineup and shape

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is one of few managers in top-flight football that tinkers with his personnel and formations more than Fergie. When Dalglish revealed his starting XI prior to the match -- which included three natural center-backs -- many wondered if the home side would play with three in the back. It was only a week ago when Dalglish used this tactic against Stoke City. However, Liverpool played in a shape that mirrored United's.

No. 1 Pepe Reina was in goal at Anfield while it was Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel that formed a center-back pairing. Jamie Carragher -- who is a natural center-back -- sat right in front of them as a holding-midfielder. Martin Kelly was chosen over Glen Johnson at right-back while Jose Enrique was selected at left-back. Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard were in the center of the park while Stewart Downing was the wide right player in attack. Maxi Rodriguez played narrowly as the left-sided attacker and the Argentine continually drifted inward. Andy Carroll was the lone striker as he played the role of a true center-forward.

Here were the opening lineups and general shapes of both sides for roughly the opening half-hour of the match:

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