United eye return to the top

January 23, 2010


With Chelsea and Arsenal otherwise engaged on FA Cup duty, Manchester United can steal a march on their rivals and return to the top of the Premier League table with victory over Hull at Old Trafford.

United’s third-round defeat by League One Leeds ensured United were able to bring forward their meeting with the Tigers, originally scheduled for the middle of next week, and they can’t afford to pass up the opportunity of three points.

Arsenal moved to the top of the table with a 4-2 win over Bolton in midweek but United could return to the summit with a win over Phil Brown?s side.

United manager Sir Ferguson surprised some with the strength of the team that he fielded in the League Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City on Tuesday.

That match ended in a 2-1 defeat and now Ferguson must decide how many of his first-choice players he can afford to rest on Saturday ahead of the second leg against City at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Ryan Giggs is likely to sit out the Hull match and Gary Neville may feature while Dimitar Berbatov’s knee problem could mean a rare Premier League start for Michael Owen.

The game looks likely to come too soon for Rio Ferdinand, who is working his way back from several months on the sidelines with a back injury and Ferguson is still digesting the news that John O?Shea is likely to miss the rest of the season with a leg problem that he picked up in November.

Even though United were beaten at City, assistant manager Mike Phelan saw some promising signs and insists they can string some victories together if they start taking their chances.

Phelan said: “We want to keep some consistency in our game. At City there were signs that Manchester United are on the way forward.

“If we can stick the ball in the back of the net we are in business

“People keep saying the League Cup is not on anyone’s priority list but it is a cup game.

“When you get to the semi-final of a cup you want to get to the final. Both clubs are desperate for that.”

Hull boss Phil Brown is hoping that his side’s relegation battle can be boosted by the return of captain Ian Ashbee before the end of the season.

Ashbee has been out since May with a hamstring injury but has also been diagnosed with a recurrence of the degenerative bone condition that he struggled with early in his career.

Brown said: “I would never write Ian Ashbee off, never. Even if he said he wasn’t fit, I still wouldn’t write him off.

“The beauty of Ash of late is that he’s got a new focus in life, and that is that he can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“When anyone can’t see that, I can understand how they must feel and how hard it is to motivate yourself.

“But all of a sudden, I can see a realignment of his focus and I think he can see an end to all of this. We are seeing a different Ian Ashbee now, and long may that continue.”

Amr Zaki, the Egyptian striker who is joining Hull on loan, will not be considered for this weekend’s match because he is not fully match fit.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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United face Berbatov surgery dilemma

January 17, 2010


Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will on Monday make a decision on whether Dimitar Berbatov, a scorer in the 3-0 win over Burnley, requires knee surgery.

The Bulgarian striker has been struggling for a number of weeks with the injury and United had hoped he would be able to play through the discomfort, but he was bothered by his knee once again despite going on to score in United’s victory at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Ferguson took him off in the closing stages and will now consider whether he needs an operation.

He said: “Dimitar was feeling his knee again. We’ll look at it on Monday and we’ll see (about surgery). He could have come off at half-time but he wanted to stay on again and that’s good.

“Let’s hope the goal does Dimitar some good. I thought he was the one that looked like scoring and it was one of those days when he kept knocking it past the post or over the bar.

“He had so many attempts, he must have had about 10 attempts and he’ll be relieved to get his goal.”

Ferguson feels that the return of Edwin van der Sar could be a key point in United?s season.

The Dutch goalkeeper has been missing since early November due to injury and was then given compassionate leave after his wife Annmarie suffered a brain haemorrhage.

But he kept a clean sheet on his return to the team and Ferguson expects him to make a significant difference.

He added: “He was magnificent against Burnley, unbelievable. What a performance – steady, decision-making, use of the ball.

“Tomasz (Kuszczak) has done fantastically well and it’s no slight on him but Edwin made a difference simply because he’s 39 years of age, he’s got 130 caps, he’s got that experience, he’s won two European medals.

“He’s had a fantastic career and it showed again.”

Ferguson has also been impressed by the contribution of Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf, who joined the club from Norwegian club FC Molde.

After Berbatov and Wayne Rooney gave United a two-goal lead, the new signing scored his first goal in English football in the closing stages against Burnley.

And Ferguson feels that Diouf is a real prospect.

He said: “He’s got great spring the boy, he’s quick and he looks to run behind them (the defenders) all the time and he’s very good in the air.

“He’s got a lot of good attributes we can use. We’re excited about the boy.”

Ferguson has also confirmed that he intends to make a string of changes for Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg at Manchester City.

He added: “We’ll have a look at it on Sunday and look at the best way to go about the game and some of the younger players will come in. Darron Gibson will play a part and young Rafael and Fabio are players who deserve a chance.”

New Burnley manager Brian Laws confirmed he hopes to keep on-loan Portsmouth striker David Nugent at Turf Moor.

Laws, who took over from Owen Coyle last week, also revealed that Steven Fletcher, who limped off with an ankle problem, was taken to hospital for x-rays.

He said: “He had a kick on the ankle and has gone to hospital for an x-ray.

“Nugent was excellent and we will try ever so hard to secure his services. Negotiations with Portsmouth are underway. We know he can?t go anywhere else on loan. He can stay with us or they sell him; that is the simple equation.”

Laws added: “My ambition is to stay in the Premier League. We knew coming to Old Trafford wouldn’t do that, this is not the game that makes the difference.

“The games that matter are playing the teams around us. If we don’t take points off them, those teams will overtake you.

“We have identified the games to take points from and win. Man United was a bonus if we had got anything out of it. The bonus is that in my first game in charge there were more plusses than minuses.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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United rout Wigan to stay in touch with Chelsea

December 31, 2009


Manchester United closed the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to just two points after ending 2009 with a superb 5-0 demolition of Wigan on Wednesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side produced the perfect response to Chelsea’s win over Fulham on Monday, which had stretched the west London’s club advantage to five points, as goals from Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Rafael Da Silva, Dimitar Berbatov and former Wigan star Antonio Valencia tore Wigan to pieces at Old Trafford.

The injury-hit reigning champions had been written off after recent defeats to Aston Villa and Fulham, but they head into the New Year suddenly in the rudest of health.

South Korean Won-Hee Cho made his first start of the season for Wigan as he came in for Jason Scotland but the visitors were otherwise unchanged from the side that drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.

Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was absent from the United team as he is on indefinite compassionate leave to care for his sick wife, Annmarie, who has suffered a brain haemorrhage.

History has not been kind to Wigan in this fixture as they have lost all nine previous Premier League encounters with United, culminating in the 5-0 thrashing Ferguson’s men delivered at the DW Stadium at the start of this season.

Roberto Martinez’s team arrived with damage limitation in mind and played with a clearly negative approach early on which briefly neutralised United’s attacking prowess.

However, the home side finally started to make a significant impression after 20 minutes when the sheer weight of their possession started to pay dividends.

Firstly, Titus Bramble made a stunning penalty box tackle on Berbatov which somehow stopped him from getting his shot away before teammate Paul Scharner followed that example 30 seconds later when he cleared a Nemanja Vidic effort off the line.

Then Rooney then hit the post from an impossibly tight angle just a minute later as fortune favoured Wigan.

However, luck only lasts so long in the Premier League until other qualities are needed. Wigan did not possess them but United did, which was why Rooney finally gave United the lead after 28 minutes.

Da Silva delivered the simplest of crosses from the right wing and Rooney ghosted into the front post to get a crucial touch on the ball to steer past Chris Kirkland for his 14th Premier League goal of the season.

It was soon 2-0 as four minutes later, Carrick, who had otherwise been anonymous throughout the opening parts of the encounter, latched onto a pass from former Wigan winger Valencia to calmly steer into the bottom corner.

Wigan’s day then got even worse just seconds before the interval when Da Silva was given far too much room in the box and he drove past Kirkland to make it 3-0.

Mike Pollitt replaced Kirkland at the break but his luck was no better, conceding Wigan’s fourth goal to Berbatov just five minutes after the re-start.

Berbatov got his sixth league goal of the season as he poked past Pollitt from close range in an encounter that was becoming an embarrassment for Wigan.

Charles N’Zogbia missed a decent chance for the visitors as they showed a tiny glimpse of flair but the fact he crashed his shot wide from close out summed up their performance.

And when Valencia brilliantly clipped home a fifth goal in the 75th minute, United’s dominance and Wigan’s humiliation was complete.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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United defensive woes deepen as Vidic stays home

December 7, 2009


Manchester United have been left with just one regular defender for Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Wolfsburg after Nemanja Vidic failed to recover from flu in time to travel to Germany.

The Serbian centreback was left at home along with Gary Neville and Wes Brown, who both suffered injuries in Saturday’s 4-0 win at West Ham, longer-term absentees Rio Ferdinand, John O’Shea and Jonny Evans, and Brazilian twins Fabio and Rafael da Silva.

France left-back Patrice Evra is the last first-team defender standing and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is resigned to fielding a makeshift back four against the German champions.

Michael Carrick is expected to stand in in central defence, as he did after Neville went off on Saturday, and his fellow midfielder Darron Gibson is also able to operate at the back.

Alternatively, Ferguson could gamble on handing a debut to Oliver Gill, the 19-year-old son of United’s chief executive David, who is a specialist defender but has made only nine appearances for the reserves this season.

United, who need a point to ensure they finish top of their group, have also opted to travel without Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs while first-choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar remains sidelined by injury.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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Berbatov named Man of the Year in Bulgaria

December 4, 2009


Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov was voted Bulgaria’s Man of the Year on Thursday, in an annual competition organised by the national Darik radio.

The 28-year-old Bulgarian national team captain was awarded the title at an offical ceremony in Sofia, after beating Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Bulgarian world amateur boxing champion Detelin Dalakliev.

Last year, Berbatov had narrowly missed out on the award, which was won by the captain of the national volleyball team, Plamen Konstantinov.

The annual Man of the Year award is decided through online voting.

Past winners have included Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, in 2002 and 2006, President Georgy Parvanov, in 2003, and former Bulgarian football star Hristo Stoichkov, in 1994.

SOFIA (AFP)

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Let’s hear it for the World Cup’s 33rd team

November 23, 2009

footballcupleague
While a lucky pool of soccer millionaires can now get down to some serious daydreaming about World Cup glory in South Africa next year, there’s another group of equally well renowned and respected players who will be spending the summer sprucing up the gardens (or getting their agents to buy them fridges).

Here at the Reuters Soccer Blog we’re a little bit saddened by this fact and, doing some daydreaming of our own, we’ve come up with a plan for a 33rd team at the World Cup, made up of players whose countries have failed to qualify.

I’m nominating Sven-Goran Eriksson for the job of coaching them, provided he will agree to swap his plush office at League Two Notts County for a month whipping our World Cup ‘unfortunates’ into shape.

Here’s my stab at a starting XI for the opening game, with a few standbys for the bench.

Sven’s unfortunates (4-3-3): 1-Petr Cech; 2-Yiri Zhirkov, 3-Thomas Vermaelen, 4-Josip Simunic, 5-Christian Chivu; 6-Andrei Arshavin, 7-Luka Modric, 8-Mohamad Zidan; 9-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 10-Eduardo da Silva, 11-Emanuel Adebayor.

Subs: Shay Given, Razvan Rat, Robbie Keane, Martin Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov, Edin Dzeko, Adrian Mutu.

Razvan Rat makes the cut purely because of the headline grabbing potential of his name, while Shay Given and Robbie Keane deserve something to go right for them.

Bulgaria’s new record goal-scorer Dimitar Berbatov also makes the squad as one of a ridiculous amount of strikers, another is Edin Dzeko who has taken the Bundesliga by storm this season and the last for VfL Wolfsburg.

Have we missed someone obvious? How far could this side go? And, removing tongue from cheek for a second, is this an idea FIFA should consider?

MAKE SURE THIS MAN ISN’T STUCK DOING THE GARDEN: Barcelona’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his second goal against Zaragoza during their Spanish first division soccer match at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

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Rooney absence fuels baby rumours

November 3, 2009


Wayne Rooney missed training with Manchester United on Monday, fuelling speculation his pregnant wife Coleen was about to give birth.

The England forward’s first child was due over a week ago and the impending birth could lead to Rooney missing Tuesday’s Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford.

Injured centrebacks Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic also missed Monday’s session, as did Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, suggesting United could field a significantly weakened side against the Russians.

After three wins in their opening three matches, United know a point on Tuesday will probably be enough to secure the club’s passage to the group stages of the competition with two games to spare.

Park Ji-sung could feature on Tuesday after making an early return to training following a problem with fluid on his knee. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had suggested the South Korean midfielder might be out until the middle of November.

MANCHESTER (AFP)

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Patrick, you predictions king

October 6, 2009


There’s one game left to go (Aston Villa v Manchester City later on Monday) but frankly this weekend’s prediction league is already all sewn up.

Arise Sir Patrick Johnston, who with a bit of luck at Villa Park, could be romping towards the top of the table having so far predicted four scores bang on and only missed out on points in two games.

To be fair to Patrick, none of our “elite(?)” panel and few of our contributors reckoned Manchester United would draw at home to Sunderland.

However, his psychic powers said Chelsea would overcome Liverpool 2-0 while he was one of five at Reuters to guess that Burnley would beat Birmingham 2-1. Unfortunately our leader Simon Evans, who hails from those parts, did not have the same faith in the men from Turf Moor.

We’ll have a full update with all the scores on Tuesday after Villa and City destroy much of Fabio Capello’s already-announced England squad by kicking each other.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov shoots to score against Sunderland during their English Premier League soccer match in Manchester, northern England, Oct. 3, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

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Fergie hails Giggs as United go top

September 27, 2009


Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Ryan Giggs for the inspiration he provided in the 2-0 defeat of Stoke which sent Manchester United to the Premier League summit for the first time this season.

United manager Ferguson believes Welsh midfielder Giggs will play a crucial role in the champions’ attempt to retain the English title this season after another decisive display in Saturday’s win at the Britannia Stadium.

Giggs already has 11 Premier League winners medals to his collection, but the 35-year-old showed he is still razor-sharp in body and mind as he produced a 20-minute period of mayhem, after replacing Portuguese international Nani, that secured a seventh straight victory for United in all competitions.

He will be 36 in November and benefitted from being given some rest after his excursions in the Manchester derby last Sunday, before emerging to set up goals for Dimitar Berbatov and John O’Shea, on the Irish international’s 350th appearance for the club.

“Ryan is just so important to us as a player and he is so intelligent,” Ferguson said. “It was marvellous movement from Ryan for the first goal and an excellent ball to Dimitar.

“He had had a difficult game the previous weekend, because he used up so much energy and put so much into his performance.

“I thought it was best to have him on the substitutes bench, but he just gives us something else when he is in the team.”

Chelsea only just scraped past Stoke with a stoppage time winner earlier this month, so the comfortable nature of the victory encouraged Ferguson as he leap-frogged over his main rivals for the title this season.

Victory at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day last year was the time Ferguson feels set United on the way to their title success and although this is much earlier, the Scot is delighted to be back at the top of the table, where he feels his club belongs.

“Winning here last season set us on our way and I thought we showed great composure in possession. Chelsea have lost (against Wigan), so this was a good three points for us. I just wish I was saying that in May, not September,” Ferguson said.

The only low point for the United manager was Stoke’s attempt to get Paul Scholes sent off in the second half, for handball, after he had earlier been booked for a clumsy tackle on Liam Lawrence.

Referee Howard Webb resisted the demands from Stoke players to the relief of the United boss.

“I didn’t think it was handball against Scholes. It would have been an injustice if he had been sent off. He made two tackles in the whole game and gets booked. It’s unbelievable. He is an easy target for referees,” Ferguson added.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis refused to apologise for his side’s negative approach, after utlising nine players behind the ball for long periods and operating with a solitary striker in Dave Kitson.

He claimed that Turkish international Tuncay and James Beattie were not fully fit, even though both players were introduced late in the game in a bid to salvage something after Berbatov’s goal.

“Some days you lose and you just have to admit the better team won. Sir Alex and his players deserve all the plaudits. We were not negative, we just got pushed back by a very good team,” he said.

“I don’t know why, but we were a little bit flat and when you play against the top teams every one has to be right up for it. Giggs and Scholes are not great to watch when they are beating your team, but they are magnificent.

“Scholes was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and I don’t think too many teams have come here and been so comfortable against us.”

STOKE, England (AFP)

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Fergie expects 100-goal Rooney to get even better

August 23, 2009


Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney will score “many more” for Manchester United after he joined a select band of players to net 100 goals for the club.

Rooney reached the milestone after opening the scoring during his side’s 5-0 victory at Wigan on Saturday.

The England striker ended the match with two goals as United’s season exploded into life after a low key start, which included a surprise 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Burnley.

“It’s great for Wayne,” said Ferguson after United made it two wins from their first three Premier League games.

“He’s still a young lad and some players are at a club for many years and don’t reach that total.

“Because of his age I’m sure he’ll go on and score many more goals for us. He’s a very important player for us.”

United paid Everton 20 million pounds for Rooney in 2004 ago but the 23-year-old has easily repaid that fee over the years.

He has shone from the moment he opened his United goal account with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in the Champions League at Old Trafford.

Rooney could have left the DW Stadium with four goals but for two fine saves from Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland.

Ferguson also singled out Michael Owen for praise after the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal in a United shirt.

Owen, a free signing from Newcastle, produced a fine finish for his side’s fourth goal which will have done his chances of earning an England recall no harm at all.

“Strikers have to score and when they don’t they think it’s the end of the world,” added Ferguson.

“Michael needed a goal. It was a fantastic goal. He has proved over the last decade that he is one of the best strikers in England.”

United looked set for a frustrating afternoon after failing to score in the first half at Wigan.

But they moved up a gear in the second half, with Dimitar Berbatov’s well-taken effort and a Nani strike adding to the goals from Rooney and Owen.

It was the perfect response after the embarrassment of losing to Burnley four days earlier.

“It was a really good result and performance,” added Ferguson.

“The reality is Wednesday was disappointing. But we’re not going to kill ourselves because of it.

“We’ve got to be prepared for setbacks. It shouldn’t have happened but it did happen. But we’ve done something about it.”

This was Wigan’s ninth top-flight game against United and they were still searching for a first win over over their north west neighbours after eight straight defeats.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez admitted his side had been taught a lesson.

“The big difference for me was conceding the first goal,” said Martinez. “That was a bit too sloppy for my liking.

“Mentally we left ourselves a bit too exposed. We’ve got to make sure we learn our lesson.”

Martinez believes Mohamed Diame will make a big impact at Wigan. The French midfielder made his debut after joining from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.

“Mohamed’s been training with us a few days,” added Martinez. “He’s going to be a big player for us.”

WIGAN, England (AFP)

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