MUFC XI: De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Young, Rooney, Welbeck.

Subs: Amos, Fabio, Pogba, Scholes, Park, Hernandez, Berbatov.

·    Juan Mata covered the most ground for Chelsea in that game with 6.58 miles

·    Jose Bosingwa’s shot was going off target before Joe Allen deflected it in for Chelsea to equalise

·    Bosingwa has won 72% of tackles attempted this season and has made 44 interceptions and delivered 47 crosses making three assists

·    Chelsea striker Fernando Torres may be struggling in front of goal, but his tenacious work rate is paying dividends for the team. The striker has attempted 38 tackles so far this season, the 7th highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index

·    Manchester United won and scored two penalties to beat Stoke 2-0 in their last Barclays Premier League game

·    Carrick covered the most ground for United in that game with 6.65 miles

·    Hernandez and Berbatov both scored their 7th goals of the season respectively form the spot after Ji Sung Park and Antonio Valencia won the penalties

·    Berbatov’s goals have come from 14 attempts at goal while Hernandez’s have come from 27 attempts

·    Park covered 6.36 miles in the game, behind only top runner Michael Carrick

·    Park has two goals and three assists to his name this season, and has also completed a pass in his opponent’s half every three minutes 40 seconds while on the pitch

Stats courtesy of EA SPORTS Player Performance Index

]]> http://www.mufcweb.com/2011/12/01/video-shock-exit-for-united/feed/ 0 http://www.mufcweb.com/2011/11/08/sir-alex-and-mufc-still-united-after-25-years/ http://www.mufcweb.com/2011/11/08/sir-alex-and-mufc-still-united-after-25-years/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:30:19 +0000 admin http://www.mufcweb.com/?p=1323

Sir Alex Ferguson; the man, the visionary, the legend who has transformed Manchester United into one of the most successful and widely supported clubs in the world. His genius has influenced and guided the rise of footballing icons from the likes of Steve Bruce to Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs. And this weekend Old Trafford celebrated the silver anniversary of its most lucrative manager in the history of the club. The ‘Sir Alex Ferguson stand’ was unveiled. It honours one of the most admired and respected managers the beautiful game has ever seen. So let us take a look at five reasons why Fergie’s career has far exceeded that of so many others in the cutthroat industry that is football.

Firstly, the trophies speak for themselves. He has won a total of 48 trophies throughout his managerial career, 37 of those major honours in charge of the Red Devils themselves. This has resulted in him acquiring the unrivaled accolade of the most successful British manager in history. It’s true! And any Liverpool fan who argues this by mentioning the name of one Bob Paisley, needs only to compare the statistics to realise Fergie always comes out on top.

Secondly, the man has an undeniable ability to deal with star players and their star egos. Manchester United has seen the entrance and exit of numerous players with big personalities including Gordon Strachan, Paul Ince, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and of course David Beckham following the infamous “football boot incident” in the dressing room. He regularly enforces the mentality that no player is bigger than the club. Manchester stands United under his watch and the fans love him for this.

Thirdly, he still maintains an astonishing ability to foster the true talents of Premiership football. Despite the media’s attempts to meddle in the personal lives of players including the scandals of Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, Ferguson dismisses vicious gossip and supports the players one hundred and ten percent. Sir Alex has always had a rocky relationship with the press, and none more so than the BBC, but this shows he is all about the football. His passion and interest lies in what happens on the pitch, overshadowing the occasional misdemeanors off the pitch. In the eyes of the fans, getting results is far more important getting involved in never ending press accusations.

Fourthly, Fergie has become an unstoppable force on the European stage in recent years. The most memorable of all European success of course falls to winning the Champions League in 1999, completing the treble alongside FA cup and Premier League titles. However since then, he has taken United to numerous European finals as well as lifting the title in 2008. Even now, United continue to challenge the likes Barcelona and Real Madrid. He has established himself as a dominant figure in Europe where many other Premier League managers (including Wenger) have failed.

Fifth and finally, Sir Alex has spent 25 years at the top. He commands respect on a global scale and his name alone continues to bring world-class signings to Old Trafford. There is no one quite like Alex Ferguson; no one can compete with his straight talking, formidable character, his commitment, and overall love for Manchester United Football club. Ex-United goalkeeper Van der Sar recently said ‘there is no-one better’. And until the unlikely day when someone better does come along, Sir Alex will continue his reign at the heart of Manchester United. In my eyes, there never will be anyone better. He is just one man but is appreciated by over 100 million fans worldwide. Every single one of which, prays he will remain with us for many more years and trophies to come.

By Laura Kenyon

Man United’s full-back Rafael could take a step towards a return to the first team this week.

Rafael has been out since August, when he had surgery on a shoulder injury.

Ferguson said: “Rafael has been training for over a week. It was a big operation on his shoulder and we hope we can maybe fit a game in for him – maybe the next reserve game.

“He’s coming along fine, there has been no setback and he has been training every day.”

Edin Dzeko insists rivals Manchester United remain favourites for the Premier League title.

“My dream is to win the Premier League title,” admitted Dzeko. “After we won the FA Cup last season, this is our target. But there are still a lot of games to play.

“We’ve played 10 games and we have five more points than United, and for me they are still favourites for the title.

“We’re growing up every game, but United are United.

“Nine points ahead of Chelsea after 10 games is fantastic. Nobody expected that but nothing is finished. It’s not just between us and Man Utd.”

Park Ji-sung is confident that Manchester United’s derby mauling is now forgotten.

Park said: “It was very important for us – we had to get back to winning ways after the defeat against City.

“The boss told us that in the club’s history, we always get over [bad results]. He encouraged us to play and be confident.

“We had to show that and the players had to fight to win the game and the determination was great.

“Goodison Park is always a hard game for us, we have had difficulty there. We had to win the game.”

United’s form has generally dipped over the past month but, with a relatively kind run of fixtures ahead, Park believes momentum can be built.

The Korean, 30, said: “It is very important to improve ourselves for the rest of the games. Hopefully we can continue to play like that.”

Javier Hernandez - Manchester United News

Manchester United recovered from their derby day embarrassment with a comfortable 1-0 win at Everton.
Javier Hernandez found the net in the 19th minute after good build-up play between Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck saw Patrice Evra whip in a peach of a cross from the left hand side. ‘Chicarito’ found space in the six yard box to tap in from point-black range and give the Red Devils a deserved lead.

United had looked the more likely early on, with Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung missing an excellent chance in the second minute following a good run and cut back from Welbeck.

Everton began to find their feet in the latter stages of the first half, with Jack Rodwell going close with a well-struck left foot shot. Leighton Baines then shook David De Gea’s crossbar with a fine 20 yard free kick just before the break.
United took the sting out of the game in the second half, defending impressively against the largely toothless Everton attack. Everton continued to pressurise but their lone striker and former United man Louis Saha had a game to forget, before being replaced by Magaye Gueye late on.

Danny Welbeck came closest to doubling United’s lead with a left-footed snapshot which drew a fine save from Everton Keeper Tim Howard at his near post.

The home fans were convinced their side should have been given a penalty in stoppage time when Gueye collided with Evra in the United penalty area, but referee mark Halsey promptly waved away the appeals.

United held on with consummate ease to secure an important win, with Wayne Rooney proving very effective in a Paul Scholes-esque central midfield role. The former Everton man was given his obligatory hostile reception on his return to Goodison, but was frequently able to find space in between the Everton midfield and defence to run the game for United in the first half.

The only major negative to come out of the game for Fergie will be the suspected ankle injury to Tom Cleverley, who only returned to fitness in the midweek game at Aldershot.

By Elliot Anderton

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Osman, Saha

Subs: Mucha, Stracqualursi, McFadden, Gueye, Barkley, Vellios, Mustafi

Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Welbeck, Cleverley, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Hernandez

Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Owen, Berbatov, Nani, Fabio Da Silva, Valencia

Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

Stats courtesy of EA SPORTS Player Performance Index