United got their arses well and truly handed to them on a plate, in both legs. Best side definitely won!
Scary thing is those boys are 7th in La Liga. So the 7th best side in Spain just destroyed the 'best' side in England!
On that note, United will win the league this year (feel dirty saying that). The run in they have compared to City's makes it a near certainty, even without City choking as they seem to be. That's probably got to be one of Fergy/United's best PL titles, because that United team is nowhere near to being the best in the league. In fact, it's not even a patch on the United team or 4-5 years ago. Yet they have ground out the results, and had the bit of luck you need, and are sitting pretty. All dues to United, or if you want that another way, it's an indictment of the standard of the PL that such a "weak" (relatively speaking) United side can be odds on to win another title.
As for City. WTF is going on? Mancini must be a dead man walking. Having spent all that money and having a reserve team that would push for a CL spot, he can't win the title. Very poor, I'll be amazed if he keeps his job.
You may be right that neither City nor United's players gave a stuff about the Europa League, and it is very much 'after the Lord Mayor's show' for those sides dumped out of CL, especially if you were supposedly serious contenders to win it. Even so, it's a poor effort from the players. It may ONLY be the Europa League, but it's still a trophy and the fans still pay their money to come and watch, it's a distant second to the PL in terms of priorities, but both Manchester sides were pish! Their fans have a right to expect better.
One other thing I can't get my head round. How can United be sitting pretty at the top of the PL (albeit one were a lot of the "big" teams are in transition/turmoil, delete as appropriate) yet get hammered by a good but by no means exceptional Altheltic Bilbao side, be some what fortunate to beat a very very mediocre Ajax, and get 1 point in two games against a bunch of part time Swiss clock makers!?
How can they over achieve so well in the PL and under perform so badly in Europe!?
It's not like European football is new to United. Bayern's demolition of those Swiss clock makers puts their result against United/United's performance against them in context. Even more so when you think Leverkusen beat Bayern the other week and look what Barca did to Leverkusen!
As for RVP, without him I don't think Arsenal would even be pushing for a European spot. Look at his replacements, Chamack – who has regressed daily since Jan 2011! Yer Korean fella – bought to sell shirts out there. Gervinho – Looking ok, but nothing too special so far. Will give him time before I pass judgement, either way though he won't score the goals RVP will.
I think Wenger should be offering him everything Arsenal have to keep him. At the same time I don't think RVP is primarily motivated by money (as far as that can be said about any footballer). I think he wants to win things and wants to be challenging for honours, and who can blame him? Arsenal's best bet is to try and sign a few world class/very good players to play along side him. Podolski is a start, but is he a partner or a replacement!?