Ben Sleek's Manchester United Blog

Champions League: Who can Manchester United face?

2012-12-19T15:32:00.000Z

Manchester United’s Champions League Draw

On Thursday morning, 10:30am GMT over in Nyon, the draw for the final 16 of the Champions League will be made.

As Manchester United won their group they are therefore seeded, those that finished top of their groups go into the draw as seeded with those finishing as runners-up unseeded.

When the draw is made in Nyon tomorrow (Thursday) the unseeded teams will be first out of the hat, meaning that Manchester United’s first game will be the away.

Once the draw has been made then both home and away leg of the tie must be played between February 12th and March 13th of 2013.

The group winners from the previous stage: Paris St Germain, Schalke, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona & Manchester United

The group runners-up for the previous stage: Porto, Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Valencia, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray SK, Celtic

As you cannot face a team that is playing in the same league in the final 16 then this rules out Manchester United facing Arsenal, not only that but a team will not be drawn against the runners-up in the same group of the group stage, thus ruling out being drawn against Galatasaray SK.

Manchester United can face the following teams:

Porto
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Valencia
Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic

Who would you like Manchester United to be drawn against?

Match Reaction: Manchester United v Sunderland

2012-12-17T07:04:00.002Z

Manchester United strolled to victory over a very poor Sunderland side, who looked like they got off the bus an hour late, in a processional encounter at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex kept faith with De Gea in goal, restoring Lindegaard to the bench. With Rafael out with a hamstring injury, Phil Jones continued his comeback from long term injury by starting at right back, alongside Ferdinand, Smalling and Evra. The rest of the line-up remained unchanged from last weekends victory over City, with Valencia and Young occupying the wings and Carrick and Cleveley running the show in midfield. Rooney sat in behind Robin van Persie up top.

With just one win away from home under their belt this season, Sunderland had their work cut out for them to get anything from the game. They set up in a compact 4-5-1 when without possession, attempting to clog midfield, which then became a 4-2-3-1 when they looked to counter, but in truth, they lacked quality to cope with United’s speed of passing in and around their box, and the game should have been beyond them after 40 minutes.

Sunderland’s shambolic attempts at defending were their undoing all day, the first example of which saw Patrice Evra left unmarked on the penalty spot from a corner, in the perfect place to receive a woeful clearance, the resulting shot narrowly fizzing past the wrong side of the bar.

United took the lead in the 16th minute, when Ashley Young twisted and turned to find room for a cross that he should never have been given, only for said cross to cannon off Agent O’Shea (nice one, John) and land in the path of Robin van Persie who smashed it into the top corner of Mignolet’s goal.

Sunderland had no response for the over/underlapping runs from Evra and Phil Jones, time and time again either pressing Valencia into passing to his fullback, or taking the fullback and giving Valencia far too much space.

United were 2-0 up after 19 minutes as Carrick and Cleverley conspired to produce a fantastic 1-2 that saw the latter ghost into Sunderland’s box unmarked, and stroke the ball into the far corner of the net with what seemed like little to no effort.

Sunderland were in disarray, with no way to get the ball anywhere near their lone striker, Fletcher. Their fans, at least, had resolved to enjoy themselves by taking a leaf out of small-time-Stoke-City’s book and stealing songs from other clubs.

Their recital of City’s ‘You thought it was yours’ chant was embarrassing for them, referring as it does to an event that bares them no significance at all. No wonder then that it seemed to me that every Sunderland fan I looked at seemed to avert my quizzical stare while singing it. The East Stand responded with ‘Going down, going down, going down’ repeatedly, to which Sunderland, in a relegation fight not for the first time in recent memory, replied with the classic ‘So are we, so are we, so are we’ – a moment of humour for them in an otherwise joyless day. It must be said though that, unlike Stoke, Sunderland do actually have their own songs and their support for their team was admirable, City’s song book aside.

United should have had two more before the half, Rooney spurning two excellent chances, one in particular that saw van Persie cushion a beautiful header into Rooney’s path leading him to skew his half-volley inches wide of the post.

The change changed slightly at the half, proof if any was required, of the importance of the largely unsung work of Michael Carrick at the base of United’s midfield. Carrick’s replacement by Scholes at half time, along with greater attacking impetus from the visitors, led to a more balanced second half in which both sides troubled the scorers.

United first extended their lead to three as, once again, a clueless piece of defending from Titus Bramble let van Persie shuffle past him and square the ball for Rooney to tap home.

At 3-0 Sir Alex reintroduced Nemanja Vidic to first team action, to a standing ovation from Old Trafford. However, Sunderland spoiled the clean sheet by scoring 4 minutes later after United’s defence switched off allowing former United player Fraizer Campbell to arrive unmarked at the back post and head in a cross from 3 yards out.

The game fizzled out from there, Sunderland buoyed slightly by their goal, but De Gea equal to everything else they could throw at him.

United were scintillating at times in the first half, attacking width returning in abundance thanks to the excellent performances of Evra and Phil Jones. Carrick and Cleverley looked accomplished in midfield, and the telepathy between Rooney and van Persie was a joy to behold. Although unable to hit that same gear in the second half, the job was, in a sense, already done, not that that excuse will placate Sir Alex Ferguson.

Match Preview: Manchester United vs Sunderland

2012-12-15T10:53:00.003Z

Manchester United v Sunderland

Last Sunday’s hard-fought, last-gasp victory at the Etihad stretched United’s lead at the top of the table to an attractive 6 points. There’s a long way to go, of course, but considering the lengthy injury list already suffered this season, as well as sustained periods of kamikaze defending, it’s a surprisingly healthy advantage to hold. With a kind festive fixture list – including a Santa-sized splattering of home matches (3 of next 4 at OT) – going into the New Year with, at the very least, the current gap of 6 points maintained is a realistic possibility. First up, Sunderland at Old Trafford, in a more-frequent-this-season-or-is-it-just-me 3pm Saturday kick-off.

Sunderland, who picked up only their third victory of the season against Reading in midweek, currently lie one point above the drop-zone in 15^th place. After spending relatively heavily in the summer, their season is not panning out in the way their fans, and manager Martin O’Neil, had anticipated. A win at Old Trafford, while being their second away victory of the season, could also be enough to see them rise one place in the table, above neighbours Newcastle, who, ironically, play Manchester City in the early kick-off.
United were unstoppable against City and certainly showed them they were not down and out after last season’s derby losses and the title loss. We are back and ready to fight to get our trophy back this season. Sunderland on the other hand are a completely different team from last season. They have only just got out of the relegation places after beating Reading on Monday evening. It could inspire them to do well at Old Trafford, a stadium where they have never won in the Premier League, in fact they have only beaten United once in the Premier League in the 22 matches played.

United have been boosted with the news that Nemanja Vidic will play some part in tomorrows match and that Shinji Kagawa will return to training next week, we are close to becoming a fully fit side just when we will need it the most. Sunderland on the other hand may miss a few players tomorrow with former United player Phil Bardsley being the notable name missing.

One thing we can be sure of is that it will be a good match tomorrow and a win is the only option for United to get the advantage on their rivals, we cannot have any complacency this season, even if City lose.

Wayne Rooney on playing Sunderland: “If there is one team that I want to beat this season it will be Sunderland.”

He was referring to, of course, the celebrations of the Sunderland fans at end of the final match of last season. A news filtered through of City’s last-gasp win, the home fans cheered as though their own side had won the title. It was disappointing to see, and something the United players clearly remember. While Sir Alex Ferguson has this week stated that “revenge won’t come into anything on Saturday”, it will be impossible to suppress one or two lingering anti-Sunderland feelings in the collective Red mind. Fully expect to see some choice celebrations from both home players and fans should United score. (Of course they’ll score!)

Anders Lindegaard has declared himself available again after missing last week’s derby when his wife went into labour. Fingers crossed he takes a seat on the bench, allowing de Gea to continue in goal. While Fergie will no doubt throw several selection curve-balls between now and May, I don’t see him making another goalkeeping change tomorrow.

In defence, Jonny Evans has been ruled out with the hamstring injury he picked up at the Etihad last week. While his loss is a blow, having captain Nemanja Vidic available again negates some of this disappointment. While he may only be fit enough for a place on the bench, expect him to feature at some point. With minutes needed for several players before the busy festive period, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling should also feature. With an 8 day gap until our next league fixture – Swansea (A) – and the beginning of the Christmas programme, Saturday’s match is the perfect opportunity to get some game-time on the clock.

After an energetic, composed performance against City, it would be disappointing not to see Tom Cleverley line up in the centre of midfield again. His partnership with Michael Carrick was one of the major plus points of the win and deserves another opportunity to evolve. But, again, with the Christmas period fast approaching, changes could be likely. Antonio Valencia returned last week but still looks far from his best – but take into account it was his first game since his own injury lay-off, of course – and Danny Welbeck could come into the side in his place. On the other side, Ashley Young continued a mini-renaissance in form with another effective display at City and could keep his place on the left-hand side.

Up top, Wayne Rooney should start, given his comments in relation to Sunderland this week. He’ll be chomping at the bit (as usual, I know) to see off the Black Cats and, having been ill in the week, and an 8 day rest period after the game, he should play to keep up his all-too-easily-depleted fitness levels. Robin van Persie could be due a weekend off, with Javier Hernandez ready and able to come in if Fergie sees fit. Again, topping up competitive minutes before the busy weeks to come is crucial. Expect several changes and/or substitutions.

Predicted United line-up: De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evra, Welbeck, Cleverley, Carrick, Young, Rooney, Hernandez

SUMMARY

With second-placed City playing in the weekend’s early kick-off, United will go into the game knowing whether their lead has been cut by 3 points, or can be extended to 9. Either way, after the events witnessed at the end of last season, motivation to win will not be lacking (not that it ever is, of course). Sunderland will travel to Old Trafford in decent spirits flowing their midweek win, and will know, also after the early kick-off, whether they can leapfrog rivals Newcastle United in the table. Regardless, they will provide a stern test, despite their relatively mediocre away record. Martin O’Neill will have them organised and hard to beat; United will have to show glimpses (hopefully more!) of the great attacking display – especially in the first half – witnessed at the Etihad last week. Entering the festive period a potential 9 points clear will be a massive fillip to the side. As will seeing Nemanja Vidic back on the Old Trafford green, of course.

Score prediction: United 2-0 Sunderland

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Press Conference – 14/12/12

2012-12-14T16:58:00.001Z

Sir Alex Ferguson has just finished his press conference at Carrington Training Complex ahead of the visit of Sunderland tomorrow at Old Trafford.

As ever, manutd.com and the British media were on hand to take note of everything that was discussed during today’s press conference.

Starting with the great news that Nemanja Vidic has been training all week and is set for his first-team return tomorrow at the back for the reds

Sir Alex on Vidic’s return to the squad:

“It’s a big, big win to have him back in the squad – his ability to head the ball, his captaincy. We hope we’ve given him the proper rehab. We’ll give him a chance and we hope he sails through it. I don’t know whether he will start tomorrow – he’s only played about 10 games in the last 12 months, which is not like Nemanja.”

“I don’t know whether we will start him [Vidic] tomorrow but it is an advantage to have him back in the squad”

Team news ahead of Sunderland:

“Nemanja Vidic is back in the squad tomorrow. Jonny Evans is out with the hamstring injury from last week. Chris Smalling came on and did very well. Shinji Kagawa is back in training and doing very well. Nani is still out.”

Sir Alex on being top of the Barclay’s Premier League:

“I’m happy with six points. It’s City’s challenge to try and catch us. If we can keep our players fit, it will give us a better chance. We’ve got a heavy programme of fixtures – if we can negotiate that and still be top, we’ll be delighted.”

Sir Alex on Sunderland celebrations for Man City last season:

“Their fans’ reaction on the last day was disappointing. When you think about the players we’ve given them over the years, including Evans and Simpson, who helped them win promotion. I don’t think it was malicious from their fans, just foolishness; they were just enjoying the moment.”

At the end of season awards back in May, Sir Alex Ferguson reminded Sunderland that we will not forget them cheering for Manchester City:

“Sunderland fans who were cheering for City, remember the day. We won’t forget that. I am telling you.”

Is Luis Nani heading for an Arsenal move?

2012-12-12T08:47:00.002Z

With only a few weeks until the January transfer window opens, the rumours have already started on players coming in and going out of Manchester United.

This morning the Daily Mail claim that our very own Luis Nani could be heading down south with a move to Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal.

According to media sources over the past few months, Luis Nani has been in a contract money row with Sir Alex Ferguson and the club, not only that but a training ground fight with U21 player Davide Petrucci did not help his case at United.

Currently Nani is being paid £90,000 a-week at Manchester United but Luis and his agent are aiming to get £130,000 per week under a new contract.

At this morning in time Nani has 18-months left on his current contract but with all the recent goings, on and off the pitch, we could see the back of the Portuguese winger sooner than expected in January.

Currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury and due back at the start of January, many United fans feel that we may have seen the last of Nani at our club.

Arsène Wenger is set to offer a figure in the region of £20million for Nani according to The Sun newspaper, but with Arsenal unwilling to offer more than £80,000 a week to Theo Walcott we expect talks to be on going with both club, player and agent if reports are true.

Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie’s best friend, will not be signing a renewed contract at Arsenal in the summer meaning that a transfer away from the club will be free, Manchester United have also been rumoured to be interested in the Englishman’s movements.

Not long till the transfer window opens, have we seen the last of Nani at Manchester United?

Goalkeeping hokey-cokey at Manchester United won’t keep clean sheets

2012-12-12T08:24:00.000Z

Every title-winning season review DVD features a segment congratulating the manager for rotating two keepers regularly every time one makes a mistake. Every great side down football history has been remembered for having two fantastic goalkeepers, working perfectly in tandem while only playing half the games.

Back in reality, winning sides are built around a solid spine, and the man between the posts is a vital part of that. As Ferguson tries to build another great team, getting the goalkeeper right is essential, as he discovered when he signed Peter Schmeichel.

And in David De Gea, Manchester United have someone who could become a superb no.1. But rather than showing faith in what is undoubted talent, his confidence and form has been scuppered as he sits on the bench waiting for Anders Lindegaard to make an unfortunate error so he can take his place in the starting line-up again.

I’m all for managers attempting to rip the rulebook up and trying something different. Without changing ideas we’d be sat watching a 2-3-5 formation every week. But this isn’t that radical from Sir Alex – afterall, he’s tried it before. I’ve desperately tried to forget the dark years of rotating Tim Howard and Roy Carroll in 2004 and 2005, and yet the last year has brought them all rushing back. It failed then, and there is absolutely no evidence that, seven years on, it’s suddenly morphed into a stroke of genius. In fact, all the evidence points to exactly the opposite.

We’ve got goalkeepers with rock-bottom confidence, an uncertain and confused defence, and we’ve kept one clean sheet in the Premier League this season, at home to Wigan.

The continued chopping and changing of De Gea and Lindegaard is extremely frustrating, and to be honest, difficult to fathom.

Patrice Evra recently explained that no Manchester United player feels safe from being dropped because there is currently a large squad of talented players all vying for places. As he himself said, perhaps last year there wasn’t enough of a challenge to players in some areas of the squad.

Certainly with Evra, this subject has probably been done to death. Throughout last season, I read countless articles and twitter conversations bemoaning the fact that the Frenchman had taken his eye off the ball and was only keeping his place because there was no one else. The arrival of Buttner at the start of this campaign has seen the subject revisited as fans hope that particular issue is now resolved.

Yes, if a player has a consistent loss of form, and for a run of games leaves fans uttering regular expletives, his place being taken by an exciting back up is an excellent option. Everyone needs a kick up the backside occasionally.

But goalkeepers are different. They don’t run around for 90 minutes twice a week and need a rest, and they don’t need altering to match the other team’s tactics. A keeper’s confidence, form and focus is improved through consistent starts.

Additionally, there is a big difference between three ineffectual games, and one isolated mistake which can instantly leave an important player excluded.

Torres open goal misses aside, mistakes are amplified at the back. As a general rule, if a striker misses one obvious chance, he and the team can make another, which he may well go on and score.

If a goalkeeper makes a clanger, it’s probably a goal to the opposition, and the team finds themselves behind. Suddenly the complexion of the game has changed. Ashley Young had a goal chalked off for offside at the weekend, which was much maligned. But in two weeks, will many people remember that clearly? Probably not. Yet Lindegaard’s errors against Reading remains fresh in the mind.

Given the annual defensive injury curse has started early this year, and fans had already seen Carrick deployed as a centre back before the end of August, the confidence that comes with a settled goalkeeper would have been vital. Vidic, Ferdinand, Smalling, Jones, and Evans have already had spells on the sidelines, so the back four is uncertain at best. Much has been written of the damage done to United’s title hopes last season by a constantly changing rear guard which was unavoidable then and continues to be so, but voluntarily messing about with what should be a settled face behind them smacks of folly.

When United signed De Gea in 2011 for a fee of around £17m, Ferguson said: “We identified him quite a while back as one we should go for. He’s young, very quick, good composure, presence and an outstanding replacement for Van der Sar.”

That’s a fantastic testimony, and a large fee suggests that he was prepared to put his money where his mouth was. And yet the slightest mistake and De Gea is relegated to a very expensive benchwarmer.

In that quote, Ferguson acknowledges that De Gea is young. It’s escaped no one’s notice that he was only 20 years old at the time, and United bought potential on top of an impressive start to his career at Atletico Madrid.

He’s a sensational shot stopper. Against Everton, what now looks like an unfortunate loss on paper could have been a much heavier beating without his intervention. Restored from the bench against Galatasaray, he made a late double save to keep a clean sheet and ensure the three points.

While it is fair to point out his command of his box, particularly on crosses, isn’t consistently good enough yet, that is something else that won’t improve from the bench. It also won’t improve through the occasional start in the Capital One Cup against Newcastle’s reserve strike force, until the late appearance of Cisse. Sir Alex says he wants to give both keepers experience of the Premier League, but De Gea’s experiences with added referee protection in Europe and in “lesser” cup competitions domestically just doesn’t provide the same learning curve.

With Anders Lindegaard, you are supposedly blessed with a “safer” option. Perhaps an advantage in commanding the box, but what is safe about sacrificing world class saves? Not to mention inheriting dreadful distribution. With the Dane, it seems as if every ball has to go out to the centre backs, because his accuracy isn’t good enough to try any further. Against Tottenham, we saw perfectly how much pressure this puts the defence under when forwards press high up the pitch. De Gea can pick out a winger and start a counter attack. With Lindegaard, that poor distribution can give the opposition a chance to continue the pressure that United should have just alleviated by getting the ball back!

Realistically, I’d still be unhappy if Lindegaard was chosen as Ferguson’s first choice permanently, because I think De Gea is a better long term option. But if Sir Alex thinks the Dane is a better bet, then stick with him, and give him his chance to turn into the keeper that a great United side will need.

Be bold, make a decision and stand by it through the tough times. One squad will struggle to develop two young keepers to a world class standard. And United need one.

Match Reaction: Manchester City v Manchester United

2012-12-10T08:22:00.003Z

For starters, DSTV is a bitch ass satellite provider. This was a game I' ve been waiting for all week, then when the day and hour came, their services went off...just like that..And I was stuck with my Blackberry phone checking out the scores on Facebook and live-score..Guys, aint that some frustrating shit..Someone should be sued..Well, that's by the way, Manchester United triumphed 3-2 against their city rivals in a tense affair at the Eithad stadium with the winner coming from a Robin van Persie free kick in extra time.

United fans everywhere seemed universally happy with the line up, most commenting that it was the strongest 11 available. De Gea kept his place in the starting line-up as Mrs Lindegaard had gone into labour, so Mr Lindegaard was unavailable. As to whether De Gea would have played had Anders been available, i can only hope so, ranking as i do, even Sam Johnstone above Lindegaard in terms of natural ability – and being able to kick the ball further than the edge of his own box. Perhaps De Gea’s performance today will be enough to cement a regular place in the team similar to the run he was able to put together when Lindegaard was injured last year. Rafael was restored to the right back spot after his early substitution against Reading alongside Ferdinand, Evans and Evra. The midfield consisted of Young, Cleverley, Carrick and the surprise return of Tony V, leaving Rooney to support van Persie up front.

United were battered for the first 15 minutes. Unable to get any time or space on the ball they lost possession time and time again, inviting City to break forward. Far from the usual defensive error, or lapse in concentration we have become accustomed to expecting this season though, United’s midfield worked hard to stay goal side of the ball, and the defence held firm allowing just two shots (one on target) before Rooney opened the scoring.

Rooney’s first goal came after some wonderful one touch football down the left wing as Young played a one two with van Persie and then drove on towards City’s box. Young played a short pass into Rooney’s path on the edge of the box who scuffed his shot into the far corner of Joe Hart’s net.

At 1-0 City’s captain, Kompany was substituted for Kolo Toure after the former signalled he was injured and unable to carry on – a bizarre decision from Mancini given he had Lescott also available on the bench. United were 2-0 up 13 minutes later as Rooney once again found some space in City’s box and was able to stroke home a side-foot finish past the flailing Joe Hart.

City seemed stunned by these two counter-attacking goals, and perhaps conscious of being caught again, began to attack in a more measured manner, leaving Carrick and Cleverley the time and space to get back and disrupt play.

After half time, United looked to maintain momentum but had to substitute Jonny Evans for Chris Smalling after just 48 minutes after a hamstring pull Evans suffered in the first half did not react to half time treatment.

United continued to look comfortable for the first 15 minutes, and even scored another goal which was wrongly disallowed for offside after some breathtaking skill from Robin van Persie saw him bend a shot past Hart with his weaker right foot, only to see it hit the post and bounce back into play for Young to slot home. Within a minute City had scored at the other end and the game was back in the balance.

At 2-1 City looked the more likely to go on and get the next, they were playing with more urgency while United began to sink back into their own half, afraid to leave any space behind them. The leveller did come in the 85th minute, shortly after Valencia had been substituted for Phil Jones. Zabaleta was left unmarked at the top of the box from a corner, and he promptly drilled a low shot through the legs of Phil Jones and past an unsighted De Gea.

Despite the momentum swing in the second half, and the knowledge that a draw would still have kept United top of the league, Sir Alex deserves credit for reacting to City’s equalizer by bringing Welbeck on for Cleverley and sending a message to his team that they should still be looking for the win. This in stark contrast to last years encounter at the Etihad where United failed to register even a single shot on goal.

Welbeck would prove instrumental in a dramatic finish to the game as he won the ball back high up the field and passed it to Rafael who was fouled by Tevez outside City’s box. Rooney and van Persie stood over the ball, and with one swing of the prolific Dutchman’s boot, aided by a deflection from cheese-eating surrender-monkey Samir Nasri, United had re-taken the lead with just 90 seconds left to play.

The United players ran to celebrate in front of the away fans, and whilst doing so, Rio Ferdinand was hit just above the eye with a 2p coin, cutting him. Joe Hart then managed to intercept a City fan that had run onto the pitch and was intent on remonstrating with Ferdinand. City have commendably issued a statement this evening condemning this behaviour, but truth be told, having been to a few derby games at the Etihad now, the bile and hatred in the fans that sit either side of the away fans is unparalleled anywhere except perhaps Anfield.

United held on for the momentous win that puts them 6 points clear at the top of the Premier League, and 10 points clear of Chelsea. They also ended City’s 2 year streak of being unbeaten at home in the league.

The win is significant, as is the cushion it gives United. Also of significance is the contribution of Robin van Persie who had the choice to be on either side of this game over the summer and chose the men in red. With some of the seasons most difficult away games already behind them, and a relatively easy run ahead over the christmas period, Sir Alex can rightly be very happy with the progress his team are making in their quest to regain the Premier League title.

Match Preview: Manchester City vs Manchester United

2012-12-07T13:07:00.000Z

Guys, this is it......United head to the home of the champions on Sunday for the first clash of the season with our neighbours Manchester City. United hold a three point advantage over the blues, but a win for City will see them take top spot on goal difference.

The Opposition

Last season’s champions are still unbeaten in the league this season and haven’t lost a game at the Etihad since December 2010 against Everton. They’ve been steadier in their approach this season and are not quite the free-flowing team that they were this time last season. They have had their defence criticized at times this season, but they do have the best record in the league conceding only 11 in 15 games.

They do have a few injury concerns with David Silva hoping to be available for Sunday. There last 6 games in the league have seen them Win 3 (Tottenham, Wigan, Villa) and draw 3 (Chelsea, Everton, West Ham)

United Team News

Tom Cleverley will have a scan on the calf injury he picked up midweek, while the game has come too soon for Nemanja Vidic and Shinji Kagawa (Who should be available next weekend). Nani and Antonio Valencia are still a couple of weeks away and Anderson is about another three weeks.

Okay, so my predicted team above: I think after last weekend we will see De Gea come in, but don’t be too surprised to see Lindergaard between the sticks.

As good as Rafael has been this season – he was poor last weekend and deserved to be taken off, so I’ve gone for Jones at right-back. City are a big team at set-pieces and after watching us last week it’s probably something they will target us with, I even expect Dzeko to start for this reason. So I’ve picked Jones purely for his height. The other three players, Rio, Evans, Evra pick themselves really.

In midfield I would expect a return to the diamond formation, especially with Nani and Valencia injured. He could start Young on the left and Rooney on the right, but I don’t think he’ll do that. Carrick will be in front of the back-four at the top of the diamond, he’ll be able to cover Aguero/Tevez dropping deep and when Silva/Nasri move inside off their flanks. I’ve gone for Scholes too as I think keeping possession of the ball is going to be key on Sunday, and nobody does it better then the Ginger maestro. Even though there is a concern over Cleverley I still think he will start, he will have the legs to get around the midfield and will be key with Scholes in the midfield battle with Toure and Barry. Rooney will be at the tip of the diamond, but when we don’t have the ball I think he’ll drop in with Scholes and Cleverley to make a tight there, making our formation without the ball a 4-1-3-2.

Up top, well, Robin Van Persie starts, no need to explain that one, but next to him I’ve gone for Welbeck. I think SAF will go with a local boy in the team and the fact he won’t give the City defenders a moments rest.

SAF Speaks

“It’s a derby game and they’re notorious for surprises. City haven’t lost for two years at home so it’s going to be difficult. It will be hard but we’re capable of beating anyone, as we’ve proved time and time again.”

Prediction

I’ve several scenarios’ running through my head about this game, but if I’m honest, I don’t think we’ll win easily, because City will probably take advantage of our defensive frailties, so with that I’m going for

City 1 – 1 United

Match Reaction: Manchester United v CFR Cluj

2012-12-06T12:01:00.003Z

Manchester United succumbed to their second successive Champions League defeat with a 1-0 loss at home to CFR Cluj in a game that meant literally nothing to the reds.

Already safely champions of group H, Sir Alex sent out a weakened side, resting the likes of van Persie, Ferdinand and Rafael ready for this weekends derby against Manchester City. The goalkeeper merry-go-round continued as De Gea started in nets behind a back four of Buttner, Smalling, Wootton, and Jones. The midfield four lined up in a hap-hazard diamond formation with Rooney wide right, Nick Powell wide left, Giggs deep and Cleverley at the tip in behind Welbeck and Hernandez – a midfield that seemed to successfully waste the talents of all four participants.

On balance United had the better of a stale first half, Scott Wootton with a particularly impressive last-ditch tackle early, on and should have been ahead after Scholes picked out Smalling with an inviting cross, only for the impressive centre-half to head wide from a matter of yards out..

Just before half time Tom Cleverley was withdrawn with a calf injury and replaced by Paul Scholes. Cleverley is now in some doubt for Sunday’s derby game though he will be assessed by United’s medical staff tomorrow.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, save for a superb goal from Luis Alberto 10 minutes after the restart. No one from United seemed inclined to close him down, so he ambled towards the East Stand and unleashed a wicked shot that glanced off the post and in. De Gea, though not at fault for that one, had a mixed game including once instance of passing the ball out straight to a Cluj forward that i would have gone to town on had it been Lindegaard. Such a mistake i believe is more likely down to a lack of match-sharpness in the case of De Gea though, were as Lindegaard fundamentally lacks the skill to kick the ball accurately.

United attempted to move through the gears slightly and pushed for the equalizer, but in truth never really looked A) dangerous, or B) arsed that they didn’t look dangerous. The biggest laugh of the night came when the attendance of 71,521 was announced to a ground that was at a maximum, 3/4 full meaning i think a figure closer to 50,000 was far more realistic.

The draw for the next round of the Champions League will be made on the 14th of December. United can face FC Porto, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic or Valencia. And i don't want Real Madrid..Lol

Match Preview: Manchester United v CFR 1907 Cluj

2012-12-05T10:00:00.000Z

Wednesday is Match day six in the UEFA Champions League, and CFR 1907 Cluj make their first ever visit to Old Trafford with hopes of reaching the last 16 for the first time.

For Sir Alex’s side, the game will be an opportunity to rest key players with the team already winning Group H. An important game on Sunday also beckons for the reds, so the performance and team selection on Wednesday will be chosen with the Manchester derby in mind.

Manchester United:

There have been rumours of the long awaited return of Nemanja Vidic in this final Champions League group game. However it’s unlikely, with Fergie telling us that Vidic, “feels he needs another few days’ training”. The manager has confirmed that we will see changes in his United side with certain players being rested, however the Scotsman said that “we’ll play a team that we expect will win”.

On the injury front, United are still without Valencia (hip/thigh) and Kagawana (knee), but both are expected to return 9^th December. After picking up a hamstring injury last weekend Anderson misses out, and Nani (hamstring) won’t be expected to be back in the squad until 29^th December.

CFR Cluj:

For the opponents, it really is all to play for. The side, nicknamed Feroviarii (that’s railwaymen for the rest of us), are currently 15 points behind Romania’s Liga I leaders Steaua Bucharest, so a historic place in the final 16 would be a dream come true for the team. Cluj have demonstrated real determination in their campaign, being unbeaten on their Champions League travels this season. Whatever the outcome tomorrow night, the Romanian team are guaranteed at least third place and UEFA Europa League qualification. However, if they achieve a better result tomorrow night than Galatasaray who face S.C. Braga, they will qualify for the knockout phase of the premier competition.

CFC Cluj are missing midfielder Bakary Saré, who is out with a broken leg, along with Brazilian striker Ronny. However, manager Paulo Sérgio has Senegalese forward Modou Sougou, who has scored four of the teams eight goals in the Champions League this season, and Portuguese forward Rui Redro, who has scored seven goals in his last six games.

Players to watch:

Wayne Rooney: The England striker has been getting his goalscoring form back after a period of not scoring at all since the Stoke match at Old Trafford. However he has been assisting goals, which is just as good as scoring, and helps the team win matches. Rooney was on fire in the match with Reading and really has shown his professionalism, 60 minutes against Cluj will get him in the mood for the Manchester derby in Sunday.

Rui Pedro: The Portuguese midfielder has scored eight goals for CFR Cluj this season, including a hat-trick against SC Braga in the UEFA Champions League only two weeks ago. When playing with Brazilian midfielder Rafael Bastos, there is nothing the pair cannot do together. Bastos has scored six times this season.

About the opposition manager:

Cluj may be on the verge of sealing a historic place in the Champions League knockout rounds, but their good progress in Europe hasn’t masked problems on the domestic front. Ioan Andone was in charge when United went to Romania in early October but he was shown the door later that month and now its former Hearts manager Paulo Sergio in the hot-seat.

Ref watch:

In charge of the game will be Italian referee Daniele Orsato, in what will be his third Champions League game.

Despite being younger than both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, he has risen up the refereeing ladder. Working in the third tier Italian football in 2002, eight years later he earned his FIFA badge and appointed to work in Serie A. With 14 UEFA games to his name, the Italian match official has featured as a fourth official in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage along with being an assistant referee in the 2010/11 season. He also took charge of the Romanian Cup final this year.

With top spot guaranteed for the reds 2012/13, we’re a world away from where we were last year. Rewind 12 months and the side were far from claiming the top spot of their group, and preparing to face an embarrassing exit from the competition. This year we have seen a stronger Manchester United, with the team only losing its 100% European record in their last outing in a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray. Win, lose or draw, the pressure is off on Wednesday, as the curtain comes down on another UCL group stage campaign.

Match Reaction: Reading v Manchester United

2012-12-03T08:12:00.001Z

For Starters, that game was a crazy performance by Manchester United.....At a point, I thought i was watching LA Lakers and Houston Rockets...Bad Defending Yet Again: United's defending was bad, again! Jonny Evans, who has been pretty OK this season, was directly at fault for two of the three goals scored by Reading. The usually good Rio Ferdinand was shaky as well in the first half.

Conceding three goals inside 23 minutes is a grim reminder of the team’s frailties. The effort that went into the clean sheet against West Ham was undone by some woeful defending that allowed Reading to firstly go 1-0 up and then come back from 2-1 down to go 3-2 up!

United came back from a goal down to win yet again. It’s a habit which must go since title wins are built on the back of good defences, not by a defence which concedes 21 goals after 15 games at 1.4 goals a game. Nemanja Vidic is clearly being missed and I hope United will get their act together and soon!

Manchester United came from behind once again this season to record a 4-3 victory over home side Reading at the Madejski Stadium with all 7 goals coming in the first half.

United lined up in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation with Lindegaard again preferred in goal (more on that continuing error later). A back four of Evra, Evans, Ferdinand and Rafael sat behind a midfield 3 of Anderson, Carrick and Fletcher. Rooney played wide right up front, with Young playing wide left and van Persie through the middle.

United were behing after 8 minutes when a dangerous cross from McAnuff was headed out by Jonny Evans only as far as Robson-Kanu who controlled the ball and hit a delightful half-volley past the on-rushing Evans and the hapless Lindegaard into the top left-hand corner of the net. While Evans’ clearing header was perhaps not as effective as it could have been, the fact remains that Robson-Kanu was Evra’s man, and Evra was, instead, double-marking Evans’ man. A defensive blunder that would set the tone for the first half.

United were level in the 13th minute as Carrick played the ball into Anderson, who used Young on the wing for an inch-perfect one-two which Anderson then smashed into the near side top-corner of the net beating Federici at his near-post for his first Premier League goal in over a year.

United took the lead just over 3 minutes later as a ludicrously poor attempt to barge through Jonny Evans to get to the ball from Jay Tabb gifted United a penalty which Rooney calmly dispatched to make it 2-1 after just 16 minutes.

Reading deserve great credit for seeming entirely unaffected by having thrown their early lead away, and began to surge forward down both wings, attacking Rafael and Evra in particular. Their persistence paid off as United conceded the equaliser and went behind to two headed goals from corners in the 19th and 23rd minutes.

The defending for both was somewhere between abysmal and negligent, Evans sloppy for both and Lindegaard failing to command his area in any way at all. Given one of the supposed knocks on De Gea is his inability to cope with big physical strikers muscling him from set plays (an opinion i do not agree with) with Lindegaard’s performance in this game i honestly cannot see ONE REDEEMING QUALITY that Lindegaard brings to the team. He’s the worst kicker of the ball i’ve ever seen on a professional football pitch, he constantly palms the ball back into the danger zone from shots and he’s baselessly arrogant in interviews. He’s fast approaching the title of my least favourite United keeper ever.

United levelled once again in the 30th minute as a driving run from Patrice Evra down the left allowed him to cross to an unmarked Rooney who’d pealed back to the penalty spot and side-footed into the net.

Perhaps fearing this back and forward scoring fest would continue, Sir Alex subbed Rafael off after only 30 mins. He was visibly annoyed at the decision, however he was already on a yellow and was replaced by Smalling, whose height was a welcome addition at set pieces.

United took the lead once again in the 34th minute as Rooney’s clever lay off put Robin van Persie through on goal with only Federici to beat. The Dutchman stroked the ball past him into the net to record his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

United should have been 5-3 up a few minutes later as van Persie scored another goal that clearly went over the goal line but neither the ref nor the linesman gave it.

Just before halftime, United had to make another substitution as Phil Jones came on for Anderson who looked to have pulled his hamstring. A cruel blow for the player given he was rediscovering some form once again. It was hardly a surprise given his fitness history though, and ManUtd.com are now reporting he’ll be out “for a few weeks” (’till the end of the season then…)

Both teams clearly tried to tighten their belts at half-time resulting in a stale second half with only one real chance for United when van Persie stole the ball from Federici but could only skew his shot wide.

United will be happy with the victory given their rivals City and Chelsea (and to a lesser extent Arsenal) all dropped points, but the defensive performance was shambolic once again, and will be punished by the attacking talents of City next weekend if it continues.

What did you think of the game? Comment below

Match Preview: Reading v Manchester United

2012-12-01T10:48:00.000Z

Wednesday night’s narrow, nervy 1-0 defeat of West Ham saw United remain a point clear of neighbour’s City at the top. Chelsea’s second consecutive 0-0 draw means the Manchester sides have a 6 and 7 point cushion to the chasing pack. Two horse race? Reading played out a narrow 1-0 of their own, ultimately losing out at Aston Villa (another late goal conceded). The results leaves them on 9 points from 13 games, firmly routed in the bottom three.

With second-placed City playing at 3pm, United could enter the 5.30pm kick-off in second place. With the derby looming, a win – and thus entering next weekend’s clash a point clear – would be most favourable. A home win would still leave Reading in the relegation zone, but they are in danger of being cast adrift if results (only 1 win so far this season) do not improve.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS

Fergie on Reading: “They’re definitely a club that are improving and although they’ve not had a lot of wins, they’re always hard games against them. I expect what we got at Norwich – a really difficult game.”

The victory over West Ham – while not the blistering display many were hoping for after taking such an early lead – ensured we remained a point clear at the top. Most of the outstanding players on the night were in defence – perhaps likely as an all-too-rare-this-season clean sheet was achieved. Jonny Evans was exceptional at the heart of the defence, with Smalling not too far behind. The two stood up to the physical battle with Andy Carroll, winning their fair share of aerial duels as well as blocking and clearing well when they didn’t. Evans, in particular, brought back memories of a younger Rio Ferdinand in the way he glided out with the ball from the back. Graceful, calm, full of purpose. It was a delight to see.

Rafael continued his run of brilliant form with another composed, solid display. He’s become so reliable it’s easy to see why many now see him as the league’s best right-back. With the midfield playing a narrow diamond, it was up to him and Patrice Evra to provide the width. In the main, they did this well. Neither player possesses a truly consistent killer final pass/cross – Evra never will – but I hope, for Rafael, it will come.

All that being said, I see the only change to the back four being Ferdinand – rested midweek – to come back into the side in place of Chris Smalling, still working back from injury. Rio and Evans should have their hands full dealing with the power of Roberts and the movement of Le Fondre, their top scorer. Concentration could be key.

In goal, it is likely that Anders Lindegaard – on the back of another decent display including one brilliant save from Carlton Cole – will continue in goal, with David de Gea coming in for the clash against Cluj next week.

With continued injury and loss of form in the wide areas, another outing for the midfield diamond seems likely. Nani is over a month away from fitness, while Valencia could be back for the trip to City. Ashley Young’s downward spiral continued against West Ham (albeit as a sub) while, as I mentioned last time, Danny Welbeck IS NOT a winger. Therefore, I fully expect to see the same front 6 start again this weekend.

While Paul Scholes is back from suspension, there was enough on show on Wednesday night to suggest, should the same players be given a little more time together, something nice could be brewing. Some of the passing, especially in the early part of the game, was crisp, purposeful and almost inventive. I, for one, would like to see more of the same. I just hope Fergie does too! Should he, expect to see Carrick, Anderson (who was very good again on Wednesday), Cleverley and Rooney in the midfield area, with Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez up top.

While a tight diamond should see us control the centre of the park, we will have to be wary of the trickery of McAnuff on the wing. Leaving him one-on-one v Evra could pose us problems, with the Reading captain by far and away their most productive player. Evra will have a job on his hands to keep the Reading captain quiet. The central United players will have to work hard to shift across and double-up as and when it is necessary.

With the Cluj game in midweek a non-event, it will be a chance to give the likes of Rafael, Evans and Evra a rest, as well as wrapping up Rooney, Carrick and RvP for the City game. Smalling, Jones, Welbeck, Buttner and de Gea will surely come in. I doubt Fergie will make too drastic a change to the side for the Reading trip with the City game on the horizon. Going there ahead in the table could be important. The time for rest/game time will come in the week.

Reading will be roared on by a sell-out home crowd; a fast, frenetic start should be expected. Their home record this season suggests it will be a tight game. While United should enjoy the majority of possession (as they usually do, of course), Reading will be dangerous on the counter; concentration at the back, especially with Adam Le Fondre sniffing around, could prove vital. While going a goal or two ahead would be nice for a change, Reading’s record when leading (14 points dropped) tells us that they are equally as vulnerable when 1-0 up as 1-0 down. Our own record of points gained from losing positions this season (18 gained) will be well-known to the Reading players, too. Expect another stirring fight-back should Reading take an early lead.

Predicted United line-up: Lindegaard, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley, Anderson, Rooney, Hernandez, Van Persie

Score prediction: Reading 1-2 United

Vidic return boosts United but Ferguson must not rush him back

2012-11-30T08:10:00.000Z

According to The Mirror, Nemanja Vidic is back in full training with the first team squad and is in line for a potential return to the starting line-up against FC Cluj next week, weeks earlier than anticipated.

Speaking about Nemanja Vidic earlier in November to MUTV, Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed he likely wouldn’t make a return before Christmas.

He said: “I think we’re talking around December for Vidic. Maybe around Christmas time.”

So, Nemanja would be coming back ahead of schedule. Great news, right? A double edged sword I’d say.

We desperately missed having our captain last season with a defence that lacked leadership and having him back for the start of the season was, despite the cliché, like signing a new player.

However, eight months out of the game took its toll and Vidic lacked match sharpness and fitness. Poor performances including an own goal against Fulham weren’t what we had grown to love from the Serbian, and it was obvious he had been rushed back amidst a defensive crisis.

Sure enough, after being rested against Liverpool due to a tightness in his knee, he underwent surgery in September that has ruled him out up until now.

I do hope Vidic is back in full training because that would be a massive boost for the squad. Having our captain back for the second half of the season would be a bigger lift than any new signing, but Sir Alex has to make sure he isn’t rushed back into the side again.

Now that we have Evans, Rio, Jones and Smalling all fit, we have defensive options and time is on our side. Easing Vidic back into the action slowly will allow him to regain that sharpness without the added pressure of having to start every game.

I’ve seen fans voicing their concerns that Vidic may not ever return to the form that saw him win a spot in FIFA’s 2011 World XI but I am confident that if he can build his fitness up over the next four weeks and concentrate on making a Christmas return as scheduled, we’ll see the return of the real Nemanja Vidic.

What does the future hold for this enigmatic Manchester United star?

2012-11-29T16:02:00.000Z

When Anderson arrived at Old Trafford in 2007, expectations were high. The new Brazilian brought the amount of anticipation associated with any player from the Samba nation. Ferguson believed he had the creativity needed to ignite the midfield. He quickly proved otherwise, and become the subject of a lot criticism from fans and pundits. Since his arrival, Anderson has struggled to impress and perform consistently at the highest level. He has also endured a career plagued by injury. Are his occasional bursts of brilliance, enough to keep him at Old Trafford?

Two years after arriving at The Theatre of Dreams, Anderson scored his first English Premier League goal. The criticism overshadowed the triumph. Without many valuable contributions, fans were becoming impatient and frustrated with Anderson’s routinely dismal performances.

Anderson does have some career highlights and if his injuries would give him the chance, maybe he could impress, with some regular game time. He has shown his ability to perform on the grand stage. He was able to convert a penalty for Manchester United during the nerve-wrecking penalty shoot-out in Moscow in 2008. He scored 2 goals in Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Schalke in the UEFA Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford in 2010. During Manchester United’s infamous 8-2 demolition of Arsenal, he provided the assist for Danny Welbeck’s opening goal. He regularly finds himself in the Carling Cup/ Capital One Cup starting lineups, where he is one of the more experienced players in the squad. He shows his ability to control the midfield and scores some brilliant goals. Is a good performance in the smaller cups, enough to keep the fans and Ferguson happy?

Most recently, he inspired the 3-1 comeback against QPR, after United were left trailing in the weekend’s EPL fixture. He was brought on by Ferguson, to be a game changer and he did just that. He assisted Johnny Evans’ header and created chances, with his strong presence in the midfield.

It’s difficult to believe that a player from Brazil can fail to impress, but with only 4 goals and 7 assists from 90 games in the English Premier League, Anderson’s figures don’t add up. Do you think that Ferguson’s selection hint for tomorrow night’s EPL fixture against West Ham United at Old Trafford, is really just a trial to determine whether or not Anderson will be put up for sale on the looming January transfer window. Perhaps, Anderson’s recent performance against QPR and Ferguson’s praise, where he told MUTV “I thought Ando won the game for us” and “His performance was outstanding,” will help lure a possible buyer for his contract, which expires in June 2015.

Whether he is selected out of desperation by Ferguson, because of an ailing midfield or because of his recent performance, everyone knows not to question a Ferguson decision. Is this the turning point in Anderson’s career or will he let the opportunity slip by and raise our hopes, only to deliver another below average performance?

Do you think Anderson belongs at Manchester United or should he be sold in the January transfer window?

Match Preview: Manchester United vs West Ham United

2012-11-28T09:03:00.000Z

Manchester United vs West Ham United match preview

United entertain West Ham at Old Trafford on Wednesday night , looking to maintain their position of the top of the Premier League table. Victory against QPR on Saturday, combined with the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, saw the Reds leapfrog City and take top spot. West Ham, on the other hand, suffered their third defeat on the road this season, going down 3-1 at Spurs. Despite the loss, the Londoners find themselves in 9^th position in the table – 19 points a great return in their first season back in England’s top division. A home win could see United go 4 points clear, an away win could see the Hammers rise as high as 5^th.

AT A GLANCE

United: Nani, Vidic, Kagawa remain out. Scholes suspended. Anderson starts. Valencia fitness test. Jones/Smalling available. Van Persie 3 league games without a goal. Rooney has 8 goals in 9 games v West Ham.

Home record: P6 W5 D0 L1 F18 A9 Pts15

Home form: W W L W W W

West Ham: Vaz Te, Collison, Diarra remain out. Noble suspended. Carroll scored first goal against Spurs. Nolan (5) top league goalscorer. 5 different (single) goalscorers away from home.

Away record: P6 W2 D1 L3 F5 A9 Pts

Away form: L D W L W L

Previous league meetings at OT: United 3-0 West Ham (28-8-10), United 3-0 West Ham (23-2-10), United 2-0 West Ham (29-10-08), United 4-1 West Ham (3-5-08)

Referee: Mike Jones. 30 yellow cards given this season, an average of 3.75 every game. 13 to home sides, 17 away.

NOTES

West Ham have allowed home sides 99 shots on their (away) goal this season. That’s an average of 16.5 shots per game. Despite their decent defensive record, Jaaskelainen has been busy. United have struck 91 shots at Old Trafford, an average of just over 15 each game. Expect there to be chances.

West Ham have picked up the most yellow cards of any side this season. Sam Allardyce has seen his players booked 30 times already. 21 of these cautions came away from home. Mark Noble picked up his fifth of the season against Spurs at the weekend, and is therefore suspended.

United have the joint best home attack (18 goals), but the joint-fifth worst home defence (9). West Ham have the the joint-fifth best away defence (9), but the fourth worst away attack (5).

THE TEAMS

United

After his match-winning display against QPR on Saturday, Anderson starts. We were all hoping it; Fergie confirmed it himself on Monday. With Paul Scholes suspended – picking up his fifth booking of the season in the same game – and Darren Fletcher unlikely to start two matches in quick succession after his recent injury problem, expect to see a new central-midfield pairing. Michael Carrick was given a rare weekend off, so should come back into the side. Tom Cleverley was an unused sub, of course, so is also fit to come in if the manager sees fit.

With Nani a confirmed – and continued – absentee (hamstring) and Antonio Valencia struggling (hip), Ashley Young could be our only fit winger. Danny Welbeck can – and has continually been (groan) – deployed there, of course, but still doesn’t look entirely comfortable in the position. But the goals of Hernandez, as well the blossoming partnership of Rooney and van Perise, makes it hard to see how he fits in centrally at the moment. But we’ve seen Fergie play this “struggling with injury” card before; it wouldn’t be a shock to see Valencia start. Should he not, I know many fans would like to see a return of the midfield diamond. I would too. With West Ham likely to pack the midfield, a quartet of Carrick, Cleverley, Anderson and Rooney would combat it nicely, as well as allowing “Chicharito” a start alongside RvP in attack.

In defence, with Jones and Smalling fit again, the problems are easing. Rafael, as we all know, has grown into a strong, mature right-back. Once described as being “made of glass” by many, the cheeky Brazilian has been an almost ever-present this season. Rio Ferdinand has proved he can start two games in four days, but it would not be surprising to see either Jones or Smalling come in, allowing Rio to prepare for Reading away. Jonny Evans is starting to show why Fergie was confident enough in his future he felt able to allow Gerard Pique to return to Barcelona, and why many Reds are touting him as a potential United captain. Expect Jonny, fresh from another goal on the weekend, to start again. At left-back, Patrice Evra remains relatively unchallenged, with Alex Buttner not providing the instant competition to his place many United fans had hoped for. With the trickery of Matt Jarvis expected on the West Ham wing, Evra’s experience should see him get the nod.

In goal, your guess is as good as mine! Flip a coin, roll a dice, pick a card. It doesn’t matter. Anders Lindegaard has started the last three games, so should be getting into the swing of things again. Therefore, it’s about time he was “rested”. It’s an on-going annoyance – not knowing who our number one really is (although I think I know who most fans would choose) – and I expect the merry-go-round to continue.

Predicted United line-up: De Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Anderson, Young, Rooney, RvP.

West Ham

Anyone with Winston Reid or Jussi Jaaskelainen in their Fantasy Football teams will tell you that West Ham have kept things reasonably tight at the back this season. Only nine goals conceded away from home is bettered only by four other Premier League sides (City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Swansea, if you wondered.) And six of those goals came in only two matches (Swansea and Spurs.) Generally, Big Sam has made them a tough side to break down on their travels. The flip-side of this, though, is that they are also the fourth lowest away league goalscorers. Andy Carroll’s late consolation in their 3-1 defeat at Tottenham was only the fifth goal they have scored on their travels. Even QPR – bottom of the table, of course – have mustered more goals on the road.

In terms of players, West Ham have had five ever-presents this season. Jussi Jaaskelainen, Winston Reid, Kevin Nolan, Mohamed Diame and Mark Noble – suspended for Wednesday’s trip North – have started every league match so far. Noble, a fine passer and knitter of play, will be a big miss for them. A local lad, Noble is currently the longest serving member of the West Ham squad, having first broke into the first team in 2007. His likely replacement in the side will be Matty Taylor, with Gary O’Neil moving inside to accompany Diame and Nolan in a three-man midfield. Matt Jarvis or Modibo Maiga should occupy the other wing. Maiga started the trip to Spurs on the weekend, but was replaced by Jarvis after half-an-hour – with no obvious sign of injury (the look on his face said as much!) – so it will be interesting to see who starts.

Of these players, Matt Jarvis has given us problems before. He terrorised numerous right-backs during his spell at Wolves and will give Rafael a stern examination if given him the chance. A decent dribbler with the ball, and blessed with good pace, his runs on the counter-attack are a potential problem. Should he be deployed on the right, we can expect the same against Evra.

Of the midfield three, Diame, especially, is a danger. A big, strong, rangey central player, the Senegalese international possesses a dangerous shot, despite his poor goal record. Allow him space within reasonable distance, he can and will pose us a danger. And then there’s Kevin Nolan, of course. Their top scorer this season, the ex-Newcastle man almost makes an art of arriving late into the box, much like Frank Lampard once did. Expect him to be sniffing around any loose balls or knock-downs in and around our penalty area.

Speaking of knock-downs, we should expect to see Andy Carroll up front. The minus-fifteen-million pound player needs no introduction, really. He scored the first goal of his loan spell against Spurs – a header would you believe – so should be full of confidence. Needless to say, he will be a handful in the air, less so over the top. He will have to be watched closely at set pieces and – while he may win his fair share of aerial battles from open play – we will have to be wary of second balls from those knock-downs and flick-ons.

While Rio’s pace has long gone, and Jonny Evans has never been overly-blessed with it to begin with, the two – should they start together again – needn’t unduly worry about chasing back facing their own goal.

In defence, fully expect to see a back five of Jaaskelainen, O’Brien, Tomkins, Reid, McCartney. They have started the Hammers’ last three games. Sam Allaryce did criticize his side’s defending in their defeat at Spurs, however, so it will be interesting to see if he fights the urge to make any changes. If he does, James Collins is fit and ready to step in.

Predicted West Ham line-up: Jaaskelainen, O’Brien, Reid, Tomkins, McCartney, Jarvis, Nolan, Diame, O’Neil, Taylor, Carroll.

Score prediction: United 3-1 West Ham

United can’t stop scoring but need to stop leaking goals at the other end

2012-11-27T08:23:00.000Z

After losing the title last season on goal difference, Sir Alex vowed at the start of this season such a thing would never happen again. Whilst our ‘goals for’ column this season is looking rather healthy, the ‘goals against’ column is looking pretty weak when compared to previous seasons.

The additions of Shinji Kagawa and certainly Robin van Persie have thus far proved successful in boosting the goal scoring, but injuries to experienced defenders have ensured that the defence has remained leaky. Saturday’s 3-1 win against QPR saw us concede first for the 13^th time in 20 games this season. Call me spoilt but that’s not good enough.

Whilst we again recovered to win, it is a bad habit to be getting into. All we need is one more Norwich-type game where we concede first and end up losing – 4 losses at this early stage in the season certainly wouldn’t read well. With a big away game at the blue noses next month, we can ill afford a slip up there, where we would be punished by their world class strike force and equally talented midfield.

Goal scoring will never be a problem at United. With van Persie, Rooney and Hernandez upfront being supported by the likes of Nani and Valencia (I haven’t even mentioned Danny Welbeck) I can’t see a problem with us scoring. A lot has been made of how the goals have been shared out this season between all types of players; Jonny Evans (3), Rafael (2) and Patrice Evra (2) have all got more that one goal despite playing at the back.

While the fact we’re conceding too many is a worry, it’s even more concerning considering how many of these goals are happening within the 15 minute after half time. That time, for me, is when the team should be most alert, having probably just had a 15 minute hair dryer treatment from the manager given the way we’ve played in the first half of most of games so far this season.

Whilst it is a concerning trait to have at the minute, at least we have been the first to take the lead in our biggest games to date. We took the lead at both Newcastle and Chelsea, as well as Arsenal at home, so it seems to me that we can turn it on when it really matters. It’s felt by many United fans that big games are less nerve-wracking before we tend to turn up, while smaller clubs that play a more direct style normally seem to cause us problems.

Let’s just hope that, come the 9^th December, we’ve stopped leaking goals early because the Etihad is a fortress at the best of times, and I wouldn’t fancy our chances having to chase a game there.

Wayne Rooney wants form to improve despite being top

2012-11-27T08:20:00.000Z

Wayne Rooney has come out over the weekend and stated the Manchester United need to improve defensively despite the reds sitting on top of the Barclay’s Premier League.

After the 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday at Old Trafford, Manchester United are 1 point clear of rivals Manchester City. City are currently undefeated in the Premier League this season, whilst Manchester United have lost three times already.

This season United have conceded 18 goals both home and away and Wayne Rooney admits that the squad need to look at their form going into the busy Christmas period, starting at the back.

Speaking with MUTV Rooney said:

“Clean sheets are the foundation we hope for, we know we have players who can score goals and win us games, If we can get a clean sheet, then I’m sure we can get them at the other end and win games. ”
“As a team, we’ve played some good stuff at times but we’ve also ground results out as well. To lose three games this early is something we need to put right.
“We’re lucky that we’ve won all the other games and not drawn any. It means we’re still in a good position in the league.
“So we need to make sure we are full focused now and try to kick on, try to go on a good run.”

So far this season Manchester United have conceded first 12 times in the last 20-games, Rooney had this to say:

“I don’t know why it is but it’s happening too many times, we need to just go out now and try to get the early goal. As soon as we get a goal, the team settles down and the game settles.
“We tend to take control of the game. But more often than not we’ve conceded first and made it hard for ourselves to try to get back in the game then go on and win it.”

Anderson “picks himself’ to play against West Ham

2012-11-27T08:15:00.001Z

Anderson came on in the 59th minute against Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford, going on to be voted the fans’ man of the match with an amazing 71 percent of the votes.

After his fantastic game-changing performance when United were 1-0 down against QPR, his energy and enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed by the fans or Sir Alex Ferguson.

The boss has today confirmed that Anderson ‘picks himself’ to start against West Ham United on Wednesday.

Speaking with MUTV, Sir Alex Ferguson said:

“I thought Ando won the game for us”
“His performance was outstanding. He took the game by the scruff of the neck and he was so positive and determined in his play that he picks himself on Wednesday.”
“We’ll see what Antonio is like today and tomorrow. Nani is still going to be out [but] Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were on the bench on Saturday and they’re available.”
“It’s good to have them as back-up and in the back four things are much healthier. We’ve got plenty of options in the midfield and up front – it’s just the two wide positions [where we have problems in terms of availability].”

Wednesday night is a fantastic opportunity for Anderson who, this season, has been impressive when he has featured. There are many Manchester United fans that have an opinion on Anderson, somewhat negative at times, but he is out to prove everyone wrong and secure a future at the club.

United will be without Luis Nani and will have to wait until Tuesday afternoon to see the condition of Antonio Valencia and his thigh injury.

Paul Scholes is suspended after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season against Queens Park Rangers.

Post match Reactions: Manchester United 3-1 QPR

2012-11-26T07:51:00.002Z

The match was, in many ways, an illustration of much of the season so far. The first half was poor; Manchester United barely offering even fleeting glimpses of productive attacking play. The second half was better, but only once QPR had taken the lead and the subsequent introductions of Hernandez and, more tellingly, Anderson. Three goals in a fantastic eight minute spell won it, eventually. Three points was desired – necessary, you might say, ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Stamford Bridge – and duly achieved. Job well done?

The Manchester United line-up failed to inspire. Sir Alex had clearly been at the tombola again; Lindegaard starting in goal ahead of the fit again David de Gea. If the back four of Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans and Evra was as expected, the midfield four was not. A hip injury forced Faux Valencia out of the side, while Carrick was rested and Cleverley and Anderson once again had to settle for a place on the bench. Darren Fletcher partnered Paul Scholes in a criminally pedestrian centre midfield with Young, Welbeck, Rooney and van Persie completing the forward line.

In the first half, Manchester United threatened all too rarely; Rooney shot straight at Julio Cesar after good work from Welbeck, before then seeing a long-range drive parried away, while Ashley Young and Robin van Persie both shot wide. QPR rarely threatened themselves, mind you, with Jamie Mackie rightly adjudged to be offside as he headed in their best opening.

There was a general lack of pace, vibrancy and, most worryingly, real imagination. With QPR deploying a solid(ish) bank of two fours, continual attempts at quick one-twos around the edge of their box became difficult. Each time the pass was slightly misjudged, a little too predictable. “Lethargic, careless, slow.” – Fergie’s words, not mine. Whether the half-time boos were warranted, of course, is up to you.

If the Old Trafford faithful (as well as the those further afield) expected a rip-roaring start to the second half, they were left unsatisfied. In fact, as is becoming an increasingly frustrating theme this season, QPR took the lead. After (criminally) falling asleep at a corner, Manchester United allowed QPR to engineer a two-on-one, resulting in Kieron Dyer’s shot across goal being parried into the path of the on-rushing Mackie. He slotted it home, and this time it stood.

Fergie’s response was to withdraw the ineffective Scholes (who picked up a booking and now misses the visit of West Ham) and the worryingly-poor Young. (As a quick side-note, if anyone knows where our real wingers are, would you please return them?) They were replaced by Javier Hernandez and, to rejoicing fans everywhere, Anderson. While their impacts were not immediate, they were telling.

Firstly, from a 64^th minute Wayne Rooney corner, Welbeck nodded the ball back across goal into the path of Jonny Evans, who ghosted around the back of the defender to head home from almost on the goal-line. It was the impetus United needed, resulting in their best period of play in the game, and two further goals.

Four minutes later, Darren Fletcher made it 2-1. A Rooney corner (again) was met by a United head (again), with the much-missed Scotsman powering the header home. It was his first Old Trafford goal since putting us 2-1 ahead against Benfica, almost a year to the day. It was a great reward for all his hard work in getting back not only to fitness, but into the first team equation.

A third – and clinching – goal was added a further three minutes later, and it was the goal of the game. The superb Anderson broke from midfield with the pace and power missing in the first half, before slotting a sublime pass through into the path of Hernandez, who calmly slotted the ball past the exposed Julio Cesar.

There was still time for van Persie to go close twice, shooting wide and seeing a shot well blocked, but the game was already won. Manchester United held on relatively comfortably, with Sir Alex also able to introduce Nick Powell for the final minutes. A return to the top of the table – Thirty points – a decent return from an admittedly uninspiring start to the season.

All too common concerns remain, however. The game only changed once Fergie introduced the obviously-required pace and power of Anderson. It is not the first time this season – or this week in fact – that the Scotsman’s team selection has left the majority of fans scratching their heads. Giggs and Carrick last week, Scholes and Fletcher today. While it was great to see the latter starting Premier League fixtures again, his partnership with the even more immobile Paul Scholes was genuinely baffling. Again, the ease with which sides can currently break on us is beyond a concern. It’s a worrying trend.

And again, of course, we fell behind (9^th time in 13 league games). Only then did we see any real sense of urgency, any real pace and purpose. The laborious fashion Manchester United spend spells of games this season is worrying; as we saw last week, the fire power to fight back cannot always be there. Far be it for me to question why this keeps happening, but it can’t continue.

Old Trafford turns host again in four days, when West Ham travel up to Manchester. A win, followed by another against Reading next weekend, is surely required before we make the short trip to Manchester City on 9 December..#Sleek

Manchester United vs QPR: Five Key Battles

2012-11-24T09:53:00.004Z

Here are the key battles...

Robin van Persie vs Anton Ferdinand

Despite failing to score in United past two league games, van Persie has been in scintillating form at his new club this season. QPR's defence let in three at home to Southampton last week, and a titanic performance is required to stop United's attack from running riot at Old Trafford. Of the two Ferdinand brothers likely to be on show, Anton clearly has the harder job, and if he allows van Persie to get away from him, QPR have little hope.

Michael Carrick vs Esteban Granero

Whilst there has been a fair amount of rotation in United's central midfield this season, you would expect Carrick to start for the home team as they look to dominate possession in the centre of the park. Granero has a key double role for QPR, he will need to close down Carrick and get hold of the ball, but also control possession himself for his side. The former Real Madrid man has been good this season even as QPR have struggled, and with United's relative weakness in central midfield, Granero can give his side hope if he gets on top of Carrick early.

Wayne Rooney vs Samba Diakite

Presuming that Wayne Rooney drops off the front to link play between the midfield and the attack, Diakite will have a crucial role in attempting to nullify the England man. Diakite has demonstrated on plenty of occasions that he can pick up a card, and so has a delicate balancing act to undertake at the weekend, If he stands off Rooney he may end up letting the England man control United's attacks, but if he gets too close, and commits too many fouls, QPR could end up a man down at Old Trafford.

Antonio Valencia vs Armand Traore

Last season Traore was part of the Arsenal team that lost 8-2 at Old Trafford, and there are certainly fears ahead of the fixture that QPR could be on the end of a hiding. Traore faces not only Valencia, but also the marauding Rafael, and the midfielder ahead of him will need to be on his toes just as much as the left back. If Traore gets isolated against Valencia and Rafael, QPR will likely lose this match.

Chris Smalling vs Djibril Cisse

The news that Bobby Zamora is out for three months has hit QPR fans hard this week, and Cisse needs to really step up to the plate at the weekend to show them they have a striker to rely on in Zamora's absence. United are clearly having problems at the back, and Cisse will probably get plenty of room when he does get the ball. Smalling has been bullied by Benteke and Holt in recent matches, and Cisse could well snatch a goal if he can also get the better of Smalling on occasion.

Next Manchester United Manager: Jurgen Klopp

2012-11-22T09:38:00.003Z

Lots of articles by ourselves and others have been written recently about who could replace Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United; Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer etc. However, nobody has mentioned Jurgen Klopp.

What ‘Kloppo’ has done with Borussia Dortmund is astounding. He is a good age and has the necessary experience. At 45, he is the identical age to Sir Alex when he arrived at the club 26 years ago. He is also is the maker of champions, Dortmund are back to back German Bundesliga winners.

Rene Mulensteen, Manchester United’s Technical Coach has been following the progress of Dortmund closely over the past couple of seasons. But he’s been watching their highly successful squad of players – eventually leading to the signing of Shinji Kagawa. I wonder if their manager has been scouted too…

Klopp began his management journey with the club that honed his playing career between 1989 and 2001. Mainz 05 had never competed in the Bundesliga until Klopp came on board and took them there. He also led them to their first Uefa Cup qualification in 2005-06, only going out to eventual winners Seville.

He took charge of Dortmund in 2008 and immediately galvanised their fortunes, leading them from 16th before he took charge, to 6th and 5th in subsequent seasons. Klopp’s third season as Boss brought them the Bundesliga title for the first time in a decade that had been riddled with financial troubles and near bankruptcy for the German club.

2011-12 got even better. Not only did Dortmund secure back to back German titles, but they did it in record-breaking style. The 81 points gained was the highest points total in a single season in Bundesliga history. It didn’t stop there. Klopp then led them to the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) – the first double in Dortmund’s history.

It seems apparent that Klopp has now made the Champions League Dortmund’s first priority this season. They currently sit nine points behind Bundesliga Leaders, Bayern Munich, but their performances on the biggest club stage of all have been superb.

Victories against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, Ajax and a more than respectable draw against the billions of neo rich, classless bigmouths Manchester City at the Etihad has proved their standing. They sit pretty as winners with a game to spare of what many said was the group of death. They’ll be a lot of teams hoping to avoid them in the next round.

For the record, ‘Kloppo’ did it all on a shoe string budget. No benefaction or billionaire cash injections, just hard work, savvy investment and sound management. Take a bow Jurgen.

So to all Man United fans, why not Klopp? He certainly has the resume…

Phil Jones relishes Manchester United comeback

2012-11-22T09:24:00.001Z

After almost 6-months out, Phil Jones is relishing his return to Manchester United.

Jones last night played the full 90-minutes for Manchester United against Galatasaray out in Istanbul, his first appearance since he had featured for England on International duty back in May.

Jones had a bad summer in Manchester, first suffering a back injury and then required knee surgery towards the end of pre-season.

Speaking with MUTV, Jones expressed his joy to be back:

“I’m delighted to get through the 90 minutes, I’m buzzing about that. It’s been difficult. I’ve had my downs. I picked up a few niggles and had surgery on my knee so I’ve had a pretty wretched four or five months.”

“I’ve been in the gym every day and it’s not easy. I had to concentrate on getting myself fit and worked quite hard to get to where I am now so I’m just delighted to be back. I’ll feel stiff on Wednesday but everything is fine.”

“Hopefully I can push on now, get back in the team and prove why I should be here.”

Phil Jones played the full 90-minutes against Galatasaray, a game which finished in a 1-0 defeat. The pitch and atmosphere were two deciding factors for Jones, he had this to say:

“It wasn’t the best of pitches to play on, It was quite heavy on the legs. It’s the best [atmosphere] I’ve ever played in. From start to finish I couldn’t hear the keeper. I couldn’t pass messages on. It was very difficult but the same for both teams.”

Sir Alex Ferguson left David De Gea back in Manchester for this trip, taking Anders Lindegaard & Sam Johnstone to Galatasaray. Anders Lindegaard agreed with Phil Jones about the atmosphere and praised Jones for his performance on his return to the first team.

“I think Phil did well, He showed he’s on the way back and he’s an important player for us. He’s going to be very important in the next couple of months when we have plenty of games coming up.”

“It was quite a special atmosphere to play in. Very hectic, very noisy and loud. You can’t really communicate on the field by yelling and talking. You need to be more visual. At times, obviously it was very difficult for me.”

One of the most senior players in the Manchester United squad, Darren Fletcher, felt the game will benefit the inexperienced players. Both on and off the pitch the experience for the youngsters in the squad is fantastic.

Fletcher speaking with Sky Sports said:

“All the young players who played did fantastic, and playing in an atmosphere like this will only stand them in good stead for the future.”

“In difficult conditions – the pitch wasn’t great and it was an intimidating atmosphere – I thought we did extremely well, especially in the first half.”

Jose Mourinho hails Sir Alex Ferguson

2012-11-22T09:19:00.003Z

Jose Mourinho hails Sir Alex Ferguson

Jose Mourinho is in Manchester for Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League tie with Manchester City and has spoken out and hailed Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements with Manchester United over the past 26-years in charge.

Away from the pitch Mourinho and Ferguson have always had a mutual respect for each other, not only that, but enjoyed the odd glass of red together also while Jose was manager of Chelsea.

Mourinho had this to say:

“He’s unique, especially in the modern day.”

“If you go back many years, then you will find somebody like him but [it's amazing] in the modern day at the highest level, where it is really difficult to survive in our job.”

“He’s absolutely incredible at what he does and we can’t even imagine when he’ll stop. He’s unbelievable.”

Manchester United are set to unveil a brand new statue of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford on Friday, media and fans are invited to the event which Sir Alex is rumoured to be joined by some big names that have been apart of his history at the club.

The unveiling is at 2pm at the entrance to the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, originally the North Stand.

Preview: Galatasaray vs. Manchester United (UEFA Champions League)

2012-11-20T14:30:00.002Z

For Galatasaray, this is a massive match and one of the more important ones in their club's history according to manager Fatih Terim. For Manchester United though, they've already clinched top spot in the group and they'll essentially treat this as a League Cup match. Phil Jones will make his season debut and Nick Powell is expected to be involved -- so that's interesting.

Manchester United's perfect record from their first four UEFA Champions League group-stage matches has allowed them already to clinch top spot in Group H. Therefore, the final two group-stage fixtures will be of no consequence for the Red Devils and this will enable manager Sir Alex Ferguson to rest key players. Even though this is the grandest club football competition on the planet, Tuesday's encounter with Turkish side Galatasaray might have the languid feel of a League Cup contest from a United perspective. In fact, one could argue this European night may be more dull because the League Cup actually has the consequence of elimination if the final scoreline is unfavorable. Because of all of this, this preview will be a bit more abbreviated than usual as there is no reason for a tactical preview nor is there for Galatasaray team news (this also gives me an excuse to be lazy).

For the Turkish hosts though, this match is hugely important as they are battling with SC Braga and CFR Cluj for the group's second qualification spot to the knock-out stages. Only one point separates the three clubs ahead of Matchday 5. A vociferous crowd awaits United at Turk Telekom Arena as Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim has labeled this game as one of the most important in his club's history. Ferguson has stated that he intends to respect the competition by deploying a strong side. However, his exclusion of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Rio Ferdinand, Antonio Valencia, Patrice Evra, and Chris Smalling from the travel squad clearly indicates that rest is the priority for the key players on the squad.

* Full team news report and full travel squad

For United, the result is not important but getting a run out for some players is. Phil Jones is set to make his season's debut after missing out up until now due to continual injuries and setbacks. Highly rated teenager Nick Powell is expected to be involved as well and this will be eagerly anticipated by supporters as the attacking-midfielder has found it difficult to get first-team games since his summer move from Crewe Alexandra. It's reasonable to expect Darren Fletcher and Anderson to start as well as each are in need in games due to them being behind Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, and Tom Cleverley in the midfield pecking order. These are probably the headline personnel stories ahead of the match.

Anders Lindegaard is expected in goal over Sam Johnstone. If David de Gea is anticipated to be out next weekend, though, due to his wisdom teeth being recently extracted, then Lindegaard could perhaps be rested in favor of Johnstone so that no risk is taken to the Dane. In central-defense, Scott Wootton is expected to partner Phil Jones. Hopefully poor Rafael is given a rest (he's on the travel squad though) due to him featuring in nearly every United game thus far this season. Marnick Vermijl is a candidate to start at right-back as might Jones be too. At left-back, Alexander Buttner will get the nod.

United only brought two natural wingers with them for this match -- Ashley Young and Larnell Cole -- and one of them (Young) is in contention to start this upcoming weekend versus Queens Park Rangers.

Therefore, it's very possible that Ferguson could decide to deploy his side in a midfield diamond shape. The possibility of this seemingly increases when one considers the plethora of central-midfielders on the travel squad in need of a game. In a possible diamond, Fletcher could be the holding-midfielder at the base, Cleverley and Anderson could shuttle, while Powell could be the playmaker at the tip. Youngsters Ryan Tunnicliffe and Davide Petrucci provide enough industry as well to participate in a shuttling role.

If wingers are used though, Young and Cole are the most likely candidates to start out wide but Danny Welbeck could also feature near a flank as well. As could Cleverley. This could be a possible scenario in a 4-4-1-1/4-1-3-1ish system where Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) leads the attacking line while Powell plays in support of him. In a diamond system, Welbeck could possibly partner Chicharito up front ahead of the midfield. If either Chicharito or Welbeck are need of a rest, then Federico Macheda could feature up front or out wide as well.

If a diamond system is used, here's a possible starting XI:

If the more typical 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 system is used (or even a 4-3-3ish), here's a possible starting XI:

KO: 8:45pm Nigerian Time | Turk Telekom Arena
Referee: C Velasco Carballo (Spain)

Match Reaction: Norwich City v Manchester United

2012-11-19T10:39:00.002Z

Manchester United suffered their third defeat of the season away against Norwich City after an abject performance, more fitting of relegation candidates than title hopefuls.

Sir Alex was forced to make a goalkeeping change as David De Gea had a dental emergency and so was unfit to play. Anders Lindegaard came in, with Sam Johnstone taking his place on the bench. The back four remained unchanged from last week with Evra and Rafael flanking Ferdinand and Smalling. Giggs came in for Scholes in midfield along with Carrick, Valencia and Young, whilst Hernandez was rewarded for his match winning performance last week with a start next to Robin van Persie who had recovered from a thigh strain which kept him out of international action midweek.

No place either in the starting eleven or the bench for Rooney due to tonsillitis left the capable Danny Welbeck as the only striker on the bench in a game that Ferguson clearly hoped would be wrapped up sooner rather than later.

United’s manager made the right noises about needing to sure up a defence that’s been wracked with injuries before the game, but to no avail. Right from the start the physical presence of Grant Holt caused Ferdinand and Smalling problems, when he wasn’t sniping at the heals of Giggs in midfield.

Norwich executed their game plan perfectly, their 5 man midfield worked hard to close down through balls through the middle of the field, leaving United to repeatedly attempt to work the channels. Unfortunate then that Valencia chose today to have one of his worst games since his return from injury – he looked afraid to attempt to beat his marker, and was markedly off target with his crosses which caused Norwich no trouble at all. Young was no better on the other side of the field, meaning only 8 out of 41 crosses for the reds all game found a red shirt – not good enough.

The brightest moment of the first half for United came just before the break as Giggs floated a delightful ‘Scholes-esque’ chip from left of center to the right side of the box over the Norwich back four to an on running van Persie who tried to volley it with his left foot only to miss the ball entirely.

Things looked no better for United after the half-time break as Norwich began to believe they could look to get more than just a point from the encounter. Buoyed by their recent win over a fading Arsenal side, they began to counter United’s ineffectual build up play with pacy attacks down the wings, catching Rafael and Evra out of position having been asked to run overlaps in attack.

It was from such an attack that Norwich took the lead in the 60th minute, as the impressive Hoolahan played in Garrido who stroked an inch-perfect cross onto the head of the onrushing Antony Pilkington. The pace on the cross was such that Pilkington was able to glance it over Lindegaard who could do nothing about it, though once again his incredibly poor distribution thoughout the rest of the game hamstrung attacks before they could even get going.

This was the 11th time United had gone behind in all competitions this season – a shocking record that should worry coaches and fans alike, even if they had managed a ‘Houdini Act’ in rescuing 8 of those 11 games.

Sir Alex made changes, replacing Valencia and Hernandez with Scholes and Welbeck and then Ferdinand with Anderson with the minutes dwindling, however in truth, they never looked like scoring. They never really threatened Ruddy in Norwich’s goal, and never found a way to penetrate through the middle, or anyone that brought their crossing boots to East Anglia.

United pushed forward towards the end of the game, and should have been 2-0 down as Norwich broke on another counter-attack but Jonny Howson snatched at his shot when through to Lindegaard one on one. The reds were unable to magic up anything further, and the game finished 1-0.

Having seen title rivals Chelsea lose earlier in the day, and having been knocked off the top of the Premier League table by city rivals Manchester City after their 5-0 victory over Aston Villa, it’s hard to imagine the motivation to win was lacking prior to kick off, but the performance from each and every player in a red shirt was lacklustre. There was no drive, or passion, or will to win, no one picked the game up by the scruff of the neck like Rooney is able to do, and at no point did they look like scoring, let alone contending for a win.

Anything other than a Norwich win would have been an injustice to the Canaries, and entirely undeserved for the men in red. An infuriating performance