[EPL] Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur

[rondwisan]

Ambitious AVB plans to storm Old Trafford by telling Spurs to attack Manchester United
dailymail.co.uk - 27 September 2012



Andre Villas-Boas will encourage his team to attack Manchester United on Saturday despite the Tottenham manager's harrowing experience at Old Trafford with Chelsea last term.

Villas-Boas suffered his first loss in English football at Old Trafford when his Chelsea side went down 3-1 to Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

Chelsea blew a number of chances in the first half and they paid the price by going down 3-0 at half-time before Fernando Torres missed an open goal after the break.

Such a collapse could discourage a manager from instructing his team to go on the offensive there again, but Villas-Boas is in a confident mood having won over a large part of the Spurs support by recording three wins in four matches.

'That is the way I like my teams to play,' Villas-Boas said. 'We obviously know that it is extremely difficult there, but that doesn't mean that you might not be given a chance when you play that (attacking) way.

'In the end it's about taking your opportunities. Had (Chelsea) scored then maybe the result would have been different, so to try to get a result against United will be excellent for us.'

The Capital One Cup victory in Carlisle may not end up being Villas-Boas' biggest accomplishment during his time at White Hart Lane, but it did ensure Spurs maintained the momentum that they have gathered in the last two weeks.

From being booed off against Norwich and West Brom, Spurs have picked up wins against Reading and QPR while they were very unlucky not to beat Lazio in the Europa League last week.

There is still plenty of work to be done with the squad, but Villas-Boas is so confident about his team's improvement that he has his sights set on nearing the top of the Barclays Premier League table by winning at Old Trafford for the first time since 1989.

'It would make us very proud to go there and get a win that would shorten the distance to the top,' Villas-Boas said.

'That would hopefully help us profit in some way from the clash between Arsenal and Chelsea.

'We can't run away from our responsibilities. The statistics are there.

'We hope to break them one day and hopefully it will be on Saturday.'

The game against npower League One opposition gave Villas-Boas the opportunity to blood some of the youngsters that were often overlooked by his predecessor.

Andros Townsend, 21, was the most impressive of the new crop on show at Brunton Park. The winger, who was on loan at Leeds and Birmingham last season, ran half the length of the pitch before scoring his third goal for the club.

Villas-Boas, who has brought Townsend off the bench three times this season, was delighted with the England Under 21 player's performance in Cumbria.

'In the last couple of games that he has played he has made quite the difference in terms of his contribution to the team,' Villas-Boas said.

'Obviously he is competing against the best players in the world with Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Clint Dempsey so it's difficult, but if a player so young like this triumphs over players of this dimension then the future is his.'

Ryan Mason and Adam Smith also started the game at Carlisle, and Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen was impressed with what he saw.

'The guys who played are real quality players, very skilful and with a good mentality," said Vertonghen, who signed from Ajax in the summer.

'I think that Ajax, for young players, is one of the best clubs in the world at which to develop, so I know good young players and we have them here at Tottenham.

'What I have seen here makes me think that all these players can eventually play for the first team.'

[rondwisan]

PREVIEW: Man Utd v Spurs
tottenhamlive.com, Conor Donohoe - 28 September 2012 11:47



Both sets of fans could be forgiven for believing that there is no time like the present for this Premier League fixture to be played.

Fans of the home side will have seen AVB’s charges falter in the early season as they get to grips with his tactics (and vice versa) - their only home win so far was a slightly unconvincing and luck-driven 2-1 win over QPR. The concession of late goals will also have Manchester United fans salivating, given their team’s now infamous ability to produce match-winning goals in the dying moments of a match.

However, on the flip side, United’s performances have drawn heavy criticism, regardless of the results. Their midfield has come in for particular attention, with the undeniable but ageing legend that is Paul Scholes still holding the fragile United backbone together, while an all too familiar injury crisis has swept through Sir Alex Ferguson’s defence.

Bleak History

First of all though, it’s wise to pay heed to the history behind this fixture. Because not even once have Spurs managed to beat Manchester United in the Premier League era.

In fact, Spurs have only taken five points from United (five draws) since 2004, and only two of these points have come at Old Trafford. This results graveyard is littered with scorelines such as 4-0, 5-2, and 5-3 (2001), all in favour of the Red Devils.

However, there are reasons for the Spurs faithful to feel some sense of optimism.

Brains Versus Brawn

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this clash is the midfield battle. Take Tottenham’s preferred centre pairing of Moussa Dembele and Sandro. While the latter has been sporadic this season to say the least, Tottenham’s Europa League tie with Lazio showed what this duo can do when on form. This combination endlessly and tirelessly broke up Lazio’s play at White Hart Lane, and complimented their defensive skills with blistering, intelligent runs, often outmuscling their marker.

Yet there’s no one of this ilk in the United side at the moment. Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley are all fine passers of the ball, and Shinji Kagawa has shown signs that he’ll be a terrific purchase. However, it should be a genuine concern for United that if both Dembele and Sandro are on form, or if United’s midfield trio aren’t, that the midfield could be surrendered far too easily - Dembele’s already shown this season what he can do against United.

However, if Tottenham’s duo fails to command the midfield, they could get swept aside by a comparatively lightweight middle that is also considerably better equipped for a swift passing game.

Striking Options

What Spurs do need to be wary of, however, is facing probably the most potent striker force in the Premier League.

Wayne Rooney’s comeback from injury in the Capital One Cup in midweek means he may be back in contention beside Robin Van Persie, Javier Hernandez, and Danny Welbeck for a starting spot.

Contrast this with a Tottenham lineup that only boasts two out-and-out strikers (Defoe and Adebayor, the latter who is a doubt for the game and hasn’t started all season) and a versatile Clint Dempsey, who is showing signs that he still needs more time to bed into AVB’s side.

Spurs will be looking for Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale to find their shooting boots to supplement a comparatively weak attack.

Key Battles

Robin Van Persie v Jan Vertonghen: The Belgian is quickly finding his feet in the heart of Spurs’ defence, putting in some powerhouse performances so far. However, he hasn’t yet faced a striker as dangerous as Van Persie in the Premier League, so this will be a real acid test for the former Ajax captain against last season’s top scorer.

Nani v Kyle Walker: Last season’s Young Player of the Year Kyle Walker has had a fairly sporadic and unsure start to the season, and like Vertonghen, hasn’t quite faced a winger of Nani’s ability so far, so he needs a good game here. Whether the mercurial United winger will show up, however, is another question altogether, having not got going properly this season at all.

United’s midfield v Tottenham’s midfield: As discussed above, this is where I believe the match could be won or lost for either team.


Possible line-ups

Manchester United: Lindegaard; Evra, Ferdinand, Evans, Rafael; Nani, Cleverley, Scholes, Giggs; Kagawa; Van Persie

Tottenham: Friedel; Naughton, Vertonghen, Gallas, Walker; Sandro, Dembele, Dempsey; Bale, Defoe, Lennon

Referee: C Foy.

[rondwisan]

28/09/2012 09:20 - ManUtd.com, A Marshall & N Coppack
Valencia injury is not serious



Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Antonio Valencia's ankle injury is not serious while he hopes Chris Smalling returns following the international break next month.

After losing Nemanja Vidic following a knee operation, at least there was a positive in the way youngsters Scott Wootton and Michael Keane performed in the Capital One Cup win over Newcastle United. Wootton is now guaranteed a place in the squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Valencia is rated as doubtful for the Spurs showdown after being hurt during the win at Liverpool last weekend, in the build-up to the award of the match-winning penalty.

"Antonio Valencia is doubtful," stated Sir Alex. "He got a knock, first of all, when he went into the tackle with [Daniel] Agger and [Glen] Johnson before he broke clear and got brought down. He got an ankle injury there. But, if he's not okay for tomorrow, he should be okay for Tuesday [against Cluj].

"We had bad news earlier in the week about Nemanja. It's a blow. We're having a terrible time with defenders at the moment. Hopefully, we get through the next three games and the international break comes along.

"By that time, we should have Chris Smalling back. It was interesting on Wednesday, we played two young boys and they did very well. We may get a little break from that, particularly with Scott Wootton, who's a little bit older than Michael Keane. Scott reads the game well, passes the ball well and, having seen him in a situation against very experienced players, he did really well. That's a little bonus for us and he'll be involved in the game tomorrow."

Darren Fletcher could be on the bench for the visit of Spurs but looks set for another chance to impress against Cluj as he continues his comeback.

"Darren's in the squad for tomorrow," confirmed the boss. "Obviously, having played on Wednesday night and contributed so well - also it was his first game of that magnitude for 10 months - I wouldn't think he'll start. But he may get a place on the bench and he could possibly go to Romania and play against Cluj.

"That may be an ideal opportunity for him. The great thing about Fletcher the other night was his enthusiasm was fantastic. He played a great part in the victory and in a role different from how we've used him in the past. Darren was always the type to get about the midfield players but, on Wednesday, he sat in front of the two centre-backs and did a really good job."

[VaDLi]

"Tottenham is always an interesting game and they play good football. It's disappointing for Harry Redknapp not to be there after the job he did but the new lad, Andre Villas-Boas has a similar philosophy that suits Tottenham.

"His teams always try and play and it should be an interesting game. I think it will be open and they'll come to try and express themselves. United/Tottenham games are always good. Hopefully we can maintain our consistency at the moment, which isn't too bad."

- Sir Alex Ferguson

[fikrirf]

Sepertinya agresifitas dan pergerakan Bale & Dembele bakalan jadi momok untuk MU nih..mana lagi krisis center back pula
Berharap Rafael bisa lebih disiplin lagi untuk bertahan, terkadang agak telat balik juga nih Rafael kalo abiz menyerang..

Dengan comeback nya Rooney, semoga daya serang MU lebih ciamik lagi..

prediksi gw :

----------------------- Lindie -----------------------------
-- Rafael ---- Rio Ferdy -------- Evans ----- Evra ---------
-- Nani ---- Carrick ------------ Scholes ------ Giggs/Welbo --
-------------------- Kagawa / Roo -----------------------
----------------------- RvP -----------------------------

[VaDLi]

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur: squad sheets

Man Utd

Subs from De Gea, Johnstone, Buttner, Hernández, Cleverley, Welbeck, Anderson, Giggs, Powell, Macheda, Bebé, Henríquez, Fletcher, Kagawa

Doubtful None

Injured Valencia (leg, 3 Oct), Young (knee, 21 Oct), Smalling (foot, 21 Oct), Vidic (knee, Dec), Jones (knee, Dec)

Suspended None

Form guide WWWWLW

Disciplinary record Y6 R0

Leading scorer Van Persie 5

Tottenham

Subs from Lloris, Gomes, Cudicini, Smith, Caulker, Naughton, Falqué, Huddlestone, Mason, Dempsey, Carroll, Townsend

Doubtful Naughton (foot)

Injured Adebayor (hamstring, 6 Oct), Assou-Ekotto (knee, 20 Oct), Parker (achilles, 20 Oct), Kaboul (knee, Dec), Livermore (groin, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide WWDDLW

Disciplinary record Y5 R1

Leading scorer Defoe 4

Since Manchester United lost 1-0 at Everton in their season opener Sir Alex Ferguson has set the controls to 'victory', with his side reeling off six consecutive wins. Nemanja Vidic's knee injury means Ferguson is down to his last two senior centre-backs in Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand, and with the latter's need to manage a back condition, André Villas-Boas will ask his resurgent Tottenham side to drive at the home defence. If successful Spurs could finally secure a first league win at Old Trafford since 1989

Match pointers

• Manchester United have won 17 and lost none of their last 22 Premier League games against Tottenham

• Robin van Persie has scored five goals and has four assists in his last six league home games against Tottenham

• The last player to score a winning goal for Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford was Gary Lineker in December 1989. Since then Spurs have lost 18 and drawn four of 22 visits

• Manchester United have earned six more points from losing positions this season than the three they mustered in the whole of 2011-12

-guardian-

[ANDRE INX]

Originally Posted by Bulma

di siarin di tipi lokal kah?

YES di MNCTV jgn di ESPN

[theater of dream]

Roo kek nya bakal start nih..
Kalo Persie, Kagawa, Roo main sekaligus, gw prefer Si Raja Sempak parkir dulu deh biar Kagawa yg ngisi pos left flank
We play 4-2-3-1

Sent from my BioWonder using Tapatalk 2

[Andi Istiabudi]

Originally Posted by Bulma

di siarin di tipi lokal kah?

Originally Posted by VaDLi

disiarin live mnctipi bersama dari tangerang..

Iya di MNCTV, tadi lihat iklannya di TV. Oiya, UITV sepertinya juga menyiarkan nih

Originally Posted by ANDRE INX

YES di MNCTV jgn di ESPN

Biasanya pertandingan Manchester United sih pasti ditayangkan ESPN

[waynehanks]

Originally Posted by VaDLi

wp dari FB UI Chata:



abis futsal #6thUtdIndonesia dilanjutkan dengan nonbar.

mandi dulu bro..jgn lgsg nonbar..