Let me start by welcoming all faithfuls from the International break. It's really a boring weekend when there is no club football to look forward to but I bet that United, for once needed, this break. After assuring ourselves as champions yet again, we suddenly started cracking up in a fashion that can only be likened to Arsenal. Newcastle United and Liverpool. Thanks to our two consecutive defeats, the title race is just about as wide open as any neutral would have hopped. Suddenly and rather traditionally, United will have to do it the hard way if they are to retain their crown for a third season in a row. Forget the game in hand as we shall not be on equal terms with the rest of the league until May 13th! That means we shall have to endure the gruelling exercise of swapping league positions with Liverpool for as long as they keep playing and winning before we do. A case in point is this weekend. Liverpool play on Saturday whilst we play on Sunday evening. That means that by the time we play Villa, we could have dropped to second for the first time since early January. That may not sound a big as a problem as it is but the reality is that you play under more pressure than you did when you were top.
Unfortunately or fortunately for us, our opponents are on a bit of a sloppy run as well and that could play into our hands. However, it's a double edged sword so you cannot rule them out seeking salvation of their own by getting a result from us.
Our biggest problem this season has been indiscipline and I think we have been lucky on a few occasion not to get suspensions when our players are blatantly guilty of kicking out at opponents. This weekend, we do not have three first team players because of suspension. Vidic will be missed at the back, Scholes in the middle an Wayne's complete absence could mean that should we start the game like we did against Fulham and Liverpool, we might not get out of the slumber. United need to step up and show their quality. We have had 10 players out before and still won matches so this cannot be an excuse.
I do not know if United players have realised but we are at the unforgiving part of the season where a slip can be the difference between being a Champion or not. If Liverpool get official top position, there will not be enough games for us to chase them and overtake. It's a situation that won us the title last season. Chelsea simply ran out of games to atone for their past mistakes. Wining the title is as easy as winning the next 7 games, but if that is to materialise, United must look at each game as a must win and start every game minus complacency.
Berbatov is injured for two week so we have a minor crisis upfront. Ronaldo or Welbeck should be available to partner the Argentine who as I write this is yet to land in Manchester. Carrick and Anderson or Fletcher will line-up in the middle but Fergie could opt for the rested Ryan Giggs. Park will occupy the left wing. Ferdinand and Evans will line up in central defence whilst Gary and Evra take the other defence positions. Unless otherwise, EVDS will tart in goal. United have leaked so many goals since their defensive record was halted and the sooner they start on a new one, the better for all of us. Failure to win on Sunday will cost us our LAST advantage in this title race!Labels: PREVIEWS