Red Rants

United face Spurs in what has now been widely regarded by fans as a crunch game. In fact it the game is considered equally important for Spurs fans, who despite having won the last game, have gone over board in their reactions towards Tottenham and Martin Jol, in particular.

United on the other hand have yet to win a game this season and are already playing catch up. As mentioned countless times here, in this site, and many other sites, the team has been playing well. It’s only the final third where they are not being able to get anything decisive done. Or are they plain unlucky?

SAF has said that Hargreaves, Anderson and Saha are fit. Even EVDS is deemed fit to play. Gary Neville has overdone his training and ended up aggravating his injury, thus keeping him out for another 2 weeks. While Hargreaves will start, there is this feeling that Fergie might persist with his 4-3-3 formation. Despite Saha training for the last two weeks without any hiccups, it is more likely that he will start on the bench. So will Anderson.

Martin Jol’s defence is shaky, with Ledley King a long time absentee. None of the defenders are Micah Richards, so we should be able to beat them comfortably. But stranger things have happened. The ‘crisis’ at Spurs might just spur (no pun intended) the players on to a blinder of a performance, and we just hope that doesn’t happen. Berbatov is fit and is expected to start.

Prediction: 2-0 to United (Tevez, Nani to score.)

I couldn’t be more serious. We head over to Eastlands to face a Man City side, who for the first time in a million years are actually playing half decent football. In previous seasons, we were up against a City side that were generally shite against most teams but somehow managed to nick points off us. Two seasons ago, we saw Ronaldo sent off in a 1-3 loss. Evra had a particularly nightmarish debut then, when Trevor Sinclair, of all people, terrorized him. Earlier, in the same season, they managed to draw at Old Trafford with Joey Barton equalising after Ruud’s goal.

Last season, we did relatively better although, our away game was a drab affair, known especially for Michael Ball’s stamp on Ronaldo and a penalty that van der Sar saved. It was a game that we should have won quite comfortably but instead chose to grind our way through with some nervy moments and uninspired football.

Continue reading “Preview: Extremely, Immensely Massive Citeh vs Puny Reds”

So after a disappointing draw against Reading we head south over to Fratton Park to play a team that in recent times have become our ‘bogey team’. But in a way it’s good we are playing away from home. At least there is this hope that teams wouldn’t park their bus in front of their goal. Harry Redknapp himself said he won’t be defensive. “One can’t just defend against teams like that”, he said - or something to that effect.

So we could hope for a much more open game today. SAF has confirmed that Tevez will start today. It would be a like for like replacement for Rooney, but that said, it shouldn’t open up the old, tiresome debate that Rooney and Tevez are too similar. As Carlitos would himself say, “I am only 50% similar to him” - or something to that effect. He would have said that in Spanish anyway, so there you go.

I would love for Hargreaves to start along side Carrick with Scholes in the hole, as I mentioned yesterday. But I doubt we are going to see that happening. Giggs might be persisted with in the hole with Carrick and the Ninja playing deeper. Fletcher would get to start on the wing with Ronny on the other. However we should see Evra in a more familiar role of left back - displacing Silvestre. So that should hopefully settle many nerves, or so we’d hope.

Nani would be on the bench and so would Anderson/Ole. I am sure Fergie would have realized his folly of not having any genuine strikers on the bench in the last game. Well, sure, he didn’t have any fit striker, but Anderson could play in that role too. Or even Frazier Campbell, no?

Oh well, let’s not talk about that game anymore. Here’s looking forward to a good game today and a result.

Prediction: 2-0 to United. The lads will be pumped up for the game. Tevez to score! I don’t expect our defence to be too troubled by Portsmouth’s attack although they are decent enough to cause us problems.

And before I end this preview, here is an inspirational fan chant created by none other than yours’ truly, (Who else!) which involves three of our summer signings. It could be horrible, or outright brilliant. But that’s your opinion. Anyway here it is:

Anderson, Nani, Charlie Tee,
In your pants, they’ll make you Pee!

Angry? You have the comment section for that!