Hot off the heels of ‘album of the decade’ and ’sporting icon of the decade’, it’s the latest CJS newsroom blog war. This time – team of the decade.

We have limited it to players from the Premier League, to stop all hell breaking loose when Alex Smith tries to put Alvaro Recoba on BOTH wings.

Of course it was still a tough choice, but I feel all the players I have chosen deserve their place in my starting XI.

Goalkeeper – Brad Friedel

338 appearances (Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa), 1 goal

When Brad Friedel left Liverpool in 2000, after being frozen out of the first team by Sander Westerveld, few would have predicted he would become the Premier League star he is now.

But a move to Blackburn kickstarted the career of the former UCLA student, who up to that point had played for four different clubs in four different countries, none for more than three years.

Friedel spend eight years at Ewood Park, helping the club to a League Cup victory in 2002 and establishing the Lancashire outfit as a mainstay of the Premier League. He even managed to get his name on the scoresheet against Charlton the following season, emulating the incomparable Peter Schmeichel.

At the age of 38, the former American international is still going strong. Now plying his trade at Aston Villa, he will surely he hoping to keep going at the top level beyond his 40th birthday.

Right-back – Michael Essien

116 appearances (Chelsea), 14 goals

I know what you’re thinking, Michael Essien isn’t a right back. Well he’s played there a few times and – more to the point – this is my team and I’ll put players where I like.

Essien made his name in the indomitable Lyon midfield of the early 2000s, where he played alongside Mahamadou Diarra, Juninho and Florent Malouda, while also helping the exciting Ghana team of 2006 to the second round of the World Cup.

But it is at Chelsea where he has really come into his own. A few eyebrows were raised when Jose Mourinho paid £24m to bring him to Stamford Bridge, but all fears were soon dispelled by a number of stirring performances, both at right-back and in the centre of midfield.

And he clarified his status as one of the best players in the league with a starring role in last year’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, where his team suffered the harshest of defeats.

Centre-back – Rio Ferdinand

299 appearances (West Ham United, Leeds United, Manchester United), 8 goals

There can surely be no doubt about my next pick. Rio Ferdinand has been idolised as one of the best defenders in the Premier League since a young age.

He had only just turned 22 when Leeds United forked out £18m to prise him from West Ham United in 2000. Say what you like about Peter Ridsdale’s spending spree at Elland Road, that amount of money shows that the England international was (and still is) one of the best in the game.

His tremendous reading of the game, and the ball-playing skills honed in his early days as a midfielder at Upton Park, helped make Ferdinand a key component of Leeds’ Champions League run of 2002.

And he has gone from strength to strength since joining Manchester United for a then-British record £29m, adding deserved domestic and European honours to his copybook. He now sits head and shoulders above many of the world’s defenders.

Centre-back – Sol Campbell

280 appearances (Tottenham Hostpur, Arsenal, Portsmouth), 12 goals

Try to ignore the recent Notts County debacle, and the Upton Park disappearance fiasco, Sol Campbell has achieved things many could only dream of.

And it is testament to his ability that the 35-year-old Londoner has managed to bounce back from all the setbacks in his career, when a lesser man would have perhaps cracked much sooner.

You need to be made of stern stuff to deal with the backlash suffered by Campbell when he left Tottenham to join their rivals Arsenal, but he passed the test with flying colours, becoming an integral member of the ‘invincibles’ of 2004.

And after leaving The Emirates Stadium to join Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth revolution in 2006, he helped his new side establish themselves in the top flight. The level to which they have struggled since his departure shows how important a player he still is.

Left-back – Ashley Cole

246 appearances (Arsenal, Chelsea), 12 goals

I hate Ashley Cole. From the fuss he made at being offered ‘only’ £55,000 a week by Arsenal, to the borderline assault he launched on referee Mike Riley after a dangerous studs-up challenge on Alan Hutton in 2007 (skip to about 1:20 on this video).

But aside from this behaviour, there is no doubting Cole’s quality on the pitch.

After being sent out on loan to Crystal Palace, there were fears that the Stepney-born defender would never realise his dream of playing at Highbury.

But since then he has never looked back, revolutionising the left-back role and consolidating his position in the England national side.

Right-midfield – Cristiano Ronaldo

196 appearances (Manchester United), 84 goals

Who would have thought that an outlay of £12.24 million on an 18 year old would prove to be one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s finest purchases at Manchester United.

After taking some time to find his feet in English football, netting only 15 times in his first 90 games, the Madeiran superstar proved his worth – and then some.

For the best part of two seasons he was nigh-on unplayable, with his 31 goals in 34 league games during the 2007/8 season only telling part of the story.

He left Old Trafford this summer on an unprecedented high, and the pressure following the £80 million paid by Real Madrid to take him to the Bernabeu has proved no obstacle. 12 goals in his first 11 games in Spain merely solidify position as one of the world’s greatest for years to come.

Central midfield – Patrick Vieira

181 appearances (Arsenal), 22 goals

Throughout the Premier League’s existence there have been a number of foreign players who performed as though the league was designed for them.

Patrick Vieira is one of these players, alongside the likes of Mikel Arteta and Juninho Paulista, who have failed to hit the same heights outside English football.

Vieira was the only foreign player in the first Arsenal line-up picked by Arsene Wenger, and his name has since been synonymous with the blend of passing and athleticism which has characterised Wenger’s side.

Even in his absence, fans of the London club complain that he hasn’t been properly replaced, and their failure to win a single trophy since his departure is testament to the influence their former captain provided on and off the field.

Central midfield – Paul Scholes

297 appearances (Manchester United), 67 goals

The second central midfield position was a real struggle for me.

I considered David Beckham, Roy Keane and Jay-Jay Okocha for the role, as well as the perenially-mentioned Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, but finally decided on Paul Scholes, and not just because I wanted to show this clip:

Scholes has had a real second wind since retiring from international football in 2004, proving an integral part of the Manchester United side in their three league title wins from 2007-9.

And, while others (notably a certain Mr Ronaldo) have perhaps got carried away with their ability and success, Scholes has largely remained the model professional, going about his business quietly while peers bask in their undeserved spotlight.

Left-midfield – Robert Pires

189 appearances (Arsenal), 62 goals

‘Where’s Ryan Giggs?’ I hear you cry. Well I’m going to stick my neck out and say that ‘Bobby’ Pires was the best left-winger of the 2000s.

Despite Giggs being honoured as 2009 Player of the Year and Sports Personality of the Year, I will maintain that the 90s was the Welshman’s decade.

Pires, on the other hand, was an integral part of Arsenal’s ‘invincibles’ (and I’m not just talking about the dive which kept their unbeaten run going).

Another who was unplayable on his day, the Reims native had a combination of flair, skill and pace which complemented his team-mates perfectly and helped Arsenal to several trophies, all won playing beautiful football.

Striker – Thierry Henry

254 appearances (Arsenal), 174 goals

I know it’s difficult, but try to look past that handball. Just try. Remember Thierry Henry for his time at Arsenal instead.

The goalscoring record speaks for itself, but unlike his peers and predecessors Shearer and Hasselbaink, so many of the Frenchman’s goals were masterpieces.

As a West Ham fan it pains me to show this goal, but I have to let you see it to demonstrate the things this wonderful player was capable off, even when there seemed to be nothing on.

And since Henry’s departure even the enviable abilities of messrs Van Persie and Arshavin have failed to fill the gap left by this modern great.

Striker – Ruud van Nistelrooy

150 appearances (Manchester United), 95 goals

This week, football fans across England were sad to see the premature retirement of Dean Ashton. It seems only fitting, therefore, that my final pick is a man who could have achieved so much more were it not for a succession of injuries.

That said, Ruud van Nistelrooy still did enough to justify his tag as one of the most feared strikers in world football for a number of years.

After recovering from serious injuries during his time at PSV Eindhoven which limited him to 67 appearances in three years (during which time he notched a remarkable 62 goals), the Dutchman joined Manchester United in 2001 and never looked back.

The epitome of the old-fashioned number 9, van Nistelrooy used a combination of strength and guile to leave Old Trafford with four trophies and a record of nearly two goals every three games. Since moving to Real Madrid he has proved he still has the quality to perform at the top level, even if his fitness has held him back in the last couple of years.

Substitutes

There are so many more players I would have liked to include, and seven substitutes isn’t really enough, but here are the players who came closest to breaking into my starting XI:

Shay Given (Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Manchester City), Gary Neville (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Roy Keane (Manchester United), Joe Cole (West Ham United, Chelsea), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)

So, there you go, that is my team of the decade. I’m sure you will disagree with some of my choices, but it’s a tough one to call.

Please get involved in the debate. Ciaran Jones and Joe Curtis have already done so – let me know why my team is better than theirs!

]]> http://hakanrylander.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/match-report-sir-alex-ferguson-1-between-the-lines-0/ Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:17:49 +0000 hakanrylander http://hakanrylander.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/match-report-sir-alex-ferguson-1-between-the-lines-0/

Ahead of the game against Wolfsburg I tried to figure out the best way to line up considering the severe injury crisis among defenders. But I have to admit that 3-5-2 never even entered my mind. And I wasn’t of course anywhere near suggesting that we use a  very lop-sided 3-5-2, with one of the wing-backs, Park Ji-sung, running his socks off and joining both attack and defence to great effect, while the other, Nani,  had little impact going forward (apart from that cross to Owen) and in customary fashion didn’t track back. I’m still not sure why it worked, but it certainly did. Maybe there’s a reason why Fergie is manager of Manchester United and I’m not.

A lot of the credit must go to Park who, particularly in the first half, found an awful lot of space going forward, and still found the time to defend. Despite the contribution from Park and the Owen master-class my MotM was Paul Scholes who again showed the rare talent to make it seem as if he always had plenty of time on the ball. Several good touches from Welbeck as well.

In the first half I couldn’t see what all the hype surrounding Dzeko was about. In the second I could. But I’m afraid all the signs are that he’ll join Milan.

Birmingham are one of the form sides in the Barclays Premier League, having gone six games since last tasting defeat. Their latest win came at Wigan at the weekend in a topsy-turvy encounter which ended 3-2. Sebastian Larsson was the hero for Blues grabbing two goals, his second an imperious free-kick, and that performance makes him the highest Actim Index points scorer of the week, with 52.

Larsson obviously takes his place in the Team of the Week, but surprisingly, in what is probably a record, there is only one player from a ‘top four’ club in the select XI. Antonio Valencia makes it after his goal and assist in Manchester United’s 4-0 romp at West Ham. Players from the unfashionable clubs of Wolves, Fulham, Portsmouth and Wigan make up most of the side with entrants from perennial top four chasers Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham completing the team.

Talking of the top four, it’s as you were in the overall Actim Index this week as there in no movement in the top four spots. Didier Drogba remains king of the castle with a 12-point lead ahead of Cesc Fabregas. Drogba’s Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka is sitting pretty in third and Tottenham’s in-form pint-sized striker Jermain Defoe remains in fourth. Two new entries in the top 10 see Manchester City’s pitch-sprinting Emmanuel Adebayor and Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs climb five and three places respectively.

Some things we know are just better at home than anywhere else. Going to bed after your work’s Christmas party, lounging around in your dressing gown all day and listening to your Venga Boys compilation album on full blast are just three examples of this. Fernando Torres is another example has he has the highest average score at home in the entire index. Liverpool’s second man of their two-man team averages 29 points when the Reds play at home this term, compared to 17 on the road.

With plenty of focus on South Africa at the moment, let’s have a look at how the South Africans are performing in this season’s Index. Well, it’s not good. Everton’s Steven Pienaar is currently flying the flag in 149th place but it is a bit of a damp squib after that. Aaron Mokoena, Benedict McCarthy, Kagisho Dikgacoi are doing about as well as Charlize Theron did at presenting the World Cup draw – which was not very.

Paul Scholes has been known for many things over the years. Being the most talented ginger-haired person in the Premier League, having a lethal shot from distance and being reckless in a challenge. And the veteran has been living up to all three billings this season. He scored a cracking goal against West Ham at the weekend, to confirm his status as the red-haired master, and he also tops the list of people with most bookings. Scholes has been booked six times this season and that has been matched only by Michael Turner and Marouane Fellaini.

View the latest Actim Index >

There is really only one result I care about this evening, and I reckon I’ll give it its own post in the morning – so you’ll have to excuse me if it seems like I’m phoning this one in.

Calcio:

Juventus 2-1 Inter (Derby D’Italia) – Perhaps the most important game either of these teams have played yet this season, the Derby D’Italia is always a heated and highly-anticipated match between two of the peninsula’s best-supported sides. This match in particular had the potential to have an immediate effect upon the scudetto race; either consolidating Inter’s position atop the table or reviving Juventus’ flagging title hopes. What resulted was an intense and exciting match by which Juventus managed to steal a crucial 3 points from i Nerazzurri; ensuring that this year’s scudetto race is well, a race. La Vecchia Signora opened the scoring in the 20th minute on a set piece when Felipe Melo inadvertently volleyed a Giorgio Chiellini header past the fingertips of a flailing Julio Cesar and across the line. Juventus went up 1-0 and to top it off Jose Mourinho got himself sent to the stands after this play for sarcastically applauding the referee for awarding the free kick. It didn’t take long for the visitors to equalize though, with Samuel Eto’o leaping onto the end of a Dejan Stankovic cross to head past Gigi Buffon and restore parity in Torino. The sides went into halftime level and would remain that way until the 58th minute, when Claudio Marchisio scored what I wouldn’t doubt is the greatest goal we have seen from Juventus yet this season. Momo Sissokho fired a speculative long-range effort at Julio Cesar, who parried but couldn’t hold on to it. Enter Marchisio, who dashed to the loose ball, turned Walter Samuel inside-out with some slick footwork and then buried the ball neatly overtop of Cesar and into the back of the net. In the remaining half-hour of play, tempers flared, with Mario Balotelli elbowing Felipe Melo and then going to ground when the Brazilian retaliated, drawing the midfielder the red card. Balotelli’s ugly side showed through with the constant jeering from the Juventini and perhaps the crowning moment of the match for the home crowd was the young striker lining up to take a free kick and falling firmly upon his behind. Even Gigi Buffon, normally the most level-headed man in the Bianconeri shirt, allowed his temper to get the best of him at the match’s end, nearly getting into a quite physical altercation with Thiago Motta. In the end, Juventus grabbed the 3 points, while Jose’s men merely grabbed some added incentive for these sides’ next meeting at the San Siro.

Gigi descends from the heavens as Juve celebrate their Derby D'Italia win.

AC Milan 3-0 Sampdoria – Speaking of the San Siro, the Rossonero half of Milan were able to reassert themselves among the top of the table by drubbing Antonio Cassano & co. at Milan’s famous stadium this weekend. Marco Borriello, Clarence Seedorf and Alexandre Pato each found the back of the net to pile misery upon i Blucerchiati, who began the season in red-hot form but have fallen upon hard times lately. By cruising to this easy victory, il Diavolo rise to second place in the Serie A table, and with the favour done to them yesterday by Juventus, they are only 4 points adrift of the league leaders. A far cry from the Milan squad who struggled so profoundly at the beginning of this season – Leonardo and his men have grown into themselves as a consistent and dangerous squad – and it’s all because they beat Roma 2-1 a couple of months ago. Froci.

Fiorentina 2-0 Atalanta – The funny thing about calcio is that due to the nature of the language and the culture, sometimes two different teams will share the same nickname. Therefore, while one Nerazzurri squad tops the table, the other Nerazzurri are the league’s veritable whipping boys. Last week Atalanta fell at home to Roma (woo!) and this week they provided an easy three points for La Viola in Firenze. Juan Manuel Vargas and Alberto Gilardino provided the pair of goals that separated i Gigliati from their visitors – the Tuscans now sit in a 4-way tie for 5th place with Roma, Genoa and Sampdoria. They trail Parma by a point.

Football:

Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea – All good things must come to an end. Carlo Ancelotti’s men had been flying high in the Premiership, having sealed victories over each of their fellow ‘Big Four’ teams with a 3-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend. Who would’ve thought that it’d be the Citizens, who had not been able to do better than a draw in their previous 7 league fixtures, that would finally burst the Blues’ bubble and bring them back down to earth. However, things initially started off pretty well for the visitors in the Eastlands. Only 8 minutes into the match Frank Lampard fired on Shay Given’s goal only for the Irish keeper to deny him and then Nicolas Anelka; on the third rebound, however, Given’s parried ball struck the back of Emmanuel Adebayor, defending on the touchline, and this time the keeper was helpless to keep the ball out. 1-0 Chelsea. The big striker got the chance to atone for his sin just under half an hour later, however, when Shaun Wright-Phillips’ shot took a deflection in Chelsea’s box and fell at the Togolese hitman’s feet – this time he directed the ball into the right goal to make it all square at the City of Manchester Stadium. Things really started to go south for the visitors when Carlos Tevez’s rather tame free kick was able to beat the wall and Petr Cech to give the home side the lead on 56′. But the disaster was not complete yet. On 81′ Didier Drogba was fouled within City’s area – as always, Frank Lampard stepped up to the spot. By this time, however, tempers were flaring and Lamps was visibly unsettled as he took the kick. His effort ultimately was poor, and Shay Given saved it quite easily. Manchester City went on to hold out for the remaining 10 or so minutes and Chelsea dropped three points that would have given them a commanding lead of the Premiership table. If there are two things that are costing Chelsea right now, they are: a) conceding on set pieces and b) failure to convert penalties. And believe it or not, those two factors are costing the team in a way that not even Roman Abramovich’s bottomless pockets can repair.

It was a battle of the big spenders, and who'd've thought that Chelsea would lose?

Manchester Utd 4-0 West Ham – With Chelsea stumbling it the front of the pack, it seemed almost as though United smelled blood; they were quick to capitalize on the league leaders’ mistakes by doing their very best to catch up with them. While the Blues were facing defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Red Devils were completing a rout of Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham at Upton Park. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men knocked four goals past a sorry Hammers side, with Paul Scholes, Darron Gibson, Luis Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney each finding the back of the net to keep West Ham hovering just above the relegation zone and cut Chelsea’s lead to only 2 points.

Arsenal 2-0 Stoke City – Arsenal bounced back from last week’s defeat to Chelsea and a midweek loss to  Manchester City that saw them knocked out of the Carling Cup by defeating Stoke City 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners had a chance to take control of the match on 20′ when Andrei Arshavin was taken down in Stoke’s area, but Cesc Fábregas failed to convert the resulting penalty. Arshavin would nevertheless put his side ahead just a few minutes later, when on 26′ he completed an angled run into the box and slotted a low strike home to beat Thomas Sorensen. The home side nearly doubled their lead minutes later when a shot from Fábregas rattled off the post. It would be substitute Aaron Ramsey who would finally put Arsenal two up in the 79th minute, again with a run into the box followed by a low shot to beat Sorensen. This victory sees Arsenal retain their 3rd place spot above Tottenham Hotspur by a single point.

Liverpool 0-0 Blackburn – Liverpool failed once again to get themselves back into the Premiership race by drawing what is an admittedly difficult fixture away at Ewood Park. Sam Allardyce’s men were able to grab a valuable point off the visiting Merseysiders, with Paul Robinson playing the hero for the home side and rejecting the myriad chances that Liverpool were given to attack the Rovers’ goal. It’s difficult to say who provided the Reds’ best chance on the evening (though Daniel Agger’s late 30 yard screamer is a contender), but easy to say that England-hopeful Robinson was at the very top of his game and simply would not be beaten. Seriously, Rafa Benitez unemployment watch anyone?

Futbol:

Messi bagged a brace to secure victory for Barca

Barcelona 3-1 Deportivo – It was the Lionel Messi show as the Blaugrana dismantled Deportivo La Coruña away at the Estadio Riazor. The diminutive Argentine proved that they don’t hand out the Ballon D’Or for nothing by scoring twice and menacing the home side’s backline throughout the entirety of the match. Messi opened the scoring on 26′ with a supreme individual effort before Deportivo were able to equalize after defensive errors saw Adrián through on goal. The deadlock would last until the 79th minute, when again it was the Ballon D’Or winner, this time scoring from a strong header to restore his side’s lead. Zlatan Ibrahimovic would put the icing on the cake, blasting into the top corner of the net on 87′ to seal victory for Barcelona and secure their position atop the table.

Real Madrid 4-2 Almeria – Both Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo had a bit of a rollercoaster night at the Bernabéu on Saturday. After Sergio Ramos opened the scoring for the home side on 30′, Almeria were able to respond with Soriano and Kalu Uche scoring twice in the span of 5 minutes to put their side ahead of Los Galacticos. Ten minutes later, a goal from Higuaín assured the home crowd that Manuel Pellegrini’s men were not finished yet. Near the 80th minute, Madrid were offered the chance to get ahead again when Cristiano Ronaldo was downed by keeper Diego Alves. CR9 stepped up to the spot, but failed to convert the penalty, and in a display of poor showmanship was seen to be sulking even after Karim Benzema tapped in the rebound to put his side ahead. Ronaldo would make up for his error on 85′ when a beautiful play from Higuaín gave him the perfect opportunity to put his side up 4-2. The game wouldn’t end on a high note for Ronnie, however, as he was sent off just minutes later for his second yellow of the match. As I always say, all’s well that ends badly for Cristiano Ronaldo!

Fußball:

Bayern München 2-1 Mönchengladbach – Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber were able to provide the difference for Bayern as they worked back to their winning ways at the Allianz-Arena on Friday evening. Gomez gave his side the lead on 19′ with a well-executed turn and shot into the bottom corner of the visitors’ net. However, Roel Brouwer would equalize for die Fohlen less than 10 minutes later, when a bad defensive mistake allowed Michael Bradley’s pass to slip through the Bayern backline; Brouwer only had to slot home past Hans Jörg-Butt. Butt was Bayern’s best man on the pitch for large stretches of the evening, pulling off a string of incredible saves to stop the likes of Juan Arango and Jean-Sébastien Jaurès. Arjen Robben made a substitute appearance in the second half and was immediately effective; his daring runs won a free kick for the home side just outside the 18-yard box which Holger Badstuber duly launched into the back of the net on 75′. Friday’s victory sees Bayern at 4th in the Bundesliga standings and finally starting to gain ground on the leaders after Die Roten got off to a dismal start to the season.

]]> http://kibzyk.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/scholes-and-iverson/ Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:49:14 +0000 kibzyk11 http://kibzyk.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/scholes-and-iverson/

I was watching the Manchester United vs West Ham match and i noticed Paul Scholes just like i have many times watching United play. He was in the middle doing what he does best, quietly orchestrating the play down the middle with ease. For whatever reason it got me thinking about Allen Iverson, the Basketball guard who had earlier this week come back from ‘retirement’ to play for the 76ers. Both players are once in a lifetime players Both are small. really small. Both are bad defensively. both are in the last phase of great but very dissimilar careers.

Scholes will only be remembered by people who didnt start watching football 3 years ago, as the best english midfielder of his generation who wasnt always in the limelight was never considered the best player on the team, but a supporting player in many trophy winning campaigns.

Iverson will be remembered as a misunderstood vigilante, lil wayne before lil wayne, many basketball trends, positive and negative,  you see today were started by Iverson. he crossed michael Jordan. was one of the greatest athletes ever. people who have seen his gifts have amazing stories of some of the things he could do. Controversy followed him everywhere. the best player on most of his teams but no championships. And now grappling with retirement. his last hoorah n the city where he started. unable to come to grips with the diminished athletic ability that has come with age. An all time great.

Scholes has never had controversy around him he wasnt particularly athletic. his red/brown hair and sullen expressions and personality were never going to make him what beckham is. But jammed in to that 5′7 body of his is an amazing ability to pass. one of the great passers of the ball. just like beckham is a deadball and crossing specialist. scholes is just a pure passing genius. it is imprinted in my skull the sight of him receiving the ball, turning, taking a touch, looking up once and finding a teammate 60 yards away with perfect, perfect accuracy.

Watching him this year has been strange because, especially against liverpool, he was off the pace a bit slow for the game i thought maybe those 35-year-old legs are saying goodbye. but like any old man his body is just inconsistent and will no doubt have another game where it can’t get going, yesterday he gave a nostalgic scholes performance going about his business quietly and capped it with a scholes volley hit hard and true into the top corner. Being one of the best passers of the ball i have ever seen if not the best. Certainly the best 5 foot 7 inch passer i have ever seen.

As for Iverson if this turns out to be his last year then  hope he goes out like scholes (who by the way may have another year left in him) and not like another small United player Gary Neville, who after limping off yesterday inside half an hour, is lending credence to my thought that he should have retired 2 years ago.

Poor Avram Grant must be thinking of ways to get the penalty mark removed from the field of play. Eighteen months ago, John Terry slipped on the spot that cost Grant his job at Chelsea. Last night, Wayne Rooney showed how to stay on your feet not once but twice when taking a penalty to steer Manchester United to a comfortable victory at the once impregnable Fratton Park.

United’s formation, based around Rooney’s power play as a sole striker together with Antonio’s Valencia’s speed and Ryan Giggs’ imaginative darts and flicks, were a thorn in the Portsmouth side. There was the usual poor first half performance from the Red Devils, which was understandable when they looked over to their bench and did not see the calming, gum-chewing influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.

United created numerous openings with the forward players’ movement, helped by a Portsmouth defence which makes Burnley’s look water-tight. Sir Alex may have found a role that fits Paul Scholes in his final few years as the deep-lying playmaker. The gingerhead looked much more comfortable with Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher combing the middle in front of him. They gave him time and space to distribute the ball as only he knows how.

Tomasz Kuszczak reassured United fans that there is life after Edwin Van der Sar with a faultless performance in goal. He was already better than Ben Foster because he could actually kick the ball. Three brilliant saves last night makes him a serious contender for the future number one spot. But it won’t stop fan forums from continually mentioning the names of Igor Akinfeev and Manuel Neuer.

The game could have gone all wrong for United had they allowed yet another unfathomable refereeing decision affect them. Referee Mike Dean was all ready to blow for a foul on Kuszczak when he got a message in his earpiece from his assistant, who somehow spotted an infringement by Nemanja Vidic 50 yards away. Sometimes, you wonder whether these people just want to get on the back pages of the newspapers, a sure-fire way to a book publishing deal in the future.

Thankfully, while my frustration was taken out on a pillow which I almost threw out the window, United focused their efforts on regaining the lead and after the interval, started to show why they had those champions badges on their jerseys. The manner in which Rooney tucked in his second goal from a trademark Giggs flick harkened back to the days of Eric Cantona, the nonchalant finisher extraordinaire.

Rooney’s hat-trick was sealed with his second penalty of the day and another to be added to the list of dubious refereeing calls in the match. Frederic Piquionne was clumsy in trying to win the ball back from Giggs but there was minimal contact between them. Dean probably used this opportunity to make things right and prevent Sir Alex from calling him bald or ugly after the game.

Giggs, who becomes 36 years young this weekend, turned it into an impromptu birthday party with a splendid free-kick just before the end. This Welsh man is the greatest Manchester United player in history. His commitment to the United cause since he was a schoolboy is a dying breed in a time when players’ loyalty to their clubs is determined by the numbers on their pay cheque. There will never be another Ryan Giggs so cherish every minute that he spends in a red jersey.

This performance may be over-stated against the bottom dwellers of the league but seeing his side win comfortably and put some pressure on Chelsea must have brought a smile to Sir Alex’s face, along with the fact that he didn’t have to sit on the bench in monsoon weather conditions.

As for Portsmouth, it’s going to be a struggle till May for them to save their top flight status. I salute the half naked lunatic fan who kept ringing his bell throughout the ninety minutes. If only his team showed just as much commitment and consistency.

Written by: Adam Carpenter

Paul scholes had played over 600 games for United and scored close to 150 goals

Paul Scholes is quite possibly one of the best midfielders to ever grace the hallow turf of Old Trafford, and Sir Alex Ferguson will let you know of how much he thinks of the Salford born ginger ninja.

Paul Aaron Scholes was born on the 16^th of November 1974 and has spent his whole professional career to date, under one team, one stadium and one manager. This never looks like changing as it is now at the closing stages of his career. He has always grown up as an Oldham Athletic fan and still has a huge soft spot for them today, but he joined United back when he was 14 as a trainee, he has been with this club ever since. Over the years he has gained a reputation as fans favourite by many red devils fans because of his energetic play, ability to find the net as a central midfielder and attacking midfielder, but most of all one of the best passers of a football of all time. Not only has he got a loving reputation and respect by the Old Trafford faithful for doing this, but it is how he has managed to deliver these products over so many years and be one of the most consistent players around.

His debut for Manchester United came way back in 1994 in the English league cup against Port Vale in a 2-1 win. It couldn’t have been a better debut for Scholes as he grabbed both of the goals, and many fans were talking up this young lad. This was the time of ‘Fergie’s fledglings’ and Scholes was one of them. In his younger days he was a remarkable player to score goals, whether it was a tap in, he was there in the right place at the right time, or whether he could smash one in from over 30 yards, he could do both more than adequately. The following season, 1995-1996 season, after Mark Hughes left to Chelsea, Scholes gained much more opportunities in the red jersey. He occupied a role just behind Andy Cole for this season as a striker, as Eric Cantona was out suspended. He did very well and got a remarkable scoring return of 14 goals in all competition, considering he was only 21 at the time. Over the next few seasons he continued to play an attacking midfield to central midfield role. He was in superb form in the treble winning season, scoring several key goals along the way to help the cause of the treble, but very unfortunately he was suspended for the champions’ league final against Bayern Munich at the nou camp. He has been a regular to hit the net around 15 times a season at least in many of the seasons. The Paul Scholes of nowadays is a totally different player to the Scholes of ten years ago.

The one downside of Paul’s game, (if any) was the mistiming of his tackling. On regular occasions he has had a dangerous tackle on him, leaving many of the United fans gasping their breath when he lunges down into a challenge. There have been occasions where he has received red cards and left his side down to 10 men in the past, he received a red card against Liverpool in March 2007 for lashing out on a dirty tackle on Xabi Alonso, and then getting up and swinging an arm at him. He was also dismissed against Tottenham earlier this season for a dirty lunge. There have been many occasions of him doing this, but I will assure you this has not taken any sort of light off his wonderful career.

Scholes’ international career with England was very successful and his debut was made in 1997 against South Africa at Old Trafford. In 1998 he earned his first call up to a major international tournament to go to the world cup in France. Scholes got one goal for England in the world cup against Tunisia; however he could do nothing to prevent England being knocked out in the last 16 against Argentina. He continued to shine for England scoring some more key important goals to help England get into tournament and progress in them. Scholes was out of favour when Eriksson took over at the helm, and was being played out of position. In 2004 Scholes decided to finish his career with England, as he wanted to concentrate on his club team and spend more time with his family, which is very understandable.

Scholes has generally been lucky enough to never really come across any serious injuries in his career. He was ruled out for much of the 2005-2006 campaign through blurred vision. It was rumoured it was a career threatening injury, but it only ruled him out for just over half a season. This was a very worrying time for many united fans as this would be a bitter blow if he was forced to retire through this. Fortunately over time he gained the vision back in his eye and fully recuperated over the following summer, and also played in the final game of the season, which he came through.

I must also talk through about some of the fantastic goals Scholes has scored during his time at united. He has always been one of the finest strikers of a football that I have ever seen and some of his goals are my all time favourites. My favourite ever goal was his strike at Villa Park in December 2006 just before Christmas where the ball bounced to him 30 yards from goal and he struck it on the volley falling from the sky (typical of scholes) and it cannoned of the crossbar into the back of the net. Gabor Kiraly in the Villa goal is one of the premier league’s best goalies at the time and he was nowhere near it. Another favourite strike of mine from Paul Scholes was his goal against Barcelona which we all remember well in the 2008 champions’ league semi final 2^nd leg. This was not only a stunning strike but a very important goal in United’s season, ultimately sending us through to Moscow to play Chelsea. One more scholes goal of my favourites was his goal at Charlton Athletic quite a few years back, where he just leathered it and it was rising and rising and found the top corner.   

Instead of making forward runs and getting into the box, where he scored in the right place at the right time, he now still possesses his passing ability, but is all round more conservative in his play which is understandable at a man of 35 years old. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is his tackling but we all love a scholesy tackle every now and again.  He still has a couple of years left in his body and I for one certainly hope he does as do many normal fellow reds. One thing is when the likes of Neville, Giggs and Scholes do retire it will not be the same Manchester United, and we are all praying for their bodies and health to keep up. A fantastic servant to Manchester United over many a year and the day he does decide to call it a day as a player will be an emotional one for sure. Nevertheless he has provided us with much entertainment and class over the years that will never be forgotten among the Old Trafford folklore.

E plictisitor, plictisitor de moarte, fiind deci cazul s-o luam din loc. A fost concluzia lui Roy Keane despre reactia unei intregi Irlande, mai putin a sa, of course, la hentul lui Henry, parere exprimata la nici doua zile dupa jocul de la Paris.

Sunt perfect de-acord cu Keane c-ar fi timpul sa scriem si de-altceva. Dar, intr-o ultima radiografiere a tonelor de hartie consumate in Albion pe marginea meciului intre vecinii de peste Canalul Manecii si Marea Irlandei, m-am izbit de editorialul unuia dintre cele mai reputate peneluri din Regatul Unit, al carui comentariu m-a facut sa pricem ca, in ciuda deceniilor petrecute de la distanta ori de la fata locului cu ochii pe fotbalul insular, nu deprinsesem o piatra de temelie a etosului jocului inventatorilor sai.

Intr-o stranie coincidenta in privinta nationalitatii eroilor fazei aduse in discutie de jurnalist, se intampla cu doar 9 zile inaintea henturilor de pe Stade de France ca un mulatru atacant francez sa obtina un penalty nemeritat, plonjand in careu ca in bazin, in preajma unui mijlocas irlandez ce se lansase intr-o deposedare prin alunecare, fara insa a-l fi atins. Faza s-a derulat in ultimul joc al etapei dinaintea meciurilor intertari, mai exact Liverpool – Birmingham City, intr-o luni seara.

David Ngog a patruns pe flancul stang, a cazut neobstructionat in careu, arbitrul a acordat penalty iar irlandezul Lee Carsley s-a facut foc si para pe francez si oficial. Acest incident, si nu mult discutatul dublu hent de la Paris, a fost subiectul randurilor ce mi-au dezvaluit un fapt esential despre crezul iubitorilor de fotbal din Regat.

Am aflat astfel ca, la conferinta de presa dinaintea recentei partide Liverpool – Manchester City, un alt 2-2, ca si cu City din Birmingham, Rafael Benitez s-ar fi exprimat ca plonjonul lui Ngog s-a constituit intr-o mai mica ofensa la adresa fotbalului decat un tackling periculos. La care, atragandu-i-se atentia ca auditoriul englez are o perceptie inversata in aceasta privinta, spanionul a solicitat presarilor sa incerce furnizarea unei ordini mai umane a prioritatilor.

E posibil ca, influentat de numarul accidentatilor din lot in cursul acestei toamne, incluzand piese cheie ca Gerrard si Torres, antrenorul Benitez sa fi incercat diminuarea oprobiului iscat la adresa oportunismului tanarului sau atacant prin a-i aseza plonjonul in lumina unor “rele” pe care le considera mai mari, exemplificand tacklingurile ce pun in pericol ori chiar accidenteaza adversari.

Benitez nu si-a gasit insa cu acest punct de vedere aliati intre ziaristi. Dintre care, editorialistul a dezvaluit consensul sincer al breslei ca, amintind de-un plonjon similar din vara al lui Eduardo, in jocul Arsenal – Celtic, gestul brazilianului-croat a fost mai grav decat incidentul in care ii era rupt piciorul, intr-un tackling considerat accidental, comis acum 20 de luni, coincidenta, de un fundas de la… Birmingham City, Martin Taylor. Faultul de maidan din preajma centrului terenului, in primele minute ale acelei partide, e probabil inca intiparit pe retina multor telespectatori, cu tibia lui Eduardo franta ca o grisina si cu Wenger explodand imediat dupa fluierul final, cum ca Taylor ar trebui suspendat pe viata din fotbal. Sentinta pe care si-a renegat-o in aceeasi seara.

Ei bine, dintotdeauna am admirat fair-playul britanic si, mai mult, am detestat copios trucurile de tot felul ale fotbalului in general de sorginte latina, contrast care m-a determinat cu si mai mare usurinta sa simpatizez abordarea insularilor. Dar n-am intuit ca britanicilor le repugna intr-asemenea masura teatralitatea ori micile farse ale jocului latin incat sa imbratiseze ca pe un mai mic rau o incercare de deposedare generand oase rupte. In fiecare zi invatam cate ceva si abia acum am priceput ordinea lucrurilor, pe un subiect de principiu mai mult decat important in privinta fotbalului insular.

Benitez, dupa 6 ani in Albion, de o parte a faliei, iar presarii de cealalta, cand vine vorba de merele stricate ale fotbalului. Plonjonul in speranta unui penalty ori tacklingul primejdios. Falia e probabil extinsa in aceasta privinta, existand in general intre jocul din Marea Britanie si cel continental ori macar latin.

Iar pentru a-si fortifica argumentul, comentatorul a exemplificat atacul lui Guthrie, in primavara inca in elita cu Newcastle, care a sprintat la tinta, scotandu-l din joc pe Fagan, de la Hull City, dar nu pentru restul partidei, ci pe cateva luni de zile, considerand ca faultul sau, desi in mod evident premeditat, ar atrage mai putine critici decat plonjonul teatral al lui Ngog.

Aici consider ca este o fortare a notei, o exagerare, ori  – din contra – tocmai dovada absoluta a spiritului de lupta al bulldogului britanic, “fibra” esentiala a jocului in insula. Jos palaria daca determinarea respectivilor jucatori, oricat de amenintator ar parea tacklingul, ar rezulta intr-o deposedare curata prin alunecare, mingea si nu adversarul. Insa in cazul in care atacurile s-au lasat, in cazurile amintite, cu fracturi si multe luni prin sali de recuperare si pe tusa, imi cer iertare, dar n-ar putea avea mai multa trecere in fata incercarii unui Ngog de a obtine pe nedrept penalty.

In motricitatea lui Ngog nu s-a deslusit ca ar cauta penaltyul cu lumanarea, doar “saniuta” lui Carsley determinandu-l sa incerce in ultima clipa marea cu sarea, pe cand acel hei-rup al lui Guthrie, lansat la rupere, a fost cu premeditare. Acestea au fost exemplele alese de ziarist pentru a-si reliefa punctul de vedere, creand implicit o falie intre perceptia sa si probabil nu doar a lui Benitez, ci a destulor exponenti ai fotbalului non-insular.

Articolul mi-a pus in alta lumina marja acceptabilitatii deposedarii in fotbalul insular, placandu-mi mult tacklingurile desavarsite dar gasindu-le uneori mai mult decat la limita chiar si pe cele ale lui Paul Scholes, altfel deloc un jucator “murdar”.  

Mai jos, faultul asupra lui Eduardo si plonjonul sau contra lui Celtic, unii presari considerand a doua infractiune ca fiind mai grava. Va las pe Dumneavoastra sa decideti. Gusturile nu se discuta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qryjPi4KEek

E pe ritmuri sud-americane. Si zau ca mi s-ar face inima cat un purice, sa-mi mai sara cineva la picioare, dupa atacul de mai sus. Dar de-aceea nu-s fotbalist si scrijelesc in lumea virtuala.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL5G6eAsfgY  

Liga Premier

Manchester United goleo 3-0 al Everton

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal

Chelsea le puso una goliza al Wolverhampton 4 goles a cero.

Liverpool empata a dos goles contra el Manchester City

Hull City 3-3 West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur MASACRA al Wigan Atlhetic 9 goles a 1

Birmingham City 1-0 Fullham

Paul Scholes celebrates his 35th birthday today as a United legend. Not many people outside the United Academy could see that coming 19 years ago.

“At 16, we could play Scholsey for only 20 minutes a game. He was a little one. Had asthma. No strength. No power. No athleticism. No endurance. (…) If Scholsey had been at a lesser club, they would have got rid of him and he would probably not be in the game now”, said former Academy Director Les Kershaw in an interview with Henry Winter a few years ago.

Since then Scholes has played more than 600 games for United and 66 times for England. But even more remarkable than those figures is the respect he’s earned from his fellow professionals:

Thierry Henry: “Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes.”

Rio Ferdinand: “Everyone at the club considers him the best.”

Zinedine Zidane: “Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation.”

(Thanks to Scott at RoM for bringing the Kershaw interview to my attention.)

Who Ate  All the Pies picks it’s Premier League Flops Team of the Season, including five(!) United players.

The Evening News lists our six major transfer targets (and overrates our chances of signing them).

Red Rants puts Nani’s latest brilliant career move into a bit of perspective.

A word of advice for Rio Ferdinand: you will have plenty of time to attend movie premieres, start a music label and run your very own magazine when you decide to hang up your boots. Until then, as long as a fat cheque comes to your house every week signed by Manchester United Football Club, kindly concentrate all your energy and effort on the pitch.

Ferdinand attended a premiere in London just hours after flying back from the CSKA match in Moscow. The movie he attended was called Dead Man Running (which is how some people would describe the way he’s defending now), which he co-produced with Ashley Cole. A few days later, he was up against Fernando Torres at Anfield and we all know what happened there.

There is no doubting the England international’s quality. On his day, he is the best defender on the planet. Sadly, during the night, he thinks he’s a hip-hop artist.

He has mentioned his desire to continue playing into his late thirties. With his persistent back problem, if he wants to be the English Paulo Maldini, he certainly needs to look after himself and stick to the special core-based training regime United has set out for him, which includes massage therapy several times a week. Most men would give their right hand to get free massages every week.

Sir Alex Ferguson might be regretting his decision not to sign any defensive reinforcements over the summer. He thought, as many of us did, that United’s first choice backline was in good shape and the likes of Jonny Evans, Wes Brown and the da Silva twins would provide more than adequate reinforcement when injuries and suspensions kicked in.

These squad players have not disappointed when called upon. It’s the established personnel like Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and even John O’ Shea, who you could count upon to give a 6.5/10 performance every week in almost any position, that have not stepped up so far this season.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Was it a mistake to let Gerard Pique leave for Barcelona? He’s in the Spanish first XI now but he had struggled with the pace of the English game, one of the reasons why he never made the step up from the reserves and was let go for a paltry six million pounds. Would he have been able to stop Torres from scoring that first goal at Anfield?

Form is temporary, class is permanent. United desperately need Vidic and Ferdinand to re-establish their brick wall at the back. A solid central defensive pairing breathes confidence into the rest of the team. After all, the best offence is a good defence. I’m on a roll with all these sporting clichés!

A bigger problem for Sir Alex has been the lack of a dictator (not the Mussolini kind) in the middle of the park. At this moment in time, no one in a United jersey is in the mould of Cesc Fabregas or Xavi and this has hurt the Red Devils attacking play, especially against the bigger sides. It’s been a long time since the slots of Captain Courageous (Roy Keane) and Captain Creativity (Eric Cantona) were taken up.

Paul Scholes, for all his cross-field passes and terribly mistimed tackling, has looked out of place and breath trying to keep up with the fast paced nature of the game today. A lot of faith seems to be placed on the shoulders of young Gabriel Obertan, who could turn out to be the next Franck Ribery. Put him under too much pressure and he becomes David Bellion.

The risk of being dominated by teams employing packed midfields is greater now that Sir Alex has reverted to the 4-4-2 formation of yesteryear. It has suited the pure wing-play of Antonio Valencia but has heaped plenty of responsibility on the two central midfielders to dominate proceedings.

Whilst Anderson and Darren Fletcher have shown themselves to be up for the task, questions are still being raised over the supply to the forwards through the middle. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov have dropped back many times out of frustration for the lack of chances being created for them. Would someone like Daniele de Rossi or Yoann Gourcuff be the missing jigsaw piece of the United midfield puzzle?

Again, in hindsight, should Fergie have splashed the Ronaldo transfer cash on David Silva from Valencia? The Spaniard oozes quality and would have been a good fit in the United team. He could rotate the left wing and forward position with Rooney, just as the latter does on England duty with Steven Gerrard to such great effect.

What makes Sir Alex stand apart from all of us is his tremendous foresight. It has served him so well in the past and this season will be no different – I hope. Or else Rio Ferdinand’s music career may be starting sooner than we expected.

The Champions League fixtures which were so exciting a fortnight ago were mostly dreary affairs this week, as each team played the same team as they had previously, except this time in the others’ house. We ended up with 3 draws and a couple of blowouts, assuring me that being without internet/cable access for the majority of the evening was not a total tragedy. I’ll write up most of them, except the really useless ones (I’m looking at you, APOEL v Porto). Here they are, in no particular order:

Look how happy he was to be back in Milan!

AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid – Well, the fixture that was so explosive last week ended without the same sort of fireworks this time around. Instead of ludicrous goalkeeping errors and 40-yard screamers, tonight’s match was graced by a pair of (comparatively) cheaply-had goals and one goal which was bafflingly disallowed. Kaká’s build-up to Real Madrid’s 29th minute goal showed a flash of the genius he used to have at the San Siro (and has failed to produce thus far for Madrid), but Dida made the initial save and it was up to Karim Benzema to tap the rebound past the bumbling Brazilian. It didn’t take long what had been a rather flaccid Milan side up to that point to galvanize (and equalize), when Gianluca Zambrotta was struck by the elbow of a sliding Pepe in the area and awarded a penalty. On 35′, Ronaldinho gleefully buried from the spot. Alexandre Pato almost gave i Rossoneri the lead moments later, with his volley finding the back of the net, but the goal was ultimately disallowed because the youngster had committed a foul in scoring it (maybe the foul was scoring it?). In the end, it would finish all level at the San Siro, and all level in Group C; Milan and Madrid sit tied with 7 points just above Marseilles.

Marseille 6-1 FC Zurich – Normally I wouldn’t give half a shit about this game. Swiss teams, French teams, it’s all Greek to me. However, the epic nature of the scoreline forces me to give at least a bit of a shout-out to l’OM, for whom 6 different individuals made an appearance on the scoresheet (well, 5 Marseille players and 1 Zurich via OG). In fact, it was Silvan Aegerter’s own goal that opened the floodgates for the visitors on 3′ – Fabrice Abriel would make it 2-0 on 11′, but Alexandre Alphonse pulled one back for his side on the half-hour mark. After the half, Mamadou Niang, Hilton, Benoît Cheyrou and Brandao would all net for Les Phocéens, while the home side would be left less than satisfied with their solitary goal. Quite a blowout!

Gourcuff was the key to his side's victory in München.

Bordeaux 2-0 Bayern München – Les Girondins are progressing to the knock-out stages. As for Bayern, well, we’ll have to see. In the first 30 or so minutes of tonight’s match at the Allianz-Arena, it seemed like it would be the home side who would take the lead. Bastian Schweinsteiger proved a great danger as a dead ball specialist, causing the visiting defense all sorts of problems and coming close to causing a goal more than once. Bayern also might have gone ahead from the spot -players appealed for a penalty on a perceived Michael Ciani handball in the area, but the referee saw nothing; what die Roten wanted to be a spot kick would instead be a corner. Ultimately, it would be the French side who would get ahead on 37′ thanks to star man Yoann Gourcuff, who headed home after shaking off Mark van Bommel. After the break, Luca Toni had about 80,000 chances (duffed ‘em all) and Arjen Robben came on to greatly improve Bayern’s play, but the German side simply could not find the back of the net. Late in the game, Bayern fans began to depart from the stadium en masse, and those who did stay until the end were treated to the sight of Marouane Chamakh skipping past Hans-Jörg Butt to ease the ball into an empty net. Back-to-back losses to the French side for Bayern see them fall to 3rd in Group A – I knew this was the Year of the Underdog, but did it have to be the Year of the French by extension?

Juventus 1-0 Maccabi Haifa – Juventus continue to stay true to their recent Champions League mantra – do as little as you have to and scrape by. I’m sure Ciro Ferrara’s side is still reeling at the manner in which they let Sunday’s fixture against Napoli slip away, but they once again managed to beat the Israeli side (this time in Haifa) by a margin of 1-0. Mauro Camoranesi’s magic touch in first-half stoppage time was enough for i Bianconeri to slip past their hosts, who are now officially out of the competition with a grand total of 0 points. Juventus spent much of the second half patiently building up attacks and then listlessly watching them break down, as though they were simply happy to kill the time. And they were. Another half-assed performance, another victory for Juve. Go figure.

Agüero-Drogba strike force?

Chelsea 2-2 Atletico Madrid – Over the past two weeks, Chelsea’s goal differential was +19. That’s 19 for and 0 against, in all competitions. That included a 4-0 drubbing of Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge which prompted me to wonder how Abel Resino was hanging on to his job. Two weeks later, Resino is out of a job, and Chelsea have finally been scored upon. One could make a case to have this match renamed Sergio Agüero 2-2 Didier Drogba, as each prolific striker bagged a brace for his side to account for all 4 goals of the match (this time split evenly between the teams). Los Colchoneros took a second-half lead on 66′ when Agüero, just recently subbed onto the pitch, met the end of a cross with a sharp volley that left Petr Cech helpless on his line. Didier Drogba would take his time, but eventually single-handedly turned the match around for the Blues with a pair of goals on 82′ and 88′ – the latter being a supreme individual effort in which the Ivorian beat several defenders and buried his own rebound. However, Agüero was not about to be outdone, and on 90′ launched a strike from 30 yards which leveled the match for his side. New Atleti manager Quique Sánchez Flores will no doubt be disappointed that his team gave up the lead, but thrilled that they salvaged the draw – nevertheless Atletico are now officially out of the competition, while Chelsea are officially moving on.

Manchester Utd 3-3 CSKA Moskow – Sir Alex Ferguson’s men sealed their passage into the knock out rounds as Luis Antonio Valencia once more played the last-ditch heroics card. CSKA took the lead on 25′ through Alan Dzagoev, but Michael Owen equalized just 4 minutes later. Nevertheless, CSKA were undaunted, and within the next 20 minutes of play took a commanding 3-1 lead through Milos Krasic (31′) and Vasiliy Berezutskiy (47′). Darren Fletcher was booked on a strange call, after he looked to be set loose on goal and was then taken down in the box. Instead of a spot kick, the Scotsman received a yellow card. Paul Scholes and the aforementioned Valencia would bring it equal for United with Scholes’ goal on 82′ and Valencia’s in stoppage time. Moscow player Deyvidas Semberas was sent off after a bit of a spat late into injury time, but the Muscovites were nevertheless able to hold United to a 3-3 draw. Not a bad result from the Russian side, though it won’t help their Champions League aspirations this year.

VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 Besitkas – Luckily for Deutschland, one German squad was able to easily overcome their opposition this evening. Wolves took over Istanbul as Armin Veh’s side ran rampart at Inönü, with Zvjezdan Misimovic, Christian Gentner and Edin Dzeko finding the back of the net for their side. It seems that the key to obtaining an ‘always difficult’ away win in Turkey is to strike hard, and to strike often – take notes, Fergie.

Manchester United booked its passage to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League in dramatic and somewhat embarrassing fashion. If a side like CSKA Moscow can come to Old Trafford and score goals in the manner they did, I don’t think the Special One at Inter Milan or Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola will be having sleepless nights worrying about United’s threat to their title hopes.

It seemed that Wayne Rooney was not the only one suffering from insomnia in the last few days. He had a legitimate excuse with the birth of his son and future England international Kai Rooney. On the other hand, United’s backline, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans in particular, were time and again caught napping by a fluid Russian offence.

United really made heavy weather of a game that with better defending ought to have been a stroll in the park. The opening goal from bright prospect Alan Dzagoev was a case of Evans being outdone by the youngster’s pace. The Northern Ireland international should have got closer to him and Edwin Van der Sar’s lame attempt at a save would have seen him being slaughtered in the media if his name was Ben Foster instead.

Michael Owen’s equaliser a few minutes later seemed to restore normality to the proceedings. A flick from Nani, intentional or not, preceded a cool side-footed finish from Owen, whose predatory instincts kicked in. He once again displayed his positional awareness by staying onside, although the CSKA defence did help in part by playing a deep line.

Milos Krasic, who has now turned in two commendable displays against United in this campaign, gave Fabio da Silva such a torrid time that I wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson subbed in his twin brother Rafael without anyone knowing during the break to give him a rest. Krasic’s goal was well-taken as he breezed past Evans and took it around Van der Sar for the tap-in. Darren Fletcher should have done better to track Krasic’s run as he ran onto Dzagoev’s pass.

But the goal that has got Carlo Ancelotti brimming with confidence going into Sunday’s crunch encounter was Berezutski’s header just after the break. Ferguson described the marking, or the lack of, at the back post for the set-piece as “unbelievable”. As he rightly points out, they will be slaughtered if they carry on defending in this manner at Stamford Bridge.

Federico Macheda, who was making his first European start, was quick to point the blame at others when the ball went into the net but the Italian was the one caught flat footed as the cross came in. The Italian could learn from watching Chelsea ace Didier Drogba in defending set-pieces. He will get a chance to watch it up close this weekend and I hope Drogba will be a useless teacher and score an own goal!

CSKA were probably too embarrassed to be leading by two goals at the Theatre of Dreams. The Russians added to the “How not to defend set-pieces” instructional DVD by giving Paul Scholes the freedom of Manchester to head the ball in from a Gary Beckham, I mean, Neville free-kick.

And that is why I love this club so much because inspiration is found from somewhere to not only get a goal back but also make you believe that all three points are a possibility. Antonio Valencia, who is the complete opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo by passing too much and not shooting enough, finally decided to have an attempt that was heading for row Z in the Stretford End before the law of physics decided to intervene.

There was not enough Fergie time to get all three points but the Ecuadorian’s deflected equaliser showed that if you don’t buy the ticket, you won’t win the lottery.

So I suggest you keep buying your 4D and Toto tickets. And if you win, please don’t forget to make out a cheque to yours truly.

Qualification is secured, United’s eight-year unbeaten Champions League home record is still intact and the Red Devils will top the group with a win over Besiktas in the penultimate group match.

United fans have probably become accustomed to the team playing in fits and starts this season. I just hope key players like Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs are FIT to play against Chelsea this weekend and United can START to play like the champions they are.

Andy Goram, who landed a shock loan deal with Manchester United in 2001 from Motherwell, in his Biography “The Goalie: My Story”, has revealed how his loan deal happened, and how he hung up on Sir Alex Ferguson thinking it was someone else mocking him!

Excerpt:

When I had three months of my contract left, they let it be known that I wouldn’t be offered another one. I was knackered. Miriam and I were together at the time and she was driving me to training one day when my phone rang. Coisty. It was 9.30am and I thought he must be coming in from a night on the batter. Ally never phones you in the morning. We blethered, and I shrugged it off and went into training.

Then at lunchtime on the way home the phone rang again. Walter Smith. He was manager of Everton at the time and warned me to keep my phone on because someone was going to ring me.

‘What is it, gaffer? You got a job for me?’ I asked. ‘Just keep your fucking phone on,’ he growled.

Now I was starting to wonder what was going on. I suspected I was about to get the piss taken out of me. Two minutes later, the phone rang again.

‘Goalie, it’s Alex Ferguson here. We’ve got Bayern Munich on Wednesday and Liverpool at the weekend. Barthez is injured and Raimond van der Gouw is struggling. I need you to come down on loan until the end of the season.’

I said: ‘Coisty, f*** off’. And put the phone down. Ally could do Sir Alex perfectly. I wasn’t falling for that old one. The phone rang again and I told Miriam to answer it this time.

’Miriam, this is Alex Ferguson, and you can tell that fat bastard he’s got ten seconds to say aye or naw.’

It really was him. I thought I was dreaming. I’d been playing football for 20 years, and there had been many great moments. But I don’t think many come close to that call from Sir Alex Ferguson.

Further, he tells us about his experiences at the club right from the first day and has some interesting words for David Beckham and Paul Scholes.

McClaren took me around and introduced me to the squad, player by player. Here I was in the inner sanctum of the biggest club on the planet. Gary and Phil Neville’s dad is called Neville Neville. He was a lovely man I’d played cricket against in my summers growing up in Lancashire. As a result I knew the family and that was an ice-breaker. And for all of Keane’s fury at my arrival, the rest of the dressing room respected me and accepted me right away.

Jaap Stam changed next to me each morning. He was a huge man, imposing, and some player. He was brilliant with me and helped me through it. Paul Scholes comes from Middleton, where I grew up, so we also had a bond. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes – they are technicians of football, craftsmen of their trade.

Beckham has earned every penny he has now because he is an unbelievably dedicated athlete. I was his guinea pig on that training ground every morning. We’d stay behind after the session had finished, and he’d practise his free kicks with me in between the sticks. I loved it in the morning when he’d pop his head in after training and say: ‘Right, Goalie, let’s go’. He would stick a wall of plastic defenders in front of him, set down his 30 balls and we were off. Sir Alex had to force him to take days off. I loved working with the guy. Beckham came through the youth ranks with Giggs, Scholes and the Neville brothers, and there was a strong bond between them.

Giggs was the best crosser of a ball while running that I had ever seen – moving at pace and swirling over a killer centre. But Scholes was the real diamond amongst them, the baby-faced assassin. He was a man of few words, but he was well worth listening to when he did crack a sentence or two.

Here is another excerpt, in which he explains how he never got along well with Roy Keane, while all the players respected Keane and were scared of him.

Shark’s eyes. Dead, devoid of emotion, glaring at me. No handshake. Welcome to Manchester United. Roy Keane-style. The man who saw himself as the heartbeat of the Reds was giving me a message. He just looked right through me as the embarrassed Steve McClaren, the United No 2, tried to introduce the new on-loan keeper to his volcanic captain. From that second I knew there was no point in me making an effort with Keane. Roy had things he stood by, things that framed his life, beliefs he clung to with a burning intensity. Well, I had mine. What he did to me on that first morning at work at the most famous football club in the world didn’t faze me. It didn’t send me scurrying into my shell. I just thought: ‘F*** it. He’s not going to stop me enjoying this.’ He was a Celtic man, I was a Rangers man. He didn’t like me. End of story. Fair enough. After all, I’d done enough to make some Celtic fans dislike me in seven years at Ibrox. There was to be no handshake. Ever.

The truth is we didn’t exchange a civil word in the three months I was at Old Trafford. From day one we had arguments on the training pitch and didn’t get on. It was serious stuff. He hated the sight of me. However, I was 36 years old. I’d landed the move of my life in the twilight of my career. Was I going to let one man’s sneering disdain for me wreck the experience? Forget it.

There were clashes between us. One day in training, we were playing a game of eight-a-side, and Keane and Luke Chadwick were up front for my team. I always prided myself on the accuracy of my kicking, on being able to pick out a player from a distance, and that day I half-volleyed a peach right onto Chadwick’s foot. The kid snatched at it and ballooned his volley over the bar. Suddenly, I was the target of a volley of abuse from Keane.

’Hey you, give me the f*****g ball,’ he screamed.

I replied: ‘What, do you get the ball just cos you’re Roy Keane? F*** off.’

The atmosphere was icy from that moment on and on the way off the field Gary Neville collared me.

’Goalie,’ he said, ‘we don’t talk to Roy like that down here. We just don’t.’

It was a telling insight for me. I respected Keane as a player, but I couldn’t have that. As far as I was concerned, the way he spoke to some of the players was bang out of order. Many of them were clearly shit-scared of him.

Gestern abend stand eines der traditionellen Premier-League-Duelle auf dem Spielplan: FC Liverpool gegen Manchester United. Ich habe mir im «Shamrock Irish Pub» einen netten Nachmittag gemacht, englischer Fußball und Cappuccino sei dank. Während des Spiels entstand in meinem Notizbuch ein kleiner Liveticker, den ich eigentlich schon gestern abend veröffentlichen wollte – allein, es fehlte die Zeit.

[Vor dem Spiel] Steven Gerrard fehlt bei den «Reds», der Kapitän nur auf der Tribüne; dafür kann Fernando Torres spielen. Bei Manchester ist Wayne Rooney überraschenderweise rechtzeitig fit geworden.
Das Duell des Tages wird wohl im Sturm stattfinden: Rooney und Berbatov gegen Torres.

3′ Steilpass auf Rooney. Tor! Aber Abseits.

5′ Manchesters Defensive formiert sich sehr zentral, bei Liverpools Angriffen gibt es auf den Außen immer eine Anspielstation. Sollte auf diesem Niveau eigentlich nicht passieren. (Interessanterweise verfügen Manchesters Flügelspieler bei Ballbesitz über ein sehr gutes Stellungsspiel, aber die Außenverteidiger ziehen sich bei Ballverlust beide in die Mitte zurück.)
Schon jetzt zu beobachten: Beide Teams bemühen sich um eine konzentrierte Spieleröffnung mit flachen und direkten Pässen. Bloß nicht zu früh den Ball verlieren!

10′ ManUtd besetzt die defensiven Außenpositionen wieder nicht. Taktik?

12′ United kontert nach einem Liverpool-Freistoß. Zwar mit wenigen Spielern, aber trotzdem entsteht Druck für die gegnerische Abwehr. Rooney als Anspielstation prägt das Bild der «Red Devils».

16′ Freistoß für Liverpool, van der Saar rettet, Nachschuss Torres, van der Saar ist erneut da. Manchesters Abwehr schwimmt. Aber Liverpool kann im Nachsetzen kein Tor erzwingen. Die Chance war da, Manchesters Zuordnung stimmte nicht. Drei freie Spieler von der Merseyside im Strafraum sind entscheidend zu viel.

18′ Liverpool kontert über Dirk Kuyt, scheitert aber erneut an van der Saar. Ist das der vermeintliche Krisenklub Liverpool? Nur im Tabellenmittelfeld? Nein, das ist ein ebenbürtiger Gegner.

21′ Der erste konzentrierte Angriff von Fergusons Elf. Berbatov, Rooney, dann ist der Ball weg. Vor allem in der folgenden Rückwärtsbewegung zeigen sich im defensiven Mittelfeld von Manchester riesige Lücken – ist das eine Meistermannschaft? Noch einmal: Löcher im Mittelfeld und de facto sechs Innenverteidiger am eigenen Strafraum, aber keine Außenverteidigung.

25′ Nun wird Torres gezielter gefoult. Willkommen in England.

34′ ManUtd inzwischen mit «Kick and Rush», das hart am Liverpool-Strafraum beendet wird. Die Wiederholung zeigt: Eigentlich wäre ein Strafstoß fällig gewesen.

36′ Die letzten Minuten gehörten eindeutig Manchester, die Statistik spricht von 77% Ballbesitz. Nun ein Lebenszeichen von Liverpool, Kopfball von Fabio Aurelio aus kurzer Distanz, aber van der Saar ist schnell unten.

40′ Nun ist auch die Abwehr der «Reds» nicht bei der Sache – aber Berbatov schießt Reina an.

46′ Berbatov hält Kuyt im Strafraum, aber auch Liverpool wird der Strafstoß verweigert. Eigentlich zwei klare Szenen.

Halbzeitfazit Liverpool dominierte 20 Minuten lang und schläft dann plötzlich ein, während Manchester allmählich ins Spiel kommt, aber vor allem von Rooneys Gefährlichkeit lebt. Unmittelbar vor der Halbzeit ist der von ManUtd aufgebaute Druck am größten, Liverpool fällt mehr und mehr ab. Besonders dem anfangs sehr agilen Fernando Torres scheint in den letzten Minuten die Kraft ausgegangen zu sein.

53′ Liverpool kommt besser aus der Kabine, hatte schon zwei, drei gute Angriffe. Gelingt mit neuer Konzentration endlich ein Tor?

56′ Angriff über Berbatov und Rooney, der von Lucas gelbwürdig gestoppt wird, aber mit einer Verwarnung davonkommt. Ryan Giggs zieht den folgenden Freistoß scharf auf Berbatov, aber Torres ist zuvor am Ball.

60′ Mascherano und Agger bedrängen Valencia. Giggs zieht den Freistoß wieder gefährlich in den Strafraum, aber Michael Carrick köpft Johnson an.
Wirkliche Gefahr strahlt ManUtd in der zweiten Hälfte vor allem über Standards aus.

65′ Tor! Liverpool überbrückt schnell das Mittelfeld. Steilpass, Querpass, Steilpass – und dann lässt Fernando Torres Rio Ferdinand stehen und hebt den Ball über Edwin van der Saar. Großartiger Spielzug! Torres ist mit neun Treffern nun auch wieder alleiniger Anführer der Premier-League-Torschützenliste.

68′ Freistoß für Manchester 25 Meter zentral vor dem Tor – aber Rooney hämmert den Ball in die Mauer. Liverpool zieht sich weit zurück, will sich jetzt kein dummes Gegentor einfangen.

70′ Neill Lucas stößt in Manchesters Abwehrlücken und geht auf das zweite Tor – aber er scheitert.

71′ Distanzschuss Mascherano.

72′ Wieder Lucas, diesmal nach einer Ecke. Jetzt drückt Liverpool!
Kurz darauf Gelb für Mascherano. Insgesamt eine gute Leistung von Liverpool, in der Abwehr konzentriert und im Sturm spritzig. Sieht gut aus!

74′ Doppelwechsel bei United: Michael Owen für Berbatov, Nani für den unauffälligen Paul Scholes.

75′ Gelb für Nemanja Vidic, der den auf rechts startenden Fernando Torres im Mittelfeld foult. Liverpool zieht sich jetzt weiter zurück als vor der Führung und spekuliert auf Konter.

77′ Nani zieht aus 11 Metern ab, Reina hält.

78′ Guter Angriff der «Reds», aber Torres will am Strafraum zu lässig den Ball durchstecken und bleibt hängen.

81′ Wechsel Liverpool: David N’Gog für Torres.

82′ ManUtd wirkt verzweifelt, probiert es erneut mit «Kick and rush».

84′ Valencia hämmert vom Eck des Fünfmeterraums den Ball an die Latte – knappe Sache.

87′ Gelb für Carragher. Nur gelb.

89′ Gelb-Rot Vidic. Dirk Kuyt ist an der Mittellinie durch, Vidic reißt ihn um. Klare Sache.

90′ Liverpool hat verständlicherweise Zeit ohne Ende, Manchester kann es nicht schnell genug gehen.

91′ Großartig: Johnson läuft Rooney den Ball ab.

92′ Wechsel Liverpool: Martin Skrtel für Benayoun.

94′ Gelb-Rot Mascherano. Der Liverpooler geht den herausstürmenden Edwin van der Saar hart an. Eine klare Entscheidung.
Liverpool zieht sich jetzt komplett zurück. Nur kein dummes Gegentor!

96′ Inzwischen ist das Spiel ein wildes Gebolze, Manchester versucht aus dem Chaos Chancen zu kreieren. Im Gegenzug ein feiner Angriff von Liverpool über Dirk Kuyt und David N’Gog, die locker die United-Abwehr aushebeln – und N’Gog erzielt das Tor! Das war’s, damit machen die «Reds» den Sack zu und sichern sich die drei Punkte.

97′ Abpfiff. Eine turbulente Nachspielzeit endet. Der FC Liverpool besiegt Manchester United. Spielerisch war Liverpool tatsächlich etwas besser, größtenteils sah man aber ein Duell auf Augenhöhe. Mit den drei Punkten könnte Liverpool einen ersten Schritt unternommen haben, um die zwischenzeitliche Krise zu beenden.

Mann des Tages war für mich Neill Lucas (Liverpool), der mit einer konsequenten Defensivleistung und gefährlichen Vorstößen viel Aufsehen erregte.

The first 45 minutes between CSKA Moscow and Manchester United was an insult to the legend that is the Luzhniki stadium. Less than two years ago, it was the scene of United’s dramatic (with the Red Devils, when is it not so?) European Cup triumph over a tearful John Terry and company. Now, it will have to settle for being the place where the Sir Alex Ferguson’s men equalled Ajax Amsterdam’s record of 14 away matches without defeat in Europe.

It was actually a typical United performance away from Old Trafford. It took them an entire half to get accustomed to the 4-5-1 setup that Fergie insists on using during their European excursions. He will continue to stick by it as he said, ‘There is a way of playing in Europe, you saw it tonight.’ That means it’s only worth watching United in the second half during UEFA Champions League games.

Gary Neville’s speculative left-foot effort, which grazed the top of the crossbar, was the closest that the English champions came to getting on the scoreboard before the break. Everyone was surprised by this attempt, even Neville himself, who realised that his left foot is better than Nani’s.

All credit to the very poor man’s Ronaldo though. Nani was a constant threat throughout the game, to the CSKA defenders and his own team as well. With the 22-year-old, you’re not sure whether he’ll put in a decent cross into the box, which he is capable of, or if he gives the ball away, which he is just as fond of.

He could have learnt a thing or two (maybe three) in the art of wing play from the man next to him but in a different jersey. He goes by the name of Milos Krasic and he specialises in Andrei Kanchelskis imitations as he darts past defenders and puts in dangerous balls into the box. Nemanja Vidic was close to tears by the end of the game because his Serbian teammate gave him a real hard time as he swerved in, out and around the United backline. Not the present he was looking for on his 28th birthday.

Krasic would tell him that it was for his own good as they might be wearing the same red jersey (I don’t mean Serbia) soon. Vidic should be more worried about his place in the side for the crunch match at Anfield this Sunday. He has been shaky and inconsistent this season and one wonders whether speculation linking him with a move to Spain has affected him, just as it has with Javier Mascherano.

Young Fabio da Silva was a livewire down the left flank and linked up well with Nani. United’s main threat going forward were orchestrated by them as they seemed to adapt to the artificial surface far better than their teammates. Fabio’s tireless work ethic and bursting forward runs showcased that he’s identical to his brother Rafael in more than just looks. The twins are well on their way to sealing the full-back spots at United for many years to come. It’s only a matter of time before someone comes up with a flag that reads, ‘da Silvas > Nevilles’.

Paul Scholes had a tough time asserting himself in the centre of the park and it was no surprise and to the great relief of United fans the world over that Fergie chose to revert back to the tried-and-trusted 4-4-2 system when Michael Owen came on. He was probably worried by the lack of quality showed by his side in the final third.

Dimitar Berbatov was clearly not enjoying his lone role up front, which only served to highlight just how important Wayne Rooney has become to the team. It really is a thankless, horrible task being isolated up front. He is not the kind of striker who bullies centre-halfs or runs the channels so the service to him needs to be spot on from the midfield. You could tell what he thought of this by the number of times he was gesturing and complaining during the match.

The goal itself was an outstanding strike from Antonio Valencia, who caught Igor Akinfeev cold at a tight angle. It was textbook stuff from Fergie’s men; cross from the wing, flick from the centre forward and finish from the winger drifting in from his flank. If memory serves me correctly, some guy called Cristiano Ronaldo used to score loads of goals this way.

On a bizarre note, the post-match meals for United players (specially flown in from Manchester!) were destroyed by Russian customs officials. Fergie could not celebrate his first victory over Russian opposition on their soil with a nutritious meal as, apparently, the officials were offended at this slight to its local cuisine. What they didn’t mention was that a cheque had just arrived at their office. It was sent by Rafa Benitez.

It pains me to have to agree with Rafa Benitez. But Mr Zonal Marking is probably right. Not about zonal marking. But on the notion that the top teams will be losing more often this season as the league becomes more open and clubs realize that it’s not illegal to play two forwards against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

As Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin’”. Andy Reid is losing weight, Darren Bent is scoring goals for fun and a Sunderland victory over Liverpool is not a surprise anymore. When Benitez can’t find excuses for a defeat, you know there weren’t any.

The big four have lost nine times between them already, compared with four defeats collectively a year ago. Of these nine defeats, only one is marked under Manchester United’s column. Results wise, it’s been a very good start to the season for a team that was supposed to crumble when You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named left for Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively. They have ridden their luck in true United fashion – at least that’s what opposition fans like to think as they come up with conspiracy theories to explain each victory chalked up by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

The Red Devils are simply a team that never gives up until the fat lady sings. Or the fat man blows the whistle. Whether it’s the players’ fear of a rollicking from Fergie after the match or that the win bonuses are considerable at Old Trafford, this has been the difference over the years between the champions and the pretenders, between Ryan Giggs kissing a league trophy and Steven Gerrard kissing a television camera.

Another hallmark of United is making things harder than it needs to be. Fans certainly get value for money at the most expensive matchday seats in England. Included in the package are near-heart attacks from Rio Ferdinand’s carelessness, sore throats from screaming at Nani’s passing and loss of faith in humanity whenever Ben Foster is in goal. It was astonishing to see Fergie’s men having to resort to time-delay tactics in the final minutes of a match at Old Trafford – against Bolton Wanderers no less.

With You-Know-Who gone, the media’s doomsday analysts have been incessantly highlighting the issue of replacing the glut of goals he provided. Only five of United’s 21 league goals thus far have come from midfield. Antonio’s Valencia first goal over the weekend will no doubt be a confidence booster for a player many liken to a raw diamond. With polishing (Paul Scholes’ shooting lessons) and thorough cleaning (composure on the ball taught by Professor Dimitar Berbatov), he could turn out to be a gem of a player.

If matches lasted for only an hour, Anderson would be amongst the best players in the world. I can’t think of another player whose performances dip so alarmingly when he starts to tire. If Darren Fletcher shares his endurance pills with the Brazilian, Fergie has another gem in his hands. The 21-year-old is well capable of lining up alongside Juventus’ Felipe Melo in the samba boys’ central midfield at next year’s World Cup. This could be a breakout season for him, just as it has been a breakdown one for Nani so far. It would help if he joined in at Scholes’ shooting class. It also wouldn’t hurt if he started learning the English language!

A real worry (already picked up by said doomsday analysts) is a leaky backline which just a few months back was heralded as one of the best in the game. Matt Taylor’s ‘ridiculously soft’ (according to Fergie) goal was the seventh conceded at home in the league. Last season, United took until March to reach that tally with that most unmemorable 4-1 thumping from Liverpool.

Ferdinand’s relaxed demeanour when dealing with the ball, for so long a strong attribute of his, is now being exploited by nimbler forwards to the point that the England international is finding his place challenged for the first time in his career by young Jonny Evans. Edwin Van der Sar’s return could not have been better timed for a sloppy and lethargic defence that has been more characteristic of the club in the blue half of Manchester.

However, it’s the return of Owen Hargreaves that all United (and England) fans have been waiting for. The protection he offers in front of the back four has been missed, together with his curly hair. His return (in a matter of weeks hopefully) may not be publicized as much as the return of Eric Cantona after his long suspension, but it’s just as important for club and country.

As for the now infamous ‘boy in Adidas jumper’ who threw the Liverpool beach ball onto the pitch, he is welcome at Old Trafford anytime, where he knows Messrs Ferdinand and Nani will guarantee him ninety minutes of heart-stopping action. If he was at the Bolton match, he would have joined 75,000 reds in breathing a huge sigh of relief at the end. Still, it was a much happier place to be than the away ends at the Stadium of Light and Villa Park over the weekend.

The beach ball has now scored more goals than Andriy Voronin this season. Sunderland manager Steve Bruce might have been tempted to present it with the ‘man’ of the match award. The last I heard, Real Madrid scouts were interested. The ball’s agent has refused to comment.

He's so laid back he's horizontal

United were lucky indeed yesterday against Sunderland. In England no one is so naive to think that the league is a competition of equals but Saturday evening saw a team “designed to finish first” struggle mightily to match the organization, industry and will of a side who finished only 2 points out of relegation last year.

Sunderland took their chances and were the beneficiaries of poor defending and an unorganized defence. Manchester United who won the title last year on the backs of their iron men in defence, Ferdinand and Vidic, look to have urgent work ahead if they are to continue their challenge for a fourth Premier League title. This year of their eight matches they have conceded first in three of their last five matches.

Ryan Giggs, the recent impetus for United in their more convincing performances, did not even have a place on the bench and another of United’s old guard was given a place at the heart of midfield. Paul Scholes has a special place in my heart not only for his vision for a pass and technical ability but for his off the pitch professionalism. Truly he is a family man who steps into stardom once a week.

That star appears to be fading and given the 45 minutes on show Saturday, its fading quickly. Even in games where Scholes is not given space and time to pick out 30 yard killer passes, one of his enduring qualities has been the ability to retain possession and not waste it under pressure. Sunderland worked their socks off and Scholes could not find a teammate to save his life. His replacement at half-time, Anderson, certainly changed the game and provided much needed energy but United were still poor.

Take nothing away from Sunderland who through Turner at the back, Cana and Cattermole in the centre and Bent and Jones up front have a team who will not struggle this season. Steve Bruce was an astute managerial appointment and he has bought well over the summer bringing vast improvement. Look no further than a svelte looking Andy Reid who’s sumptuous pass to Kenwyne Jones gave the Black Cats a deserved lead for the second time in the match just when you could sense Manchester United building momentum.

Further concern for United is the absence of a second attacking winger. Danny Welbeck is certainly not a winger and despite what we’ve been led to believe about Nani he has not delivered a tenth of the promise thus far. United had no width through Nani or Welbeck and it showed through the frustration from Rooney at the end of the first half. Wayne Rooney cut the shape of a lonely and isolated man and did not have the required impact.

Berbatov provided the highlight of the evening through his outrageous goal in the second half. United were fortunate to equalise at the death and only after 2-2 in the 90th minute did United truly play with any urgency.

On the balance of the full match Sunderland can feel hard done by and United have miles to go if they are to win another Premier League crown.

Football is a strange game sometimes. Normally a fluent passing game makes it possible for United to dominate most PL games, but on this occassion it had gone missing. Some of the “credit” for this must go to Sunderland who were very well organized in defence and dangerous going forward.

Even Paul Scholes mis-hit several passes(!), and I think Ferguson was right to substitute him at half-time. This morning I had a look at the Guardian’s chalkboards, and Scholes in fact had a pass completion rate of 88%, the second highest among United’s midfielders and attackers. Maybe my initial reaction is a sign that I’m more or less taking it for granted that Scholes will complete just about all of his passes.

Ben Foster should have done better with the cross for Sunderland’s second goal and once again confirmed that he’s a long way from being England’s first choice keeper in South Africa, let alone the long term successor to Edwin van der Sar.

My frustration with Nani (pass completion rate: 48%) continues to grow. I don’t think he seriously troubled the Sunderland defence a single time. Maybe it’s time to send him out on loan. If possible to Coventry.

Finally I was disappointed when Sir Alex chose to attack the referee for not adding enough time and being “unfit”. I would much prefer if Ferguson gracefully accepted some responsibility himself. It certainly wasn’t Alan Wiley’s fault that we lost two points, if anything I thought he was a bit harsh when showing Kieran Richardson a red card.

Not even a spectacular finish from Dimitar Berbatov could make up for all these disappointments. But it came close.

Victory over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium last weekend sent champions Manchester United back to the top of the table and with Chelsea taking on Liverpool on Sunday, they have the chance to consolidate that position with the visit of Sunderland.

Despite failing to really sparkle so far in this campaign Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have won their last eight games in a row thanks largely due to the impressive form of the evergreen Ryan Giggs.

After inspiring his side to victory last weekend at Stoke, the Welshman took the plaudits again in midweek with a vital contribution in United’s Champions League win over Wolfsburg, a match which also saw him notch up his 150th goal for the club.

Yet the Red Devils cannot continue to rely on the 35-year old who may, indeed, be rested for Sunday’s match after his recent heroics. However, having beaten Sunderland in 12 of their last 16 Premier League meetings, United should not lack for confidence.

Even so, the champions may need some form of inspiration to beat a buoyant Sunderland side who almost held on for a famous win at Old Trafford last season. A terrific defensive performance almost yielded a vital point until Nemanja Vidic popped up in the 90th minute to snatch a crucial win.

Breaking records

Sunderland, meanwhile, are enjoying their best ever start to a Premier League season and a 5-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend will have filled the Black Cats with confidence.

Despite the win, manager Steve Bruce bemoaned his team’s defending after the game, blasting it as “comical” at times, and the visitors will certainly need to tighten up if they are to emerge from Saturday’s fixture with any points.

Yet whilst defensively there are question-marks, offensively Sunderland are a different proposition and with Darren Bent, Kenwyne Jones and former Red Fraizer Campbell on the books, they boast a strike force to fear.

Indeed Bruce has this week hailed his forwards, describing them as “terrific”, and with 12 goals between them already this season, they are certainly delivering the goods.

Of course more will be needed if they are to secure victory over United for the first time since March 1997 – and their first at Old Trafford since May 1968.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

Sep 30: Manchester United 2-1 Wolfsburg
Sep 26: Stoke City 0-2 Manchester United
Sep 23: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Manchester United
Sep 20: Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City
Sep 15: Besiktas 0-1 Manchester United

Sunderland

Sep 27: Sunderland 5-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sep 22: Sunderland 2-0 Birmingham
Sep 19: Burnley 3-1 Sunderland
Sep 12: Sunderland 4-1 Hull
Aug 29: Stoke 0-1 Sunderland

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

Ben Foster will replace Tomasz Kuszczak in goal after missing the Wolfsburg game. Michael Owen is out after aggravating a knock in midweek so Dimitar Berbatov should regain his place in the starting XI.

Predicted Starting XI: Foster, O’Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Valencia, Fletcher, Scholes, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney

Sunderland

Lee Cattermole has recovered from a heel problem and should start, as will skipper Lorik Cana who has shaken off an ankle knock. However, John Mensah is a doubt with a thigh injury and will have a late fitness test.

Predicted Starting XI: Gordon, Turner, Mensah, Ferdinand, Richardson, Malbranque, Cana, Reid, Cattermole, Bent, Jones

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United – Darren Fletcher

The Scot has been one of United’s key players this season and therefore it was something of a surprise to see his name missing from the Red Devil’s team-sheet to face Wolfsburg in midweek.

Fletcher will surely be needed on Saturday, however, and against a Sunderland side that proved tough to break down last season, his drive and determination from midfield will certainly be required.

Sunderland – Darren Bent

Darren Bent is in superb form with seven goals in his last seven games and he has this week admitted he is full of confidence and playing as well as he has done for years.

Despite bagging a brace last weekend, the forward got a ticking off from his manager for handing spot-kick duties to Kenwyne Jones and he may be keen to make amends at Old Trafford.

PREDICTION

Games between these two have been tight in recent seasons and this fixture looks to be no exception. Sunderland were notoriously defensive on their last trip to Old Trafford, a policy that almost worked, but are likely to be more adventurous this time with strikers Bent and Jones in top form.

Yet that approach may just suit United, who will shuffle their pack from midweek, but should still have enough quality to sneak another win and maintain their place at the top of the pile.

Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

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Dimitar Berbatov has admitted his disappointment after a tough first year at Manchester United, but is already happier with his form this term.

The Bulgarian failed to hit the heights expected of him in his first campaign following his £30.75million move from Tottenham last year.The 28-year-old scored just nine league goals last term and came in for heavy criticism, even from United fans.

But Berbatov admits that it is him who needs to adapt.

“That is my fault, not theirs. It is me who must change,” he said of the criticism. “Manchester United are their club. They have treated me perfectly since I came.

“In my first year I was disappointed in myself. I need to say that.

“It was a big pressure for me and maybe I failed myself. I think I wanted to prove myself to these supporters.

“You must remember, they are used to Best, Charlton, Cantona. I am just Dimitar.

“I got a number of assists, but I must score more goals.

“I don’t know what I am doing wrong sometimes. Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s me… who knows?

“At nights I have stayed awake thinking, ‘You could have done this instead’.”

Berbatov has begun his second term in better fashion and has scored two league goals already.

“I am more pleased with my overall game in this second season already,” he told The Sun.

“I feel that I have integrated myself better into the team. I am much stronger, much fitter. But I still wish I could score more.”

Berbatov admits his languid style has not always endeared him to the fans, saying:

“This is my style of play. I don’t run for no reason. I am always alert and ready.

“I looked at our ProZone stats and saw that I was ninth in distance covered.

“I am kind of a nerd. I looked at them too much, maybe. By the end of the season I was fourth. Maybe this season I will be first!”

He admits his hefty price-tag was also a heavy burden to carry, but he insisted that he was happy.

“Who can live up to that sort of money? Nobody can. If I think about that money it is crazy to me. I can’t believe it,” he said.

“I am playing with legends like Scholes, Giggs and Rooney. Being coached by a man like Sir Alex Ferguson. How can I not be happy?”

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