I woke up to two very good news.

The first won’t be revealed.

The second was rather refreshing. Liverpool out of the Champions’ League. It took quite a while to digest and it was followed by a good laugh.

Truly, I hope they would finally acknowledge that they are nothing but a has been, a good has been but a has been.

I am trying to be as just as I can here, the key word being trying. I sympathise with the players actually. Liverpool had been rather cursed with managers killing of careers. I pitied the likes of Milan Baros, Luis Garcia, Peter Crouch even Robbie Keane. Such potential went wasted in Anfield. My hatred for Liverpool is the hatred of a rivalry, nothing more. In fact during their days of Jamie Redknapp, Steve Mcmanaman and Robbie Fowler, I thought they excelled up to a certain level.

At the moment the current manager is definitely under utilising Yossi Benayoun who in my opinion is a gem for Liverpool. Like how Arsenal is depending on darling Fabregas ( I find him really cute and I’m a woman, we watched football for more than one reasons, deal with it), the same Liverpool is depending on Torres. The man delivers no doubt, but how does one deliver if one is not properly fed? They rose but only on certain occasions which is clearly not enough. This season is not theirs to take. The manager will soon fall out of favour. If things aren’t turned around, Liverpool will no longer be part of the big four especially with Spurs and Villa battling their way through. Liverpool will just be a team who used to be good. As it is, they are sinking in what appears to be a quicksand. Good luck Liverpool or is it good riddance??

Now, I am not saying my darling Manchester United is raring to go in the rhythm of perfection. No, even the devils have got their work cut out for them. Ronaldo is never miss but a gap still needs to be filled. Sir Alex cannot live in denial. I believe in my team but we are still not good enough for the likes of Champions’ League. I still see Berbatov as a liability. He has proven to be a waste of money.

Well here’s to me being wrong (about the Manchester United’s not being good enough that is)

XOXO

This season is starting to take the wrong turn for United after they lost to both Liverpool and Chelsea but I cannot say I expected them to do much better. This team have reached its peak last season and they are in desperate need of rebuilding. Antonio Valencia is the only notable player to have arrived last summer and he is already showing signs of promise but more need to follow. This side have a couple of missing links and the only way to save this season is by significantly reinforcing the squad in January. Not that I believe Fergie will do that but this is what United need at the moment.

Right-back

Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra are among the best there is at their respective positions but United don’t have a right-back to match. Gary Neville is well past his prime, Rafael is still too young, while John O’Shea and Wes Brown are good players but right-back is not their natural position. Ferguson need an attacking full-back like Glen Johnson or Dani Alves, who can be a big threat going forward, while being reliable at the back as well.

Someone to replace Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes has had a remarkable career and he gave everything he’s got to United but he is no longer a player he one was. His creativity and pin-point passes to his teammates drove United forward for so many years but now the boss has to find him a replacement. Anderson is showing occasional glimpses of quality but he is by no means consistent enough or good enough to occupy Scholes’ role for the years to come. Both Carrick and Fletcher are really good players but they lack the vision and that subtle touch needed to be the creative force of such a big team.

Left winger

Antonio Valencia have proved his potential this season and is getting better by the day, thus it seems the right wing position will not be a problem. However, there is one place vacant on the left hand side. Nani had his chance and failed to take it, while Giggs still has something to offer but he will be 36 in few weeks’ time. Ji-Sung Park seems like the best choice at the moment but he is much more a player who works for the team (definitely good to have him around) than a creative force up front.

Centre forward

Dimitar Berbatov is occupying the place at the moment but the Bulgarian is simply too inconsistent to be considered United material. Wayne Rooney needs a centre forward to play off him, someone like Ruud van Nistelrooy, who can lead the soccer stats charts and take some pressure off Rooney, which is something Berbatov simply cannot do. Michael Owen can help the team by coming from the bench or playing some less important games but he can no longer command a starting berth.

It’s that time of the year when the years two best teams face head to head at Stamford Bridge,home of Chelsea FC to prove that only one of them is “THE” BEST. I would be tricky for Man Utd considering the fact that they are away from home and Chelsea are on a roll. Stamford Bridge is no walk in the park for Man Utd since they haven’t won a game there for atleat 10 years staight. But everyone could be in for a surprise today. Anything could happen. Sparks will fly, Words exchanges at the heat of the moment, Flashes of brilliance and that is what will help either team win the match. All we fans hope for is that we get a great game of football that we can relish for the rest of our lives. It should be “The” Best Game.

Rajster’s Prediction:

Hmmn. This is a tough one. Being a Man Utd Fan i hate to see my team lose but at the same time it would be a fierce contest and i go for a 2-2 draw with Rooney & Valencia on the scoresheet for the Red Devils & a brace from Drogba for the Blues.

in fact, i totally forgot to post something about the wonderful on-field debut of the predator X this weekend here is the wonderful goal of dimitar berbatov who is one of the first to score in his brand new adidas boot.

watch and enjoy!

Man Utd           2-0 Blackburn Rovers

Man Utd: Berbatov (55), Rooney (87)

After a disappointing defeat at Anfield, United were back in business with a 2-0 win over hapless Blackburn. Blackburn went with a packed midfield and it took United to settle on the ball and create chances. United came closest in the first half when Valencia’s cross was headed into the ground by Berbatov only to be saved comfortably by Paul Robinson. United had a goal disallowed when Rooney was caught offside when he setup Berbatov to open the flood gates. United had to go into the match with a makeshift defence as Vidic and Ferdinand were both ruled out due to injury. But Brown and Evans were rarely pressed into action as Blackburn had very little flair going forward.

United upped the ante in the second half and it finally paid dividends when Evra dragged the ball fiercely into penalty box towards Berbatov who controlled it well and smashed the ball on the turn to score a superb goal. It was Berbatov’s 4th goal of the season and a much needed goal to break the shackles. Gabriel Obertan made his BPL debut for United when he came on for a disappointing Nani. The 20 year old looked promising but it was clear that he was nervous and over awed by the occassion. He had a chance to score on his debut when he missed the target from six yards. Late on, Anderson’s superb cross into the box was met by Rooney, who guided the ball superbly into goal to give United an unassailable lead. Michael Owen came on for Berbatov for the last 15 minutes and he had a chance to score a goal in stoppage time but his shot went just wide of the goal. Blackburn were themselves disallowed a goal due to offside when Kalinic finished the rebound from Benny McCarthy’ s shot but replays showed that Kalinic  was onside. But it would have made little difference as United were back to winning ways on a day when 9-man Liverpool lost at Fulham.

Dimitar Berbatov’s second-half volley helped to set up a stuttering Manchester United win over Blackburn.

United’s new look defence had few problems and after being twice denied early on, Berbatov flicked up Patrice Evra’s skewed shot to score the opener.

Wayne Rooney doubled the lead after 87 minutes, cracking in an Anderson cross with an exquisite half-volley.

Blackburn’s Nikola Kalinic was unlucky to have a late strike ruled offside as Michael Owen missed from close range.

It will be a welcome three points for boss Sir Alex Ferguson arriving soon after their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield and also keeps them breathing down the necks of table-topping Chelsea.

But for large periods, they struggled to break down a hard-working but unadventurous Blackburn side, playing with defender Christopher Samba and David Dunn, both having recovered from swine flu.

The Old Trafford faithful were barely vocal in the opening half an hour with neither team doing little to threaten a goal, apart from a mistimed volley from Antonio Valencia.

United – with only one clean sheet to their name this season – fielded centre-halves Wes Brown and Jonny Evans – in for the injured Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand – but it was their front men who were the busier pairing.

More here. Source:BBC

There were a measly 33 goals last week (down from 37 the week before) and even a couple of clean sheets! Might the entertainment be winding down?! No, of course not but I do think slowly but surely we’ll start averaging under three goals a game. While there were a few 2-2 draws, it was Arsenal’s 6-2 demolition that really bumped up the average.

I somewhat regretted bringing in Torres for Van Persie given their respective weeks (2 pts/7pts and a price rise) but while the Spaniard has a somewhat tricky run I think long term he will score more points. This week I am getting rid of one of my big two midfielders. Will it be Lampard? Will it be Gerrard? You’ll just have to wait till Saturday to find out, even though I actually made the change last Monday!

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Gameweek 8 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves of not having to produce a new image for Fabregas.

Yes, I was lucky enough to watch Cesc Fabregas‘ destruction of Blackburn in person but not lucky enough to have him in my team when he once again scores 22 points for most and 44 for those sensible enough to have him as captain. Let me assure you that it will be third time lucky and I will snag that next high score. I hope!

He took a different route to 22 this time via four assists, a goal and three bonus and thus wins the Top Gun award for the second time this season. I told you to get him for last week. I just wish I had taken my own advice. For what it’s worth Zayatte and Dunne were next with 12 and 11, the former achieving that rare feat of being a defender who gets taken off while keeping a clean sheet.

On to the tips…

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Three Captain Choices:

1. Fabregas or perhaps Arshavin/Arsenal – A case of after the Lord Mayor’s show? Perhaps, but that’s not to say Cesc still can’t get a good score this week. Birmingham are the visitors to the Emirates tomorrow and with their defence being pretty solid I think this may be a game where you pick a midfielder as captain rather than a striker.

Fabregas will be rested after missing the second of Spain’s internationals for personal reasons and you have to fancy him to dictate things against Birmingham’s somewhat workmanlike midfield. Arshavin is a good alternative option as his dribbling skills might be the key to opening things up. His direct opponent is Steve Carr after all.

2. Berbatov/Man Utd – With Rooney possibly a doubt due to his calf strain, the onus falls on the Bulgarian to continue his good recent form of two in two and produce a match-winning performance against Bolton. Gary Megson’s side had a good result against Spurs last week but they’ll be no match for Utd at Old Trafford. Berba scored against Bolton last season and if his reputation as something of a small game player is anything to go by he should be a good shout in this match.

3. Dunn/Blackburn – A gamble but if you consider that he has three goals in four games and faces a Burnley side terrible away from home, it’s suddenly not that far fetched that he could have a good weekend.

Gets a Captain's tick

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Baines or Saha/Everton – I don’t really buy Heitinga despite his two straight assists. He’s an accident waiting to happen and I would avoid him. Baines on the other hand is very much to his Wigan form of a few seasons ago and has been for a while now. He has much of the set piece duty while Arteta is still out and with games against Wolves and Bolton coming up, has a good chance of clean sheets. Similarly, Louis Saha should relish facing those teams and will look to add to his five goals. He’s a good alternative at £7.2m if Bent is now out your price range.

2. Adebayor or Bellamy/Man City – Many of you will already have Adebayor in your team so this may not apply but he could be someone to bring in if you’re concerned over Rooney’s form or Torres’ run of games. Man City’s next four games are Wigan (A), Fulham (H), Birmingham (A) and Burnley (H) and while a couple of those sides are tough to break down, I’d imagine Adebayor will be the striker to get the goal in a 1-0 win. His price has gone back down to £10m too. Bellamy too has been on fire recently and fully deserves a starting spot. Between them they should be scoring the bulk of Man City’s goals in their upcoming fixtures.

3. Geovanni/Hull – About the only player worth having from Hull (though I suppose Zayatte merits a mention) and about the only player in form for Hull. He has two goals in two games and home matches against Portsmouth and Stoke coming up in the next few weeks.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Wolves players – Whilst the likes of Ebanks-Blake and Kightly have been making their comebacks for Wolves, their upcoming fixtures are horrendous. Everton (A), Villa (H), Stoke (A), Arsenal (H), Chelsea (A) is not a run where you can easily identify point scoring opportunities. I’m sure they’ll score a goal or two along the way but good luck trying to predict the scorer.

2. Upson/West Ham – Judging by the 10,000 people who have got rid of him this week, it seems he is in quite a few teams. West Ham have been a shadow of the side that did so well last season and have let in eight goals in three games. This is strange considering the 4-5-1 Zola employs but with games against Stoke away and Arsenal at home unlikely to bring clean sheets for now Upson is too highly priced at £5.7m to warrant inclusion.

3. Kranjcar/Tottenham – According to Physioroom Modric is back next week apparently.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

Há algumas semanas a Globo - querendo pagar pouco, jejejejeej – lançou a campanha O Melhor Emprego do Mundo que selecionará um jornalista formando ou recém formado para o cargo de correspondente internacional dos seus canais à cabo.

Ser correspondente deve ser legal mesmo, mas o melhor emprego do mundo – da perspectiva de um viciado em futebol – é sem sombra de dúvidas o do senhor Fabio Capello.

Neste fim de semana o técnico da seleção inglesa esteve em 4 estádios diferentes acompanhando partidas da Premier League. E não foram joguinhos quaisquer.

No sábado Capello visitou o noroeste inglês. Foi a Bolton assistir a partida do time local contra o Tottenham. Jogo pra lá de emocionante que terminou empatado em 2 X 2.

Logo depois o técnico do English Team estava no Old Trafford vendo Manchester United X Sunderland. Com um golaço do búlgaro Berbatov e outro golzinho chorado do lateral Evra aos 47 do segundo tempo, os Red Devils garantiram o empate em 2 X 2 e mantiveram um tabu que já dura 41 anos. A última vitória do Sunderland contra o United em Manchester foi em 1968.

Mas se o sábado já havia sido bom, o que falar do domingo?

Primeiramente Capello teve a oportunidade de acompanhar a melhor partida do fim de semana, Arsenal 6 X 2 Blacburn Rovers no Emirates Stadium, com direito a show dos comandados de Arsène Wenger. O passeio dos Gunners foi 6 X 2, mas não é nenhum exagero dizer que poderia ter sido 10 x 4 ou 11 X 5. Detalhe, 8 gols marcados por 8 jogadores diferentes, eu nunca havia visto algo assim. Jogo histórico, inesquecível! E tenho quase certeza que o treinador da seleção inglesa se lamentou demais por Cesc Fabregas ser espanhol, que maturidade aos 22 anos, que grande craque!

Fabio Capello saiu do Emirates e se dirigiu ao Stamford Bridge para assistir o clássico Chelsea X Liverpool. Mais uma grande partida que terminou com a vitória da equipe londrina por 2 X 0 com gols dos franceses Anelka e Malouda. E excepcional apresentação do ebúrneo Didier Drogba.

Pra muita gente o fim de semana de Fabio Capello pode parecer um martírio, sábado e domingo trabalhando, viagens e tal. Mas pra mim, um viciado em futebol, este fim de semana mais parece um sonho. Não bastasse, hoje à tarde provavelmente ele estará em Birmingham pra mais uma partida que promete, Aston Villa X Manchester City que fecha a rodada da Premier League.

Da onipresença do Capello fica um ensinamento; técnico de seleção tem que viver em estádio. É só no campo que se vê um jogo em sua perfeição. O treinador anão da nossa seleção por exemplo, raramente é visto nos estádios do Brasil e da Europa. É por esta e por outras que o English Team é meu favorito pra levar a Copa de 2010.

Imagem: Estadão

lo spettacolare gol di Berbatov

Lo United è riuscito a conquistare un punto pur avendo giocato male, stando alle parole di Sir Alex, che si è detto contrariato per l’imprecisione dei Reds nei passaggi e la mancanza di creatività negli ultimi venti metri.

L’autogol di Anton Ferdinand sul tiro di Patrice Evra al 92’ è valso il pareggio, ma non è bastato a soddisfare Sir Alex. “Abbiamo raddrizzato una partita giocata male,” ha dichiarato a MUTV. “I passaggi non sono stati quelli che mi aspetto che faccia la squadra durante tutto l’incontro. Abbiamo cercato di cambiare le cose inserendo Anderson nella ripresa ma abbiamo continuato a perdere palla.”

Darren Bent aveva portato in vantaggio il Sunderland dopo soli sette minuti e lo United non è entrato in partita nel primo tempo. Rinvigoriti nel secondo dall’ingresso di Anderson, i Reds sono riusciti a pareggiare grazie al gol di Dimitar Berbatov.

“E’ stato un grandissimo gol,” ha esclamato il boss. “Fatto quello, ho pensato che ci fossimo rimessi in carreggiata. Pensavo che avremmo sicuramente vinto. Lo slancio c’era, il tifo pure, sembrava fatta. Ma poi abbiamo concesso un gol davvero troppo facilmente. Però onore ai giocatori, non si arrendono mai. E’ un’ottima qualità. Abbiamo ottenuto qualcosa da una partita giocata davvero male.”

Lo spunto di Evra, poi, ci ha dato un grande sollievo. “Certo, siamo stati un po’ fortunati nell’occasione, ma Patrice ha fatto un gran bel tiro,” ha aggiunto Sir Alex. “L’ha messo in porta e si aspettava che entrasse.”

“Chiaramente avrebbe potuto essere una sconfitta dolorosa. Dà sempre fastidio non vincere le partite in casa. Non ci siamo procurati molte occasioni durante l’incontro e pensavo che per quel che stavamo facendo negli ultimi metri non saremmo riusciti a crearne. Diciamo che è stato come un giorno di vacanza. A volte capitano, non ci piacciono ma capitano.”

servizio di Ben Hibbs per il sito ufficiale del Manchester United

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6640774

Dimitar: "Sempre fui feliz no United!"

Berbatov admite que ainda precisa mudar alguns aspectos, para se encaixar melhor no Manchester United.

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O búlgaro não conseguiu atingir a expectativas esperada em sua primeira temporada O atacante de 28 anos marcou apenas nove gols e esteve no centro das principais críticas da mídia inglesa.
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“Isso é minha culpa e de mais ninguém. Trata-se de mim, e eu tenho que muda-las”, disse ele sobre as críticas.
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“O Manchester United é o clube. Eles trataram-me perfeitamente desde que cheguei.”
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“No meu primeiro ano fiquei decepcionado comigo. Eu preciso dizer isso.”
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“Foi uma pressão grande em cima de mim e eu falhei comigo mesmo. Acho que queria provar a mim mesmo e para os torcedores.”
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“Vocês devem se lembrar que por aqui passaram os melhores, Best, Charlton, Cantona. Comparações existem, mas eu sou o Dimitar.”
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“Eu tenho um bom número de assistências, mas tenho que marcar mais gols.”
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“Eu não sei o que estou fazendo de errado. Talvez seja falta de sorte, talvez o erro esteja em mim … quem sabe?”
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“Muitas noites eu fiquei acordado, pensando, ‘Você poderia ter feito isso em vez daquilo’.”
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Berbatov iniciou sua segunda temporada em melhor forma, marcando dois gols.
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“Estou mais satisfeito com meu jogo nesta segunda temporada já”, disse ao The Sun.
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“Eu sinto que estou mais adaptado com a equipe, mais entrosado. Estou muito mais forte, muito mais apto. Mas eu ainda quero marcar mais gols.”.
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Estilo de jogo:
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Berbatov admite que seu estilo de jogo nem sempre agrada aos torcedores, dizendo: “Este é o meu estilo de jogo. Eu não corro sem nenhum motivo. Eu estou sempre alerta e pronto.”
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“Eu olhei para a nossas estatísticas e vi que estava em nono no quesito distância percorrida.”
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“Eu sou uma espécie de nerd. Eu me comparei com os demais e consegui chegar em quarto. Talvez esta época vou ser o primeiro!”
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Ele admite que o valor da sua transferência também foi fardo pesado para carregar, mas ele insiste que era feliz.
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“Estou jogando com lendas como Scholes, Giggs e Rooney. Meu treinador é nada mais do que Sir Alex Ferguson. Como eu não posso ser feliz?”
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Link from SkySports

I went to Old Trafford on Wednesday night to watch Manchester United come from behind to claim a 2-1 win over German champions Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

Had a great time, I was accompanied by 3 lovely ladies Laura, Sophie and Barn on the day. We left Surry at 1pm so we could make it to Manchester in good time. The journey took around 5 hours but actually flew by! Barn provided the catering for the journey which included a fine selection of Hula Hoops, Strawberry Pencils and jam doughnuts! Nice one Barn! Laura provided us with real-time updates regarding her work and Sophie showed us all how to use an iPhone the ‘special’ way, it was “golden Comedy”! My contribution was the name game which introduced the much loved ‘Chavvy Chase’ and the Legend that is ‘Marti Chello’ (my mum loves that guy!).

When we arrived at Old Trafford we we’re shown to our ‘Executive Box Seats’ courtesy of Laura aka. ‘The Hen’. Thank you, they were amazing!

The game had a slow start but once Wolfsburg scored the opener it soon developed into a decent game. The star of the show was most probably Ryan Giggs, he managed to get us back in the game with a deflected free kick. He also set up Michael Carrick to score a screamer and treated the crowd to some of his iconic weaving runs. Giggs’s goals means he has reached yet another milestone, making him only the ninth player to score 150 goals in a United shirt.

The only thing that put a dampener on the evening was the injury to Michael Owen but I still believe he will be a success at United.

Other standout performances on the night were from Evra, Anderson and Berbatov.

Good game, great day!

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Ryan Giggs, 35, is enjoying and showing great form despite his age. Will he be able to get his hands on another Champions League before he retires?

The champions of England, Manchester United, will host the German champions, Wolfsburg, in their first home match in the Champions League. Manchester United and Wolfsburg will be contesting for the top spot in Group B. Coach Sir Alex Ferguson will put his best team out to cement the authority of Group B.

At this stage of the competition, Manchester United usually grinds out their result rather than playing free flowing direct football as they are known for. Their heavy packed schedule and with some players coming back from injuries, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves, will put Man United in a cautious mode and finding their pace in all tournaments. They put in the necessary work and win games even when they play bad. Manchester United will do just enough to get past Wolfsburg with Berbatov, Rooney, Giggs and Scholes paving their way in the starting lineup.

This will be Wolfsburg first match against an English opposition on English ground in the Champions League. The Germans have made a bright start to their debut in the Champions League by beating CSKA Moskva 3-0 at home in round 1. Wolfsburg coach Armin Veh saw his side beat Hannover 4-2 at home this weekend. This will set up a much needed confidence for his players to shine at Old Trafford. Former Newcastle player, Obafemi Martins is the old player in the Wolfsburg squad that has scored against Manchester United. He will hope that he will be part of the starting lineup on the night or otherwise Edin Dzeko and probably partner up with Brazilian Grafite.

Manchester United have not lost in 21 UEFA Champions matches and their last defeat at Old Trafford was back in February, 2005 when AC Milan visited them. United are favorites against Wolfsburg and they could send the Germans home empty handed. Have a look at Betsson as they are offering a Manchester United win at 1.40.

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Ryan Giggs emerged from the bench to inspire Manchester United to an impressive win at Stoke City as the champions demonstrated their hunger to claim a fourth successive title by returning to the Premier League summit.

Giggs – outstanding in the contentious derby win against Manchester City last Sunday – showed his enduring quality by making the decisive contribution to set up a victory Sir Alex Ferguson’s side richly deserved.

He replaced the infuriating Nani early in the second half and swiftly set up a simple opener for Dimitar Berbatov as United finally transformed their domination into tangible rewards. He then helped settle the match when he sent over a pinpoint free-kick for John O’Shea to head the second with 13 minutes left.

It was only what United merited for their emphatic superiority, which they exerted from start to finish as Stoke’s normally whole-hearted approach fizzled out long before the final whistle.

If Stoke hoped to exploit United goalkeeper Ben Foster, heavily criticised for his uncertain display against Manchester City, they were never given the chance as most of the action unfolded in the Potters’ territory and any rare raids were comfortably repelled.

Wayne Rooney was behind all United’s early supremacy, but it was the composure and class of Giggs that brought order to proceedings, and three points to United as they leapfrogged Chelsea.

More here. Source:BBC

A familiar sight

- Micah Richards: Take a look a bit closer to home Sparky; Manchester City were not “robbed” yesterday. They conceded four goals in the time allowed by the referee, and despite scoring three goals of their own, came up short. When all is said and done the record books show Man United won the match and claimed the three points. Now of course that doesn’t mean discussions about the reasons for the additional minutes aren’t valid. They’re just not overly pertinent. If Mark Hughes is really doing his job then you have to believe he’s been hard at work at the Man City training ground this morning. The bulk of that work must surely have come in the form of reminding his right back Micah Richards of the importance of keeping his concentration.

Richards came on the scene in a blaze of glory and under Steve McClaren became England’s regular selection at right back. It proved to be a case of too much too soon however as his career progress since then has been far from smooth. He is no longer continuously linked with big money moves to Chelsea and Arsenal and not just because City no longer need to sell. There are many observers who believe he is an inferior option in defense to Nedum Onuoha and the versatile Argentine Pablo Zabaleta, signed by Hughes from Espanyol last season. Richards performance yesterday showed why.

After allowing Patrice Evra to run easily beyond him and set up Wayne Rooney for United’s opener it is no stretch of the imagination to think that Richards got a dressing down from his boss at half time. Total concentration must surely have been the mantra playing in his head as the second half resumed. Shaky though he was at times, regularly being skinned by Ryan Giggs, a player 15 years his senior, it seemed after Craig Bellamy’s second goal that City would escape with a draw. Richards would have been forgiven for thinking that his first error would not be fatal.

That is of course until Giggs took the ball up in the 95th minute, spotted Richards out of position yet again, and threaded an inch perfect pass through to Michael Owen to run on to and score a dramatic winner. So of course anyone who wants to can argue as long as they want that the ref, or the 4th official, or Sir Alex, or whoever they deem appropriate, was to blame for the added minutes. Yet when all is said and done if Richards had been doing his job properly then Owen would not have had the time or the space to take his shot and match would have ended in a draw.

Amazing really how a detail as significant as this is almost completely overlooked in the media. But in this modern sensationalist age explaining the art of defending in detail is never going to be enough to keep people glued to the tele or scanning the sports pages as if they contained sacred words of scripture. Mark Hughes however is far from a sensationalist and will do his explaining in private. He knows that if his side are to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League Richards will need to become the player he once threatened to be. And soon.

Hard work paying off

- Darren Fletcher: The man who came in from the cold; I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine as far back as 2005 about Darren Fletcher. The chat concerned Premier League midfielders, the merits and failings of all those included in this group. When it came to discussing Darren Fletcher we both wasted little time in focussing on his merits, which we agreed were few, and instead began to list all the failings we perceived the young Scot to have. As far as we two “armchair experts” were concerned Fletcher was too weak for the modern game, couldn’t pick a pass, lacked the decisive turn of pace that all great player have and to round it off never looked like scoring.

In time Fletcher improved to become a valued squad player at Old Trafford and featured in his fair share of matches. I was still to be convinced. While I acknowledged that Fletcher had become a better player, I remained stoic in my view that he was still some way short of the level required to become a regular. Slowly over the past 18 months that view has altered. I am now at a point where Fletcher’s inclusion in the side gives me hope, whereas before when I saw a team sheet with his name on it, I despaired. Yesterday’s showing gave further credence to the theory that a man written off by so many throughout his career really is here to stay.

It’s as if Sir Alex Ferguson took the criticism of the youngster as a personal affront, such was the faith he placed in Fletcher. This was a player don’t forget who started in an FA Cup final aged 19. Ferguson’s reward for believing in his countryman is now evident as Fletcher assumes the role of being the teams driving force with each passing game. He has bulked up to the point where he wins far more tussles than he loses. His distribution, while unlikely ever to be in the Paul Scholes class, is sharp and accurate. Stamina, not pace, is a byword for Fletcher as he covers every blade of grass on the pitch and two goals yesterday show that he now knows where the target is.

On his current form Fletcher will be hard to dislodge from the side for some time to come. Deep down I am still to be convinced that on the European stage Fletcher’s endeavour would be a match for the boundless skill and trickery of the likes of Iniesta and Xavi. But as far as the Premier League is concerned Fletcher has become a cornerstone of United’s early season victories. For a player that only a couple of seasons ago heard the crowd boo when his name was announced that is about as complete a transformation as he could have hoped for.

- Quick hits; Nigel de Jong was a monster in the 1st half for City as he played the defensive midfield role to perfection. So the question has to be where did he disappear to until the 82nd minute when he was taken off for Martin Petrov? De Jong won’t be needed against the likes of Hull and Burnley when City’s attacking options overpower their poor opponents. But games at Old Trafford are exactly the stage where he should be excelling so to only get 45 minutes of note from him will disappoint Mark Hughes.

- Ryan Giggs, though mentioned in the Micah Richards piece, deserves a few lines all to himself. At 35 he showed his age in the 1st half when he was a peripheral figure. Yet in a role reversal with de Jong he took the game by the scruff when it mattered toward the end and made the difference. His display must have brought a wry smile to the face of Mark Hughes, a team mate of Giggs in the early 90’s, as Giggs gave opposing defenders “twisted blood.” Though he’d never want to admit it all these years later Hughes would have to acknowledge that very little has changed.

- Craig Bellamy scored two brilliant goals yesterday. The first, a shot that ripped the net and gave the goalkeeper no chance, was top class,. His pace and finish for the second were a sight to behold. And yet what is the main talking point concerning the Welsh forward today? A slap on an opposing fan who was already being restrained by two stewards. Pointless behaviour and at the same time typical of a player who could have amounted to so much more.

- Dimitar Berbatov is taking more stick today as he failed to convert three headed opportunities in the 2nd half. Thinking back it’s fair to say he should have scored the first but directed it straight at Shay Given. The second I believe he did well with but Given made a great save from. To cap his hat trick of missed chances was a flighted ball from Giggs that was just too high and that he couldn’t quite reach. Overall though his work rate and distribution was of the highest order and United fans would have a lot more to be worried about if he wasn’t getting in the positions to score. The goals will come in time.

- Is there a more divisive figure in the game than Gary Neville? If you’re a Man United fan then you have to laugh at his antics as he manages to wind up opponents at every given opportunity. For supporters of pretty much every other team in the league the sight of Neville alone must be enough for them to fly into a rage. Man City fans will definitely agree following his little dance after Michael Owen’s goal yesterday.