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Showing posts with label michael carrick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michael carrick. Show all posts

Fergie facing defensive headache ahead of Mourinho meeting

Posted by Posted by Linda on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 , under , , | comments (0)



MILAN, Italy – Manchester United face a defensive injury crisis ahead of Tuesday's crucial Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash away to Inter Milan.

Fergie facing defensive headache ahead of Mourinho meetingManchester United's English midfielder Paul Scholes (centre) and team-mates warm up during a training

Sir Alex Ferguson is already deprived of Serbia centre-back Nemanja Vidic through suspension while veteran Gary Neville and Wes Brown are both definitely out.

Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans also picked up an ankle injury during Saturday's 2-1 Premier League victory over Blackburn, while fellow defender John O'Shea missed that game with a heel problem sustained in the 3-0 win over Fulham last Wednesday.

It means that Ferguson could be left with only one recognised senior centre-half in Rio Ferdinand, while the only other defender at his disposal to have played first-team football before this season is France's Patrice Evra.

It has all left Ferguson a bit worried ahead of the most eagerly anticipated tie of the round.

"We've got some injury issues of course and I just hope we can get two centre-backs out there on Tuesday," he said.

"At this moment in time, it's very doubtful. Jonny Evans is unlikely to be playing, he's looking very doubtful and I'm just hoping to have John O'Shea available because we don't have Gary Neville and we don't have Wes Brown.

"We're having a nightmare with defenders this season. Hopefully we can patch it up for Tuesday because this does leave us very, very short."

It means at least one of twin teenage full-backs Rafael and Fabio Da Silva is sure to play and maybe even both.

Otherwise Ferguson will have to look at the possibility of throwing a midfielder into his backline although there are few feasible options.

Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have always been attacking players while Darren Fletcher has had the odd run-out at right-back but never in the heart of the defence.

Then there is Michael Carrick but his form in midfield has been one of the main reasons behind United's stunning recent run and his passing would be sorely missed if he had to step back.

It is probably the worst possible part of the team to be depleted ahead of the trip to the San Siro.

In Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano, Inter have one of the best strike pairings in Europe and the two forwards always provide a stern test for any central-defensive partnership, let alone a make-shift one.

United may well have to resort to a dogged defensive display, aiming to hit their hosts on the break.

That is something that Inter coach Jose Mourinho is most concerned about.

"I don't want my players to feel under pressure, I want them to enjoy themselves and the first thing I will tell them is that I have great belief in their ability to win it," said the Portuguese boss.

"I've known Manchester since 2004, they're the best counter-attacking team in the world and can kill their opponents in transition (from defence to attack).

"They have (Dimitar) Berbatov, who has fantastic technical qualities and then (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Wayne) Rooney, (Carlos) Tevez or Park (Ji-sung) who can make the difference, give them width and pace. Our concentration will have to be spot on."

If anyone can instil confidence in his players it is Mourinho himself who has only lost once to Ferguson in 12 previous encounters.

As coach of Porto he earned a win and a draw at the same stage of the competition in 2004 before leading the Portuguese side to the title.

And with Chelsea he only lost once in 10 games against Ferguson, winning four times and drawing five.

However, United have the edge in previous meetings between the two teams as back in the 1998-99 season United eliminated Inter 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals on their way to lifting the title.

Three United players, Neville, Giggs and Scholes, survive from that tie as well as Inter's captain Javier Zanetti.

United stretch lead as Van der Sar sets record

Posted by Posted by Linda on Monday, February 2, 2009 , under , , , , | comments (0)



MANCHESTER, England – Manchester United went five points clear at the top of the English Premier League with a 1-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford here Saturday.

United stretch lead as Van der Sar sets record Manchester United's midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo scores from a penalty during their English Premiership

Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty secured victory in a match where United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar set a new English league record for most minutes without conceding a goal.

The 38-year-old Dutchman, who has now not conceded a goal in domestic league action to 1,121 minutes - more than 18-and-a-half hours - broke the record 17 minutes from time on his way to a 12th straight clean sheet.

Victory also piled the pressure on English, European and world champions United's nearest domestic pursuers, Chelsea and Liverpool, who meet at Anfield on Sunday.

Though United never scaled the attacking heights they reached in Tuesday's 5-0 demolition of West Browmich Albion, they comfortably held Everton at bay and had little trouble ending the visitors' run of nine matches without defeat.

In pursuit of the record, van der Sar suffered few, if any, anxious moments during a one-sided first half, with the champions dominating possession throughout and regularly forcing Tim Howard into action.

First to test the United goalkeeper was Park Ji-Sung, his teasing right wing cross after seven minutes requiring Howard to scramble across the six yard box and push the ball away to safety as Ronaldo loomed large.

Next up was the lively Carlos Tevez, who thought he had scored in the 12th minutes but, somehow, former United keeper Howard managed to stick out an arm after the Argentinean forward had instinctively got a shot away from inside the penalty area.

World Player of the Year Ronaldo then toe-poked an effort against the post, and forced a routine parry from Howard with another long range drive.

It seemed Everton had weathered the storm and the visitors began to pass the ball nicely, Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines particularly catching the eye as they caused Gary Neville no end of trouble.

Frustratingly for David Moyes, Everton's manager, there was no real cutting edge but they looked certain to head into the break on level terms until an aberration from Mikel Arteta undid alll their hard work.

When Michael Carrick skipped forward, he appeared to be heading down a blind alley but, for some reason, Arteta stuck out his trailing leg, clipped the midfielder and referee Mark Halsey was left with option but to point to the penalty spot.

It brought back memories of the teams' Old Trafford meeting in December 2007 - Pienaar tripped Ryan Giggs that afternoon - and as was the case then, Ronaldo ensured Everton suffered maximum punishment by beating Howard from 12 yards.

And the game could have been ended as a contest had Halsey awarded another penalty when Carrick tumbled over Joleon Lescott's outstretched leg.

Again, however, Halsey made the correct decision, waving away United claims.

Other than the odd free-kick from Arteta, which van der Sar comfortably gathered, Everton never looked like scoring let alone bringing their search for a first win on this ground since August 1992 to a successful conclusion.

Goalmouth action was scarce in the dying moments - the closest anyone came to scoring was when Arteta had a drive blocked by Carrick - but Everton had claims for a penalty of their own when Lescott seemed to be wrestled to the floor by Rio Ferdinand.