Ferguson Relishing Manchester Derby

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is licking his licks at the prospect of a domestic dust-up with local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Premier League champions huffed and puffed their way to a 2-0 Uefa Champions League win against Romanian title winners Otelul Galati in Bucharest on Tuesday thanks to two Wayne Rooney penalties.

The result moved the three-time winners into second spot behind Benfica in Group C - and the focus is now firmly on reminding Roberto Mancini's men that United remain the top dogs domestically.

A 4-1 rout against Aston Villa lifted City above United at the top of the table at the weekend and expectation is high among the blue contingent of Manchester that the Reds' rule of supremacy is nearing an end. Those looking at the football betting online will be expecting a close game on Sunday.

City have not beaten United at Old Trafford in all competitions since February 2008 – the 150th Mancunian derby – and on that day they snapped a losing run at the home of their rivals dating back to 1974. It was also the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster.

Fans have seen Man United bowling over opponents this season their but the arrival of a raft of marquee signings, including the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero, has given weight to the suggestion that a power shift in Manchester is looming.

For his part, Ferguson will not entertain such a notion and is confident United's "noisy neighbours" will be brought back down a peg when the two sides clash on Sunday.

"The last couple of years they [the derbies] have become more intense and there is more importance attached to them," Ferguson told Sky Sports.

"On Sunday it's top of the league and second-top, and it really builds up into a fantastic prospect for everyone. I am looking forward to that."

Champions League Preview: Benfica vs Manchester United and Bolton Match Review

Manchester United renew their quest for the Champions League honours after their Wembley hiding in May as they travel to Benfica for their first group stage outing this season. With both Manchester United & talismanic playmaker Wayne Rooney in devastating form, Benfica face a big challenge to stop the defending English champions.

On the absentees front, Manchester United will be missing central defender & captain Nemanja Vidic and enterprising youngsters Danny Welbeck & Tom Cleverley through injury. First choice centre-back Rio Ferdinand has also not travelled to Portugal with the squad, keeping in mind the important league home game against Chelsea on Sunday. This means two of Jonny Evans, Phil Jones & Chris Smalling are in line to start in the CB roles. Patrice Evra suffered a knock late in the Bolton game, so Fabio Da Silva might start on the left if the Frenchman is not fit to play.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson indicated that the senior players might get an outing, which means Giggs, Park & Fletcher are in for a start. This also seems to be the perfect opportunity to give Berbatov & Michael Owen sufficient playing time. Both of them being top class strikers, it will be an ideal chance for the gaffer to keep them happy alongwith rotating the squad. The game might also feature the return of Luis Antonio Valencia, who hasn't played in the first team since suffering an injury in the summer during the Copa America.

As for the goalkeeper's position, it will again be a good move to hand Anders Lindegaard his first Champions League start. First choice GK David De Gea has played in every game this season & deserves some much-needed rest. Apart from that, Lindegaard might as well be rewarded for an excellent pre-season, though belatedly.

Manchester United Squad v Benfica: David De Gea, Anders Lindegaard, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, Fabio Da Silva, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Oliveira Anderson, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Luis Nani, Ji-Sung Park, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney.

Predicted MUFC XI: Lindegaard, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Fabio; Valencia, Fletcher, Giggs, Park; Berbatov, Owen.

Scoreline Prediction: Benfica 0 Manchester United 2

And no, that's not all Folks! Our guest author Hanzla, has written a slightly belated Bolton match review, which you might read as well –

How Things Unfolded At The Reebok

Watching Manchester United play the way they are doing right now is a treat, even to those who never miss out an opportunity to spank the Red Devils. Before I get onto the game, a slight recap of the all important build up. If the performance against Arsenal wound me up then watching England move the ball at snail‘s pace was a thorn in my side.

United put up a strong side minus Chris Smalling, who of course was rested bearing in mind the tight schedule that lies ahead. If the win against Arsenal was the preface, then there was no better way the first chapter of the book could have unfolded as it did at the Reebok.

Right from the start, United were pressing very high allowing very little time on the ball for Bolton players. Attacking wise, it was no different. Special mention for Ando, who I thought is finally repaying the faith SAF showed in him. Kevin Davies‘s baseball-like sliding tackle was pathetic to say the least, but what more could you expect. Some things or some people are not bound to change. Cleverley survived a breakage, but he will be out for a month. Just when he was hitting top gear and he has been sensational thus far, you have none other than Davies spoiling the party. Hopefully he will come out of it stronger, both physically as well as psychologically.

The pace SAF has injected into the side by signing Young and Phil Jones is already paying rich dividends. United are looking more energetic and also moving the ball at a frantic pace. As for the first goal - a typical Chicharito goal. His initial movement left Gary Cahill for dead. Chicharito made two runs, one each for the defender and the ball. Something not common nowadays. Superb movement and good finish as well. Jones also had a monumental effect on the game. Though he was out of position playing as a full back, going forward he was good as anybody. Rooney - well he is not looking back since the speculated fallout he had with the club. It seems as if the reports inspired him as it only needs a tiny spark to reignite the fuel inside him. He is in the form of his life and if he stays injury free, he could have a 40 goals-season this year.

Nani’s wing-play was good but in the second half he was more interested in scoring himself rather than setting people up. In a way, it doesn't look bad at all. You want your midfield to contribute and get on the score sheet as well which is not possible if they are only looking for killer passes.

Defensively, United were pretty sound. De Gea once again showed his shot stopping heroics, parrying couple of efforts which must now silence all his critics, if there are any of them left. The kid is yet to mature and we all should buy him some time to settle in but these football experts just aren't made of the same earth.

Overall, a clinical performance which sent a loud message to every team out there - especially to our noisy neighbours. SAF has freshened things up at the club, something that he should have done after that horrific night in Rome. I must admit the way United are playing this term, they awaken reminiscence of the Ronaldo-Tevez era. The exuberance that was missing from the past two seasons as United were rightly graded as repellent. If United could continue the rampage, then the future certainly looks very resplendent.

You can follow Hanzla on Twitter @Busby_Babez.

You can follow the author on Twitter @AbhinavCJ.

The Traffordshire County mobile app is now available for your Nokia phone! Click here to download it for free from the Ovi Store.

That's all Folks!

Red Devil Rendezvous: The Season Review

Hey everyone! Long time eh??? Over a month's self-imposed hiatus coz of exams, but couldn't resist any longer! So here I am, back with another new blog feature - RED DEVIL RENDEZVOUS - well you could say the Rival Rendezvous has been tweaked a bit to make it a candid chat with some of my fellow Red Devils!

Much happened this season. First of all, Manchester United became CHAMPIONS of England for a record 19th time, knocking Liverpool off their effing perch of 18 league titles! Plus we are gonna play the Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley in three days! Then among other news, Manchester City secured their first trophy after a 36-year-long wait to win the FA Cup, crushing United's hope of a second Treble in the semifinal. Good work there, Mr. Mancini. Also, Carlo Ancelotti became the seventh manager to be sacked in eight years by Roman Abramovich, after Chelsea finished trophyless this season. And finally, the bad news that entertainers Blackpool were relegated on the last day of the season as they lost 4-2 at Old Trafford. But then, one gotta move on, and I hope Blackpool are back in the Premier League soon, coz they deserve to be there!

Champione champione Ole ole ole!!!

At the end of the season, I caught up with two of my fellow Man United fans - Anand a.k.a. Ducky of the excellent football blog BigFourZa (I like to call him Boss, you see!) and Shantanu a.k.a. Shaan of the awesome Facebook fan page Inside Manchester United on what they thought of Manchester United's season:

1. Sum up Manchester United's Premier League season in three words.

Ducky: Efficient. Relentless. Consistent.

Shaan: Nineteenth. Nineteenth. Nineteenth.

2. According to you, the game(s) that won us the title?

D: Blackpool, 3 goals in 18 minutes. Bolton at home with 10 men. And of course, the game that really did actually win it. Chelsea, 2-1 :) I pick these games because it's exactly the kind that the other 'contenders' repeatedly bottled over their season.

S: Chelsea game. That tension before the game can't be described as much as the joy after that quick Hernandez goal.

3. Who has been your player of the year at Man United? Why?

D: Well, it's just impossible to pick isn't it. 7 players who got 7/10, 4 who get 8/10 for the season. Chicharitoooo, if I had to pick one, for sheer shock value :)

S: Berbatov. Took the team forward when Mr. Ambition questioned the club. Nani comes a close second.

4. Thoughts on the longevity of 'Sir' Ryan Giggs?

D: Slightly bad timing now eh, with the revelations about the affair and all. But as a sportsman, it's just unbelievable how he's changed as his body has changed, as football has changed, etc. That's what proves how every sport has a mental component, thinking, understanding, adapting. It's not just about picking a pass or running with the ball. It's about deciding against whom it's better to do what.

S: Always said he can play as long as he can. But at the same time, we should stop being dependent on him.

5. How does it feel to know that Neville, Van der Sar & probably Scholes will have retired by the end of this season?

D: Well, for any team losing sch three experienced players wold always be an issue. But somehow with United, you just know we'll be ok, somehow. Van der Sar's leaving causes the most concern... I shudder when I think back to the days when we had Barthez and Carroll as out 'first choice' keepers, and this happened just after Schmeichel left. Goalkeepers leaving somehow take a long time to fill up, they're the most stable part of a team. Losing them can be quite a blow...

S: It's really sad to see them go. They've been really great. It's the end of an era. It's going to be hard to replace them.

6. If you were given a chance to find a successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, who would you choose? Or would like Fergie to go on & on & on?

D: I don't know really... somehow it feels like no one can follow Fergie. It will happen eventally, of course, but right now I'm hoping for the 'on and on and on...' :)

S: I'd like him to stay as long as he can. Lets be honest, this season wouldn't have been the way it was had it not been him. And to replace him? Well we have Blanc, Bruce, O'Neill.

7. What has been your favourite moment this season? Why?

D: Rooney. Man City. Overhead. You need me to answer 'why'? :)

S: All the comebacks this season. And well the Chelsea game!

8. The worst moment? And again, why?

D: Rooney again. Transfer request. I thought he was one of us, for life. His is the only United shirt I've bought recently. I knew CR7 would leave, I knew Tevez was a bastard, but I thought Rooney was with us. And it was such a shock when he said he wasn't. Which is what makes the previous moment worth so much more too.

S: Losing 3-1 to Pool. Absolutely hate losing to them.

9. Three signings you'd like Sir Alex to make in the summer with that £100 million?

D: I don't know names, if I did, I would be managing a Prem Club myself. But after what I saw in the Schalke games, by God is there any way we can get Neuer?? Apart from that... a replacement for Hargo. Anderson is just not the guy. And third... well, another central midfielder I think.

S: Modric, Marin, De Rossi/M'Vila. No Sneijder!

10. Three players you'd like to see walking out the door at Old Trafford?

D: Gibson, Evans and Macheda (if he's walking back in)

S: Brown (He's been a great players for us all these years, but he's hardly started 2-3 games this season. He's 31. Still has some football left in him. Let him go out and enjoy his last years), PIG (Isn't it obvious?!), Berba (Not getting any play time. He's a quality player. Why waste it on the bench?)

11. Man City ended their title drought of 36 years with the FA Cup. D'you expect them to be title contenders next season, now that they have finished in the top four?

D: I don't think so, especially if Tevez leaves. Balotelli is not going to get 20 goals a season. And with Chelsea in disarray, that leaves the most consistent other title contenders as Arsenal! Oh wait...

S: With them in the CL, they will be spending more and bringing in quality players. They are building a strong team. And yes, they can give us a tough time.

12. On an ending note, do you really think Manchester United can beat a rampaging Barcelona at Wembley? What makes you think so after what happened back in 2009?

D: Fletcher? Has he got the energy back? If he is fit enough, I'd straight pick him over Carrick in the middle of the park. He's the guy who was missing in Rome as well. He can really annoy the crap out of that triangular passing Catalan maniacs. Him and Park.

S: It's pretty hard to say anything about that game. Barcelona are clear Favs. But this United team, although not a great team, is more of a "Team". Play the 4-4-2 we've been playing lately. With Park, Giggs, Carrick/Fletcher (if fully fit), Valencia. Rooney behind Chicha. 2009, everything went wrong. We don't want to repeat that again. Barca are a great team. But surely not unbeatable. We have a chance to defeat them. And just might as well.

Traffordshire County thanks both Ducky & Shaan for this blog feature. You can follow Ducky on Twitter @BFZ_MUFC & Shaan @Shaanmufc.

So what are your thoughts on whatever happened this season at Old Trafford? Feel free to leave your comments below or you can drop me a line on Twitter @AbhinavCJ & I'll get back to you asap!

Have you voted in the blog poll question yet??? Go & vote for the player(s) you feel will finish the club's top goalscorer on the night of 28th May! Time's running out!

As I end, news came in this morning that Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Manchester United are close to signing up Atletico Madrid's highly rated 20-year-old goalkeeper David De Gea for a fee of 18 million pounds. Welcome to Old Trafford, David! I hope you fill Sir Edwin's massive boots next season onwards for the years to come!

Bright future ahead, isn't it???

That's all Folks!

Yours,

CJ

Champions League Preview: Manchester United vs. Olympique Marseille

Hey everyone! Great to be back out here after a space of around two weeks. Must confess that I've got a college exam tomorrow, but just felt like writing, you know? So, here I am...

Like every other Manchester United fan, the 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday provided great relief to me, given the way we lost 2 consecutive away games at Chelsea & Liverpool. More striking was the manner we beat the Gunners - with a team of 7 conventional defenders in the starting line-up! Good news also in the event of Luis Antonio Valencia making his first appearance since injuring his right ankle back in September. And then, a mouth-watering FA Cup semi-final clash versus Man City at Wembley awaits us in mid-April!

Now onto the game on hand. Tomorrow, Manchester United play French side Marseille in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 at Old Trafford. The first leg, as you will possibly know, ended in a dull 0-0 draw, with neither side able to find the back of the net. United especially were guilty of not making most of their chances. Tomorrow's game stands as an opportunity to make amends & advance to the last eight of the European competition.

On the injury front, United have quite a no. of players missing. Ferdinand & Jonny Evans are out, which means that the young (and brilliant, of course) Chris Smalling will again partner skipper Nemanja Vidic in the heart of the defence. Given Sir Alex's reservations about playing Rafael in crucial European encounters, I think John O'shea will take his place at right-back. Given the fact that Fletcher & Carrick both are injured & will not return till the weekend, Ferguson will probably play a 4-4-2 formation despite his preference for the 4-5-1 in Europe. Scholes & Gibson will man the central midfield, with Giggs & Valencia taking up the flanks. Manchester Evening News reported that Nani may play some part in tomorrow's game, however it is unlikely that he will start since Sir Alex won't risk rushing him back & aggravating his injury. Berbatov & Rooney will be paired upfront, with Rooney playing that free-roaming role he executed to such good effect against Arsenal. I expect Michael Owen to make an appearance from the bench - it's been sometime that he has spent time on the pitch.

Marseille are undoubtedly stronger than they were in Marseille, with two of their main offensive players back in the form of Mathieu Valbuena (see pic) & Andre-Pierre Gignac. Gabriel Heinze, for whom it will be an emotional return to one of his former clubs, will play in central defence rather than as a full-back coz of his obvious lack of pace against speedy wingers. It will be interesting to see how the Old Trafford faithful welcome him back, given the manner he left the club back in 2007.

The Red Devils need to win at all costs to go through, as a draw won't do. As Sir Alex Ferguson rightly put it - “The name of the game is to win and I’d be quite happy if it’s 4-3 or 1-0. We defended well in Marseille and that will be the key again. That’s going to be the main element in all of the big games now.”

My Starting XI: Van der Sar, Evra, Vidic, Smalling, O'shea, Giggs, Scholes, Gibson, Valencia, Rooney, Berbatov.

Scoreline predictions??? I'm going for a comfortable 2-0 win for United - perhaps Berbatov ending his barren run in Europe with a brace?

Tell me your pre-game thoughts by leaving your comments below or drop me a line on Twitter @AbhinavCJ & I'll get back to you right away!

In case you want to read the best football insight (including mine!), you can check out the excellent football blog 'BigFourZa' - the one-stop for all die-hard football fans! If you want to read my columns out there, you can click here.

Red Devils Reign, United Again!

That's all Folks!

Yours,
CJ

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In Pictures: Bursapor 0-3 Manchester United

United maintained their unbeaten streak in all competitions this season with a win over Turkish champions Bursapor at the Ataturk Stadium thanks to a spectacular second-half performance by the Red Devils... Darren Fletcher, Gabriel Obertan & substitute Bebe all found the net to complete a comfortable win in the group stage game... United are now almost through to the lucrative knock-out stages of the Champions League with 10 points from four games & still two to go...

Rafael, Nani & Carrick in action against Bursapor

Scholes has a goal disallowed in the first half

Fletcher scores just six minutes into the second half

Gabby Obertan grabs his first professional goal for United

Bebe adds a third to complete a victory at the Ataturk stadium

That's all Folks!

Yours,
CJ

Champions League Preview: United Take On Turkish Champions To Seek Virtual Qualification

United undertake what might prove to be a tough trip to Turkey to face Turkish champions Bursapor in a UEFA Champions League group stage game tonight...

The Red Devils, unbeaten in all competitions this season, will look to earn 3 whole points from this away fixture... A tough time in the league awaits them ahead as United take on Wolves, Man City & Aston Villa within the span of a week... United need to win tonight to secure virtual qualification for the knock-out stages of the elite European competition...

Rio Ferdinand happens to be the major absentee in the squad travelling to Bursa... Though it was earlier speculated that he was injured, but Ferdinand claimed on Twitter that he was fine... Anyway, that looks like another start for young centre-back Chris Smalling with Jonny Evans out too...

Magnus Eikrem, the talented Norwegian midfielder & Reserves captain also travels with a squad & is tipped to earn a spot on the bench... Also travelling with the squad will be shock summer signing Bébé...

Man Utd Squad: Van der Sar, Amos, Kuszczak, Evra, Brown, Vidic, Smalling, Rafael, Fabio, O'Shea, Eikrem, Scholes, Obertan, Bebe, Fletcher, Carrick, Park, Nani, Berbatov, Hernandez

United are unlikely to field a 4-5-1 formation similar to their last 2 European games coz of lack of options in central midfield... Berbatov & Hernandez should spearhead the attack being the only strikers in the squad... Nani will be accompanied on the flanks by Park, who should start after a convincing display against Spurs... Scholes may start since he came on as a substitute on Saturday, with Carrick/Fletcher vying for a start... Smalling should partner Vidic in central defence, with Brown & O'Shea as full-backs...

My Starting XI: Kuszczak, Brown, Vidic, Smalling, O'Shea, Nani, Scholes, Carrick, Park, Berbatov, Hernandez

You can follow me on Twitter @AbhinavCJ or even follow this blog via your Twitter ID... Just sign up with Google FriendConnect!

Red Devils Reign, United Again!!!

That's all Folks!

Yours,
CJ

The Rooney Saga Ahead Of Tonight's Champions League Game

Since the last few months or so, the British press has been constantly focusing on Wayne Rooney - be it the ankle injury he picked up in March against Bayern Munich, his poor display for England in the World Cup, his poor scoring streak that he hasn't scored for United in open play since March or more recently, his alleged affair with a prostitute... And yesterday, United fans received the biggest shock when manager Sir Alex Ferguson, at a press conference, admitted that Rooney wanted to leave United - just months after publicly saying he wanted to be at Old Trafford for life!!! With just 20 months left on his contract, he may leave as early as the January transfer window...

As I saw Sir Alex speak to the press, I could clearly see the honesty in what he was saying - glimpses of utter disappointment, sadness & maybe even silent anger... He said that the club had offered Rooney a new lucrative contract (believed to be 160,000 pounds a week) but Rooney had refused to sign it & clearly declared his intentions of exiting the club unless offered a contract of 200,000 pounds a week... However, Sir Alex has said that the door is open for Rooney to renegotiate a deal with the club...

Rumours were around for the last week or so about a fallout between the gaffer & Wazza since Wazza publicly contradicted Sir Alex's statement about him not being match fit... But we United fans always believed it would be a matter of time before Sir Alex resolved everything between them... Never anticipated this would go so far...

Imagining United without Roo would be really hard to imagine, coz I've watched him play for us since I started following Man United, plus his superb form last season makes it even more difficult to visualise the team without one of England's most naturally gifted footballers...

It's therefore essential for the club to start preparing for times ahead without him, and in case he remains firm on leaving, search for a long-term replacement... Real Madrid & Man City are the realistic options for him, since his current valuation of around 50 million pounds can be met only by these clubs...

Talking of tonight's game, United will be taking on Turkish side Bursapor at Old Trafford... Though Rooney won't be playing due to an ankle injury he picked up during training, we must look to grab maximum points to overcome the weekend blues against West Brom... If Fergie sticks to the 4-4-2, hope to see Hernandez starting upfront with Berbatov, Scholes & Fletcher back in central midfield, with Nani on the right... Hope the gaffer gives Obertan his first start this season on the left wing tonight ahead of Park... In all, a full strength side to play the Turks!

My Starting XI: Van der Sar, Rafael, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Obertan, Hernandez, Berbatov

Red Devils Reign, United Again!!!

That's all Folks!

Yours,
CJ