Sakura Sports Blog

West Ham v Manchester United - as it happened

2009-02-13T05:10:00.000-08:00

Preambles. Who needs them? Team news, now that's another matter.

West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Collison, Cole, Di Michele.
Subs: Lastuvka, Nsereko, Boa Morte, Kovac, Spector, Tristan, Sears.

Some other local favourites: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Tevez, Berbatov.
Subs: Foster, Park, Nani, Welbeck, Fabio Da Silva, Fletcher, Eckersley.

This guy has doled out exactly 100 yellow cards this season: Phil Dowd (Travelling Circus)

For Those Of You Who Expect Better dept: Paul Doyle loves to keep you happy.

The teams are out on the pitch. We'll be underway in a minute, what with it being 3.58pm and kick off scheduled for 4pm.

And we're off! Di Michele gets the ball rolling. Almost immediately the ball breaks to Cole down the left, and he takes the opportunity to run at Rafael. The ball breaks to Di Michele, but Ferdinand is quickly across to sweep up and the chance to cross into the box is gone.

3 min: Nobody seems able or willing to put their foot on the ball. It's all far too quick at the moment.

6 min: United (the Manchester one, that is, which is the way it will have to be for the sake of brevity) stroke it around awhile. Berbatov nearly breaks through the West Ham back line but is stopped in his tracks by a majestic tackle from Parker. "Will United be victims of a 'Zola eclipse'?" parrots Mac Millings, with reference to the excruciating play on words in this report's standfirst. "I'm looking for work right now, and if it's dreadful puns you need, then I'm your man. Will 'Gorgon' Zola turn United to stone? Will Franco oppress Reds (again)? Hammers Boss - Fran-tastic, or Ar-Zola? Sub-editing position, please!" Sorry, Mac, but you're barking up the wrong tree if you want a subbing job at the Guardian. For a start, it appears you can spell.

8 min: United win a corner on the left. Giggs swings it in. Vidic gets his head on the ball, but can't keep it down. A few seconds later, Giggs nearly scoots clear down the right, but Upson's sliding challenge puts a stop to his gallop.

11 min: West Ham enjoy their first spell in the United area. Behrami swings one in from the right, forcing Vidic to head out for a corner. From it, on the right, the ball finds Neill at the far post. He checks inside and hammers a low shot which Van der Sar does well to spot coming through a crowded box. Actually, I can't keep calling Manchester United United, it's not fair on West Ham. If only there was a similarly short alternative. That pleases everyone and can be used in a family publication.

13 min: Cole is sent free down the inside-right channel. He's clear on goal - kind of, as Ferdinand is clinging to his shirt. He could do one of two things: go down under the challenge, in which case Ferdinand would possibly be facing a red card; or put his foot through the ball, in which case a goal is very likely. He does neither, opting to attempt a chip over Van der Sar from the edge of the box. It's a lame effort, and one that's plucked from the sky by the big keeper with contempt.

15 min: West Ham took a while to settle, but they're up for this. Noble gives Rafael a hard time down the left; the visiting defender is mighty relieved to hear the referee's whistle as they tussle for the ball. "Both these teams have big reputations for bringing through youth players into the first team," begins one-man double act Gary Naylor. "In West Ham's case, it's true."

18 min: Di Michele should have set Cole free again, but hesitates before attempting a Gerrardesque crossfield pass towards Collison. His execution is perfect, in so much as it sails into the stand, miles from the intended target.

21 min: Manchester United put the ball in the net. Scholes takes a pop from 25 yards, it's deflected up and over the West Ham defence by the advancing Parker, and the ball drops to Berbatov on the penalty spot. He sticks out a leg and guides the dropping ball past Green - however, he was miles offside when Scholes's shot was struck. Nice try though. Meanwhile here's some scatalogical humour (with a Guardianesque soupcon of arts-and-culture satire) courtesy of lavatory attendant Geoff Ashworth: "From the perspective of the picture it looks like Zola is sat on the can, with the West Ham logo at the receiving end. Could this be a subtle message as to what he really is thinking, a bit like Leonardo with The Last Supper?"

25 min: West Ham are playing some really nice football in patches: Cole, Di Michale, Noble and Behrami share it around before Cole treads on the ball, allowing Scholes to whisk the ball clear. Then Collison twists and turns in the area: for a split second it looks like he's going to craft himself an opening, but the door's quickly shut by Vidic and Ferdinand. Collison lays off to Cole, but the striker has his back to goal and can't do his usual three-point turn in time before the ball's bundled clear.

28 min: In between those two West Ham efforts, Tevez nearly latched onto a long ball into the West Ham box. Green kicks clear - and hits the visiting striker in the back! Luckily for the keeper, the ball deflects clear upfield, rather than pinging back into an empty net. United then win a couple of corners: Ronaldo heads powerfully wide right from the first, Green is impeded at the second. This is a nice open game. No gilt-edged chances or dramatic incidents stand out, but it doesn't always have to be like that, does it.

31 min: From a free kick on the right touchline, Giggs and Scholes try to recreate that amazing goal the latter scored from a David Beckham corner at Bradford in 2000. This time, Scholes's first-time shot is bloody awful, heading miles left, but Ronaldo diverts it goalwards with a flick of his boot and Green makes a wonderful save, fingertipping the whizzing ball over the bar. Great football all round. Apart from Scholes's shot, of course.

35 min: Some really clever interchanges between Noble, Parker and Di Michele in the centre of the pitch creates a lot of space for West Ham. Their work so nearly bears fruit, but the final ball into the box - with Di Michele in acres - has too much pace on it and Van der Sar collects. "I've tried to make a clever pun with each of United's outfield players, hoping one would produce a winning wordplay. Alas no pun in ten did," quips Justin Kavanagh, who I hope isn't as old as his joke book.

40 min: Ronaldo, who has been pretty quiet on the whole, shimmies and sashays down the left-wing touchline. He whips in a dangerous low ball which whizzes across the face of the six-yard box, but Tevez and Berbatov are both fannying around, allowing Collins and Upson to usher the ball out of play.

42 min: Ilunga barges down the left and eventually breaks towards the Manchester United area. He's got time to cross, but with three claret-and-blue shirts in the centre, clatters the ball into Vidic, allowing Ferdinand to swish away the danger.

HALF TIME: United 0-0 United. Noble races in from the right and homes in on the Manchester United area. Drawing a couple of white shirts out, he dinks a ball into the box towards Cole, who turns and thuds a decent shot goalwards - but it's almost immediately blocked by Vidic. And that, pretty much, is that.

A broken record, in more ways than one: I suppose I should make some mention of Edwin van der Sar's new British record of not letting in a league goal. He managed this as the clock ticked into the 34th minute, which was his 1,156th without once picking the ball from the net. That's Aberdeen's Bobby Clark (1970/71) obliterated from the record books, poor bugger. Now, can everyone stop going on and on and on and on and on ab... oh for Christ's sake, now they're talking about the world record. JESUS WEPT.

And we're off again! West Ham stroke it around a bit. Cole holds the ball up on the edge of the Man Utd area. He lays it back to Behrami, who welts a shot goalwards. It deflects off Di Michele's back - though referee Dowd gives a corner. Luckily for him, nothing comes of it.

48 min: West Ham have started this half really strongly. Cole twists and turns on the edge of the box. The ball is rolled back to Neill, who cutting in from the right curls an effort towards the bottom-left corner. It's a decent effort - but Van der Sar has it covered and gets down low to claim. It's the first real save he's had to make all afternoon, for all the noise about his new record.

52 min: It's suddenly gone a bit scrappy, this.

54 min: Manchester United push West Ham back for a couple of minutes. O'Shea has a dig, Ronaldo tries to find Giggs in the area, Scholes has a crack. Each time either Upson or Collins are on hand to smack clear. But that's better from United, who haven't been particularly impressive so far.

56 min: Giggs clips a free kick from the right touchline into the area. Tevez heads weakly wide right. Anyway, Van der Sar's record. "It's really quite misleading and I'm very surprised nobody has mentioned this yet," writes Laura Leigh, leafing through piles of paper. "Of the first 11 games in which Van der Sar kept a clean sheet, six teams failed to register a single shot on target. If anything, United's defence should be getting the plaudits."

58 min: Noble cuts inside from the right and rolls the ball across the face of the box towards Collison, who immediately lays off to Parker. The resulting screamer screams about 15 feet wide left of goal.

59 min: Neill is booked for shoving Ronaldo off the ball, a proper slapstick two palms on the tits.

60 min: Cole looks to bustle clear down the inside-right channel. Vidic takes a massive chunk out of his shirt to haul him down. It's a free kick, but nothing else. How Vidic didn't get booked for that, I will never know.

61 min: Hold on, now he's booked him for it! How on earth did that take so long?

62 min: GOAL! West Ham United 0-1 Manchester United. Scholes hits a first-time peach of a pass from the centre circle towards the left-hand touchline, where Giggs awaits. Giggs nips into the area, drops a shoulder, then threads a delicious shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal. Such a clever finish. However, was he offside when Scholes hit his pass? I didn't see that replay, but Rob Smyth suggests that might - might - have been the case.

66 min: That goal has taken all the wind from West Ham's sails. The visitors are seeing an awful lot of the ball now, as they sweep it hither and yon. "Clean sheet records mean about diddly," opines Neill Brown. "The best Champions League effort involves Mathieu Flamini at left-back and all-round gamesman Emmanuel Eboue. You get a run of games (and luck) that suits you and you can keep the ball out of your own net. Anyway, the paucity of attacking innovation has made this the dullest Premier League on record."

67 min: Cole creates a bit of space for himself just outside the Man Utd area but slices his shot well wide right.

69 min: Collison tears down the left with a blistering run. Cole looks for the pass but Scholes sweeps clear. Then Noble gets to the touchline down the right and fires a low ball into the six-yard box. Cole again is sniffing around, but with Man Utd sensing real danger, Ferdinand hacks away. Much better from West Ham.

72 min: A really determined run down the left by Ilunga. He crosses into the six-yard box, but Rafael gets the ball away with Cole - who has been industrious, you've got to give him that - again lurking. "I would go a step further than Laura Leigh," bounds Craig Ward, "and suggest it's Manchester United's midfielders that should be getting the plaudits. They seem to be so well organised that teams rarely get the opportunity to trouble the defence much."

75 min: They've just shown a replay of the Giggs goal. There is a case to be made for offside - but only if you think the width of the boot leather covering his heel as he trots back is vital. Neill is in the centre lumbering around; it would have been harsh to strike the goal off.

77 min: Noble is replaced by Savio.

79 min: Manchester United are playing keep-ball now.

82 min: The atmosphere at Upton Park is screaming THIS IS OVER.

85 min: Parker threads a beautiful ball down the left wing for Ilunga. The full back has space to play with - but inexplicably, he falls over. Rafael saunters off with the ball. "Shouldn't a good chunk of the credit for Van der Sar's record go the opposition teams?" wonders Tom Hopkins. "They're happy enough at 0-0 until Utd sting them with a goal then it's too late to do anything about it?"

87 min: A great run by Tevez, who bustles into the area down the left. He keeps heading left, though from a tight angle still manages to send a decent effort just over the bar. It's the last thing he does: Park replaces him, and he jogs off to a decent reception from both sets of fans. West Ham also make a change, Tristan replacing Behrami.

89 min: A couple of incidents involving Neill: first he sticks out a leg on the edge of his own area, inviting Ronaldo to trip over it. Which he does. The challenge is right on the line: that could easily have been a penalty. It's unlikely to matter. Then Berbatov tricks Neill on the touchline with some delicious skill, but the subsequent cross is appalling.

90 min: There will be three minutes of injury time.

FULL TIME: West Ham United 0-1 Manchester United. West Ham fail to put the visitors under any pressure whatsoever in injury time. And that's that. Manchester United go back to the top of the table, two points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand. Again they haven't played particularly well, again they've come away with all three points after a 1-0 win. It's a hoary old cliche, but it's the stuff of champions.

Fabio Aurelio: Liverpool can still beat Manchester United to title

2009-02-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have been flawless since returning triumphant from the Club World Championship in Japan before Christmas, winning all eight Premier League games and setting a British record for consecutive clean sheets to overhaul Liverpool at the top of the table.

In the same period, Liverpool have picked up just 17 points to United’s 24, including five draws, despite playing a game more. But Aurelio believes the league leaders are bound to go through a dip in form at some point in the run-in.

But Aurelio said: “I don’t think they will get positive results right until the end of the season and we still have to go to Old Trafford. If we keep getting our points we’ll have chance to beat them.

“Every game is a final now if we want to fight for the title at the end. If United don’t lose they will finish a few points ahead but we still have to make sure we do our part.

“The most important thing for Liverpool and the players is the Premier League. It would be great to do well in the Champions League, but we know this season the focus is on the league.”

Aurelio’s defensive colleague Daniel Agger has threatened to leave the club in the summer unless he is granted regular first-team football. The Danish international has just 18 months left on his contract and talks over a new deal have stalled, with AC Milan thought to be tracking his progress.

He said: “If I don’t play, then it’s untenable and I can’t go on like that. It’s never fun as a footballer if you don’t play, but that’s my situation at the moment.”

Ryan Giggs extends Manchester United by one year

2009-02-13T03:55:00.001-08:00

Rumours of the 35-year-old's retirement were clearly greatly exaggerated, as were suggestions he would be offered a place on United's coaching staff, or perhaps grace another club on the Continent.

Instead, Giggs has his sights set on further rewriting the record books. If there was any doubt that, while the searing pace may have dissipated, he is still a cut above most players in the Premier League, it was dispelled in his masterful display in the 3-0 humbling of Chelsea last month.

The boy who moved from Cardiff to Swinton at the age of six has already gone down in English football history after collecting 10 league titles, four FA Cups and two European Cups.

Should he succeed in his stated aim of bringing yet more silverware to Old Trafford, he will go down in perpetuity, his tally of trophies and medals too high for any successor to expect to match.

Giggs said: "I'm delighted to have been offered a new contract. I feel fit and I'm enjoying my football more than ever.

"This is an exciting young team and the spirit is great in the dressing-room. I want to be a part of that and achieve even more success."

By the time he sees out his new deal Giggs will be almost 37, nearing the 20th anniversary of his debut for United after he came on as a substitute for Denis Irwin in a 2-0 defeat against Everton at Old Trafford on March 2, 1991.

No doubt seeing Giggs turn out at 37, having watched him make his debut aged 17, will be a moment of personal pride for Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager who visited Giggs' house on his 14th birthday to sign him on schoolboy terms having persuaded him to join United rather than Manchester City, in an echo of the tale which helped Matt Busby secure the services of Duncan Edwards.

Tempting as it is to eschew the modern in favour of the past, Giggs will now most likely stand alongside Edwards in the annals of United's history. As well as all of those medals, Giggs, like Edwards, changed the landscape of football.

He was the Premier League's first poster boy, Beckham before the boy from Leytonstone broke into the first team, the player who launched a thousand cliches. The boy wonder who gave defenders twisted blood. That was Giggs.

Those days may be behind him, but while Ferguson knows that Giggs is these days best deployed as a central midfielder rather than a lung-busting winger, he is full of praise for his protege's appetite for success.

Ferguson said: "It would be easy for him to be complacent after all that he has achieved, but that he isn't speaks volumes for his character and explains why we wanted to extend his services and use his experience.

"Although he wants to be involved in every game, he understands that by using his experience when it matters is a benefit to him and to the team."

Ferguson added: "Ryan is a true professional of the game, his lifestyle, the way he looks after himself, and his desire to always want to win is a credit to him and an inspiration to any young kid who wants to become a footballer."

Edwin van der Sar Thanks Manchester United Defenders

2009-02-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Edwin van der Sar's current clean sheet is lasting a long time. The giant Dutchman hasn't conceded a league goal for Manchester United since Samir Nasri netted for Arsenal against the Red Devils in November.

That's an astonishing 13 games that van der Sar and his back-four have kept their net intact, and their run has already made them English and British record holders. Should they keep Fulham at bay for 64 minutes at Old Trafford next Wednesday, then they will have broken the world record set by Atletico Madrid's Abel Renso at 1275 minutes without conceding.

But van der Sar has highlighted today that such success is not merely down to his capabilities as a goalkeeper, it is the defenders, indeed the whole team, in front of him who work to protect the United goal.

"When you talk about the achievement it is all about the team. It's hard work from everybody," he told The Manchester Evening News earlier.

"I had to make a couple of saves at West Ham, for instance, but the defenders are incredible, how they defend, how they clear the balls. It's a team effort because everybody tracks back.

"It is all about organisation. It is about trusting each other. It is about knowing if Rio steps to the right, Vida will follow, or Rafael knows how to come inside, or Michael Carrick knows when he has to block a shot."

The strong team ethic encouraged at Old Trafford was also evident when van der Sar ruminated on the progress made by the Mancunians this season, especially since their return from the Club World Cup in Tokyo.

"It is all about the team. It is magnificent. Hopefully we can keep it going for a while. The records will only be important at the end of the season," he added.

"Of course, it is great but if we end up losing another four or five games until the end of the season we probably won't be the champions. That is the goal. It is a halfway point. You take it on board but you don't celebrate. It is a fantastic record and I'm very happy about it. But what really means a lot at the moment is the win.

"We are getting on with our business quietly but confidently. Everybody is out to get us, as we are champions and because of the record, it makes it harder.

"But we are very determined to hang on to it and keep this run going.

"It is a tremendous achievement what we have done over the last couple of months with the amount of games we have played. The number of points we have got since we left for Tokyo is outstanding."

Sepang test preview: Ducati cautious on Casey Stoner’s wrist

2009-02-05T03:38:00.001-08:00

Ducati management have admitted they will take no unnecessary risks with former world champion Casey Stoner’s left wrist despite confidence it will hold up to the stress of this week’s three-day test session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

The Aussie hasn’t been on track since the end of October when he topped the timesheets in a rain-hit Valencia test. Since then he has been patiently recovering from major surgery on an old left wrist injury that flared up during last season.

Stoner needed a bone graft on the wrist and so far his lengthy rehabilitation has gone according to plan. Doctors were happy with his recovery when he underwent a thorough assessment on January 12, but this week’s Sepang test will be the crucial test for the 2007 world champion.

Stoner has only had restricted movement in the wrist and has not done anything like the kind of physical work that replicates controlling Ducati’s carbon fibre chassis GP9 machine.

The Sepang circuit is one of the most physically challenging on the calendar with its length and challenging layout. It is also mostly high-speed with fast changes of direction to test Stoner’s wrist.

Factory Ducati team boss Livio Suppo though believes Stoner and his wrist will be capable of gaining some meaningful data on the GP9.

Suppo told MCN: “The doctors did the X-rays last month and that was crucial because then you can understand how the screw and the bone are healing and the doctor was very happy. The process is absolutely okay and now the operation seems to have been a success.”

Suppo though did confirm that Stoner’s fitness would be closely monitored to avoid unnecessary risks in the Far East.

“Lets assume in Sepang he will still have some trouble, so there is no point in risking anything.

"But when he was a rookie in MotoGP he missed a lot of the winter but he was still able to nearly win in only his third race and do the pole position in his second race.

"For him the most important thing is that he will ride in Sepang and then he will feel better for doing that. But Sepang is really demanding and I don’t think he will do a lot of laps.”

Valentino Rossi injured in home accident

2009-02-05T03:37:00.001-08:00

MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi has injured his hand and foot after falling at his Italian home.

The 29-year-old was closing the curtains in his house when he tripped and fell on to a glass table.

The table smashed and Rossi cut his ring finger on his left hand and the sole of his left foot. He went straight to hospital where he received a few stitches in each injury.

The injury is not serious, but a decision is yet to be made whether he will be able to ride comfortably in Malaysia at this week’s MotoGP tests, which begin on Thursday.

A statement released from Yamaha said the Italian will fly to Malaysia today as planned, adding: “The injuries are not serious but it is not yet clear whether or not they will make him uncomfortable when riding this week.

"Nevertheless Rossi will fly out to Malaysia today as planned, where he will try to give 100% at the first test of the season, which starts on Thursday..”

LORENZO ADMITS HE LACKS THE EXPERIENCE TO FIGHT FOR TITLE

2009-02-05T03:32:00.000-08:00

Fiat Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo has admitted he does not expect to fight for the 2009 MotoGP world title because he doesn't have enough experience scrapping it out at the top.

The 2008 MotoGP Rookie of the Year expects team-mate Valentino Rossi and Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner to be the main protaganists with Dani Pedrosa also in the mix.

"It is very difficult, firstly because I don’t have the experience to fight for the title. I think that right now there are riders with more experience," said the Spaniard.

"Above all there is a great champion in the shape of Valentino Rossi, who I have in the box next to me, and in theory he is the favourite. Not only that, I have three riders who in principal are more of a favourite than I am so the most important thing is that we get closer to our objective every season, become faster and learn more. But I don’t think I am the favourite for the title.

I think that people have higher expectations for the results of Pedrosa, Stoner and Valentino. Yes, it is true that I started the year really well, with a victory in the third race of my first season.

"I started very strongly but that doesn’t mean to say that the same will happen every time and that every season is going to start out the same for me. Things change and every year is different.

For example this year we have new rules and things could be different. I am currently working very hard so that one day I can become World Champion, which is my objective. I don’t know if I will achieve it next year, within two years or within five but that is the objective."

Juventus reaches Italian Cup semifinals with win over Napoli

2009-02-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

Juventus overcame Napoli 4-3 in a penalty shootout after neither team scored in regulation or extra time of their Italian Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

Juventus will face Lazio in the two-leg semifinal March 4 and 22. Inter Milan plays Sampdoria in the other semifinal. Walter Gargano missed the crucial spot kick for Napoli after Ezequiel Lavezzi and Matteo Contini also failed to score.

Both teams were lacking in confidence after recent setbacks in the Serie A, and neither side managed to take the initiative in the first half.

In the second half, David Trezeguet and Pavel Nedved were introduced by Juventus to try and inspire the home side, but it was Napoli's attacking trio of Marek Hamsik, Lavezzi and Marcelo Zalayeta who looked the most likely to score, with Zalayeta missing two good chances near the end.

Trezeguet came close in regulation but was marginally offside from an Alessandro Del Piero pass, and in extra time he shot straight at goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro from close range.

Juventus sneak in to Cup semis after shoot-out

2009-02-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Juventus completed the Italian Cup semi-final line-up after beating Napoli in a penalty shoot-out at Turin's Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday following a 0-0 draw.

They will play Lazio in the last four while Serie A leaders Inter Milan face Sampdoria in the other semi.

In what was a largely dull match, Juve and Napoli barely mustered a single chance between them throughout 120 minutes.

The hosts did have the ball in the net in the last seconds of normal time through David Trezeguet but he was somewhat controversially ruled offside.

So the tie went to a shoot-out with veteran Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved the first to miss as his spot-kick was saved by Nicolas Navarro.

But Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi saw his effort saved by Alex Manninger to level matters.

Momo Sissoko hit the bar to give Napoli another sniff at glory but both Matteo Contini and Walter Gargano skied their shots well over the bar to allow Juventus to progress to the next phase.

Scholes And Berbatov Put Manchester United Through At Expense Of Tottenham Hotspur

2009-01-24T16:03:00.000-08:00

The game at Old Trafford saw the two most successful sides in the history of the competition come head to head. Alex Ferguson’s injury hit side came from behind to triumph over Harry Redknapp’s patchwork Tottenham team. The result see’s Manchester United progress into the fifth round draw and ends Redknapp’s hopes of becoming the first manager to ever eliminate United with four different clubs, at least for this season.

Despite a tentative start from both sides it was Tottenham that opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a well worked goal. A slack clearance saw the ball fall to Tom Huddlestone on the right flank, he drove to the edge of the box and floated a teasing ball into the middle. Lone striker Roman Pavlyuchenko ran intelligently across an unusually flat-footed Nemanja Vidic and his glancing header into the far corner left goalkeeper Ben Foster routed to the spot. It was a classy finish from the Russian who has scored five times in his last six appearances for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham then understandably retreated into their own half, hoping to defend their lead. Though Manchester United dominated possession Spurs were resolute in their defending, working hard to close down their opponents. The Red Devils’ did create chances but were largely restricted to snapshots, Carlos Tevez coming closest with a 20 yard shot stinging the crossbar. In truth deputy keeper Ben Alnwick had it covered.

United grew into the game with youngster Danny Welbeck impressing from his position wide on the right. The starlet cut in from the flank and exchanged passes with Berbatov before being denied by a superb block from Chris Gunter. It was backs to the wall for Spurs and Argentinean forward Tevez had a superb strike well saved from 12 yards by the former Sunderland goalkeeper in the 21st minute.

It was looking increasingly like it was a matter of when rather than if United would score and the Red Devils’ subjected their guests to a two minute nightmare at the Theatre of Dreams.

Paul Scholes got the equaliser following a marauding break from Tevez. The ball went out for a corner and the ginger-haired genius was teed up for a classic drive from 25 yards. His grass cutter caught the heel of Tom Huddlestone on the way to the back of the net, it was a piece of fortune that United probably deserved for their attacking endeavour.

Less than 90 seconds later the game was effectively over as a contest. If the opening goal was fortuitous then the second was sublime. Former Tottenham favourites Michael Carrick and Bulgarian Berbatov combined brilliantly with the England international spotting a cute run from Berbatov early and stroking the ball into his path from the half way line. The £30million man killed the ball in an instance and rifled the ball into the far left corner from 20 yards before the nearest defender could even get close.

Tottenham did have opportunities to get back into the game, before the half was up David Bentley skipped past Scholes and saw his long-range effort fly agonisingly close, not quite dipping enough to beat the crossbar.

The second half was a controlled performance from the Premier League and European Champions and they restricted Harry Redknapp’s side to very few opportunities. Early in the half a teasing Bentley cross saw Gareth Bale beat his marker and his shot flashed wide from close range. On the 56th minute Benoit Assou-Ekotto found himself in space beyond the fullback, he was picked out by an increasingly influential Huddlestone and the left back’s cross found Bentley on the right-hand side of the 18 yard box. The wide man’s first time shot flashed just past Ben Foster’s left-hand post with the young English goalkeeper struggling to scramble across to cover.

Just after the hour mark Spurs broke again and had a man over but failed to make the opportunity. Substitute Giovani Dos Santos picked out Bentley who could only fire straight at the keeper. United stepped up their control from this point and largely controlled proceedings, with a few half-opportunities at either end.

Tottenham, however, piled on the pressure towards the end of the game. Assou-Ekotto leaving substitute right back Richard Eckersley for dead, driving to the by-line and cutting back for former Barcelona starlet Dos Santos. The prodigy could only send his first time effort high over the bar and will be disappointed not to have done better.

In the final minutes the Lilywhites pressed hard, but were unable to break down a resolute United defence. Manchester United progress to the next round and Tottenham are left to focus on their Premier League survival and a showpiece Carling Cup final which pitches them against tonight’s opponents

Manchester United: Evans, Anderson out for three weeks

2009-01-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

LONDON — Premier League leader Manchester United will be without defender Jonny Evans and midfielder Anderson for three weeks with ankle injuries, manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Friday.

Both were hurt Tuesday as the Red Devils beat Derby to reach the Carling Cup final.

"We sent Anderson for a scan and there's no break, but there was some ligament damage," Ferguson said. "We think he'll be out for three weeks."

Portugal winger Nani has been ruled out for a week with a groin injury after limping out of the semifinal.

Also missing for Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round match with Tottenham are defenders Rio Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva, Patrice Evra and Wes Brown, along with midfielder Park Ji-sung and striker Wayne Rooney.

"We still have Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo fit," Ferguson said. "But we will have to call on some young players.

"I could play (midfielder) Darren Fletcher at right ack, with Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea, which would give me an experienced back four, but I've called in Richard Eckersley and Fabio (da Silva), who could be involved."

Ferguson expects Ferdinand and Brown to be fit to face Everton on Feb. 2 to help the league title defence.

"It's not the best position to be in. January is a difficult month," Ferguson said. "We've talked a lot about having a winter break to get rid of the strains you pick up in January, but it's not to be.

"The result is that the strains become injuries and the players miss games."

Manchester United vintage could be the best yet, says Ryan Giggs

2009-01-24T01:16:00.000-08:00

Old and the new: Ryan Giggs with Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov Photo: PA

Giggs has picked up 10 league titles, two European Cups, four FA Cups, two League Cups and lined up alongside the likes of David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona since he burst on to the scene at Old Trafford 19 years ago.
But the Wales international is convinced Sir Alex Ferguson's latest crop could go on to overshadow all of their myriad achievements.
He said: "Last year, we won the Champions League and the Premier League, and we won them in great style. But to talk of a great team, you need six or seven consecutive years of dominance. This side is good enough to do that, because all of our young players can improve. Basically, this year I think we have the best United team ever."
Such a bold proclamation looked unlikely at the start of the season as Ferguson's side struggled to find their form after the excesses of the previous year. The European champions stuttered at Liverpool and at Arsenal and drew at Everton, Tottenham and even allowed Newcastle to escape Old Trafford with a point.
The fug hanging over the club at the start of the campaign appeared to have cleared as United picked up the Club World Cup last month and returned from Japan in ominous form. Their back line has not been breached in the league since that defeat at the Emirates, 10 games ago. Ferguson's side have won six league matches in a row.
Giggs said: "There is always a lot of attention on us and during a season, every team has a tricky period. We knew it would be an awkward start with some difficult games but we've been playing much better since. Hopefully we can keep up the momentum.
"The goal is to win a third consecutive Premier League title. In the Champions League, we already realise it will be extra hard to protect our crown. All our rivals would love to knock out the holders.
"The title race comes first, because it's the ultimate test to finish top after 38 games. Then comes the Champions League, but in every competition many different factors come into play, like taking your chances, coming into form at the right time and having a bit of luck."
It is easy to see why maintaining domestic superiority is important to United. Winning an 11th crown in 17 seasons would not only bring them level with Liverpool's record of 18 league titles, but also match the spell of dominance achieved by the great Anfield sides of the Seventies and Eighties. United would be well and truly on their perch.
Where that leaves the small matter of the FA Cup is a distant third, though there will be added spice to Saturday's fourth-round clash by virtue of Tottenham's manager being Harry Redknapp, the man whose Portsmouth side dashed United's hopes of a second treble last season.
Redknapp has vowed to play the "weakest side he can find" in deference to his team's relegation battle, but he will be relieved to know United's side will be hamstrung by a raft of injuries. Brazilian midfielder Anderson on Thursday had a scan on an ankle which, if broken, could rule him out for three months.
He will join a packed treatment room, with only Wes Brown and Jonny Evans likely to be given the all-clear before the end of the month.

Yamaha backs Rossi's Superbike plan

2009-01-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

Yamaha team boss Davide Brivio says the manufacturer is doing all it can to grant Valentino Rossi his wish to compete against Troy Bayliss in a World Superbike round this year.

Rossi is keen to enter a Superbike round and wants legendary rider Bayliss to come out of retirement for a single event to race against him.

"It's not easy, but the racing department is doing everything possible to sort out two R1 bikes for Rossi," Brivio told Tuttosport.

"The problem is that the bike is a new project, so everything is a lot more difficult. We'll see whether it's possible in the end to allow Valentino to get his wish."

Bayliss retired from racing at the end of last season and says it would take a large financial offer for him to agree to the race.

"I spoke with Valentino and he told me that he wants to race me really badly," Bayliss told motorcyclenews.com. "It wouldn't be so hard for him to be competitive on a Superbike. Yamaha have got a strong bike, so it would be no problem at all for him to get up to speed - Valentino Rossi is Valentino Rossi.

"For me right now, I've stopped training and I'm happy with my plan to finish. I'm feeling happy that the last time I rode I was world champion, plus I won both races and beat all the other guys out there.

"For me to do it I'd need something like £1 million and that's not going to happen."

Clashes between the calendars of the two championships mean the most likely venue for the event would be the Doha round in March.

Tevez hopes for United deal

2009-01-02T01:30:00.000-08:00

The Argentina international is currently in the second year of a complicated loan move, with that agreement set to expire in the summer.
United are yet to offer the combative front-man a full-time contract, with the issue having hung over both player and club for some considerable time.
Tevez has been utilised mainly as a squad player by Sir Alex Ferguson this season and has seen his number of outings limited as a result.
However, having helped the club to domestic and European glory last term, the 24-year-od is adamant that he sees his long-term future at Old Trafford.

Positive

"I am not preoccupied about my future," Tevez told the Daily Mail.
"My instincts are to stay with the club and in the next week or so I think there will be more contact with regards to sorting out my contract. That is what we've been told.
"My agent is in touch with United all the time and he tells me that everything is very positive now. So it is up to the club.
"Other clubs have asked about me but I see my future at United."

Figures

Of those 'other clubs' said to be interested, Spanish giants Real Madrid are thought to he heading the queue.
The reigning Primera Liga champions have a reputation for landing high-profile summer signings, but Tevez remains hopeful that United will find the funds to match his considerable price tag.
"Some people say that £32million is high but I cannot comment on that. Those are the figures that were agreed at the start. I am not responsible," he added.
"It has been a complicated season for me, there is no point denying that. I have not been able to get as many minutes on the field as I would like because the quality of the forwards at the club is incredible.
"It is not easy for forwards to get into this team and I have suffered. But that does not make me want to leave. I have no urge to run away."

Manchester United Launch Bid For Leeds' Fabian Delph

2009-01-02T01:29:00.000-08:00

According to The Sun, the British tabloid newspaper, Manchester United are readying a bid totalling £10 million for Leeds United midfielder Fabian Delph.

The 18-year-old has turned heads in League One this season, and a host of Premier League clubs have sent their scouts to see what all the fuss is about.

Newcastle United wasted no time tabling a bid, but their £1 million offer was rejected rather firmly by Leeds chairman Ken Bates, who is determined to keep hold of such a huge prospect.

"Fabian Delph will be moving to the Barclays Premier League - but we hope he'll be moving with us via the Championship," Bates said in November.

Arsenal, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland have also been linked with the England Under-19 star, while Fulham boss Roy Hodgson's eyes and ears were in the stands as Leeds beat Stockport Country 3-1 last weekend.

It was reported earlier this week that the Cottagers had made an official £6 million offer for the Bradford-born starlet, but it would seem United have trumped their top-flight rivals by offering the same sum with a few tasty add-ons.

A series of bonuses based on performances and appearances would potentially see the Whites collect an extra £4 million, but Sir Alex Ferguson is also willing to loan them midfield prospects Darron Gibson and Rodrigo Possebon until the end of the season.

Delph has been variously compared to Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes due to his tenacious attitude, eye for a pass, and ability to romp forward and get on the score-sheet.

Cristiano Ronaldo pledges his future to Manchester United

2009-01-02T01:26:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo has started 2009 by attempting to quash one of 2008's most protracted transfer sagas. The winger has been repeatedly linked with a move to Real Madrid, but in an interview on the Manchester United official website he has said his heart remains at Old Trafford.

"What people are saying now [the recent speculation about an agreement with Real Madrid] is not true," he said. "Who says that is a liar because I am happy at the club, I want to stay here [at United]. I feel at home here. I feel very happy here."

Sections of the Old Trafford crowd were unhappy at what they saw as Ronaldo's flirtation with Madrid, but the Portuguese international said he always believed the fans backed him. "When I arrived at the stadium, to play [my first game of this season] against Villarreal, I felt a little bit of pressure," he admitted. "But the fans were very good and this is why I feel the Manchester United supporters are amazing. I love the fans because they have been brilliant with me, not just this season but every season."

Ronaldo added that Sir Alex Ferguson was a crucial figure in his career. "The boss is always important for me, not just last season but every season. I am at this club because of him. He saw me in a few games before I played against Manchester United. People think I came here just because I played [well] against United but it's not true.

"He's always helped me and I said to him, 'I want to be part of this club with you. I want to win trophies with you.' He's very important in my career, Sir Alex Ferguson."

What price English ownership in the Premier League?

2008-12-21T01:03:00.000-08:00

Indeed, with the main challengers to the top four, Aston Villa, already American-owned and Manchester City having become a colony of Abu Dhabi, the biggest Premier League club left in English hands could soon be – Lord help us – Newcastle United.

I know what you are thinking: can you take one look at Mike Ashley and, with hand on heart, blame Newcastle supporters for hurling themselves at the feet of any passing sheikh?

There must, one day, be more to the life of a Premier League football fan than begging strangers to buy the family silver, but it seems unlikely given the game's grotesquely bloated economy.

When you have the Icelandic owner of West Ham, Bjorgulfur Gudmundsson, trying to get £250 million for a club he bought for £85 million little over two years ago when confidence was high, you are almost tempted to admire his cheek – until you think of the misery bankers have visited upon us.

So is so-called English football enjoying the last days of an unsustainable boom? It certainly feels like it. Only the odd lonely voice of caution is raised: Gareth Southgate, the intelligent manager of Middlesbrough, who owe their widely acclaimed English owner, Steve Gibson, nearly £70 million, wonders if it might all end in a fall from grace such as that of the Italian game, once Europe's foremost.

Yet the feelgood factor survives. Just as the family man used to chortle ''it's only plastic'' as he booked yet another holiday in Florida, clubs succumb to the pressure to spend.

And we, the fans, await match days such as this: what fun it is to contemplate Liverpool's visit to Arsenal in the knowledge that, for 90 minutes, the issues surrounding American (and possibly Uzbeki) ownership can be forgotten.

Back in the year 2000, when these clubs' links to the Moores and Hill-Wood families were so natural no one gave a thought to them, Liverpool won at Highbury through a goal from Titi Camara.

They have not won away to Arsenal in the Premier League since and the excellent record of Arsene Wenger's team against top-four opposition – Manchester United and Chelsea have already been beaten this season – emphasises the difficulty of their task.

Yet Liverpool, like Chelsea, have lately appeared built for the rigours of travel rather than the subtleties of hosting, and Rafa Benitez's men do have the option of settling for a draw while Arsenal, already beaten five times before the halfway stage, need every point they can wrest.

As Arsenal's losses to the relatively unfancied – Fulham, Hull, Stoke – have mounted, the curious have done some checking and discovered that, since the old First Division was rebranded for the 1992/3 season, the highest number of defeats sustained by champions has been Blackburn's seven in 1994/5. So what?

Statistics are there to be revised and, in any case, calculation of Arsenal's chances of taking the title this season strike me as academic.

Wenger has too lightweight a midfield (the marvellous Cesc Fabregas notwithstanding) and aerially deficient a defence for this campaign to be about much more than making sure they finish in fourth place.

The trip to Villa Park on Boxing Day should be seen as even more important than today's encounter.

In Europe, Arsenal have been handed possibly the most difficult of Italian opponents at the moment in Roma; United and Chelsea should have too much verve for Inter and Juventus, respectively.

The most vulnerable of the Premier League quartet would appear to be, on recent form, Liverpool – Real Madrid should benefit from Juande Ramos' arrival as coach – and yet I still have a fancy for them domestically, even if their football has been superior to that of United only in the Anfield match between the clubs and doubts about Robbie Keane's integration persist.

United have been remarkably consistent, not just this season but for years. It was in April 2005 that they last lost consecutive League matches and this is the sort of form that would promise a hat-trick of titles – but for the additional obligations imposed by their victory in the Champions League final last spring.

They will return from their Tokyo jaunt to Club World Cup to the probability of months of playing catch-up with Liverpool and Chelsea.

At least Sir Alex Ferguson has the comfort of a grudge – the United manager seldom has much difficulty in finding those – after United's humiliation at the hands of the Football Association, who not only found their left-back, Patrice Evra, to have been the main culprit in the scuffle with Chelsea ground staff last season but heaped public scorn on both his testimony and that of Ferguson's assistant, Mike Phelan.

Whether United hold Chelsea partly responsible for Evra's four-match ban in not yet clear. Suffice it to say that the visit of Luiz Felipe Scolari and his team to Old Trafford in three weeks will have an edge and, if the United ground staff were to ask my advice, I'd tell them to make sure the sprinklers are working in case matters become overheated.

When I argue ownership issues, by the way, with officers of the Premier League, they often cite United (American) and Chelsea (Russian) as examples of well run clubs and, when you consider that these emerged as Europe's top two last season, they have a point.

But the time to judge a club's guardian is not while the manager is being given money to spend and the club are enjoying success; it is after he leaves.

Peter Ridsdale was an enormously popular chairman of Leeds, a sort of Steve Gibson of his time, while the club were reaching the Champions League semi-finals – only to leave amid much opprobrium and be obliged to rebuild his reputation at Cardiff. Let's wait and see how the Glazers and Roman Abramovich are remembered.

As I have said here before, it is not the nationalities of these people that worry me so much as the durability of their commitment. In this sense, they are no more alien than Englishmen such as Ashley.

But just ask yourself: what are the chances of the Glazers and Abramovich turning out to have loved United and Chelsea as much as the late Uncle Jack Walker loved Blackburn?

Thoughts of Chelsea at Old Trafford are bound to return to May 2005, when, already sure of their first title under Jose Mourinho, they won 3-1 with near-ease and many of us wondered if this was, as well as the beginning of their spell of dominance through the funding of Abramovich, the end of the Ferguson era at United.

Ferguson had, after all, already been confounded by young Mourinho during Porto's march to the European title the previous season; now Mourinho was invading his domestic territory.

The answer could not have been more stirring. Although Chelsea were champions again the next season, Ferguson's United have staged a magnificent and comprehensive resurgence, not only winning more matches than Chelsea or Arsenal, their previous arch-rivals, but playing football so handsome it can be measured against Arsenal's.

And becoming champions of Europe as well. And helping Cristiano Ronaldo to develop into the world's leading player. And providing the perfect conditions for Wayne Rooney to achieve, if he can, that status. United are, in short, a credit to their country.

Ferguson admits World Club Championship could be costly

2008-12-21T00:57:00.000-08:00

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Manchester United's 12,000-mile round trip for the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan could harm his side's prospects of winning a third successive Premier League title in Yokohama.

United face Liga de Quito of Ecuador in today's final here, where they are bidding to become the first British club to win the tournament since it was expanded in 2000. They return to Manchester tomorrow night and play away at Stoke at 12.45pm on Boxing Day. The champions could be nine points and two games adrift of Liverpool on their return, if the leaders beat Arsenal today. And Ferguson believes fatigue has already had an impact on his players in Japan.

"A lot of us are finding it difficult and struggling to sleep," the United manager said. "Towards the end of the semi-final on Thursday there were signs that jet-lag was having an effect on the players, the game was very open and loose in the last 20 minutes, but I think we will be in a better physical condition for the final. It is difficult to say what the impact will be when we get back home.

"Hopefully we will have enough recovery time to produce at Stoke. After the Inter-Continental Cup in 1999 we went back home and beat Everton 5-1 three days later, so who is to say what might happen? But we know we do have a task on our hands when we get back."

United are likely to be without Dimitar Berbatov against the Copa Libertadores champions, with the £30.75m striker suffering from the virus that ruled him out of the semi-final defeat of Gamba Osaka. "This will be more of a physical test for us," Ferguson added. "We've watched Liga de Quito's semi-final against Pachuca and, as you would expect from a South American team, they are resilient and powerful."

Sepp Blatter expects England to put forward a "strong" bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The world governing body have confirmed the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be decided at the same time and have allowed countries to bid for both. "England is a strong candidate, because it is a strong country in football," the Fifa president said.

Lord Triesman, England's World Cup bid team chairman, said: "The announcement of a dual process doesn't affect our planning at all. Our mission is to ensure we have the support of everyone around the country, so the world knows that England not only has the infrastructure to stage a tournament, but also the enthusiasm to make it the best possible event in World Cup history.

世界クラブカップ決勝プレビュー：マンチェスターユナイテッドVのLDUキト

2008-12-21T00:46:00.000-08:00

マンチェスターユナイテッドは、世界クラブW杯ファイナルでは誰も見て対戦相手としてエクアドルのLDUキト予測しているとはなじみのない名ではありません. 彼らは南米王者になるため、最初のエクアドルクラブです。

サッカーのエクアドルでは、過去10年間、代表チームの最後の2つのW杯決勝で南米予選で来ていたとされて簡単にはいかないですオンタリオしている。LDU実際にはマークを付けるには、最初のクラブチームだ。

彼らは国際Educadoreanの中核とアルゼンチンの輸入品の散水している。は、リベルタドーレス杯への道では、決勝トーナメント進出の決勝ではアルゼンチンFluminense打撃を前に、 2つの側面を削除しました。

としては、ブラジルとのグループを段階的には彼らの運動は、低速のようなものだったやけど、 Fluninese 1試合に勝ったとはknockoutsのLDUは非常に困難になった他のビートに合わせて描いた。ユナイテッドLDUでPK戦には行きたくないと、彼らは勝利への道には、 2つのファイナルなどしていた。

強力な守備とカウンター周辺は、キト隊基地の成功スタイルのアルゼンチン進むクラウディオビールは、パチュカ戦は準決勝で得点が率いる攻撃。ベンチでは34歳のアグスティンデルガドかつて気晴らしにサウサンプトンでゴードンStarchan運転される。

マンチェスターユナイテッドの試合でどのように積極的に決める必要がある。LDUは比較的慎重なアプローチをとることを彼らにアレックスファーガソン監督が来てチームが好きだ。ディミタールベルバトフ戻る彼のビジョンとタッチウェインルーニーにもたらされるにはベンチでのスタートかもしれない可能性があります。

戻るかどうかは、マネージャーも、このような高プロファイルのゲームや信頼に戻ってみましたが、ガリーネビル、ラファエル10代の右にプッシュすることにしている。としてネヴィルユナイテッドは準決勝で演奏し、ラファエルもうなずいて取得される場合がありますボクシングデーにゲームをしている。朴智成とマイケルキャリック、ライアンギグス、ポールスコールズ取って代わる可能性があります。

それだけでも、ファーガソン監督はこの大会のため、 LDUは実際にはワールドチャンピオンのタイトルを、大規模なachivementさwoukd尊重しています。これはアルゼンチンの監督の最後のゲームは、プレイヤーが高い上で彼を送信するということです。

この試合ユナイテッドの半wth G大阪のような得点の高されません。LDU少し離れたとするフォームにリベルタドーレス杯後には、余分な時間や罰則に行くについては懸念しているが設定されます。ユナイテッドはので、それをする方法を見つける必要があります日陰には、攻撃兵器がある。

予測; 1-0でマンチェスターユナイテッドに

World Club Cup Final Preview: Manchester United v LDU Quito

2008-12-21T00:27:00.000-08:00

Manchester United isn't an unfamiliar name to see in the World Club Cup Final but no one would have predicted LDU Quito of Ecuador as their opponents. They are the first Ecuadorean club to become champions of South America.

Football in Ecuador has been on the up for the past decade; the national squad were at the last two World Cup Finals and coming through South American qualifying is never easy. LDU are the first club team to really make a mark though.

They have a core of Educadorean internationals and a sprinkling of Argentine imports. On the way to the Copa Libertadores they removed two Argentine sides in the knockout rounds before beating Fluminense in the Final.

Their campaign was something of a slow burn as they were in the groups stages with the Brazilians, Fluninese won one game and drew the other but in the knockouts LDU became very difficult to beat. United would not want to go to a penalty shootout with LDU- they had two on the way to victory, including the Final.

The Quito squad base their success around strong defence and a counter-attacking style led by Argentine forward Claudio Bieler, who scored against Pachuca in he semis. On the bench will be 34 year old Agustin Delgado who once drove Gordon Starchan to distraction at Southampton.

Manchester United have to decide how aggressive to be in this game. LDU like teams to come on to them so Sir Alex Ferguson may take a relatively cautious approach. Dimitar Berbatov is likely to be brought back for his vision and touch- Wayne Rooney might start on the bench.

The manager also has to decide whether to push teenage right back Rafael into such a high profile game or return to the tried and trusted Gary Neville. As Neville played in the semi and United have a game on Boxing Day, Rafael may well be getting the nod. Park Ji Sung and Michael Carrick may replace Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

It's just as well Ferguson respects this tournament because it woukd be a massive achivement for LDU who really want the World Champion title. This is the final game for their Argentine coach so the players will want to send him off on a high.

This match won't be high scoring like United's semi wth Gamba Osaka. LDU will set up to give little away and after their Copa Libertadores form, they have no fears about going to extra time or penalties. United have the attacking weapons to find a way through though, so they should shade it.

Prediction; 1-0 to Manchester United

Tour of duty

2008-12-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

THE MANCHESTER United and Liga de Quito players spent yesterday as they've occupied much of the past week - bemoaning jet lag and wandering round an upmarket shopping mall in Yokohama before a late afternoon training session. A few dozen Japanese United fans have waited patiently outside the players' hotel since Monday, but the trip had been devoid of the hysteria which surrounded David Beckham on past United trips to Asia.

The United players especially have enjoyed the relative anonymity, though they've struggled to shake off their jet lag. Sir Alex Ferguson slept for just two hours on Thursday night and despite advice from their medical staff, the players have clearly not been at their optimum level.

"We are all finding it difficult," admitted Ferguson yesterday. "But the players will be better for the final. On Thursday (in United's 5-3 semi final win over Gamba Osaka) towards the end of the game there were signs that jet lag was taking a little effect. Not a great deal but enough to let the game go very loose in the last 20 minutes."

"It does have an impact when you can't sleep," said midfielder Darren Fletcher. "Lack of sleep affects anybody's performance no matter what they do."

Ryan Giggs agreed: "It has been quite difficult over here. I have not slept much, four or five hours sleep a night really. I hope it won't have a knock-on effect on our title defence. We don't know how it will affect us next Friday when we play Stoke."

Both players were speaking before this morning's FIFA Club World Cup final between the European and South American champions in Yokohama, the venue for the 2002 World Cup final.

While the competition has been maligned by the British media, United have taken the tournament seriously - and not only because the winners pick up £3.4 million. Ferguson brought a full-strength squad to Japan.

Almost 1000 United supporters have also shown their enthusiasm for the competition, and will be over £2,000 lighter after their trip, perhaps more given that a weak pound and strong Yen means a pint of beer is around £9 in the bars of Roppongi or Shibuya.

"You have to win the European Cup to be here," said one fan, John Taylor. "We want to be world champions. Liverpool have never won it and Manchester City fans don't know where Japan is."

"I can assure you that we've not come here just to go sight-seeing in Japan," said defender Patrice Evra. "We could become the first English team to win this competition, and if we did so we'd pull off a League-Champions League-Club World Cup triple, which would be quite something. I honestly think that every player in the squad has that in mind and therefore we're totally focused on fulfilling our objective. We can sleep when we get back to Manchester."

The problem with the competition isn't the final, but the calibre of some of the seven competing teams.

"I watched a little bit of the game between Adelaide United and Al Ahly," says the former United and Celtic midfielder Paddy Crerand, in Japan with MUTV. "It was a little bit embarrassing, the standard was so bad."

The current incarnation of the tournament began in 2000 when United and Real Madrid were the European representatives in Brazil. Prior to that, the South American and European champions had met between 1960 and 2004, though not without controversy, as those Celtic fans who recall the 1967 three-game fracas against Racing Club of Argentina will recall.

It was worse two years later when several Estudiantes players were suspended for their barbaric behaviour against Milan. Concern for their players and a lack of financial incentive saw European champions Liverpool decline to take part in 1977 and 1978, while there were no games in 1975 and 1978 at all.

United won the competition in 1999 by beating Palmeiras in Tokyo, but they also played in the Brazil tournament, controversially forgoing the chance to defend the FA Cup after government pressure.

Low crowds and poor public relations scarred the image of the competition so badly it wasn't resurrected until 2005 when Japan was chosen to stage a tournament featuring Liverpool and Sao Paulo. It was a safe bet. Japanese fans are wealthy and demand to see some of the biggest teams in the world is high. And by playing two games in succession in the same stadium, the organisers avoided embarrassingly low attendances. The respectable average crowd of 37,351 in 2005 has seen the tournament remain in Japan ever since and gates have risen year on year. Last year's tournament average was 45,163 and it will be higher this year if the Yokohama stadium is filled to its 67,000 capacity as expected.

The teams take it seriously too. The tournament is highly regarded in South America: the prestige of beating the European champions is enhanced by the tournament acting as a shop window for players. And while Liga de Quito may have beaten South America's best side on the way to winning the Copa Liberatadores, they operate on a fraction of United's huge budget and their players' average salary is around £800 a week. £3.4 million goes a long way in Ecuadorian football.

"We're living the dream," said Quito's Luis Bolano, who scored in their 3-0 semi-final victory over Mexican side Pachuca. "We've reached the final of a world club championship and we are more than ready for it."

It's not just the South American teams who are enthusiastic. AC Milan's poor form last season was blamed on them focusing their attention on winning the Club World Cup. In beating Argentina's Boca Juniors 4-2 in a thrilling match, Milan became the first European winners of the competition. They consequently broke the South American dominance which had seen Sao Paulo beat 1-0 Liverpool in 2005 and another Brazilian side, Internacional, defeat Barcelona a year later. The tournament moves to the United Arab Emirates next year for two years.

The European champions will prefer the new venue for one reason alone: they won't suffer jet leg.

Valentino Rossi leads prestigious sports poll

2008-12-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi is currently leading a poll by the Telegraph newspaper in its search for the most important sports star of 2008.

The Fiat Yamaha rider, who won nine races to reclaim the title he last won in 2005, has currently registered 39 per cent of the vote in the poll in which he is up against nine other of the year’s most successful sport stars.

Rossi is currently 14 per cent ahead of tennis world number one and Wimbledon champion Rafa Nadal in second place.

Other stars on the list include youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, triple Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Hoy and sprinting sensation Usain Bolt.

Go to www.telegraph.co.uk/sport to register your vote.

Valentino Rossi in a world class of his own

2008-12-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

The factors below should allow you to choose, as far as is possible, using the right sporting reasons, not out of sentimentality or by use of subjective criteria.

You should consider whether this person won the highest prize in their sport. More importantly, is the win of wider significance, or a one-off? Did it require excellence over a prolonged period? What was the requisite degree of skill required? Was there a relative degree of danger? Threat of serious injury is a psychological pressure only certain individuals can withstand; but this possibly includes some on this short-list.

Do not take into account what they look like, their human interest story, their background. In fact, any detail not related to performance should be disregarded.

You should not give weight to a person because the event in which they took part was exciting. This could be evidence of fortitude, but it could also be under-performance by a person who ought to have won more easily.

Rossi occupies in his sport the same position as Pele holds in football. For many MotoGP fans, including British, he is a demigod. I say this to put Rossi into context for those of you who do not know he is the most successful motorcycle racer ever.

Experts always make things look easy. Riding a motorcycle is not easy, certainly much more difficult than driving a car, running, throwing or cycling. Handling a motorcycle is very technical and the consequences can be severe if you make a small error.

MotoGP is the equivalent of Formula One without the in-race assistance, both technological and human.

To appreciate how fast MotoGP really is, you have to see it live. Though marginally less quick than F1, it has something that F1 often lacks – genuine head-to-head battles between riders, all of whom flirt with disaster.

When it comes to bravery, you cannot get much higher than riding at 200 mph with nothing between you and tarmac save for protective body pads. There is no steel safety cage or tensioned safety belt.

At these speeds, the slightest touch of wheels, or a mistake in braking can send a rider spinning through the air, praying his bike does not follow him.

In that environment, Rossi's winning of the MotoGP world title 2008 has put him in a unique position within motorcycle racing.

His 69th MotoGP win at Indianapolis broke Giacomo Agostini's record of most premier-class victories, set in 1976.

The title made Rossi the first rider to win the premier-class on four different types of motorcycle: 500cc, 990cc five-cylinder four-stroke, 990cc four-cylinder four-stroke and 800cc.

He has also has won the world title at 125cc, 250cc and 500cc. This is the equivalent of winning four world titles in different boxing divisions.

It's not just a question of riding a bigger bike. It needs different handling characteristics, reaction times and other subtle, yet important changes technically and mentally. Many champions in lower classes fail to make the jump to higher ones. As James Toseland will attest, winning in one category does not guarantee success higher up.

Rossi, 29, was the only rider to score points all 18 races in 2008, demonstrating astonishing consistency, but it is not until you look at the Italian's career record that you realise that with his performances this year, he has dominated all in his path. When you read the statistics below, consider them not only against other riders, but also drivers in F1.

In a 12-year career, covering grands prix in four different classes, and 207 races, Rossi won 96; nearly one out of two (this includes the early years as a novice), he was in pole position 51 times, almost one in four. He was on the podium 148 times, nearly three out of four races.

See what I mean?

These amazing numbers must take into account that in 2004 Rossi switched teams. This is not just simply getting on a new bike. A different set-up was required to be absorbed, differences in every aspect of planning and preparation and working on an unfamiliar piece of equipment with mechanics that he did not know – all in the brief off-season.

Rossi's debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers.

That this had never been done before, despite the legendary riders that went before, including Barry Sheene, shows how difficult this challenge was.

You may think all this is sufficient to give Rossi your vote now but this year Rossi has also demonstrated he has potential on four wheels.

Rossi tested a Ferrari Formula One car at Mugello in Italy following his MotoGP title and completed nearly 30 laps with fastest lap time of 1min 22.5sec. Ferrari's last Mugello F1 test driver, Kimi Raikkonen, posted a top time of 1-21.079, only 1.5sec quicker. And Rossi's session was shortened by bad weather.

In contrast to the smooth tracks of F1 and MotoGP, Rossi finished 11th in the notoriously tough Rally New Zealand 2006 without regular rally driving.

Just occasionally a sportsman comes along and sets himself apart. They move the whole sport forward and everybody, whether friend or foe, agrees his iconic status.

Even if know nothing about, or dislike bike racing you must recognise the titanic sportsman that is Rossi.

If you vote dispassionately, free from preconception, considering what really counts for a person to win this accolade, you should vote for Rossi.

Many of the nominees fulfil many of the criteria that should decide the Sportsperson of 2008; none fulfil as many as Rossi.

Of course, you could always be British and vote for the nicest person.

World Superbikes » Ducati: Rossi, Bayliss duel unlikely.

2008-12-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Ducati Xerox team manager Davide Tardozzi claims Troy Bayliss is flattered to have been praised by MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi, but insists he is not planning on participating in a much speculated head-to-head with him.

Speaking to Crash.net about the rumours of Rossi challenging Bayliss to a duel on Superbikes at Qatar, Tardozzi states that there has been no request to him about preparing a bike for the now retired WSBK Champion.

Reports in Europe claimed a deal had been done for Rossi and Bayliss to race one another at Losail after Bayliss won the Moto Sprint Rider of the Year award over Rossi.

Subsequently, Rossi's praise of Bayliss prompted him to state that he would enjoy challenging him on a Superbike, leading onto reports that a one-off appearance was being mooted.

Even so, regardless of whether this deal would come to fruition, Tardozzi insists it wouldn't happen in Qatar anyway because it would be logistically difficult for Ducati to prepare in time.

"This is something that Valentino said, but Troy was merely honoured, so I don't think it is possible to happen," he said. "If something like that happened then there are many things that would have to be decided first.

"Valentino would like to do it in Qatar, but for us this is not good. We don't want to do exactly what he will want to do, because it won't be possible.

"It is a nice thing though and Troy was very happy to be considered by Valentino as the top guy in Superbikes, so it pleases him that he said that. This is something Valentino wished to do, but while Troy was flattered, nothing has been discussed."

Juventus captain Del Piero named Italian Sports Personality of the Year

2008-12-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Juventus captain Alessandro del Piero has been named Italian Sports Personality of the Year.

The Juventus striker topped the RAI poll with 58 per cent of the vote, crushing MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi’s total of 18 per cent.

“It is a wonderful recognition and I am pleased that the public, a huge part of this sport, gave me this title,” he told TG1.

“I am happy with what I have achieved this year, the way I am playing and what has happened around me.”