Bookies set for Evra and Suarez clash!

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Although the two clubs may be chasing different ambitions, Manchester United v Liverpool remains one of the biggest Premier League fixtures every season.

This weekend is no exception as Man United chase their 20^th league title and Liverpool look to mount a challenge for fourth place. In addition to this, Luis Suarez is expected to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup after serving his eight match ban for allegedly making racist comments towards Man United’s Patrice Evra.
There’s no doubt that the spotlight will be firmly on Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra come 12.45pm on Saturday afternoon. Irish bookmakers, Setantabet.com are offering some enticing specials for the fixture on Saturday.
“Manchester United v Liverpool is always a match that generates a huge amount of interest from football fans around the world. Just last season, Man United overtook Liverpool’s  record of 18 league titles by claiming their 19^th league title,” said a spokesman for Setantabet.
“There’s nothing more Liverpool fans would love than to derail Man United’s title challenge while maintaining their challenge for fourth place.”
The spokesman continued, “One can’t ignore the fact that with Luis Suarez expected to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup, all eyes will be on the reunion of Evra and Suarez.
“A few months ago, Suarez lost his temper at Craven Cottage after constant jeering from Fulham fans. Now Suarez will walk into a hostile atmosphere at Old Trafford and face an antagonising 90 minutes in front of Manchester United fans.
“The atmosphere may be too much for the Liverpool striker and therefore we’re offering a price of 12/1 for Suarez to be booked for a tackle on Evra. There’s also great value for punters to bet on Evra or Suarez to be booked @ 7/1.”
The past few fixtures between these two clubs have been extremely close with little to separate the sides, with the last league game between the pair finishing 1-1 last October.
Will we see the same this weekend?

De Gea eyes legendary status

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Despite his initial struggles during his debut season in the Premier League, David De Gea believes he can become one of Manchester United's great goalkeepers.

Having joined United for £18 900 000 from Atletico Madrid, a lot was expected from the youngster who was brought in as a replacement for Edwin van der Sar.

However, the 21-year-old has not found life in the Premier League easy, mixing a number of fine saves with some big errors. Perhaps most worrying has been the manner in which he has struggled to adapt physically, with his relatively small stature often seeing him muscled out by stronger opponents.

De Gea admits the physicality of the league has been difficult to adjust to but that it is a challenge he knew would come and one that he is confident he can overcome.

"I think it is fair to say La Liga and the Premier League are the two best leagues in the world," he said.

"But it's well known the style of play here is rather more physical and, as a goalkeeper, you have to be right on it. You have to be attentive all through the match.

"The players coming at you can shoot from any angle and from distance. You need to be aware you might get a shot from distance at any time.

"Having said that, there's a lot of crosses from the sides, a lot of high balls and aerial play. So you have to be able to get in there and block, interfere and stop shots being taken.

"I knew when I was coming to United this was the style of play. So I was pretty much ready and I was already confident."

While his shaky start has some wondering if he should be United's number one now, let alone in the long term, the man himself is determined to become one of the Red Devils' greatest goalkeepers.

"I have every intention of spending many years at Manchester United," he asserted.

"I want to go on to become a great United keeper and to earn and deserve respect. I want to help United make history."

The man to make Manchester United tick again?

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We have really only glimpsed the quality of Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley as injuries have deprived the club of the starlet for the vast majority of the season. Perhaps the tremendous hype surrounding the player speaks more of a general concern about the state of Manchester United’s midfield, but most will agree that there is something special about this lad.
He seems to possess exactly what Manchester United need in midfield in the long term. Great movement and athleticism, the ability to keep the ball and keep the game flowing. In short, a naturally attacking midfielder in the Paul Scholes mould. Cleverley keeps it simple with one and two touch football, but is also capable of the more difficult and skilled tasks – pinpoint long passes, the ability to beat a man and speed of thought and foot. Like The Ginger Prince, he plays with his head up and sees the picture before it has developed. He appears to have natural ability in abundance, twinned with a football brain – the most lethal and rare of combinations, but one which surely marks Cleverley out as a potential Manchester United and England regular.
Despite Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes rolling back the years for Manchester United at the weekend, with dominant displays, Sir Alex Ferguson knows that he can’t rely on these two legends for much longer and, consequently, the return to action of young Cleverley cannot come quickly enough for the staff or the fans. He needs game time now, but has every chance of becoming pivotal to the success of Manchester United in the next few years.
Old Trafford will be hoping that they can keep this lad off the injury list for a much longer spell this time.

Man United target suffers serious knee injury

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Manchester United target Danny has been ruled out of Euro 2012 after suffering a knee injury.
The Portuguese attacking midfielder has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford after impressing since moving to Zenit St Petersburg.
With Sir Alex Ferguson looking for long-term replacements for both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, there was talk that United could make a summer move for the 28-year-old.
But Danny has ruptured the cruciate knee ligaments in his right knee, and it set to be sidelined for eight months, virtually ending any chance of him moving to England.

PFA chief: Evra abuse a setback for anti-racism

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FOOTBALL: Players' union chief Gordon Taylor fears the crowd abuse suffered by Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand could deter footballers from complaining about racial discrimination.

Manchester United defender Evra was taunted at Anfield last month after an inquiry ruled he had been racially abused by Liverpool's Luis Suarez.
Evra was again booed during Sunday's game at Chelsea and team-mate Rio Ferdinand was also a target.
Ferdinand is the brother of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, who was allegedly racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry.
PFA chief executive Taylor said Evra "has become a victim because he has made a complaint.
"The last thing we want is black players to feel there is no point making a complaint because they will then suffer a backlash. It is like that with a lot of other issues on equality, like homophobia.
"There is a fear that anyone who comes out and makes a complaint will receive this backlash and puts off anyone else."

The comeback of champions?

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Manchester United's Javier Hernandez scores his side's third goal of the game

Posted: 2012-02-06 15:11

Five things we learned from Manchester United's thrilling fightback at Chelsea.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team showed resilience and drive to prove they can hound rivals City all the way in race for the Premier League title

Manchester United's stirring comeback at Chelsea was proof that the champions will not give up their crown lightly.

The Red Devils were three goals down at Stamford Bridge and looked like they were heading for certain defeat before two Wayne Rooney penalties and a late Javier Hernandez header completed an amazing recovery.

Five things we learned from one of the most dramatic Premier League matches of the season so far.


UNITED WILL FIGHT CITY ALL THE WAY

The resilience and desire of Sir Alex Ferguson's team is not in doubt. It never has been. It's the all-round quality that is the problem.

For all the question marks around the goalkeeper position, the constant chopping and changing in defence and the absence of an A-list midfield firefighter, United are the only realistic barrier to their neighbours marching to the league title.

Although City ended the weekend re-opening a two-point lead at the summit, the manner of United's fightback from three goals down in the backyard of one of their main rivals has given their own challenge the kind of psychological impetus that should not be ignored.

With 40 minutes left, it could have ended as humiliatingly as it did in the 6-1 mauling against City. Instead, United left London with what felt like a bonus point.


ROONEY IS BACK AFTER NEW YEAR BLUES

Nerveless from 12 yards, yes. But there was far more to Wayne Rooney's most potent display of 2012 than accuracy from the spot.

The United talisman had mostly operated on the fringes of the action before he took responsibility from the penalty spot twice in the space of 11 minutes.

His first penalty was banged emphatically in to the top left corner and would not have been saved had the goal been manned by two keepers. Just for variety, the second was side-footed low and true to the right of the goal, once again sending Petr Cech the wrong way.

Inspired by his first league goals since United's pre-Christmas 5-0 demolition of Fulham, Rooney was everywhere in the last 20 minutes as his team sensed a famous comeback. His touch and poise stood out in the madness of Chelsea attack followed by United counter-attack, as did his drive and energy.

He would not have accumulated any Fantasy League points for his role in United's equaliser, but his contribution was still vital, manoeuvring space for a snap-shot that was parried by Cech to his right, from where Ryan Giggs instantly curled the loose ball on to Javier Hernandez's head.

The year began in messy fashion for Rooney, as the fall-out from his Boxing Day misdemeanour continued, but here was evidence that he will be central to United hounding Manchester City all the way for the title.


DAVID DE GEA ROLLERCOASTER WILL CONTINUE

From first-minute flapper to last-minute saviour, the latest chapter in the young goalkeeper's United story was an enthralling one.

What did we learn about De Gea today? That he is a supremely athletic sportsman with the agility of a cat and capable of pulling off saves that few others are, without doubt.

The Spaniard's save from Juan Mata's late free-kick was not only jaw-droppingly magnificent and photogenically stunning, but also crucial to both his team leaving Stamford Bridge with a point and potentially acting as a turning point in his United career.

But, and there is a but, De Gea also looked an accident waiting to happen against Chelsea. His reflexes are sharp but his approach to dealing with crosses and high balls would bring anxiety to the Chelsea defence of the Mourinho era or the Liverpool rearguard of the early 1980s, never mind the constantly re-jigged current United set-up.

His back-handed flap at an early cross was pitifully weak. A late two-handed punch from a Michael Essien long-ranger seemed unnecessarily elaborate.

While his role in Chelsea's opener owed more to ill fortune than incompetence, it was apparent in the way he stayed rooted to his line for their second and third goals that he is adopting a cautious approach to dealing with crosses.

His morale has been so shattered by recent events that he is unwilling to take too many risks, a sign that his rehabilitation will be a slow and probably painful one.


GARY CAHILL IS NO JOHN TERRY

As an audition to step into John Terry's size 10s, this did not go especially well for Chelsea's £7million January signing.

He was fortunate not to be cautioned when his trailing leg upended Danny Welbeck on the edge of the box in the 10th minute and he found himself constantly treading water in the face of the movement and mobility of United's attackers. He could also have positioned himself better for Javier Hernandez's equaliser rather than marking fresh air.

If the centre-back looked rusty, then it's probably because he is. This was Cahill's first match since signing for Chelsea three weeks ago and his first since appearing for Bolton Wanderers in early January.

The authority and leadership that Terry would have provided had he not succumbed to a knee injury was conspicuously absent in Cahill's performance. Even David Luiz looked more in control.

Nevertheless, it is to Cahill's advantage that Terry will also be absent for the trip to Everton next Saturday. This will give the new signing further time to develop some understanding with Luiz and get used to a playing style that is more adventurous than he has been used to at Bolton.


NO SUBSTITUTE FOR DUGOUT NOUS

It's not just players who can change games. Managers can too. Sir Alex Ferguson used two of his principal bench weapons to haul United back into contention, introducing Javier Hernandez in the 53rd minute soon after his team went 3-0 down, and then Paul Scholes 11 minutes later.

Scholes helped United keep their foot on Chelsea's throat with his crisp and quick shifting of the ball but it was Hernandez who changed the complexity of the match.

His movement wore down the home side's tiring defenders and his opportunism and brilliant finishing ensured his eighth league goal of what has been a stop-start campaign for the little Mexican.

"To be honest with you, maybe I should have started with Chicharito," said Sir Alex of the striker. "When he came on it was a different game." Credit goes to the wily Scot in not just giving such a prolific scorer plenty of time to influence the outcome but in sacrificing a right-back (Rafael) to find room for Danny Welbeck on the flank. The Englishman repaid his manager's faith by winning the second penalty.

With his squad weakened by the Africa Cup of Nations, injuries and suspensions, Andre Villas-Boas had fewer options.

He made only one substitution, jettisoning Daniel Sturridge in the 71st minute at 3-2 to allow Oriel Romeu to help protect the defence.

Even at the time it made little sense, given that Sturridge had created the first goal, won the free-kick for the third goal and been Chelsea's most potent attacker. Surely the anonymous Florent Malouda should have made the way instead.

Charlton wants Terry solution

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World Cup winner does not want trial to become a distraction

John Terry: Sir Bobby Charlton does not want trial to become a distraction

 Sir Bobby Charlton has called on John Terry to ensure England's European Championship campaign does become derailed by him losing the captaincy for a second time.

World Cup-winning Manchester United legend Charlton backed the Football Association's decision to strip Terry of the armband while the defender awaits trial over allegations he racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand, something he denies.
The FA acted after Chelsea and Terry's legal representatives succeeded in delaying the case until after Euro 2012.
Charlton, who helped inspire England to World Cup glory in 1966 and remains his country's record goalscorer, urged Terry to act now to try to resolve any issues that have arisen since the allegations against him first emerged.

Solution,

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 "We sometimes laugh at the Football Association but the Football Association govern the rules of the game," explained Charlton, speaking in his role as a Laureus World Sports Awards academy member.
"At the end of the day, if John Terry has been found to have potentially made some mistakes and has been pilloried all through the media then they have to act.
"The one person who can solve this is John Terry himself. I think that we need to solve it before the championships come, if we can."
Reminded that Terry's trial would not take place until July 9, Charlton said: "That's legally. Physically, amongst themselves, if you have a problem in your team and you are a member of the team then you have an opportunity maybe to influence by speaking to the lad himself personally.
"The only thing I'm feeling is that I hope whatever decision they make doesn't jeopardise the chance we might have of actually winning something for a change."