ManU build-up thread

[Shaggy]

I'm strangely calm about this match and very confident of winning. Personally I think we'll **** them 3-0 or 4-1.

Haha....Jesus, I wish I shared your serenity.

I would absolutely LOVE IT.......LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT, if we smashed them 3-0 or 4-1. It'd be stiffy time.

[Skillz]

I'm strangely calm about this match and very confident of winning. Personally I think we'll **** them 3-0 or 4-1.

Close. I just picked 3-1 in my prediction league. Having said that it will be 3-1 with a second to go and Babel will hit a 30 yarder, no doubt.

[slimbimjim]

Alonso is tipped to make a comeback. Perhaps he will start if Masher is injured?

If not then I expect to see Gerrard and Lucas to start.

****ing hell we have some good players!

[Neil Young]

-----------------Capello-------------------

Page--------Plant-----Jones--Bonham Junior

-----------Diana---------Dodi--------------

-Knut the Bear----Paul Ince------Jerboa----

------------Corporal Cokehead-------------

[Abro100]

Some of the Man U Statements

this will be my line up for sundays game

1.VDS

2.Brown 5.Rio 6.Vidic 3.Evra

11.Giggs 4.OH 8.Anderson 7.Ronaldo

10.Rooney 9.Tevez

or maybe go for Carrick instead of Anderson in a game like this.

Does anyone know Liverpools best side and even more so does Rafa "fat boy" Benetiz even know hes best side? there full back arbelloa what ever hes name is, is shocking Ronaldo will love playing against him. Hyypia is shocking aswell. Go through there side how many of there players would get in our side ther goalie and stevie g pos torres anymore?
Billy S
14/12/2007 at 12:58

Hargreaves needs to show his World Cup 2006 form here!! He and Mascherano are going to be the key players in influencing this match. OH will need to close the space in front of our back four for Torres to work in. Mascherano has to deal with two in Wazza and Carlito. I am sure that Carlito will know a thing or two about his game and exploit his weaknesses. Just hope that Stevie G does not try another one of his "long jump" specials to win a pen. For a guy who sot his mouth off in his book about Ronnie he has really started to get under my skin. VDS, Wes, Rio, Vida, Pat, Ron, Owen, Anderson, Giggs, Carlito and Wazza (with Saha and Carrick coming on for Giggs and Anderson later) 1 - 2 Win!!

When predicting a score for Sunday's match at Anfield, don't forget to take into account Gerard's inevitable penalty, or a free kick from the edge of the area. How many goals has he scored this season? And how many of those from penalties or free kicks at the edge of the box? Sure, he can certainly hit 'em, but it's why some of them are awarded that concerns me. They even got a penalty against Fulham when Crouch tripped himself up outside the area. And ask any Villa fan what they thought of Liverpool's winner at Villa Park this season -- but stand well back when you ask. You know it'll happen on Sunday: Vidic or Rio will get in a good challenge, Stevie will fall over and scream at the ref and get the decision. At the other end, Carragher will get clean away with one of his amazing half-Nelson wrestling moves: it's not very often I feel sorry for Everton, but they were certainly robbed in the Merseyside derby. Nevertheless, if Sunday's ref' is sensible, and doesn't base his decisions on 40,000 screaming scousers, then I still reckon we can shade it.
Dave-K, ex-Cheadle
14/12/2007 at 12:21

edinburgh red, 'put liverpool off their game'? I'm sorry I just hadn't realised they had developed one yet!

Agreed with Robbo, cut the supply line from Stevie the Hypocrite to Torres and you stop Liverpool. They are a one-dimensional team, which plays horrible football: never will I have a good word to say about Liverpool's skills, or lack of.

Pennant, Kuyt, Voronin, Kewell, Benayoun, Riise, Aurelio, Hyppia's granddad, Sissoko, Finnan, Reina? R-U-B-B-I-S-H
DC, Amsterdam
14/12/2007 at 12:00

A Decent One

I think that this game is going to be a cracker. Sir Alex will know that while Gerrard is the man to watch, this new look Liverpool side when playing well are no longer a 1 Man Team. We need to be wary. I am not as confident as I was a year ago.
CRAIG-SALFORD, SALFORD
14/12/2007 at 11:14

[paulc]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he attempted to beat Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to the signing of star striker Fernando Torres.



Liverpool, who go head-to-head with United at Anfield as part of Grand Slam Sunday live on Sky Sports 1, landed Torres in the summer for a club record fee from Atletico Madrid.


And ahead of the crunch Premier League clash Ferguson has revealed Torres, who is expected to spearhead Liverpool's attack on Sunday, was once an Old Trafford transfer target.


"For years we tried to do a deal there but we never quite managed it because Atletico Madrid didn't want to sell or the player felt he was too young one year," said Ferguson.



Interest


"Then we just lost interest a bit because sometimes you get fed up with going back to the same venue all the time. He's a good player. We wouldn't have been interested in him if he wasn't.


"I think the advantage Rafa had was that he is Spanish and his dealings with Atletico were maybe better than ours because he's Spanish."


Meanwhile, Ferguson admits the trip to Anfield is his favourite fixture in the Premier League schedule.


"No matter what position either club is in, it's always a big game and each season it's always the game that I look forward to," added Ferguson.



Passion


"It encapsulates everything in British football, the passion of the fans, the ability of the footballers, the competition and the history of the two clubs. It's terrific so hopefully we can have another good game.


"The atmosphere helps the players. It's the sort of venue where the lambs are dead and you have to be men to handle their support over there. It's not easy."


Chelsea also travel to Arsenal on Sunday, but Ferguson does not believe that if one team loses then they will be ruled out of the title race.


"If we were all meeting in March or April it would be very significant in terms of the league," said Ferguson. "But as it is we're at the halfway stage and we're talking about the title decider.


"There's time for whoever drops points, and it's possible that the four of us drop points with two draws."

[Dan]

Craig in Salford is the only one with a bit of cop on

[Abro100]

Whats a cop? Some sort of welsh hat?

[BobTheCharmer]

I think we might need to score 3 to win this. I have a feeling the pace of ronaldo and the craft of tevez & rooney will cut though our defence with ease, especially past riise & hyypia.

Reina has looked strange of late and he might panic again.

Normally I'm confident & we lose so I'm hoping a bit of reverse thinking might work.

[Abro100]

“Pennant, Kuyt, Voronin, Kewell, Benayoun, Riise, Aurelio, Hyppia's granddad, Sissoko, Finnan, Reina? R-U-B-B-I-S-H
DC, Amsterdam
14/12/2007 at 12:00”

Mate, Reina, Finnan, Kewell, Kuyt and Benayoun are not rubbish. It’s like me getting a list of United’s squad players and going ‘O Shea, Fletcher, Pique, Park are Rubbish’
Finnan has been one of the most consistent right backs in the Premiership for years and people have a hard time getting past him. Kewell and Benayoun aren’t as good as Ronaldo and Giggs, but then again who is. Kewell is a good player when fit, especially his delivery and ability to beat a player.

Benayoun is a tricky player and it is very hard to get the ball off him, don’t be fooled by his size either when most players try to nudge him off the ball he wriggles out of it.
And as for Arbeloa being utter rubbish, I don’t think so. He has been one of our top performers when he has played this year, very good going forward, he links up with the right midfielder well and is willing to overlap (which coincidentally could be his downfall against United) his positioning and ability at getting a tackle in is good as well. I can remember him not giving Messi a sniff in the Camp Nou last year.

Reina is a very solid keeper and his positioning for Free kicks at goal is excellent and his reflexes are good as well. But he hasn’t had much to do of late (ok so he picked it out the net at Reading 3 times) But United will be a real test for him, especially with the sort of service Ronaldo and Giggs can deliver, it will be raining quality crosses and he will need to be very confident and assertive in dealing with them. Especially off set pieces United pose a real threat.

I am worried about Hyypia, his pace (or lack of it) has been exposed at United a few times now and if Rooney Ronaldo or Teves (or anyone for that fact) get the ball on the deck by him I will be worried.
But he hasn’t had much to do recently because of the good work done by Gerard and Mascherano, which is where the game will be won (or lost) in my view.
I think we have the edge in that Area against Hargreaves and Anderson, with none of them possessing the power Gerard has when running with the ball or into space.

The main people I am worried about are Giggs Ronaldo Rooney and Evra. I think Evra has been excellent this season and has been a real asset to United. He is great at going forward with the ball. I have seen him many times carrying the ball out of defence, taking on players and getting a cross in or linking well with Giggs or Ronaldo. We all know what the other 3 players can do; we don’t even need to go into their quality.
I think Torres and Kuyt will have to keep an eye on Rio because he is very composed when he has the ball at his feet, his passing and willingness to bring the ball out of defence is a real asset to United when starting attacks, and is he is left un marked he can pose a real danger.
I think the game will be too close to call, United have the Advantage down the wings but Liverpool have the stronger core in my view, both attacks are more than capable of scoring goals and both teams have players have individuals who can do something out of nothing. I just hope we don’t go giving away any free kicks in the last minute again.

[red g]

my main worry is he feels he has to play sissoko to protect hyppia against the pace of ronaldo/tevez

[The_weatherman]

my main worry is he feels he has to play sissoko to protect hyppia against the pace of ronaldo/tevez

Nah, I doubt it, Momo didn't do himself any favours with his recent outburst I think. Might we see a five man midfield or Gerrard on the right and Lucas or Xabi paired with Mascher?

[blacky]

On paper SG, Masch and Lucas in MF looks great but it means dropping a forward and changing tactics. I wouldn't change tactics for this. 442. Kuyt and Torres up top. They both work the arse of defenders and compliment each other very well. SG and Masch/Lucas in the middle and Benni and Kewell on the wings. If we start like we did the other night and rattle them with an early goal (or two) they won't know what hit them. The key is taking our chances. We need to be clinical in front of goal.

[Abro100]

Abro, mate if you're trying to convince me of the merits of liverpool's players you're on a lost cause, I'm too far united to come back!

BTW I just chucked in Finnan to add up the numbers, he's a good player. But Reina? Too Barthez-like for me. Kewell I've never really rated, and Aurelio, while solid, is not the sort of fullback united would go for: too defensive.

I can see this being a big test for us in terms of keeping concentration, but I fancy either a score draw or an away win for us. Whatever we say about liverpool's football, they are a pressure team and any lapse of concentration will be punished.
DC, Amsterdam
14/12/2007 at 16:16

[Neil Young]

Abro, mate if you're trying to convince me of the merits of liverpool's players you're on a lost cause, I'm too far united to come back!

BTW I just chucked in Finnan to add up the numbers, he's a good player. But Reina? Too Barthez-like for me. Kewell I've never really rated, and Aurelio, while solid, is not the sort of fullback united would go for: too defensive.

I can see this being a big test for us in terms of keeping concentration, but I fancy either a score draw or an away win for us. Whatever we say about liverpool's football, they are a pressure team and any lapse of concentration will be punished.
DC, Amsterdam
14/12/2007 at 16:16

That's ridiculous. Aurelio isn't solid or defensive.