Manchester United V: English Premier League Defending Champions!

[tlpnel]

Def 2 poor poor last 2 games IMHO. Can't believe it ??? Damn......

And it was quoted b'cos of fatigue n too many games ?
Hiaz....CHAMPIONS cannot afford to complain wan !!!!
WAKE UP !

 

[legiz]

y u guys so sad ?? i watched first 20 mins i know the result liao , is to lose the match , kelong one lah so obvious..
is so obvious leh , holding the ball running , dun wan to pass .. dun want to defence also.. man utd dun not play badly.. just that they dun want to attack , simple as that .. they lose one match , all the gamblers thinking that the munch crash anniversary man utd sure win.. so many people lost billions last night .. against the odds la

 

[melvin]

On 6 February 1958, darkest day We will never forget!

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={571DB702-768B-4AB7-8699-CB5285216798}

:devil:

 

[Big Kahuna]

Unlike last game, this game is definately a very poor game I must say.....no energy, no aggression...no desire and totally no idea.....I really can't pin point any MU player who is playing well in that game.....I also don't understand why gaffer die die must field the unfit Scholes and slow Giggs???? He is throwing this year championship away and Arsene must be laughing his ass off.....Damn....MU is the biggest looser this time round eventhough none of their player is involved in African Nation cup....:thumbsd:

 

[Zaknafein]

i get disappointed when i see scholes in the lineup these days.
i think we have players on better form recently....

 

[iskofil]

i get disappointed when i see scholes in the lineup these days.
i think we have players on better form recently....

i agree with you... giggsy & scholski are a bit slow already, fergie shld field nani and anderson more often....

 

[melvin]

Neville: Ronny will shine

Cristiano Ronaldo may not have been able to sprinkle some of his magic on last weekend's disappointing derby defeat, but skipper Gary Neville has backed the winger to continue his incredible form.

Neville has followed Ronaldo's performances closely and says the Portuguese winger's form is incomparable to anything he's ever seen.

Ronaldo has already fired 27 goals this term, surpassing last year's tally of 23, and is within touching distance of George Best's remarkable record of 32 goals in 1967/68.

Neville believes the way in which the 23-year-old has developed into a team player has been key to his emergence as one of the best players in the world.

"In terms of entertainment, performance and production, the player that we’re watching now is every bit as good as anything I’ve ever seen," Neville told United Review. "He’s playing on another planet at the moment.

"His goals’ tally is exceptional, but the most impressive thing is the appreciation he has for playing in a team. His passing, dribbling and crossing are all carefully selected and completed at the right times."

Neville has been a frustrated bystander for the last eleven months with a series of injuries. Nevertheless, his time in the stands has at least allowed him to sit back and appreciate the high standards his team-mates have set this season.

"I said at the start of the campaign that United fans should be as excited as they’ve ever been and that’s been proved," he said. "We’ve had the odd blip, but you experience that every year. We’re getting to the business part of the season now, there’s everything to play for."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Wenger: We're no fools

Arsene Wenger insists his Gunners won't take anything for granted in the title race, despite going five points clear of United.

The Arsenal boss seemed relieved to have won the game in hand over the Reds - "We were a bit under pressure to take advantage of the situation" - and warned of the challenge ahead.

"There is still a long way to go. You could see again tonight that as soon as you are not at your best, you can drop points," Wenger told arsenal.com, after a tense 2-0 win over Blackburn.

"With twelve games to go, we are in a good position and we believe we can do it but we are not a fool. We know it's far from being over and we will have to fight until the last minute, certainly. We have a hard programme in front of us."

The next match in Arsenal's programme is, of course, their FA Cup fifth round tie against United. Wenger's squad could be bolstered by the return of three players, including two who were away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Kolo (Toure) and (Emmanuel) Eboue came back on Monday," reported Wenger. "(Tomas) Rosicky maybe has a little chance for Saturday. (Robin) Van Persie looks better, but he is still a few weeks away."

GO:devil:GOGOGO

 

[melvin]

Reserves: United 1 Rovers 2

United Reserves’ long unbeaten run came to an end on Thursday evening against Blackburn Rovers – the side who inflicted the Reds’ last defeat back in October.

Brian McClair and Jim Ryan’s side came unstuck after a spectacular early strike from Rovers’ Alan Judge and a second half clincher from striker Jamie Clarke – while Danny Welbeck’s late strike was nothing more than a consolation after United were incredibly denied by the woodwork on four occasions.

Welbeck was a whisker away from giving United the lead after just four minutes, but could only drag his improvised shot wide of the post after a neat exchange with strike partner Chris Eagles.

United were to rue that miss as Alan Judge gave the visitors the lead in spectacular fashion just six minutes later. Having emerged from a 50-50 challenge with Sam Hewson in possession of the ball, the midfielder lashed a shot which swerved and dipped over Ron-Robert Zieler via the underside of the crossbar.

Whereas Judge’s effort was aided by the woodwork, United were denied by fractionally past Zieler’s right-hand post.

Danny Simpson and Dong Fangzhuo were introduced at half-time in place of Gerard Pique and Eagles respectively, and the Chinese striker immediately galvanised United’s forward play.

Five minutes after the interval the Reds seemed certain to draw level after decent approach play from Dong, but were twice denied by the woodwork. First Cleverley’s 20-yard drive hit Rovers’ right-hand post, then Welbeck stabbed the rebound against the same upright.

The England youth striker was then denied again after an almighty scramble. His initial shot was blocked and then, after clever play from the outstanding Rodrigo Possebon and David Gray had ended with another blocked shot from Cleverley, Welbeck struck the underside of the bar from just two yards.

Undeterred, the Reds continued to lay siege to Bussman’s goal, and with 20 minutes remaining the Rovers goalkeeper made a fine save to keep out Dong’s volley at his near post.

Completely against the run of play, however, Rovers made the game safe a United were finally handed a route back into the match with just a minute of normal time remaining. Hewson did well to divert Evans’ cross into the path of Welbeck, and he finally registered his name on the scoresheet with a volley into the roof of the net.

It was too little, too late however, and the Reds slipped to a first defeat in 11 matches – although Messrs McClair and Ryan will still take positives from their side’s performance which, on another night, could have yielded a comfortable victory.

United: Zieler; Gray, Pique (Simpson 46), Cathcart, Eckersley; Cleverley, Hewson, Possebon, S Evans; Welbeck, Eagles (Dong 46 (Barnes, 76)).
Subs not used: Amos, Chester

:bigeyes:Wah reserve buang together with the first team!!!:devil:

 

[melvin]

Match Pack: Arsenal

After last weekend's shock defeat in the Manchester derby, United will aim to bounce back with victory this Saturday against high-flying Arsenal. With an FA Cup quarter-final berth at stake, an engaging clash is on the cards...

Form Guide: Two weeks ago, only goal difference separated United and Arsenal in an engaging title race. After taking one point from matches against Tottenham and Manchester City, however, United are suddenly five points behind Arsene Wenger's side. The Gunners have won four straight matches since their Carling Cup annihilation at Spurs, and have lost only three matches in all competitions this season.

Ins and Outs: Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra should return after suspension for United, while Louis Saha could come into contention for his first appearance since January 5 after rejoining first team training last week. Arsenal are definitely without Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby, and there are doubts over the fitness of Tomas Rosicky, Denilson and Gilberto Silva. With both sides ready to resume their Champions League campaigns next week, however, don't be surprised to see both managers shuffling their packs.

Star Men: Much of United's sluggish display against City was attributed to the absence of Wayne Rooney. With the powerhouse striker set to return to the side after suspension, the Gunners will be fearful of a Rooney-led backlash. Not that the Gunners will be apprehensive about conceding, however, with red-hot striker Manu Adebayor in immense form at the moment, with 12 goals to his name from his last nine outings.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Lyon out to erase doubts

Lyon have something of a point to prove in their final Ligue 1 match before taking on United in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

The champions are chasing a seventh straight title and are four points clear at the top of Ligue 1, but they have been far from convincing in recent weeks and head to Le Mans on Saturday hoping to give their confidence a boost.

Lyon won 4-1 in their last outing against Sochaux, but that scoreline was skewed by two injury-time goals and was preceded by a shaky performance.

Before that match, Lyon laboured past Savoie 1-0 in the French Cup having previously been held to a 1-1 stalemate against St Etienne in the league.

Midfielder Mathieu Bodmer, who scored twice against Sochaux, said: "There are quite a few problems in our game at the moment. We need to improve fast because Manchester United are in a different league."

United could be said to be in a similar position after a draw with Tottenham and defeat to Manchester City. The Arsenal FA Cup fifth round tie on Saturday is a must win for many reasons, but also in terms of preparation for the trip across the channel.

"Collectively we're not as strong as we should be," says Lyon captain Juninho. "We're going through a difficult period and it's time to get out of it."

The one positive for the French side is the form of French striker Karim Benzema, who is Ligue 1's top scorer with 16 goals.

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Rodrigo catches the eye

United's new Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Possebon turned in an impressive display on his first start for the Reserves on Thursday evening.

Although United were beaten by Blackburn at Northwich, the 19-year-old's outstanding contribution was not lost on Reds legend Paddy Crerand.

"I’m looking forward to seeing an awful lot more of this boy," Paddy told MUTV. "He was fantastic tonight.

"He can use both feet, he’s very calm on the ball and his passing is very, very good. He’s a big lad too, so he’s strong and can hold off players."

While the Brazilian's technical skills were there for all to see, it was his awareness of the play around him which augurs particularly well in Crerand's eyes.

"Players like Paul Scholes are always looking around and know exactly where they want to play the ball before it even comes to them," he said. "This kid looks as if he could be that kind of player."

:devil:

 

[melvin]

Owen: We're gunning for Arsenal

Owen Hargreaves insists United will be fully focused on returning to winning ways against Arsenal this weekend, despite next week's Champions League resumption.

The Reds host the Gunners on Saturday before flying to France for the first leg of the second round tie with Ligue 1 champions Lyon but, after last weekend's shock Manchester derby defeat, Hargreaves is preaching short-sightedness as the way forward.

"It’s a big game for us and we need to win," he told MU Radio. "We’ll put all our energy into that and then we’ll prepare for the game against Lyon. We won’t have one eye on Europe – certainly not. All the attention is on the Arsenal game right now.

"Losing last weekend was especially disappointing considering it was a derby game and it had the Munich connection. But we have to move on and put it past us.

"The good thing about this part of the season is that every three days you have a new game. It’s probably one of the only jobs in the world where you get a new exam every few days. We now have a good opportunity to play Arsenal and I expect us to win."

Arsene Wenger's side travel to Old Trafford on the crest of a wave: five points clear of United in the Premier League and on the back of four straight wins.

While Hargreaves is respectful of the Gunners' obvious qualities, he is confident that the Reds have the wherewithal to overcome the visitors' dangers on Saturday - having come within seconds of beating them at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season.

"We could have won that game at the Emirates and probably should have," he admitted. "They were fortunate to get that second goal and I think they knew that.

"You could tell by the way they celebrated at the final whistle. We took a lot of positives from that game. On Saturday we’re going to get on the front foot and look to get at them and cause them some problems.

"We know how Arsenal play football and we don’t mind letting them have possession away from our goal. That’s fine. But as soon as they get into the danger areas that’s where we have to defend well. I think we can be very confident going into this match."

While the playmaking of Cesc Fabregas and Aleksandr Hleb have won countless plaudits in the Gunners' impressive season, it is Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor who strikes Hargreaves as the visitors' main threat.

"I was impressed with Adebayor when I played against him earlier this season," he said. "The first game in London, he played up front on his own against Rio and Vida, which is quite a task, with me just in front. I was really impressed with his work ethic and his unselfishness. He did a lot of work, was very strong and held the ball up really well. I think he’s been their most important player this season.

"Arsenal don’t really play two out and out strikers. I don’t think they’ve done that all season. They have people dropping off and making runs in behind.

"I remember the boss saying they do that extremely well, probably the best team in England to do that. They move it about, play quick passing football and make runs off the ball. I think they’ll play Adebayor up front on his own with everyone else running in behind."

:devil:

 

[jeff49er]

Arse always report injury prob and yet the players appear on the field and even score vital goals :think:

Tonite cant watch Man U-Arse game. Too late and tomorrow gotta wake up early for errands.

Here's for Man U fans:

 

[zeith]

Wooohoo.. it's 4 - nil.. :devil::devil::devil:

Outstanding performances from Rooney, Nani, Anderson, Fletcher, Park..

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Zaknafein]

tats right!
i thought brown was solid too.
im loving anderson and rooney more and more.

im really surprised ronaldo and adebayo didnt start tho. dunno what both fergie and wenger thinkin
mind games?

 

[tlpnel]

4 NIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes ! Man Utd thumped the lethargic and out of sorts Gunners !!
Goals from Rooney(16), Fletcher(20), Nani(38) made it 3 nil at the break and Fletcher(74) rounded it up to cap a resounding victory for the Red Devils !

Ronaldo did not feature as SAF claimed he had a stomach upset while Giggs and Scholes were rested ahead of the Champions League meeting with Lyon on Wednesday.

Come on ....... !!!! :twisted:

 

[jeff49er]

I woke up to hear this result :thumbsup::kiss:

Arse next visit to OT in April would be a diff prospect. Hope this Arse defeat tells other EPL teams that they can be defeated.

Now Man U has to focus on bridging the 5 pt gap.

 

[redstorm]

Ronney was superb this morning with his constant tormenting of the gunners' backline. Had he been sharper, he would have scored at least a hat-trick. Nani, Anderson, Fletcher had proved that they are able to fill in the void left by the absence of Scholes, Ronaldo and Giggs with their all round excellent performance. Kudos to Man Utd!! :thumbsup::devil:

 

[jeff49er]

Ronney was superb this morning with his constant tormenting of the gunners' backline. Had he been sharper, he would have scored at least a hat-trick. Nani, Anderson, Fletcher had proved that they are able to fill in the void left by the absence of Scholes, Ronaldo and Giggs with their all round excellent performance. Kudos to Man Utd!! :thumbsup::devil:

Looks llike it was a very good game. A pity it was too late at night for me to watch.