King annoyed by lapses

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Spurs centre-back admits Man Utd loss was hard to take

Ledley King: Believes Tottenham must learn to keep their focus at all times

Ledley King has admitted Tottenham need to learn lessons from the loss to Manchester United after seeing defensive mistakes punished.

Spurs appeared to be on top during the first half of Sunday's game at White Hart Lane but fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Wayne Rooney headed in Ashley Young's corner.
Tottenham tried to respond at the start of the second period but a quick-fire double from Young sealed victory for United, with the final score 3-1 after a late Jermain Defoe consolation.
While United took their goals well, King was left frustrated by the lapses in concentration that allowed them to happen.
And the centre-back has called on his team-mates to keep their focus in future to avoid suffering such painful defeats.
"It's tough to take because I thought for the majority of the game we gave a good account of ourselves," King told the club's official website.

Regroup

"But if you fall asleep at vital times you will get punished.
"We conceded the first goal at a bad time. That was disappointing, a free header in the six-yard box shouldn't be happening.
"We tried to regroup, tried to come out and perform again, tried to lift ourselves and we did that, but went to sleep on a throw-in.
"You won't beat teams like United unless you are fully concentrated for the full 90 minutes, and that was a bit of a lesson.
"You can't fault our work-rate but it's those moments that make all the difference."

Team lineups: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United 04 Mar 2012

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Tottenham Hotspur                        v                              Manchester United  

Starting line-ups                                      Starting line-ups
24	Brad Friedel                                                           1 David De Gea
26	Ledley King                                                            5 Rio Ferdinand
32	Benoit Assou-Ekotto                                              3 Patrice Evra
28	Kyle Walker                                                           6 Jonny Evans
4	Younes Kaboul                                                       4 Phil Jones
14	Luka Modric                                                          22 Paul Scholes
7	Aaron Lennon                                                        25 Luis Antonio Valencia
29	Jake Livermore                                                      16 Michael Carrick
30	Sandro Ranieri Guimarães Cordeiro                       18 Ashley Young
15	Louis Saha                                                             10 Wayne Rooney
10	Emmanuel Adebayor                                              19 Danny Welbeck
Substitutes                                                                Substitutes
20	Michael Dawson                                                    14 Javier Hernández
17	Giovani dos Santos                                                 20 Fabio Pereira da Silva
23	Carlo Cudicini                                                        11 Ryan Giggs
21	Niko Kranjcar                                                        8 Anderson Oliveira
18	Jermain Defoe                                                        13 Ji-Sung Park
25	Danny Rose                                                           40 Ben Amos
33	Ryan Nelsen                                                          21 Rafael Pereira da Silva

  

Carrick: Now it's serious

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"We have a decent record down there. It doesn't count for much on Sunday but, over the years, we have done quite well."
- Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick admits that United are ready for the serious business of the title run-in - starting with Sunday's match at Tottenham.The dramatic win at Norwich kept Manchester City within touching distance at the top of the table and matches do not come much harder than the journey to third-placed Spurs. The elegant midfielder is aware that the Reds have a fantastic record against his former club but admits that will mean little this weekend.
"We see this as a big game," stated Carrick. "It is always a good game when we go to Tottenham. It is two teams that play good football and try to play the right way. Over the years, there have been some classic games. We have a decent record down there. It doesn't count for much on Sunday but, over the years, we have done quite well.
"At this time of the season, it starts getting serious. Wins and draws can make a huge difference. You saw last week how we responded and won the game and what it meant to everyone. We will be looking to do the same again."
Spurs have a number of top-quality players and United will need to be in top form to come away from White Hart Lane with a positive result.
"You look at Gareth Bale, Luka Modric," said Carrick. "Scott Parker has been playing well. Emmanuel Adebayor and Louis Saha as well, the way he has settled in so quickly and started scoring goals. We all know here what a big threat he can be. Throughout the width of the pitch we have attacking threats as well as being good defensively. The balance of the team is really good and shows in their results.

Tottenham v Man United: Giggs and Scholes v Bale and Modric plus more key battles assessed

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Tottenham, still hoping to edge third place in the Premier League ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea, host title chasing Man United at White Hart Lane. talkSPORT looks at the game's key battles...

Spurs' CENTRE BACKS V ROONEY AND YOUNG
A fit again Wayne Rooney coupled with the attacking threat of Ashley Young will present any defence with problems, even those featuring the power and strength of Younes Kaboul, Ryan Nelsen and the composed displays of Ledley King and Michael Dawson. Young played and scored for England during the 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands, while in Rooney's last Premier League outing, he scored both goals in United's 2-1 win against Liverpool. Those aforementioned assured performances from King and Dawson will be vital in shutting out Rooney, who has 17 goals this season, if Tottenham want to put an end to their 11-year streak without a win against the 19-time champions. Beware of the late goal, mind. Just ask Norwich, Bayern, Liverpool, Man City... you see where we are coming from.
VERDICT: There will be goals, but nothing like the five that Arsenal put past Spurs

SPURS' MIDFIELD MAESTROS V UNITED'S AGEING SUPERSTARS
It's the ageing stars that the lauded Tottenham midfield will have to be wary of. Scott Parker is suspended so the job of shackling Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes may rest with Sandro. Giggs has scored more goals against Spurs than he has against any other opponent and both he and Scholes scored United's only goals in Spurs' last two wins in this fixture way back in 1999 and 2001 respectively, where both games ended in 3-1 defeats. Michael Carrick has been impressive this season, as has Nani, but they will all have their hands full with Spurs' Croatian ace Luka Modric and manager Harry Redknapp may throw in Aaron Lennon - an unused substitute against Arsenal - to cause problems for Patrice Evra down the right following his return from a hamstring injury.
VERDICT: Age and experience to edge youth and skill

BALE, ADEBAYOR AND SAHA V UNITED'S DEFENCE
Despite Rafael Van Der Vaart's absence, Tottenham have plenty of options in attack with Gareth Bale, whose injury concerns were rubbished by his manager Harry Redknapp, supporting goal scorers Emmanuel Adebayor and Louis Saha, who is set to play against his former club. Chris Smalling is unlikely to be risked following his clash of heads with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on international duty, but Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans will need to be on high alert as will United's full-backs and we should not forget Jermain Defoe, whose England ambitions mean he will be desperate to get on and score.
VERDICT: United have the strength but Spurs have the pace and skill to counter

PREDICTION: If Tottenham are going to finally beat Man United, this season in front of their own fans is as good a chance as any. The trouble is, Man United are closing in on the title once more and there is no worse time to play Fergie's team than when the season is approaching its final straight and they can scent blood. Spurs have what it takes to beat any team on their day, but Redknapp's men will do well not to lose this one.

LAST FIVE
TOTTENHAM: WDWDL
MAN UNITED: DWWLW

Odds (Ladbrokes)
Tottenham: 9/5
Draw: 9/4
Man United: 6/4

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United: Live Score, Analysis, Recap

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Can Spurs get up off the mat? Can United keep up with City?
Sunday will be a day of questions for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. And it turns out the two clubs will be asking them of each other.
Spurs host United on Sunday for a crucial English Premier League match. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. Eastern with American TV coverage on Fox Soccer Channel.
Last week, Spurs lost 5-2 at Arsenal after taking a 2-0 first-half lead. United are unbeaten in their last six league games, but they trail crosstown rivals and league leaders Manchester City by five points after City's 2-0 win over Bolton on Saturday.
Both teams need the points. Who will take them?
We'll all find out tomorrow.

Oldham sign Manchester United midfielder Reece Brown

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Oldham Athletic have signed Manchester United midfielder Reece Brown on a one-month loan deal.

Brown, 20, who is the younger brother of Sunderland defender Wes, could make his Latics debut in Saturday's clash against high-flying Sheffield United.
He told the club website:  "I have reached the age where I need to be playing first team games.
"It is a privilege to play here, to help the team and learn from playing proper men's football."

Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United

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Manchester United are undefeated in their last 25 matches against Tottenham Hotspur in all competitions. United will be looking to improve this with a win against Spurs this Sunday afternoon at White Hart Lane.

Team News

Tottenham should have Gareth Bale available after he missed Wales’ friendly with Costa Rica due to a hamstring problem. Rafael van der Vaart and Kyle Walker should also be available after they both pulled out of their international squads.
The hosts will be missing Scott Parker, who was sent off during their 5-2 loss against Arsenal last weekend.
Wayne Rooney has trained all week for Man United and will return to the squad. Manchester United will be without both Tom Cleverley and Antonio Valencia.
Chris Smalling is doubtful after picking up a head injury during England’s 3-2 loss to Holland midweek. Michael Owen has returned to training but will not feature.

League Form

Manchester United have the best form in the Premier League, winning five of their last six games. Tottenham are halfway down the form table after winning two, drawing two and losing two of their last six games.
Spurs: DLWDWL
United: WWWDWW

Most Recent Meeting

The last time the two clubs met was back on the 22nd August 2011, which saw Man United beat Tottenham 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Danny Welbeck opened up the scoring on the 61st minute, United’s second came on the 76th minute via Anderson. Wayne Rooney finished off the scoring three minutes before full-time.

Head-To-Head

Man United and Tottenham have played each other a total of 175 times, which have seen 83 Man United wins, 46 Tottenham wins and 46 draws.

Referee

Martin Atkinson will referee Sunday’s clash. So far this season Atkinson has refereed 29 games, showing 107 yellow cards and nine red cards.
Atkinson is yet to referee a match involving Man United this season, he has taken charge of one involving Spurs, which was their 2-0 win over Everton.

Rivals

Top of the table Manchester City have a chance to go five points clear of Man United if they beat Bolton at home Saturday afternoon. Arsenal play Liverpool at Anfield in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.