SUPER TUESDAYS ON SWOOSH0018

FROM THE KOP END
By Red For Life

Utd Go 7 Points Clear
Utd opened up a 7 point gap after we stumbled to our 10th draw of the season. Without Stevie G and Alonso in midfield we just lacked imagination and drive. Lucas once again was given a starting role in midfield alongside Mascherano but failed to impress. One really has to wonder about Rafa's vision in selling Sissoko and replacing him with Lucas.I for one hope that Rafa doesn't sign the new and improved contract thats on offer. We should cut our losses and get rid of him at the end of the season.There are a number of players that should follow him out of Anfield namely Lucas, Dossena, Babel, Ngog, Benoyoun, Voronin, Deggen, El Zhar, Pennant & Aurelio. These are players that have never lived up to expectations.In the league this season Rafa's tactics were questioned. I know he is the one that got us to the top but in recent weeks he seemed to have no clue. Decisions that are ultimatley made by him came into question, team selection, subs, timing of subs and negative tactics. These are decisions that could well end our title push.Next up for LFC is an exciting trip to the Bernabeau and I bet my life on it you'll see a totally different Liverpool. Their hunger and drive for success would be greater and you can just hear everyone saying what a great manger he is but don't be fooled as its back to normal next Saturday with a visit to the Riverside sporting a team consisting of wholesale changes.

http://www.lfc4lifesa.blogspot.com/

THE SHOOBS CORNER
ALL THE WAY FROM THE UK

And the Reds go Marchin On, On, On !!! Another 3 points for the Red Devils and I think the Blackburn game stood testimony to not only the quality of the team but also the brilliance of Sir Alex Ferguson. My tout organised some great tickets to the game and I took up a coalition of 5 mense for weekend. As always, Old Trafford was buzzing, but it was a bit of a nervous buzz before the game. With the massive Inter fixture coming up, fans were slightly concerned over the line up SAF would play and anything short of 3 points would not only open the door up for the scousers but create some negativity before our European fixture. My personal fear was injury that could be afflicted to players by Blackburn. Bolton were a physical team under Allardyce and Blackburn are no different. Anyhow, with Van der Sar and Vida on the bench I also questioned the ability for us to keep a clean sheet but Johnny Evans has shown quality throughout this season and Rio is our ever present rock. I went into the stadium 30 minutes early to take in The Theatre of Dreams and watch the boys warm up. Rooney looked really sharp and so did Giggsy. Truth be told, Sholesy looked a bit lazy during the warm up session but had a cracker of a game. Allardyce’s tactics were clear to see … “kick ‘em into submission” !!! The Blackburn lads turned the game into a full on scrap and full points to the young Rafael da Silva. He was clearly the smallest oke on the pitch and got kicked at constantly throughout the game. Santa Cruz did get the better of him on occasion but he held his own and stood up well. Apart from the belter of a free kick from Ronaldo, the most talked about player post the game was Nani. There’s a split opinion on most of the MUFC forums on Nani. Watching him at the weekend and at other games he’s played, his greedy nature and lack of vision has to be questioned. Still, you can see the boy has a good touch and great potential and I feel it’s a maturity thing. Personally I would have subbed him at half time as he was giving a below average performance and even though he provided the ball for the first goal, his terrible communication with Scholes was the only reason Blackburn scored … but this is where the brilliance of SAF comes into play.

A lesser manager would have pulled off Nani at half time and possibly Scholes on 60 min, but SAF read the game perfectly and executed his substitutions at precisely the right moments. It was a scrappy win for us and even though we dominated it was a close game till the very end. Ultimately, 3 points is 3 points and we’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em. Let’s hope we can deliver an inspired performance at the San Siro which is sure to be our most difficult fixture so far. With defensive problems and Inter in fine form, we’ll really have to bring it together to take the game to Mourinho’s men. At the moment, the Inter game and United’s defensive worries are headlines in the UK. Rafa’s contract issues and Liverpool’s choking are also talking points. Not much being made about Chelsea’s win over Villa except what a revelation Hiddink is and how Chelsea is playing as team again (give it a few draws and Hiddink will be branded a failure and team spirit will be in the toilet again, it’s become the Chelsea way).

I’ve got some great pics of Old Trafford and the lads warming up, which I’ll send thru to Swoosh some time this week for the Blog. Otherwise, all I have left to say this week is Viva Ronaldo !!!

THE RETURN OF THE CHAVEL

Jose vs Fergie
Its bound to be an intriguing match! Mutterings from both camps suggest the mind games are definitely on. It might be a slow game of chess but suspicion tells me the way Inter played against Milan, with Milan largely dominating possession & Inter biding their time waiting for the odd mistake United could well dominate & open up a can of whip ass. The defensively minded Mourinho though could easily slit Uniteds battered defense with armory in the form of Ibra Ka Dabra & the overweight “handyman” Adriano. However for United the playmaking ability of Giggs & Berbatov could prove the difference but Mourinho’s personal record against Fergie since his days at Porto puts him in pole. Below are a series of attack & counter statements from both camps. The pic below is one of pure inspiration, legends of their time hooking up at the San Siro, United in their blood legends live on…

Jose: “Nothing will be decided in Milan. I’m expecting a situation where, in the last minute at Old Trafford, no one knows who is going through. It will go to the full 180 minutes or, probably, more.”
Fergie: “Well, I have to disagree with Jose there. I think it will be decided here. These days it’s very important to take a goal back for the home leg. If we do that, we’ll have a great chance. And he thinks it’s going to extra-time? Interesting. He’s probably forgotten we’re pretty good at that!”
Jose: “I don’t believe United are coming here to have fun. They are a great attacking team but I have watched them closely in Europe — starting with the goal-less draw in Barcelona last season — and they have changed the way they play outside Old Trafford. I’m not saying they are afraid of us but they do know they can lose. Because of that they will not come here with the same approach they have in the Premier League. They will not come here to take us on and win the game.”
Fergie: “Jose knows better than most that Manchester United do not often go into games not wanting to win. It will be the same out here.”
Jose: “We will play basically the same way — 4-4-2 with Adriano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front and a diamond in midfield. I’m not frightened to tell you that. But they will not come here with Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney all in the team. Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji Sung will play their part. Defensive? Sure.”
Fergie: “Obviously, I’m trying to think of how Inter could change and I can’t come up with anything. We watched them on six occasions and they played the same way every single time. “Apart from bringing in someone for Nemanja Vidic at centre-half, we will have the same team and will play our normal game.”
Fergie: “Panic! Play him (Berbatov) at sweeper . . . ” When Asked the possibility of Jonny Evans and John O’Shea being ruled out.
Jose: “The smell of this game is in the air — the adrenalin is in the air. My team are ready. They responded well against Juventus, Roma and Milan here at the San Siro and I expect them to do it again.”
Fergie: “It’s a pity this one couldn’t have been the final.”