Sep 30
Manchester United vs VfL Wolfsburg: Preview
Matchday Two of the Champions League is fast approaching and one thing for sure is that VfL Wolfsburg should provide something of a tougher test than United’s previous opponents in the competition. Yes while Besiktas were plucky and persistent, the German champions are a far more accomplished outfit and you’ve probably heard that they’re not too bad up front either.
That’s because in Brazilian striker Grafite and Bosnian international Edin Dzeko, Wolfsburg possess one of the deadliest strike partnerships in Europe. The duo managed a record 54 goals between them in the Bundesliga last season and throw in Obafemi Martins, a player who certainly knows a thing or two about scoring at Old Trafford, and you’re faced with a pretty potent attacking trio.
It’s fair to say that United have a few attacking options themselves and Saturday’s win over Stoke City in the Premier League was utterly satisfying, considering the nature in which the lads dominated from start to finish in a game one would have expected to have been decidedly even. That result stretches the 100 per cent record to seven games now and Wolfsburg at home will present the chance to keep that run ticking over.
The team shouldn’t change drastically from the trip to the Britannia Stadium with, bar a late injury set-back, the back five of Foster, Evra, O’Shea, Ferdinand and Vidic remaining unchanged.
As we have come to expect with a Ferguson midfield there will undoubtedly be a slight adjustment and Nani is arguably the most likely to drop out for the ever impressive Ryan Giggs. That could also see Paul Scholes given a rest as a result with Michael Carrick and Anderson fully charged and raring to go in hope of lining up alongside Darren Fletcher.
It is my view that Fletcher will have to start if United are to nullify the threat of Zvjezdan Misimovic, a midfield playmaker who grabbed an eye-catching 18 assists in the German league last term. Not to mention that the combative midfielder is the best thing to have come out of Scotland since Braveheart and Sir Alex.
While Ferguson has often reverted to a 4-5-1 formation when away from home in the Champions League, Old Trafford is a different kettle of fish and thus you would think that the Scot will opt for a Rooney-Berbatov partnership up top.
In the build-up to the game Sir Alex has insisted that he will not underestimate the attacking prowess of the Wolfsburg side.
“The two strikers [Dzeko and Grafite] scored an incredible tally of goals last season. 71 in a season is incredible for two strikers,” the United boss is quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
“In terms of Dzeko, he was a player we saw and I was very impressed by him. Wolfsburg are a team that scores a lot of goals, but they also lose a few.
Ferguson went on to maintain that reaching the 10 point mark is the aim for the group stages of Europe’s pinnacle club competition.
“In a group of four teams, you just want to get to 10 points as quickly as possible,” he added.
“The quicker you do it, the better it is for obvious reasons. But we have only played once so far and we have to maintain our consistency and concentration in these matches.”
Former Newcastle striker Martins spoke to BBC Sport about the threat of United even without Ronaldo and Tevez and that the team are capable of providing the goals from all over the pitch.
“Even without Ronaldo and Tevez, I would say you face the same problems playing against United. In fact, I would even say they are playing much better than before,” the Nigerian international said
“When Ronaldo was on the pitch, everyone looked to him, expecting him to change the game when his team most needed it.
“But now United have a lot of players who can change a game, like Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov. Even the defenders can score goals, so we must watch out for them all over the pitch.”
Statistically things don’t read too well when you consider United’s record against German opposition in the Champions League. Out of a total of fifteen games, the Reds have only picked up four victories with six draws and five losses.
The United back four will certainly have to be on their toes throughout what is sure to be a tense but thoroughly entertaining encounter with the form of Grafite and Dzeko a particular concern. The latter notched his sixth of the campaign against Hannover on Saturday while former Le Mans attacker Grafite scored a Rooney-esque hat-trick on his Champions League debut a couple of weeks back.
With all that said, we are at home at the Theatre of Dreams and certainly have no reason to fear even the greatest teams in world football. While Wolfsburg may not be in that category just yet, they are a wonderfully gifted attacking outfit all the same but United possess just as much fire power and a solid defence to boot.
I would be a tad more apprehensive if we were playing at Wolfburg’s Volkswagen Arena but home advantage should see us through home and dry with Wayne Rooney ultimately proving too hot to handle for Die Wölfe.
Prediction: 2-1 United
Related items from Red Rants:
- Manchester United vs Vfl Wolfsburg: Preview
- Manchester United drawn with Besiktas, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
- The Manchester United Pledge
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
Stephen (479)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
I miss fit and happy Saha. He was ridiculously good, the complete striker. Just never showed the consistency we needed to build a team around him. Sad that. I don’t regret selling him, and wish him all the best.
Like?
0 
0
manchester united reserve team goal vs sunderland
great goals.third one is the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBnYIuaLWyc&feature=youtube_gdata
Like?
0 
0
Craig, yeah my only reservation would be that a top class striker would not be happy as part of a rotation system. It is a shame Welbeck and Macheda are still a few years away from being first team material. Welbeck has the class but I don’t yet see him as a regular goalscorer. Macheda has the finishing ability but the rest of his game is pretty poor. It is a shame really that we let Rossi go.
It is good that some of our youngsters are tearing it up in the reserves but you cannot read too much into it. Really we need a B team in a lower league as then they are getting more competitive football at a good physical level.
Like?
0 
0
@colver: i have always wondered why we dont have any B teams in the lower divisions like teams in other leagues do..is there is some FA law that prevents such a thing?
agree on Macheda and Welbeck..but hopefully with Owen out we could see them more often
Like?
0 
0
@Craig Mc: I believe Tosic means “tosser” in Serbian, correct?
Like?
0 
0
Seems the one thing Madrid can’t buy is the Olympics!! Rio, Rio , Rio!
Like?
0 
0
@Craig Mc: Call me naive but I cannot understand how a great city like Manchester even bothers supporting this shite entry wearing blue. Why are there Shitty fans? When you are born in Manchester and you start developing your mind and motor skills, I’d like to know what mind numbingly stupid thing happens that turns 40% of them into Shitty supporters? I mean why?
I realize there is no explanation to someone’s bad taste but I will never ever get it? For that matter why are there NY Mets fans or Chicago White Sox fans and why in God’s name is there a team in Madrid called Atletico? But Shitty fans, they are a special sort of scum and villainy. They actually have delusions of grandeur and actually believe their club has been better than ours since the beginning and especially during the Ferguson era. That’s just universal brain damage in my books.. What the hell do they feed those blokes on that side of town? It seems that every big community needs to have a hole for the dregs of society to congregate within. In South Manchester it is the City of Manchester Stadium. The penal colony for sad misfits in Northern England. Poor sad, unfortunate, deluded ass clowns.
Like?
0 
0
@Beachryan: What can I say, a player I never liked and was so happy to see the back of him when he left the club. A serious yellow stripe runs down that blokes back. He had no heart, no courage and no backbone. Couldn’t play with a hangnail in his thumb and needed a stretcher and ambulance on call at OT at all times. He was a semi talented loser who could not cut it at United because he could not handle the pressure. Evewn when he supposedly won the job with van Nistelrooy, it was only because RVN was in the manager’s doghouse over the bust up on the training ground with CR7. Otherwise we would hardly have seen him. I just cannot convey with enough venom and anger how much that player used to get on my nerves. I don’t know why, but i just hated him. Yet I am glad to see he is finally doing well because I could see talent in him. But like I said earlier, the reason he is doing well now is because Everton is no stress no gain environment. Saha is one of those players who cannot under any circumstances play for a top club with a large squad. He doesn’t handle competition well and is always looking over his shoulder. And so when things don’t go well, he bitches and moans about his injuries being worse than they really are. Before the CL final he was supposedly at 100% but when he knew he had no chance of playing, he pulled out with an injury just to make it tougher for Fergie to find a forward for the bench. That’s the kind of weasel he is. Like I have said many times before, good riddance to bad rubbish.
Like?
0 
0
@ebrahim: Clearly we have some great talent on the reserves. I can understand and see why some like Dan think so highly of them and would like to see more of them on the first team. Still, it’s always important to remember that with all that skill and awareness, they are playing against reserves and clubs whose talent base is not even close to theirs. Kick them up a notch and they struggle a hell of a lot more due to their age and inexperience. So we will have to wait a while I’m sure before we some of them really excel for the first team. The two Norwegian lads really look promising though.
Like?
0 
0
@colver: I’ll be honest, I don’t think Welbeck or even Macheda are that far away from first team football. The problem here is that when you are young and constantly on the reserves, the call ups come as a bit of a shock and the nerves become great when tyou get a chance to play. That is why quite often young players fail when they get called up. But give them a run of a few games as either starters or just being on the bench and coming in and that nervousness starts to go away. I feel if Welbeck was called up for an extended period of time, he would settle in and would become a worthwhile and valuable sub coming in games late and snatching a goal or an assist here and there. Going out to buy another accomplished striker when our team is already deep is folly because no striker worth his price in gold wants to sit on the bench or be part of a rotation. But a young kid eager to impress would. It’s a perfect opportunity for talented kids like Macheda or Welbeck to show their quality.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard, Chicago is a big city with different communities. Certain parts support different teams. And don’t forget the white sox won the Series a few years back. When was the last time the cubs won anything?
Like?
0 
0
@Traverse: Everything about Madrid smells of the Antichrist’s home lair. That town is rubbish and they are so full of themselves to boot. It’s bad enough they stole Ronaldo and Kaka but now they steal the Olympics too?
More anti American sentiment from Europeans I think. Rio? Rio is a joke. There is a reason why Brazil never hosts the World Cup? To think of them hosting the Olympics while most of the City lives in shanty town cardboard boxes is ridiculous.
Like?
0 
0
@Johnsom33: I’m aware of that mate but to most of Chicago the Cubs are what matter and the White Sox are the bums from the bad side of town, regardless of who wins more World Series titles.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Atletico was the bigger club over Real, before General Franco and his minions made Real the bigger one.
Other than that, through history, football clubs in England started as community clubs; amateurish/semi-pro where the blue-collar workmen played over weekends, or something like that. Loyalties became a family thing — either the son supported his father’s club or he supported the opponent (as some sort of rebellion). In North America, you had single entity organisations that decided where clubs should be ‘placed’ based on the market/population etc. So I guess it would be baffling perhaps to wonder why NY has a Mets team – when there was already a pretty popular Yankees team (rather, why the MLB or AL or NL would place a certain team in a certain market). It’s top-down here in Stateside, where the organisation decides to create a team. It’s bottom-up in England where clubs sprout organically based on a local community through history.
So that explains the likes of Man City, but it doesn’t (or never will) explain the delusions of grandeur.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Brazil are hosting the next world cup…
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Well for one, manchester united football team, isnt based in manchester.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: That was tongue-in-cheek, right??
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: What? The “team” bit or us not being based in manchester.
Because the later is true. We once were, but that was over a century ago.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: So the club is no longer based in Manchester? Utter nonsense!!
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Manchester, is a borough in greater manchester. They share the same name. Manchester city are based in manchester.
Manchester united are based in stretford, which is in the borough of trafford. Im led to believe its borderline salford and manchester borough.
Hope that helps.
Also, if you dont believe me, the likes of bolton and wigan have all right calling themselves manchester “x” using your supposed logic.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan:It doesn’t help. I’m well aware of local authority boundaries. I live in Trafford and as far I am as concerned and all my fellow residents we live in Manchester regardless of which football team we support.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Bull.
Trafford and manchester are different boroughs.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: Different boroughs of what? Greater Manchester as you’ve stated.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: It will be interesting to see how many ghettos they can fix up and turn into stadiums. Brazil is a classic example of the 10% who have and the 90% who have nothing. Their children live on the streets and do tricks. The country disgusts me.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: I’d like to say that makes any sense to me but it doesn’t
Like?
0 
0
@Red Ranter: I wasn’t trying to get into a deep historical debate here RR. I know the history and the reason why and such. But I still like to make fun of such insignificant and useless wannabe’s as Shitty.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Yes apparently Old Trafford is situated on the outskirts of……….Liverpool I guess.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Manchester united werent named manchester united because they were from greater london. They were named this because at the time, the club was based in manchester, borough of greater manchester. They just share the same name, they are not 1 in the same.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: It’s still greater Manchester mate. Every major city in the world usually has a section named after itself and then 75% of the rest of the town are boroughs that have been picked up over the years due to outward growth. It’s still Manchester. I lived in Burnaby for years but the official border to Vancouver was three blocks away. When people ask me where I am from, I say Vancouver because who the Hell knows where Burnaby is?
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: again, this is bull.
Greater manchester was founded in 1974, a good few decades before manchester united were even founded.
Im right about this. Manchester united are not based in manchester and havent been for over a century.
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: …I, do!!
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: As you mentioned Greater London then by your logic aren’t Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, etc not London teams? The only true city of London team is Milwall!!!
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Now that has me rolling around in fits
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: eh? If anything you are confirming my point! All those teams you mentioned are london teams because they are in london. Teams like watford arent in london, but they are in greater london. Now tell me, is watford a london team? NO!
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: I didn’t mention Watford, that’s is in Buckinghamshire. I said Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal etc.
Fulham, West Ham, I can add off the top of my head. These aren’t according to you, London clubs, because they they are not in boroughs that are part of London, not the city of London.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red:
1st, you originally said greater london, not city of london, they are different.
2nd, at the end of the day, im right, as manchester united were formed in the manchester borough, before “greater” manchester even existed. Old trafford is not in manchester, its in trafford, meaning since we have been playing at old trafford, we have been playing OUTSIDE the manchester borough. You can argue about this greater manchester all you want, but the fact remains, it was founded AFTER manchester united and old trafford were founded.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan:
Read my post, I did mention the city of London.
Old Trafford is in Manchester. The address is as follows:
Manchester United
Sir Matt Busby Way
Old Trafford
MANCHESTER M16 0RA
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: this is why saf didnt spend the money yet Ronny is coming back after embarrassing the spanish league and messi for a year
one can dream huh?
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Actually, its location is:
Sir Matt Busby Way
Old Trafford
Greater Manchester
England
And tbh, the ground is called old trafford, as its based in trafford. There is no denying that, its just a fact that you have to accept. Trafford is not in manchester, its trafford.
Tell me how i could possibly be wrong if greater manchester was founded decades after old trafford and manchester united were formed? I cant possibly be wrong mate! Our stadium is built in the borough of trafford, which is NOT manchester, and it was built decades before greater manchester existed. You tell me how we are still based in manchester?
Like?
0 
0
@Grognard: Fair enough, then.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan:
Trafford Council
Talbot Road
Stretford
MANCHESTER
M32 0TH
http://www.trafford.gov.uk/
Google, the government, the world,the F.A, UEFA, FiFA, disagrees with you
apart from Citeh fans.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: What does that mean to me? All that shows is trafford council, meaning im right, as its not manchester council.
You still havent told me why im wrong.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: It means nothing to you because it seems you will only accept that a team with the name Manchester has to be situated within the confines of Manchester City Council which is a purely administrative boundary. Man Utd and Trafford Council both display their addresses as being Manchester not Trafford, not City of Manchester(which doesn’t exist),not friggin’ Timbuktoo but MANCHESTER
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: “Trafford Council
Talbot Road
Stretford
MANCHESTER”
Following conventions of how addresses are written, that means Trafford council is located on Talbot Road, which is in Stretford, which in turn is in Manchester. Can’t see the problem with that. What am I missing?
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: So who fucking cares? The Dallas Cowboys play their game in a town 30 mikes outside their city limits. other teams build their stadiums where they can find adequate land. That often means moving out to the burbs. You are being geographically anal. Manchester United represent the city and the communities around Manchester. There are no borders despite the fact City play there too. You can be a United fan and live across the street from City Stadium. If Old Trafford was situated on the burbs of Liverpool, then I could see your case. Seeing as it isn’t I really do not see your point.
Like?
0 
0
@Redrich: Well you are a little more in tuned than the average mate. If you ask 99% of all the people living in England where Burnaby is they would think it was an English town somewhere.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Sometimes you have to revert to the ridiculous to make your point.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: Yes they are. They have always been acknowledged as a London team, because in world geography mate, the only thing that matters is the term “GREATER” London. Stop making such a small town boy argument over nothing.
Like?
0 
0
@Cyclops-Red: Lets not forget that Greater London takes up almost 1/3 of lower south east England. It’s a massive place that has annexed many a borough and district over the years. But to everyone all over the world, the place is still seen as London.
Like?
0 
0
@Dan: Atleast we own our own stadium, and not rent a council house.
Like?
0 
0