Relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers will be desperate to pick up points when they host Fulham on Saturday.Wolves are bottom of the English Premier League table, but are only two points away from safety with a game in hand over their immediate rivals.
Fulham look more comfortable in 12th place and have also played one match fewer than the majority of teams below them.
But they remain just five points clear of the drop zone and are not yet assured of retaining their top flight status.
The match at Molineux has added significance for Bobby Zamora – the Fulham striker will be taking on the side he suffered a broken leg against during the first meeting between the teams in September last year.
Zamora has scored three goals in four games since returning to action after five months on the sidelines.
Wolves captain Karl Henry, involved in the challenge that left Zamora injured, said he welcomed the centre-forward’s return to fitness.
“It’s never nice to see any player pick up a broken leg or another nasty injury,” Henry said.
“I’m really pleased to see him back looking sharp and scoring goals and I’m sure he’ll be back in the England squad soon.”
Mick McCarthy’s Wolves team have lost their last two matches, going down 4-1 away to Newcastle United and 3-0 at home to Everton.
Fulham have won one and lost one from their previous outings, with a 3-0 home win over Blackpool followed by a 2-0 defeat away to league leaders Manchester United.
The visitors, led by Mark Hughes, will be without winger Damien Duff due to an Achilles injury.
Hosts Wolves are missing defender Ronald Zubar and midfielder David Edwards, both sidelined with back problems.
A knee injury is likely to see key striker Kevin Doyle miss much of the run in.
Winger Stephen Hunt and defender Steven Mouyokolo are nearing returns from knee and calf problems respectively, but both remain doubts for Saturday’s match.
Fulham’s Andy Johnson dented Wolves’ survival hopes with a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw that saw visiting manager Mark Hughes sent off.The striker – and substitute – had barely been on the Molineux pitch for 60 seconds when he cancelled out Steven Fletcher’s first-half header to leave Wolves languishing in the bottom three.
Fulham started with plenty of purpose. Carlos Salcido unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot that seemed destined for Wayne Hennessey’s top corner until the Wolves keeper leapt to spectacularly palm the ball away.
Aaron Hughes failed to connect with a close-range header from the resulting corner and after Clint Dempsey had fired wide from the edge of the area, the American then blazed over when clean through on goal as the Cottagers dominated the opening 20 minutes.
And with Richard Stearman lucky to escape with just a caution instead of a straight red card for a studs-up lunge on Steve Sidwell, the hosts were struggling to stay in the game.
Yet with their first attack of any note, Wolves went ahead courtesy of a superbly executed header from Fletcher, who out jumped Hughes to meet Karl Henry’s perfectly-weighted right wing cross.
A Danny Murphy body check on Henry raised tempers with words exchanged between both sides as they headed to the rooms at the break.
Both goalkeepers were called into action from the restart with Hennessey diving on a loose ball and Mark Schwarzer tipping Adlene Guedioura’s 20-yard drive around the post at the other end.
Fulham’s frustration boiled over with manager Hughes sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in reaction to Brede Hangeland’s yellow card.
Hennessey again coped well with a long-range effort from Sidwell before Fletcher latched on to a poor Schwarzer clearance to draw a vital save from the Australian.
And moments later, the inspired 80th-minute introduction of Johnson salvaged Fulham a draw as the striker volleyed home from the edge of the area.
“Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, we’re going to Wembley, que sera sera!”
The twist to the lyrics of the iconic song originally performed by Doris Day rang out through Old Trafford, as a much changed Manchester United side cast aside all lingering doubts, to comfortably book their place in the 2011 Champion’s League final, to take their place alongside Barcelona, in challenging for Europe’s top honours.
Led by John O’Shea, deputising as captain for the evening, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team saw out the task at hand, to run away comfortable winners with a 4-1 victory, giving them a 6-1 lead over the two legs. Such ease of victory is a rare accomplishment in such late stages of the competition. And with that, here are five things that may be taken from the game.
1) The gamble on the squad paid off
With a 2 goal lead against a team that were considered vastly inferior, it would have been so surprise to find a few players that had featured being rested, particularly when one considers the flat and somewhat fatigued display shown against Arsenal the previous Sunday.
However, the fact that 9 changes had been made would undoubtedly have been considered a risk. Although Schalke were poor the previous week, the idea of such a major change to the starting line up will have been thought of as a gamble in a competition where “there are no easy games”. Fortunately, despite a fairly brighter start from the German side, the tie was soon put beyond doubt as Gibson thread a well placed pass through to Valencia to charge into the box and coolly finish past Neuer after 26 minutes.
The game was made to look even more comfortable when 5 minutes later, Gibson fired a well-struck shot that should have been comfortably collected by Neuer but instead found itself deflecting off his hands and in to the net and despite a Jurado claiming a goal back only minutes later, the semi-final already looked beyond United’s German counterparts. Despite the risk taken with the squad, one has to applaud the efficiency and professionalism displayed by Ferguson’s men in getting the job done, and in failing to allow Schalke a lifeline in finding their way back into contention.
Although it was a poor side that United faced, the possibility of complacency was always there unless business had been dealt with appropriately. On a note about Neuer, Schalke’s goalkeeper that has made headlines of late, although he had a poor performance, his standing as one of the world’s top ‘keepers should not be called into question. Perhaps his error for Gibson’s goal threw him off for the rest of the game, regularly showing his signs of frustration and perhaps annoyance at the lack of a challenge posed against United. Whatever the reason, it was not the performance that many will have expected for someone of such high standard, and will certainly have not looked positive in the closing stages of his career at Schalke.
2) Resting players at this stage is a luxury
The opportunity to give players a night off at the business end of the season is a rarity, especially when said side are challenging for both European and domestic honours, and the fact that United were able to make so many changes without suffering the ramifications will have been pleasing for the coaching staff, particularly when players will be needed to be at their peak for what could be seen as a title-decider the following Sunday against Chelsea. The possibility of a fresh starting line up will certainly maximise their chances of success and getting the result necessary in solidifying their advantage at the top of the table.
The likes of Hernandez and Rooney, as well as Ferdinand and Vidic will have benefited from some respite, and will have been comforted by the fact that their understudies were able to fill in with competence and do what was required of them without setback. At the same time it will have provided a chance for an “audition” of sorts for potential squad members for the title run in and indeed the final itself, with many taking the opportunity to try and make an impression at a time when squad selection will have to be considered extremely carefully.
The likes of Anderson, Berbatov, Valencia, Nani and others all aimed at putting in a performance that would leave the management with something to think about. In truth, it could be said that nobody played badly, but then against opposition that were far below par, some may say it was to be expected. The coming games will tell as to who is likely to get the chance to represent United in the line up at Wembley.
3) Berbatov is not to be forgotten
Wednesday night provided Dimitar Berbatov with the perfect opportunity to give Ferguson reason not to forget him at Old Trafford, despite his clear preference for the Rooney/Hernandez partnership that has proved so successful of late. This has been quite the development when one considers Berbatov’s standing as the League’s top scorer, but the emergence of Javier Hernandez has been hard to ignore. However, for the return leg against Schalke, an energetic performance was seen from the big Bulgarian forward. Although he did not find himself on the scoresheet one cannot deny his contribution.
He was to be found everywhere, looking to get involved with play, often finding himself on the left in the first half for example, even getting back to defend set pieces appropriately. A way to describe it may be to consider it a performance on behalf of his team, working well with those around him in trying to create chances, culminating in him setting up Anderson’s second goal, a selfless act when he could have easily taken it on himself. A well-deserved round of applause was given upon his exit for Michael Owen late on, who incidentally provided evidence for his efficacy has a substitute, looking sharp and generally providing a threat. The fact that Ferguson has four strong strikers at his disposal will certainly be a comforting thought at such a late stage of the season.
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4) Anderson doubled his career tally at United…. in one game
2 goals, 127 appearances. Now, 4 goals and 128 appearances. If there was one player that could sum up United’s performance on Wednesday evening, then one could look to Anderson as an example to demonstrate the energy and positive play that gave United such an attacking threat. The young Brazilian midfielder looked lively, always willing to take the ball forward and impose himself on the Schalke back line, as well as looking to carve open the defence and create chances to score.
One argument has always been that he has not scored enough in his time at Old Trafford, so one can imagine the surprise when he popped up with two goals in one evening! The first was a strong finish after persevering in winning the ball from the defender to slot past. The second came when Berbatov found himself open on goal, only to slip a pass to an open Anderson to tap in and to add insult to injury. Of course, United always looked to add more to their tally, especially with the risk of a miraculous comeback almost non-existant. Constant calls of “shoot!” from the United faithful backing up the attacking mood United found themselves in, turning into a night to enjoy instead of tension that some may have expected.
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As well as this, one must take into account the good performance of the makeshift defensive unit that had been put together, doing their job adequately in not allowing mistakes to happen and provide Schalke with chances to claw their way back into the tie.
5) United are going to Wembley
Regardless of what some may say about the quality of United’s German opponents, one must remember that this is the same team that decimated Inter Milan in the previous round. The fact that United swept them aside is not to be scoffed at, and to reach the Champions League final is an achievement that is not to be dismissed. The chance for honours is one that is tantalisingly close and Barcelona will provide the ultimate in opposition in the way of European glory.
Although the Catalan side have had their glistening image dented somewhat by the antics in “El Clasico” of late, the quality of their side is unquestionable, and it will take tactical superiority as well as perfect team selection to give Sir Alex Ferguson the chance of bringing another European Cup back to Old Trafford, as he so craves. Barcelona will more than likely be favourites for the trip to Wembley, but one must say United have proved they have the quality to make it to the final, therefore also possess the quality to give them a chance at defeating the Spanish League leaders. The United faithful have every reason to be in high spirits for the coming weeks.
Read more of Zayd’s articles at Red Flag Flying High
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FIFA are investigating bribery accusations involving presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam and vice-president Jack Warner.Caribbean Football Union officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester are also implicated in the allegations, which have been made by executive committee member and CONCACAF secretary general Chuck Blazer.
The accusations come just days before the FIFA presidential election on June 1, in which Asian Football Confederation president bin Hammam takes on incumbent Sepp Blatter.
Blazer alleges violations of the FIFA code of ethics during a meeting set up by Bin Hammam and Warner on May 10 and 11.
All four of the accused must attend a hearing in Zurich on Sunday.
“On May 24, 2011, FIFA executive committee member and CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer reported to FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke possible violations of the FIFA code of Ethics allegedly committed by officials,” a FIFA statement read.
“In particular, the report referred to a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), apparently organised jointly by FIFA vice-president Jack A Warner and FIFA executive committee member Mohammed Bin Hammam, which took place on May 10 and 11, 2011.”
“This meeting was linked to the upcoming FIFA presidential election.”
“In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, in compliance with art. 16 of the FIFA code of ethics, yesterday requested the FIFA ethics committee to open ethics proceedings.”
Peterborough have accepted an offer for prolific striker Craig Mackail-Smith from a Premier League side, rumoured to be newly-promoted Norwich City, according to BBC Sport.
The 27-year old has been in fine form this season as his 35 goals helped Darren Ferguson’s side win promotion to the Championship. The ex-Dagenham and Redbridge forward has scored 99 goals in 210 appearances for the Posh and earned his first cap for Scotland in March despite previously representing the England ‘C’ side.
Norwich first moved for Mackail-Smith earlier in the year but their overtures were rejected. He has since stated his desire to play at the top level and Norwich manager Paul Lambert sees him as an ideal signing, despite having already spent what could rise to £2.5 million on James Vaughan from Everton.
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Whilst Norwich are the first club to have a bid accepted, interest in the striker is still high. Everton, Wigan and fellow promotion achievers QPR have all been linked with the player but have yet to table firm bids.
have kickstart their spending this summer with a double deal for Phil Jones and Ashley Young. It is a real signal intent from Sir Alex Ferguson who is looking to build what will arguably be a strong youthful legacy at Old Trafford.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes Da Silva twins coming of age; expecting nothing less than Paul Scholes, the ideal solution to the Nani problem.
We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.
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Is this really ‘The Greatest Premier League XI’ of all time?
Da Silva twins coming of age at Old Trafford
FIVE reasons I’m excited about United next season
Not the kind of signing that Manchester United need
Would you expect anything less from Paul Scholes?
What does the season hold for United’s Youth?
The ideal solution to the Nani problem?
Manchester United’s REAL transfer priority at this moment?
Does Fergie’s transfer policy signify intentions?
*Best of Web *
36 days later – United Rant
Evolution is all part of the game at Old Trafford – The Busby Way
Already Plus One To Sir Alex Ferguson And Manchester United – The United Religion
Off Topic: Countries’ Playing Styles – Who has the best Philosophy? – Expertise on United
Will United’s Talented Youngsters Go To Waste? – Red Flag flying High
Clichy: If You Only Think About Money Then You Join City – RoM
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*
Click on Steven Taylor’s lady below to see her gallery
Mexico and Honduras have qualified for the semi-finals of the Gold Cup after both won their last-eight matches on Saturday.Mexico had to work for their place in the last four as they came from behind to defeat Guatemala 2-1 in New Jersey.
Carlos Ruiz’s fifth minute opener gave Guatemala a shock lead, and they were able to hang on to their advantage until half-time.
But after the break, Mexico looked a different side and a half-time change from manager Jose de la Torre paid almost immediate dividends.
Aldo De Nigris had been on the pitch for just two minutes when he found the back of the net and the goal energized Mexico, who looked like they would go on from there and notch the victory.
Guatemala did push them hard, but a goal just after the hour-mark from Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez decided the contest and saw Mexico reach the semi-finals.
In the day’s other match, a 4-2 penalty shootout victory for Honduras earned them progression against Costa Rica after their match finished 1-1 after extra time.
After a goalless first half, the eventual winners burst out of the blocks when Javier Portillo laid on an assist for striker Jerry Bengtson to open the scoring after 49 minutes.
The lead did not last long as Denis Marshall struck an equalizer just seven minutes later for Costa Rica, and they should have taken the lead with just 14 minutes left after Honduran shot-stopper Noel Valladares gave away a penalty.
But the subsequent penalty was missed by Alvaro Saborio, and he was again the villain when he missed from the spot in the shoot-out, as did team-mate Celso Borges, handing Honduras a dramatic victory.
Kenny Dalglish’s focus on improving Liverpool’s midfield this summer has seen three new midfielders arriving at Anfield already. Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam join nine senior midfielders on Merseyside and whilst they will no doubt be a clear-out of some of the existing unwanted players, is variety in the midfield a selection headache for Kenny?
One of the clichés of modern football is that it is a squad game, the ability to give a rest to the tired and freshen up the team if things are not going your way. Liverpool’s small squad was often stretched last season and Dalglish has clearly recognized the need to add more bodies in the midfield.
Henderson, Downing and Adam join Steven Gerrard, Raul Meireles, Joe Cole, Maxi Rodriguez, Jay Spearing, Lucas, Christian Poulsen, Jonjo Shelvey and Alberto Aquilani as Dalglish’s senior midfield options. I wouldn’t be surprised if a handful of these are sold (the obvious candidates being Cole, Poulsen and Aquilani) but that still leaves Dalglish with a variety of choices in the middle of the park. He will also have various young academy players pushing for a breakthrough, though their opportunities could be limited as Kenny continues to invest.
The rumoured departure of Meireles is a perplexing one. Whilst he has confirmed that he is looking to stay, interest in his services has been building all summer. The Portuguese midfielder enjoyed an impressive first season at Anfield and whilst Henderson and Adam play in similar positions, Dalglish should keep hold of the former Porto man. If Dalglish is looking for variety, Meireles is the perfect player to have amongst your squad.
With a lack of natural width Dalglish’s tactics have often concentrated on the centre of midfield, where the likes of Lucas and Spearing can sit and hold whilst Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Maxi and Meireles offer support to the strikers. In this respect Dalglish has made two perfect acquisitions with the creativity and energy of Henderson and the passing range of Adam adding to the Reds’ midfield. But all these options may cause some sleepless nights for Dalglish as he works out how best to fit his new big money stars around the established squad. Henderson’s £20 million price tag means he can’t simply be a squad player whilst Adam’s ability would be wasted on the bench. Dalglish must find a formation that suits Liverpool’s style of play and balances their attacking guile and defensive responsibilities.
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But whilst Dalglish has a variety of players for one position, a lack of width always hindered Liverpool. Maxi and Kuyt are crucial players for the Reds as they can occupy the flanks but neither are your typical running at defenders wingers. Liverpool’s capture of Aston Villa’s Stewart Downing will address that problem. In Downing Dalglish has a player that is willing to run at defenders down the flanks and deliver the telling crosses for the likes of Andy Carroll.
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Dalglish’s summer transfer policy has meant that the Liverpool boss has plenty of variety in midfield and whilst balancing all these players may give Dalglish the occasional headache, it is a headache worth having in the Reds’ push for success next season.
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Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona has revealed Alejandro Sabella is the favourite to take charge of the national team.Sabella was expected to arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday ahead of pre-season after being appointed Al-Jazira’s new boss in June.
But the 56-year-old failed to turn up, infuriating the Abu Dhabi outfit and adding to speculation that he had been lined up to replace Sergio Batista as Argentina coach.
Batista left his post on Monday after failing to lead Argentina past the quarter-finals of the Copa America.
Grondona revealed former Estudiantes manager Sabella had been in talks with the AFA over the Argentina role, and also distanced himself from speculation Carlos Bianchi was also in the running.
“I do not think the appointment of Sabella will cause criticism in Argentine football,” Grondona told Radio Rivadavia.
“I went to get (Bianchi) twice after the 1998 World Cup in France and he said no.”
“Then he made some remarks I did not like. He said things that make it very hard for us to see eye to eye.”
Last season was something of a strange one if we are completely honest, even if it did end with United overtaking Liverpool in titles, it wasn’t all rosy.
There was the abysmal away record, the devastation of another Champions League final loss to Barcelona, there was also the drama of the Rooney contract debacle. Let’s not act like spoilt children though, we did win that elusive 19th title and we did have THAT derby goal, the Dimitar Berbatov show, the Luis Da Cunha show and the emergence of a certain small garden vegetable.
One aspect of last season which grated even more than our inability to kill off teams away from home, or the somewhat tedious for and against arguments over the inclusion of Michael Carrick; no the biggest let down for me was the lack of goals from set pieces. United’s corners were shockingly bad, while our free kicks weren’t much better.
Throughout United’s successful Premier League era, we’ve always had at least one decent free kick taker, in the early years it was a real team effort, with Ryan Giggs, Denis Irwin, Eric Cantona and even Gary Pallister getting in on the act. Then was the Beckham era, followed after a couple of years by a certain Portuguese winger’s time at the plate. Since Ronaldo left United have struggled to find anyone capable of consistently troubling the opposition with free kicks.
Nani would seem like the perfect choice after all he’s similar to Ronaldo in many ways and certainly has the confidence to step up, the problem is his free kicks on the whole have often disappointed, in fact thats something of an understatement.
Wayne Rooney announced his free kicking ability the night of his debut against Fenerbahce with the third of his hat-trick coming from a set-piece. Unfortunately it was something of a false dawn as Wazza, wasn’t quite ready to be the free kick taker on a permanent basis and unfortunately for him, he’d have to wait a long time until he got the chance to prove he was.
Last season Rooney’s goal against West Ham proved he can still take a set piece, while his brace of free kicks against Arsenal merely underlined that a player of his quality given a chance from 25 yards, is more than capable of causing problems. Rooney’s not been greedy enough in the past, when it comes to grabbing the ball and placing it down for set pieces, he’s too willing to let Nani or whoever else have a go. Now it’s time for him to make them his own, perhaps with the exception of one man.
The great thing for United, is that as well as Rooney, we now also have Ashley Young , who has proven at Aston Villa he knows how to beat both the wall and the keeper. Considering the sumptuous quick interchangeable passing United have been engaged in this season, the sort of moves that make defenders clip attackers heels and engage in late tackles, there’s a good chance we may see quite a few free kicks awarded this season to United.
With Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young both seemingly up to the task, then this could be the season we see free kicks become just as important a part of United’s Arsenal- pardon the really shabby pun- as they were in the days of Beckham and Ron.
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Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High