United prepares for 'massive' week
Source: Agencies |
May 3, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WORRIES about refereeing decisions and a squad rotation conundrum before a title showdown against Chelsea have transformed Manchester United's next week from comfortable to "massive".
United's defeat by Arsenal and Chelsea's win over Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend have shaken up the English Premier League title race with Alex Ferguson's side only three points ahead of the champion which travels to Old Trafford on Sunday.
A Frank Lampard goal for Chelsea which television replays showed had not completely crossed the line and a United appeal for a penalty for Gael Clichy's trip on Michael Owen have led to Ferguson voicing fresh concern over refereeing.
"They (Chelsea) got great decisions for them (on Saturday) and they seem to get these decisions at the moment," said Ferguson, who has already served a five-match touchline ban this season for criticizing referees.
"They got one to win the league last season at Old Trafford," he added, referring to Didier Drogba scoring from an offside position. "So that's a worry. You go into a game worrying about these things."
Victory at Old Trafford would put Chelsea top on goal difference, an almost unimaginable situation for the most ardent Blues fan two months ago when the team trailed United by 15 points.
A week's rest
Chelsea benefits from a week's rest before the game, while United diverts thoughts to tomorrow's Champions League semifinal second leg against Schalke 04 where Ferguson must field a strong enough side to defend a 2-0 lead while keeping his top players fresh.
"They're two massive games," Ferguson, who has said he will make changes for the midweek game, told MUTV.
While Ferguson is counting on United's imperious home form to hold up, Chelsea needs little reminder that it was the last team to win at Old Trafford more than a year ago.
"As we showed last year by going to Old Trafford and winning a decisive game in the Premier League, there's no reason why we can't go there and win again," local media quoted Chelsea captain John Terry as saying.
Ferguson received his touchline ban for saying he "feared the worst" when he saw Martin Atkinson was refereeing his side's match at Chelsea in March which ended in victory for the London side and a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes. Since that 2-1 win, Chelsea has dropped only two points and it is also unbeaten in the league for 10 games.
While its cause was helped by the controversial Lampard goal, United has not been without its own lucky escapes as defender Nemanja Vidic's hand ball was missed on Sunday when the Serb deflected Theo Walcott's dangerous cross for a corner.
United's defeat by Arsenal and Chelsea's win over Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend have shaken up the English Premier League title race with Alex Ferguson's side only three points ahead of the champion which travels to Old Trafford on Sunday.
A Frank Lampard goal for Chelsea which television replays showed had not completely crossed the line and a United appeal for a penalty for Gael Clichy's trip on Michael Owen have led to Ferguson voicing fresh concern over refereeing.
"They (Chelsea) got great decisions for them (on Saturday) and they seem to get these decisions at the moment," said Ferguson, who has already served a five-match touchline ban this season for criticizing referees.
"They got one to win the league last season at Old Trafford," he added, referring to Didier Drogba scoring from an offside position. "So that's a worry. You go into a game worrying about these things."
Victory at Old Trafford would put Chelsea top on goal difference, an almost unimaginable situation for the most ardent Blues fan two months ago when the team trailed United by 15 points.
A week's rest
Chelsea benefits from a week's rest before the game, while United diverts thoughts to tomorrow's Champions League semifinal second leg against Schalke 04 where Ferguson must field a strong enough side to defend a 2-0 lead while keeping his top players fresh.
"They're two massive games," Ferguson, who has said he will make changes for the midweek game, told MUTV.
While Ferguson is counting on United's imperious home form to hold up, Chelsea needs little reminder that it was the last team to win at Old Trafford more than a year ago.
"As we showed last year by going to Old Trafford and winning a decisive game in the Premier League, there's no reason why we can't go there and win again," local media quoted Chelsea captain John Terry as saying.
Ferguson received his touchline ban for saying he "feared the worst" when he saw Martin Atkinson was refereeing his side's match at Chelsea in March which ended in victory for the London side and a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes. Since that 2-1 win, Chelsea has dropped only two points and it is also unbeaten in the league for 10 games.
While its cause was helped by the controversial Lampard goal, United has not been without its own lucky escapes as defender Nemanja Vidic's hand ball was missed on Sunday when the Serb deflected Theo Walcott's dangerous cross for a corner.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
