Author: Doron

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With City beating Liverpool yesterday, United had to win at Newcastle – something they’ve done fairly often – in order to keep the pressure on their rivals. A response to the Blackburn result was needed for United whilst Newcastle’s own lacklustre display at Anfield couldn’t be repeated. Ferdinand returned along with Giggs and Rooney whilst Lindegaard was chosen in goal.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Newcastle fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Lindegaard in as De Gea is dropped

On Friday at his pre-match press conference, Fergie quite firmly stated that he’d play De Gea in goal against both Blackburn and Newcastle. De Gea went on to have a poor game and was one of the factors resulting in a home defeat to Blackburn.

When the team was announced today, Lindegaard was in goal. Amazingly, Fergie had gone against his word and to the surprise of many he even admitted he’d dropped De Gea because of his mistakes. Lindegaard would go on to have a decent enough game – he could do nothing about Ba’s stunning finish, nor Cabaye’s perfect free kick; however he was partly at fault for a communication break-down for the third goal.

I’ve stated before that it’s my belief that De Gea will go on to have a fabulous career at United; I’ve also said that the only way he’ll learn is to be played and get the mistakes out of his system. However, we need a bit of consistency between the stick – if for now, Anders is the right man for the job, then so be it. Give him a period of games in goal and bring De Gea back in when the time is right.

Too many poor performers (again)

Park – there are games that are made for him, that bring out his best attributes – work-rate most obviously. Tonight would have been perfect for him had United taken the lead however once the game was being chased, Park’s attacking abilities were rendered somewhat useless. He’s a better player going forward than he gets credit for but his crossing was poor and he wasn’t getting high enough up the pitch. Despite trying to hold a wide position, his natural instinct is to cut inside and it forced United to play too narrow at times.

Rooney – one of the most forgettable Rooney displays ever which culminated in seeing him subbed off. His movement was poor, his touch often dreadful and his general involvement and enthusiasm was missing. I maintain that when he’s paired with Welbeck, he’s better. As soon as Danny came on and made good runs, space appeared for Rooney. Was a classic ‘moan at everyone else’ Rooney night.

Berbatov – six goals in his previous three appearances was enough to earn him a third consecutive start. His contribution though was minimal. With the exception of a header on goal, he only touched the ball once in the final third of the pitch. His lack of urgency and general deep position gave neither Giggs nor Carrick much to aim at when in possession. Unsurprisingly, United’s game was expanded, stretched and moved higher up the pitch when Welbeck replaced him. Neat touches and sublime control aside, Berbatov proved exactly why Fergie’s left him out in the bigger games this season.

Nani – when he’s good he’s unplayable but when he’s not it shows how important he is to us. Tonight certainly ranks in the “poor” column. It wasn’t so much for him being selfish or not working hard but more that his final ball was awful. He attempted 8 crosses and only one found a United player – most were blocked by the first or second defender. Had it not been for the three players already mentioned having poor games, Fergie may well have considered putting Rafael at right back and moving Valencia onto the right wing with Nani taking an early bath.

Jones – another game at centre back, with another partner, and another poor performance. Jones’ start at United has been exciting but his performances at centre back have hit home that there’s much he has to improve on. Previously it’s been a case of poor positioning and awareness of where opposition strikers are; today though, as it was against Blackburn, he couldn’t handle physical opponents (Ameobi and Ba).

Chalkboard 1: Ferdinand and Jones tackles

Jones never seemed sure whether to commit to a tackle and get close or allow Ba/Ameobi the chance to try and control a ball before committing. Either way, it failed him on 7 out of 15 occasions. Fit again Ferdinand though showed Jones just how to do it, winning all of his tackles.

Hard-working, high-pressing from Newcastle wins the game

Newcastle’s victory came as a result of a hard-working team display. The tone was set by Ba and Ameobi who harassed and harried Ferdinand and Jones every time they were in possession.

Chalkboard 2: Ameobi and Ba tackling heatmap

The heatmap above shows just how high up the pitch Ameobi and Ba attempted their tackles – 100% within the United half and 80% of Ameobi’s in the final third of the pitch. It meant that Newcastle forced Jones and Ferdinand into either long balls or a pass back to Lindegaard to clear. Effectively, Newcastle choked United and where possible cut-out the middle men, Carrick and Giggs.

The desire to win the ball back and in general not allow United space continued past the strikers into the midfield. United’s wingers were often doubled-up on and in the middle a new challenge faced United – two very different styles of defensive play. Tiote was excellent, getting at United players fast and snapping away whereas Cabaye chose not to engage in physical contact but merely faced up to the United midfield, forcing them to try and play around him.

In defence, Newcastle chose to mix-up their strategy. They pressed high when United had the ball deep, squeezing the space available but when United had the ball in their half, they dropped deep, getting everyone back and ensuring no space behind them could be exploited.

The result of it all was that Newcastle became the first side in the league to keep a clean sheet against United and perfectly exemplified a couple of things. The first, worryingly is just how easy it’s becoming for teams to defend against United – men behind the ball works because United’s forwards are somewhat inconsistent and opposition sides are getting better players. Secondly, and the myth exists, teams always raise their game against United – we’re still their (plural) biggest game of the season and that automatically tends to raise performance levels.

Demba Ba

It would be wrong not to praise Ba after he tormented United. I never realised just how all-rounded he was – big but fully aware of how best to use his frame and he’s quick as well. His touch is excellent and both his hold-up play and link-up very good. His goal was a beautiful finish, it came from a nothing long-ball and whilst Ferdinand may be angry with himself, criticism would seem harsh for what was such an instinctive shot.

As United fell behind and had to chase the game, Ba profited. United committed men forward and huge gaps started to appear between the midfield and defence. Newcastle’s long-ball policy worked a dream as both Ba and Ameobi were able to latch onto almost everyone knowing that they had so much space around them.

What next for United?

As ever, there is something of a circus when United lose, let alone lose two games in a row. My dad who at best is a part-time football fan text me saying “I see United are in a crisis” – he wasn’t trying to wind me up but because of the success United have had, that’s the response of so many fans, both those who support the club and those, like my dad who don’t!

If United are “falling apart” (another phrase he used later on) then City who are just three points ahead must be creaking too. The reality check is that whilst United have flaws, we’re somehow still in a fight at the right end of the table (and that’s with all the injuries we’ve had too).

I know it’s hard for many to accept, especially because it’s used a lot, but this is a ‘transition’ side and may well be for another 18-24 months. It’s the phasing out of certain players and the phasing in of others, some of whom are yet to even make their PL debuts. We have no divine right to win every tournament every year, we of course expect to be competitive, but we can’t always be the best. We’ve been there before and we’ve seen how Fergie has re-built and ultimately gone on to win domestic and European trophies.

The centre midfielder issue remains, and probably won’t go away any time soon. Fergie clearly has faith in youngsters like Pogba and Tunnicliffe but they’re not ready yet and the reality is, some kind of good enough stop-gap (maybe Parker?) should have been acquired. Yet many forget that this side who apparently are rubbish and need revamping, were “amazing” only a few weeks ago after QPR and Fulham. Let’s not even begin to consider where we might be had it not been for all the injuries we’ve had. Our squad’s not great but it’s certainly not as bad as many try to make out that it is.

I wouldn’t say I have blind-faith; I’m not an eternal optimist but I think I try to be a realist where possible and right now I believe in the project that we have going on. I fully support our youth players and think some will have good careers at the club. I think that in the Da Silvas, Smalling, Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck etc we have exciting youngsters. It’s just a case of adding a marquee signing maybe to it all and allowing time for maturity before we hopefully will reap the rewards again of another Fergie-team. Patience is very rare in modern football but United fans have been good at it in the past, and may have to do so again now.

Summary

United missed the chance to put pressure on City and now have only a three point gap to Spurs who have a game in hand after a heavy 3-0 defeat at Newcastle. For once the team consisted of a more familiar midfield and defence but still lacked some balance.

The early exchanges and first half in general was fairly even with neither side creating any kind of opening – Berbatov’s deflected header hit the post and a moment of quality from Ba gave Newcaslte the half time lead. Ba’s goal arrived as Jones was beaten too easily in the air by Ameobi and his flick moved the ball into Ba’s stride and his volley nestled in past Lindegaard.

The second goal was the real killer as a Jones foul gave away a free kick 30 yards out which Cabaye expertly dispatched – again, no chance for Lindegaard. Jones ensured he played a part in every Newcastle goal by mis-judging a long kick from Krul late on and putting it into his own net as he failed to note that Lindegaard had moved.

A dour performance was only made worse by United’s attacking ineptness and a lack of thrust until Welbeck’s arrival – although by then the damage was already done. Next up is a trip to Man City in the FA Cup on Sunday. Realistically, United could lose three in a row but if ever there was a team to stop the run of defeats against, it must be City! Onwards and upwards – our faith and patience is going to continue to be tested!

Author: Doron

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Fourth travelled to second and left with a point to leave Man United four points shy of City who have a game in hand. A side with a more settled look was picked by Fergie against Newcastle operating with Demba Ba as a lone front man. The game would be largely forgettable until half-time and from then on in it provided plenty of areas for discussion. Here we discuss the talking points from the match and invite both United and Newcastle fans to join in the discussion.

That’s entertainment!

United’s last two games at home have been as entertaining as any in the past 6-7 weeks. Quick, incisive attacking football has lead to open games with United creating plenty of chances. The problem is that both games have been drawn.

There seems to be an odd correlation between playing well and winning games. To my mind Man City are the only team that consistently play well and win; however as we’ve seen, to get to that point they’ve had to incur a loss of £197m in the last year. Arsenal tend to play good football but have mixed results whilst I’ve enjoyed watching Spurs a lot lately – however they too are not always winners.

United’s solid run of clean sheets and wins that was halted by Benfica midweek was typified by tight defending, unimaginative football and solidity. It had been hard-watching yet the wins were racking up.

It begs the question of whether a team, this United side in particular can play good, entertaining football and win consistently. Older fans will often remind younger supporters of how poor United were in the 70s and 80s and are quick to remind us that success today won’t last forever. Some fans would even prefer to watch entertaining football and not win than watch dour displays and get the full three points.

Personally I’ve never known anything other than regular success and therefore find myself erring towards the ‘I’d like to win however possible’. Fergie said post-match, “if we play like that every week, I’ll be very happy” and I am inclined to agree but ultimately the points matter. What do you think?

Who’d be a referee?

Mike Jones gives out more cards per game than any other referee in the league. His average is nearly 5 yellow’s per match and day he dished out 6 yellow cards and one red card.

When Jones assesses his performance later I think he’ll be rather pleased with his officiating. He was good in not awarding pointless free kicks against goalkeepers because they’ve jumped into a player; he was good with the use of his cards; and importantly, he got the penalty decision spot-on.

Sounds like an odd thing to say considering Rio Ferdinand clearly cleanly wins the ball rather than fouling Hatem Ben Arfa as shown below:

Rio wins the ball

So how can a clean tackle be made; an incorrect penalty awarded; and yet the referee made the right decision?

The referee correctly didn’t award a penalty initially however his view was blocked and the linesman who had a clear view waved his flag to indicate a foul had been made. Given that the linesman had the better view, the referee was right to go over and talk to him and upon his recommendation, award a penalty.

There’s no doubt that it was the wrong decision from the linesman but Mike Jones is not to blame for doing his job correctly and taking on board the advice of the official who could see the incident, albeit incorrectly.

Referee and linesman positioning just before the tackle (the linesman has a clear view)

The referee’s position as the tackle is made (his view is blocked)

United’s chances and Newcastle’s defending

“The second half was just an onslaught”

That was Ferguson’s reaction post-match. After 29 efforts on goal United scored just one solitary goal and even that had an element of fortune as a clearance was smashed into Hernandez’s body and went in. Was it a case of poor finishing from United or good defending from Newcastle? A bit of both really. United’s finishing was fairly accurate with the BBC calculating 13 shots on target – Krul made excellent key saves and various shots were cleared off the line or hit the post; however there was a lack of clinicalness amongst United’s forward play.

Newcastle will feel they defended well. In reality they didn’t. Any team that concedes nearly 30 shots in a game hasn’t defended well. What Newcastle did do well though was ‘desperate defending’ – the throwing of bodies in front of shots and scrambling balls of the line; the last-minute, disorganised type of defending. It was committed and from the John-Terry-lion-heart school of passion.

29 Man United shots and 11 Newcastle blocks (all within the penalty area)

Each side had individual heroes and villains. For United, Hernandez who’s so often calm, composed and deadly in front of goal, played the role of a semi-villain. He scored despite not knowing much about the goal but was guilty of quite a few misses; being offside at crucial moments; and his final ball was often indecisively wrong. Harsh it might sound but today was not his finest performance:

Javier Hernandez shots

For Newcastle, the heroes at the back were Krul, S Taylor and Simpson. Krul came up with some outstanding saves and reaffirmed that he’s one of the best up-and-coming young goalkeepers in the league. At times he was panicky with his kicking but his handling, reflexes and reactions were excellent. Steven Taylor put in an immense performance for Newcastle, winning tackles, headers and making an amazing five blocks. Danny Simpson on his return to Old Trafford was inspired – he dealt with Nani, Young and Evra very well and as well as making goal-line blocks, he had an impressive 100% clearance success rate.

S Taylor blocks and Simpson clearances

I find myself coming to the conclusion that as well as Newcastle defended, United’s inability to take their chances mattered more. Nine times out of ten, United would have scored at least three or four goals from those chances today, in which case Newcastle’s defending would not have looked quite so special. You cannot concede that many attempts on goal and be praised for good defending!

Other points

First up, David De Gea. He was once again first class. His handling was excellent in tricky conditions with the ball skidding off the wet surface; he appears much more assured on crosses and corners; his distribution is often alarmingly accurate; and he made one magnificent save in the second half – a truly world class moment of goalkeeping. Already in three months he’s come a long way and is now looking like a very good goalkeeper.

Next, I want to quickly touch upon positioning and influence. I felt our wide players were poor today. Young and Nani both were not as involved as they maybe should have been and often had a poor final delivery. Young generally stuck to the left and looked at times rusty – the theory that he only ever plays as well as those around him are playing is garnering more evidence; we’re yet to see him rise above his team-mates and be a consistent match-winner. By contrast Nani was all over the pitch trying to get involved as shown by his heatmap below. He was often infuriating but his greed is what makes him the important player he is, he can win a game at any time with a moment of magic. Talking of positioning, Rooney was quite static. His influence on the game was minimal despite being credited with the assist for the United goal. Whether Newcastle marked him out of the game or not was a bit unclear but he was in the periphery of goings on. Usually he’s a live-wire getting all over the pitch but today as shown by his heatmap he didn’t venture as far as he usually would. What’s particularly worrying is how little time he’s spending in the penalty area at the moment.

Nani and Rooney passing heatmaps

For the third game in a row, Michael Carrick stood out and was probably United’s best player again. Calm in possession and much like Scholes was, always a few phases ahead of the play, he made things tick over nicely today. His one touch passing is superb and his ability to spread play and change the focus of a move is vital. He continues to defy those who don’t believe he can pass forwards as he not only launched attacks but also got involved high up the pitch in moves. His defensive work was also top notch again, tackling, intercepting and in general forcing an error out of the opposition. He has a great knack of knowing when to shield an opponent and when to make a tackle – buying crucial seconds for his team-mates to get into position before he commits himself. He’s now arguably one of the first names on the teamsheet and in just three games he’s shown why he’s so crucial to the team.

The fullback areas of the team haven’t always been solid this season. The right back role has changed hands many times and Evra has often been sub-par. Today however Fabio and Evra were excellent. In attack they provided good support and both could have scored. However it was in defence they impressed me. Yes, Obertan was able to get a couple of balls in but they won most of their tackles and often did so high up the pitch to start an attack. Fabio got his customary yellow card but would have hopefully given Sir Alex food for thought with a very solid all-round display.

Evra and Fabio tackling

In summary…

The performance but not the result. With the intensity and desire to attack it was a showing associated with a classic United side, but it just lacked the crucial final product. More showings like that will be welcomed as goals are certain to start to flow if that many chances are regularly made.

The linesman’s decision was unfortunate but it shouldn’t become an excuse for the dropped points; United should be able to rely on their own qualities to win games. Still, it feels surprisingly easy to pick positives out of the game and despite the fact Man City can now go 7 points clear, United are getting into a rhythm. One must remember by the way that not only is this a team in transition but there’s still 25 games of the league season to go, nothing is won or lost yet.

Talking of transition, the next game is on Wednesday against Crystal Palace. Fergie has been referring to a ‘lapse’ recently – saying he’s aware the midfield needs something but sometimes there has to be a short spell where the team must get by without the ideal player there. Specifically he’s been referring to talent in the Reserves and Academy – he knows we have the quality there but he also knows they’re not yet ready for the first team regularly. One player who might be though is Ravel Morrison – he was again in the matchday squad for this game and is surely set for his first start against Palace.

Onwards and upwards. If the kids can prove their worth against Palace then slowly the new United may start to emerge out of the gloomy transition period. We did it 6-7 years ago and it can take time to get right as players mature and adjust but this will have been a good learning curve for those involved and those watching on from the stands.

Author: Doron

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United’s midweek draw with Benfica threw up something of a dilemma. United played good, entertaining attacking football however failed to win. For many though it was a welcome sight after the dull and dreary stuff that’s been played recently at Everton, Swansea and home to Sunderland. So, would you rather win playing stuff that’s a bit “meh” or see entertaining football without the win guaranteed? The answer, of course, is you want to win playing the United brand of football, football for the fans to enjoy. Time for us to roll back the years then and give Newcastle a ruddy good hammering…

The opposition:

With nearly a third of the season played, you cannot tell me you’d have guessed Newcastle would be fourth, level on points with Spurs in third. Newcastle have already amassed over half the points they got last year when they finished 12th, seven points clear of relegation. Alan Pardew, fast approaching the first year of his five and a half year contract seems to have won over swathes of the Toon Army after being an incredibly unpopular appointment following Chris Hughton’s sacking.

Whilst United use the “no value” line, Newcastle proved that you can get players for the right money in this market. Six good footballers were brought in over the summer for just over £13m. Mehdi Abeid, Sylvain Marveaux and Yohan Cabaye arrived from France; Davide Santon came from Inter in Italy; and Demba Ba and Gabriel Obertan arrived from West Ham and Man United respectively. Still, most of the £35m received for Andy Carroll (what a ridiculous sum of money!) remains to be spent as the majority of this summer’s spending was funded by the sales of Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique.

Having already faced Arsenal, Spurs and Man City, it makes Newcastle’s position even more impressive. The squad selection consistency has rewarded Newcastle so far (maybe something to take note of, Fergie) and, if players stay fit then there appears to be no reason why Newcastle cannot compete for a top 6 or 7 place. Their biggest problem is maybe the fact that the big teams around them are yet to hit top form and when they do, Newcastle will find themselves under pressure to keep churning out results.

Form:

After last month’s defeat against Man City, United have won their three Premier League games by a 1-0 scoreline. In fact, Benfica were the first team to score against United in a month when they drew at Old Trafford last week. Form shows that both sides have 13 points from their last six games with Man United picking up 15 points from their last 18 available at home and Newcastle taking 11 points from their six away games so far.

United are averaging 3 goals a game at home but are conceding more than one a game too. In defence, Newcastle are tight away, conceding just one goal a game and scoring only just more than that. Man United have kept a clean sheet in 50% of their home games this season; Newcastle have kept a clean sheet in a third of their away games and only failed to score once (away to QPR).

With 9 league goals, Wayne Rooney United’s top scorer; Demba Ba is Newcastle’s with 8. Ba, Best and Cabaye all have three assists; Ashley Young has 5 for United. The only team to beat both sides is Man City!

Team news:

For the first time all season, United have every defender fit and available. The news regarding the midfield is less positive; Cleverley is out for a month and Anderson out for at least two months. Rooney has been declared fit although Owen remains out and Welbeck is unlikely to be risked. Macheda returns to the match squad after an injury and Berbatov has an ankle knock but should be ok.

Williamson and Marveaux are definitely out for Newcastle whilst Guthrie and Best are expected to be passed fit. The biggest question marks hang over Obertan and Tiote; the former given a good chance of playing but the latter is rated as a doubt having picked up a knee injury.

United formation and starting XI prediction:

The formation will almost certainly be of the 4-4-1-1 variety again with the biggest decisions coming in the midfield area. Coming up midweek is the Carling Cup game against Crystal Palace which will provide a chance for various players who need game-time to get up to full fitness – Rafael, Evans and Gibson most notably.

In front of De Gea I think experience will reign. Ferdinand and Vidic have look assured and controlled when partnered together recently; they have also possibly helped to calm down Evra who is again playing to a more consistent level of performance. Right back provides an area for discussion – Rafael is back but won’t be sharp; Fabio has been good; Jones has been fine but played a lot and Smalling got minutes against Benfica. I think Jones may get a rest and Smalling will get the start. Evans if fit could push Rio hard for a centre back spot meanwhile; he has seemingly been first choice this year.

In midfield one would think that Carrick and Fletcher pick themselves, certainly the former does based on current form. Giggs though could come in to add some calm, he still has the ability to ‘make things happen’ too; yet I think Fletcher’s energy may win on this occasion. Out wide, Nani should regain his starting spot after a good performance against Benfica. On the left, Park’s industry and discipline against a good hard-working team could be vital. Young’s return to fitness may be a timely boost too. Ravel Morrison’s name is being mentioned a lot lately, he’s more likely to have to wait for the Crystal Palace game to play but a surprise appearance on the bench may not be out of the question.

Rooney’s fit again and should start behind Hernandez. Welbeck and Berbatov aren’t fully fit but are available whilst Macheda returns and Diouf is also fit.

Key battle:

Stopping Tiote and Cabaye – the best thing about Newcastle right now is that they play as a team. Singling out Tiote and Cabaye is almost a bit unfair however they are the cogs of the side. Hard-working, tough but perfectly able – they’ve become a very solid midfield pairing. Michael Cox writes that they are, “a perfect mixture of combativity and creativity”.

It sums up how important they’ve become to Newcastle that both have already been linked to Man United this season. The way to stop them though may seem surprisingly obvious; ignore them. United’s strengths are probably out wide so playing around them seems a sensible option. We won’t be able to go through them and Rooney, who’ll naturally want to drop deep, may find himself frustrated as Tiote and Cabaye will also probably drop deep.

Carrick and Fletcher may not be coming up against the league’s top ball-players but they’ll still have a new challenge ahead of them, coming up against a pairing that seem to mirror themselves in many ways. In this strange situation, the best way of stopping them will be to not engage them. United must cause Newcastle problems in other areas of the pitch.

History and last meeting:

This will be the 145th league meeting between the two sides – United have a winning record by some margin, winning nearly half of those games. In the Premier League era, 17 previous league meetings have taken place at Old Trafford with United winning eleven of them and not losing any. Newcastle have only managed 9 goals in those games, United have racked up 37.

This fixture has thrown up 3 goalless draws and on fifteen occasions United have scored four or more goals. In September 1927, Newcastle won 7-1 at Old Trafford and then followed that up three years later with a 7-4 win. However, since 1930, Newcastle have only scored more than two goals twice in this game.

Last year United beat Newcastle 3-0 at Old Trafford in a dominant performance on the opening Monday night of the season. Berbatov, Fletcher and Giggs were the scorers on a comfortable night in Manchester.

Prediction:

Newcastle have kept things very tight in games they’ve played this season but showed at Man City last weekend that they can concede goals. United are starting to crank into gear and have a wonderful record in the league against Newcastle, having not lost at home to them since 1972. I think Fergie’s men will get a fourth straight league victory and keep another league cleans sheet, so I’ll predict a 2-0 United win.

Referee:

Mike Jones – a late replacement for Phil Dowd who’s ill. Jones will referee his third United game of the season. Jones will be the first referee to be given 10 Premier League games this season and has given out more yellow cards per game than anyone else (nearly five per game). He has an even split of 22 in the first half of games and 22 shown in the second half whilst he slightly favours the home side. He’s given out three red cards.

Connections:

Three former Man United players are in the Newcastle squad – Danny Simpson, Alan Smith and Gabriel Obertan. United have long-time Newcastle fan, Michael Carrick and former player (but injured) Michael Owen.

Quick facts:

- Man United have scored 10 league goals from set-pieces this season which is more than any other team
- Javier Hernadnez is yet to score at home this season
- The next away goal conceded by Newcastle will be the 500th they have let in during the Premier League era

They say:

Ferguson on Anderson: “He’s got this knee injury and we’ve sent him back to Portugal to see the specialist who operated on his knee last time. That’s a bit of a blow, we didn’t expect that one. So that’s the two midfield players who are going to be missing for a spell now.”

Ferguson on midfield signings: “It’s dead easy to say you’ll go out and buy players. But it’s not easy to buy players who are good enough for Manchester United, especially in January. I could choose two or three players who you’d like to have at this club who are not available. So there’s no point in even going there.”

Carrick on Newcastle: “They are my home-town club and the team I watched as a boy so it is great to see them at the top. The city is really thriving at the minute. They couldn’t have expected to be where they are if they took a realistic view because they have had such a hard time of it over the last couple of years.”

Obertan on leaving United: “When you leave a club, you always have that feeling – when you go back there, you want to prove that you are a better player, and I will try to do it.”

Simpson on returning to Old Trafford: “I always have something to prove to him (Sir Alex Ferguson). I’m a United fan and was there from when I was 11 until a couple of years ago. I had a good time, but I’m part of a good Newcastle team now. I go there looking to play well and at the back of my mind, like any player against their old club, to prove a point.”

Cabaye says Newcastle want to win: “We want to win against Manchester United. I think we can. We will be playing for a win on Saturday.”

Links:

For all pre-match banter, tactical discussions, team and score predictions click here.

Videos:

AUTHOR: – Doron

Gabriel Obertan has signed for Newcastle United on a five year deal for an undisclosed fee. He leaves after two full seasons at Man United having made 28 first team appearances.

Newcastle United have confirmed they have signed United’s versatile French winger, Gabriel Obertan on a five year deal. The fee is undisclosed but said to be around £3m. Obertan joined United for a similar fee in the summer of 2009. His signing was considered to be low-risk due to the fee and obscurity of the deal. Obertan had previously been hyped up as one of Europe’s hottest prospects but a back injury at Bordeaux had stunted his progress and ended with a poor loan at Lorient. French doctors had been unable to pin-point the cause of the problem and he failed to live up to early promise he’d shown as a 17 year old.

Upon signing for United, doctors quickly identified what his long-standing back problem had been and he spent his first few months at the club recovering from treatment. His first season saw him start only one league game and he made 13 appearances in total without scoring. He often showed promise off the bench as his pace, trickery and unpredictability caused tired defences to panic – most memorably away at Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

In the summer of 2010 he had an excellent pre-season showing maturity and confidence in his play but he picked up an ankle injury that meant he missed the beginning of the season. He made a few more league starts and played 15 times in total, scoring once away at Bursaspor in the Champions League. He scored his fair share of goals with the Reserves and regularly performed well at that level but his attitude to not getting first team minutes was often questioned as a rumoured January transfer request was handed in and he was spotted away at Wigan with headphones in, not watching the game – however he regularly gave his all playing for the Reserves and never moaned or complained publicly once. His issue is more a case of mental strength and self-belief than attitude.

This summer he had another good pre-season tour in America and this has lead to Newcastle signing him. He has told their club website:

“I spoke with some of my friends and Newcastle is a big club with history in England, so it’s a great move. I’m just really happy to be here because this is still a big club for me. It wasn’t really a difficult decision to come here. I spent two good years in Manchester but it was a bit difficult with the competition and I really needed a club where I could play more games. I know it won’t be easy to play each game here, because there’s a good group, but I want a fresh start in my football. Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world but Newcastle is a massive club in England so I’m looking forward to making my debut in front of the fans I’ve heard so much about.”

His new manager, Alan Pardew added:

“Gabriel is a player I’ve watched for the last couple of seasons since he arrived at Manchester United. He has great pace and excellent technique and he has improved his power in the last 12 months and is ready now to make a real impact in the Premier League. I contacted Sir Alex about him early at the start of the summer to see if there was an opportunity to bring him to Newcastle, but it wasn’t until Wayne Routledge joined Swansea that we were able to bring him in. His best years are ahead of him which is exactly what we want at this club, and with the backing of our magnificent fans I’m sure he will prove an excellent signing for us.”

Good luck to Gabriel, if he can learn how to use his physique well then Newcastle could have a good player on their hands.

AUTHOR: – Doron

AUTHOR: – Stretford-end

Manchester United failed to score at St James’ park for the first time since the 1999/2000 season to pick up a point in a 0-0 draw. Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney had great chances to open the scoring in the first half, whilst heavy Newcastle pressure early on created a number of chances after crosses from wide areas – including a Løvenkrands header just before half time. United stepped up their game in the second half and looked much the better side. Ryan Giggs spurned a glorious opportunity to open the scoring, whilst both sides had controversial penalty appeals turned turn. Here we discuss the talking points of the game and welcome both sets of fans to share their views.

Talking Points

Berbatov Omission

Not often do you see the Premier League’s top goal scorer on the sidelines missing a crucial fixture towards the business end of the season. Dimitar Berbatov was left out of the side, with many Reds citing his lacklustre performance at Wembley on Saturday as the reason for his omission. Put it this way, I can only think of three things as to why Berbatov was left out 1) Poor performance/attitude 2) Injury 3) A row with Ferguson. There is no doubt that Sir Alex can be stubborn, some might say petulant at times, however I do honestly believe that the manager always acts in the best interest of Manchester United, naive as it seems following Stam’s departure in 2001 and Beckham’s similar omission from the side who faced Leeds the year before. So why was Dimitar Berbatov left out of the side?

Since his brace against Blackpool, Berbatov has hit the back of the net twice, including a key strike against Bolton Wanderers in March. In the last seven Premier League ties, Berbatov has come on as a substitute – with his two appearances coming in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool and the 2-0 victory over Fulham. My initial reaction to the ‘resting’ of Dimitar Berbatov was that of a ‘fatigue issue’ – following United running out of steam last season, which resulted in the club’s elimination from Europe and eventually the Premier League race. However, following Javier Hernandez impressive performances (including the range of sides he has scored against and the winners he has popped up with) and with Ferguson revealing (last season) that it is ‘hard to include’ the mercurial Bulgarian in a 4-3-3, it makes sense a to why Berbatov has all of a sudden fallen down the pecking order. Below is a table highlighting all of the goals scored by Dimitar Berbatov this season:

You can also find out more information on Dimitar Berbatov’s 2010/11 statistics. Berbatov is a sublime footballer to watch and when on his game, he can do anything with a football. As shown against Liverpool at home, he is capable of scoring exquisite goals, however he has been far too ‘quiet’ in some of the so called bigger games this season according to some Reds. Gordon McQueen spoke on TalkSport today, stating that Berbatov wouldn’t be going anywhere in the summer – but with Bayern Munich sniffing around and the form of Hernandez, can you see it happening?

United lacked ambition 1st half but better in 2nd

We’ll come on to Newcastle’s high pressing in a different talking point, however it was clear to see in the first half that United were both wasteful in possession and were forced back at certain points, which meant that Wayne Rooney’s first minute low cross to Javier Hernandez was the clearest opportunity of the whole half. Rooney did come close later on showing some excellent skill and balance to ride the challenge from the centre half before blazing over the crossbar, although Krul got a slight touch that was unseen by the referee. The diagram below highlights United passing in the first half compared to the 2nd half. It is clear to see that the United’s play wasn’t as deep in the second half and took the game to Newcastle, but just needed to find that finishing touch:

One of the key reasons for this shift, most noticeably down the left hand side, was the change to the role of Ryan Giggs – who was obviously asked to move infield and try and influence play. The diagram below (top image is the 1st half whereas the bottom image is the 2nd half) shows the successful passes made by Giggs over the course of the two halves. With the withdrawal of Nani for Michael Owen, Giggs was asked to play alongside Carrick in the centre of the park (in the 81st minute), however only made four passes – so it is fair to say that he had clear instructions to ‘roam’ after the interval:

Now passing stats can be misleading and to be honest are quite mundane at times. However, the chart below does show that United upped the passing game in the second and improving accuracy. The charts previously demonstrate that United were higher up the pitch in more dangerous areas, so a vast improvement after the break:

It was just a shame that Giggs couldn’t have found the back of the net after popping up centrally to get on the end of an Evra cross, who exploited the space left by Welshman.

Newcastle Pressure & Targeting O’Shea

Although United upped their game in the second half and it is arguable were worth the three points following Giggs’ miss, credit should go to Newcastle for their energetic display in the first half. Newcastle pressed high up the pitch, which resulted in United giving the ball away more the usual and pushed the league leaders back toward their own goal. Despite the early chance for Hernandez, Newcastle carved open their own chances with (an offside that wasn’t given) Ameobi testing Van der Sar at the back post and Løvenkrands clumsily heading wide the pick of the bunch.

The chalkboard below highlights the Newcastle United’s successful passes throughout the first half, with heavy emphasis high up the pitch on the left handside where Newcastle obviously targeted the dribbling skills of Gutierrez against O’Shea, who I thought was poor tonight:

It is interesting to note that in the bottom chalkboard, that Newcastle United won the ball 10 times, in United’s half, in comparison to 5 times, in the second half (with all five being headed flicks on). The majority of these balls won were via tackles, which demonstrates the high pressing game played by Newcastle early in the first half (70% of those tackles were made within the first ten minutes).

Løvenkrands & Hernandez: Penalties?

Both Javier Hernandez and Peter Løvenkrands were furious that they were turned down a penalty by Lee Probert, however I would like to raise the point that Hernandez was booked for ‘simulation’, but why was Løvenkrands not booked? Either it is a penalty or a dive? Its about consistency – did Probert believe that Hernandez dived to try and win and penalty and Løvenkrands didn’t? I’m not too sure. Either way, I think that BOTH players had a case to be honest, but their over the top reaction worked against them. I feel there was clear contact by Anderson, but the former Rangers man could have stayed on his feet – likewise with Hernandez, former Red Danny Simpson makes contact with the Mexican, but Hernandez goes to ground far too easy. I actually think the ref got both decision RIGHT, but shouldn’t have booked Hernandez considering his decision to not book Løvenkrands earlier in the match. I guess the fact the ball was cleared, it was easier to not give a yellow card. What do you think?

Match Conclusion

Manchester United failed to capitalise on Arsenal losing two points against Liverpool on Sunday in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United. As stated, United haven’t failed to score at St James’ Park since the 1999/2000 season, where Duncan Ferguson volleyed passed a helpless Mark Bosnich. Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney both could have opened the scoring for United in the first half, whilst Ryan Giggs had a glorious opportunity in the second half to hit the back of the net from eight yards, but blasted wide. Sir Alex Ferguson will be disappointed with the result, however United have been here before and will know what pressures lie ahead. To get some perspective, in 95/96 United dropped three points in the last six games with a 3-1 loss away to Southampton (before going onto win a league and cup double), dropped six points in 98/99 with away draws against Leeds United, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers (before winning a historic treble) and lastly in 2007/08 United dropped seven points in the last six games – drawing 2-2 away at Middlesbrough 1-1 away at Blackburn Rovers and losing 2-1 away at Chelsea (before winning the league and European Cup).

There will be many twists and turns ahead in the final five games, but Ferguson and United have been here before and will no doubt be ready for the challenges. Newcastle United performed very well first half and are now on 40 points, which should mean safety for next season. It will be interesting to see how United bounce back against Everton, who have been in good form of late, on Saturday and of course whether Dimitar Berbatov will play or not. His omission from the side drew similar comparisons with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s exclusion from the League Cup final in 2006 (even though the Dutchman actually made the bench that afternoon). Ruud was soon on his way in May, I have not idea whether or not the same fate lies for Berbatov.

AUTHOR: – Stretford-end

AUTHOR: – Doron

The disappointment of losing to Man City in the FA Cup can be firmly left in the past as United travel to Newcastle to try and open up a 9 point gap over Arsenal. Newcastle are nicely placed in mid-table but will be frightfully aware that they are by no means ‘safe’ yet. United’s recent record at St James’ Park is good but given the team’s away form this year, that could count for very little.

Last time United faced Newcastle it was Chris Hughton in charge, that was the opening league game of this season. Since then, he’s been inexplicably sacked and replaced by Alan Pardew. Hughton did an excellent job in returning Newcastle to the top flight and Pardew has carried on the good work – not helped by losing star striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January; or by injuries to his main goalkeeper, Steve Harper as well as various remaining strikers. For any newly promoted side, sitting 10th with 6 games left to play would be a job well done. Yet, incredibly Newcastle are just 7 points off the very foot of the table – this league is unforgiving, Newcastle won’t be taking their current position for granted tonight, they need the win as much as Man United do.

Newcastle will be hoping Shola Ameobi is passed fit for tonight’s game otherwise Nile Ranger will again have to deputise. Since Carroll’s departure, Newcastle haven’t consistently had two fit strikers. This has seen Lovenkrands used as a make-shift forward when they attack, but he joins the midfield to help out in defence. Their key man and top scorer, Kevin Nolan is banned for this fixture but the central midfield area will remain tasty for Newcastle. Joey Barton has had an excellent season, showing some added discipline to his game at times. He’ll be partnered with one of the signings of the season, Cheik Tiote who returns from suspension.

The aim for Newcastle is of course survival given how tight the league is. Their form at the moment isn’t overly great, they’ve taken only 7 points from the last 18 available, which is better than some of the teams below them, but not all of them. Similarly, at home, Newcastle have taken 9 from the last 18 which again ranks fairly low down for home form amongst all the sides. This season, Newcastle could be even higher up the league if their home form hadn’t been so poor. They’ve only taken 21 points from 48 which is the 4th worst record in the division. They’e conceded 23 goals at home which is too many but, behind Man United, they’re the second top scorers with 36 goals. With only 5 games won in front of their home fans all season, this will be a key area to improve upon, should they stay up – they are one of only two teams to have not won more games at home than away from home.

The Newcastle squad isn’t quite fully fit – Ben Arfa, Best, Smith and Gosling remain long-term absentees whilst Harper is a doubt with Krul likely to play in goal instead. The medical staff are hopeful Ameobi will make the game but Nolan sits out through suspension as Tiote and Perch return. Stephen Ireland is set to make his debut for Newcastle tonight.

In the Premier League, Newcastle’s record against United at St James’ Park isn’t great but these games tend to guarantee goals. There has never been a 0-0 between the two sides in the Premier League era at Newcastle – each game played there averages 3.5 goals scored. Newcastle have managed just the three wins over United on their own patch with the last one coming 9 and a half years ago. The two sides met on the opening day of the season at Old Trafford with United winning 3-0 – goals from Berbatov, Fletcher and Giggs. The last meeting at St James’ Park was just over two years ago and saw United win 2-1 thanks to goals from Berbatov and Rooney. Jonas Gutierrez could make his 100th league appearance for Newcastle tonight, while Steven Taylor could make his 150th career league appearance. With two wins in their last 12 games, Newcastle will be hoping for better.

Enough on Newcastle… onto Man United and my predicted line up:

The list of absentees appears to be shrinking every week. Ferguson has confirmed Hargreaves season is over whilst Lindegaard is also likely to miss the end of the campaign. Fletcher is back and training but still not ready to play whilst Rafael’s situation is somewhat unclear – he was unavailable for the weekend and is therefore unlikely to play tonight. As Evans returns from suspension, Scholes misses the first of three games for a red card.

I’ve gone for a 4-4-2 – United need to attack and win this game. Edwin seems to be fully fit again and so in front of him I’ve picked the same back four that started on Saturday against Man City – O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra. It is feasible that there may be some rotation with Ferdinand rested and one of Smalling or Evans brought in; whilst there has been some suggestion that Fabio will get a game ahead of Evra.

In the midfield, the absence of Scholes and Flecher leaves Gibson, Giggs or Anderson to partner Carrick. I have no hesitation in selecting Anderson – his energy, thrust and ability to carry the ball forwards was evident when he came on against Man City and with Carrick sitting deep this would be a good partnership. It was the partnership that seemed to be working so well when United were playing good football at the end of 2010. Giggs should return to the XI having missed out against City, and I’d play him on the left hand side which leaves one of Nani or Valencia to start on the right. I’ve chosen Nani as I think he’s been key this season and Valencia could have more of an impact off the bench later on. Up front, Rooney will return from suspension and he should reunite his excellent partnership with Chicharito – I would expect him to start just behind the Mexican in the ‘number 10′ role. Michael Owen is returning to his former club and will no doubt want to get some minutes.

United remain top with a lead of 6 points now having played the same number of games as Arsenal. The defeat to Man City on Saturday was a first loss in 8 and no doubt United will want to bounce back strongly – they’ve won their last 3 league games, most recently beating Fulham 2-0. A win would put even more pressure on Arsenal who are at Spurs on Wednesday.

Recent form shows United 3rd in the form league with 12 points taken from a possible 18 in the last six games. At home, United have been almost unstoppable but away from home their form has been heavily criticised this year. Their current away form is the 4th best in the league with 9 points taken from the last 18 available. In fact, United’s away record isn’t so bad, it’s the third best in the league and could be better if they weren’t the side that had drawn the most number of games away from home. Similarly, United have had no problem finding the net on their travels, with only Chelsea and Arsenal scoring more however their 23 goals conceded is bettered by 6 other teams including Wigan.

In Dimitar Berbatov United have the league’s top goalscorer (21 goals) as well as the 6th and 7th top scorers (Chicharito with 11 and Rooney with 10), whilst Nani is the league’s top assister (18 assists; Rooney is joint 2nd with 11). Chicharito has scored his 11 league goals from just 15 efforts on target. If Ferdinand starts, it’ll be his 350th start for United.

Saturday has to go down as a minor blip in the season – the league is the priority and the one trophy everyone wants to win more than anything else. I expect a strong team given that there is time to recover ahead of Everton on Satuday. Therefore I predict a 2-1 win for United.

You can share with us your thoughts ahead of the match and your favourite moments from games away to Newcastle on our forum.

AUTHOR: – Doron

Former Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has revealed in an interview with FourFourTwo that United took too long to sign him, which is why he opted to sign for Blackburn Rovers. United ended up signing Eric Cantona in the November of 1992 and went on to lift the Premier League title, with Blackburn finishing in 4th spot.

Shearer did pick up a league title in 1994/95 after his side beat United by a point to the crown. The England striker enjoyed a four-year stay at Ewood Park, scoring 112 goals in 138 league appearances – however, could he have gone on to win more trophies had he waited a little?

The interview with Shearer is featured in the latest issue, which marks the 200th edition of the magazine (and also includes a Giggsy interview). Shearer was quoted as saying:

“There was interest from Manchester United, but I was told I had to wait three or four weeks for them to get the money together. I felt if they really wanted me then they would come and get me immediately. I had already spoken to Blackburn and told Kenny Dalglish, Ray Harford and Jack Walker that I would give them an answer in three of four days – and my answer was yes.”

Shearer again turned down the opportunity to sign for Manchester United in the summer of 1996, opting for hometown club Newcastle United instead. Former United captain Bryan Robson wrote in his autobiography that he couldn’t understand, even as a fellow Geordie, why Shearer choose to turn down United for a second time.

Shearer’s goal scoring record speaks for itself, whilst he also finished top goalscorer at Euro 96 with five goals – so was obviously in high demand, with rumours that Italian clubs were also keen to sign England’s top marksman. He eventually move for a world record fee (previously held by Gianluigi Lentini of Milan following his move from Torino to AC Milan in 1992) of £15million to his home town club. United went onto lift the 96/97 crown, whilst Shearer never really eclipsed the trophy winning season of 1995.

Form is temporary, class is permanent – so says the performance of Paul Scholes and the cameo from Ryan Giggs. Manchester United won 3-0 against their Newcastle namesakes and while they may not have scored the shedload that Champions Chelsea managed in their opening game, the message of intent was impressive in its own right. Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring with Darren Fletcher grabbing a second just before half time before Giggs’ classy volley in the dying moments secured all three points.

A typical first day start saw each side ease into the game – first, Wayne Rooney linked up with Nani but bent a 20 yard effort well wide before Andy Carroll won a corner off Vidic a minute later, flashing a header from the resultant set piece wide.

Carroll had the first effort on target from either side in the 18th minute, his 20 yard daisycutter comfortably handled by van der Sar. That was as good as it got for the Magpies in the first half as United, inspired by the – once more – magnificent Paul Scholes, began to really turn up the screw. The visitors were saved from the young debutant Perch being sent off for wrestling Nani when he was the last man only by virtue of Enrique managing to cover mid-wrestle.

It all came together on the half hour as Rooney spurned a glorious chance – he worked really well to keep the ball held up and then played it wide to Valencia. The Ecuadorian was a main source of creativity last season and his ball to Berbatov showed wide – the forward headed back to the on rushing Rooney who again couldn’t control his shot as it went over. The hosts only had to wait two more minutes to get the reward for their spell of dominance – Newcastle again failed to clear, with Valencia impressively charging the ball down and winning it back for O’Shea. The Irishman played it inside for Scholes and the ginger prince’s through ball to Berbatov was trademark. Berbatov’s run was tidy, as was his finish across the keeper to score the first league goal of the season.

A mini resurgence after the goal was killed off when the Red Devils grabbed a second in the 42nd minute – Darren Fletcher started and ended a move which featured a Nani and Evra interchange on the left. Rooney’s first touch on the crossed ball was heavy but was perfect for Fletcher, who span and converted from 4 yards out.

Using the second half as little more than a procession has been the hallmark of United sides of recent years and, perhaps with conservation of energy foremost in mind, that was no different here. Scholes continued to impress, pulling all the strings and having all of last season’s runners up play going through him. Wayne Rooney was substituted without a goal on the hour with Chicharito making his league debut; while 10 minutes later Nani departed to be replaced by Ryan Giggs. In coming onto the pitch, the Welshman became the first player to play in every Premier League season (only Sol Campbell, not selected by the visitors, is likely to match that).

Another of Giggs’ many records is at least one goal in every league season and it took him a matter of minutes to keep that one going too – Hernandez showed impressive willingness to force a Toon defender into an error which eventually landed at Scholes’ (who else) feet. Scholes pass was inevitably perfect to Giggs who was way wide left but still managed to strike a sweet volley across goal into the far corner.

A 3-0 scoreline was no more than United deserved for their all round domination, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s only real concern being a late injury to Patrice Evra. There has been talk among supporters of the need for big name signings to bolster the squad but the current players demonstrated yet again that there’s nothing quite as golden as our oldies.

Ratings : van der Sar 7, O’Shea 6, Evans 7, Vidic 7, Evra 7 (Rafael), Valencia 6, Fletcher 7, *Scholes 9, Nani 7 (Giggs 8), Rooney 6 (Chicharito 6), Berbatov 7

Former Manchester United Striker Andy Cole has spoken to the Telegraph in the week regarding two of his former clubs; Manchester United and Newcastle United and his two former managers – Sir Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan. Andy Cole joined United in the January of 95 following a £6million (plus Keith Gillespie, who was valued at £1million) move from Newcastle, a transfer which broke the British record by £2Million (Chris Sutton signed for Blackburn Rovers from Norwich the previous summer) and sparked outrage in Newcastle.

United’s dream partnership of Cantona/Cole, only lasted a few games as the Frenchman was banned for eight months following a ‘altercation’ with a Crystal Palace fan. Cole was speaking about his time at Old Trafford, his thoughts on Wayne Rooney and his disgust at Capello’s handling of former Red David Beckham (you’ll have to buy the paper to read that). Cole, who scored 121 goals in 275 games and is the seventeenth top goalscorer of all time at Old Trafford, believes that United are still the top team in England – despite missing out by a single point last season to Chelsea:

Manchester United are the team to beat this season. They lost out last season by a single point. The players they have brought in so far have been good signings, and the way they played in the community shield proved they have the quality.

One thing that was labeled at Cole throughout his career was that he was a good striker but not ‘international class’ – despite Neil Ruddock getting a call up around the same time Cole earned his first cap. Glenn Hoddle once famously remarked that Cole needed ‘six or seven chances’ before scoring a goal. Cole believes his performances for Manchester United were enough proof of the quality he had to offer for England:

My England career never really happened. I never had a good run at it. I believe I was good enough but it never really worked out. People could say that I wasn’t International class, but I knew I could score goals at that level. You don’t play in the Champions League for Manchester United, scoring goals week in, week out without being able to. So I thought my time had come and gone. We had five or six good strikers at one period so it was best for me to call it quits.

Cole was full of praise for Wayne Rooney, Fergie and Keegan as well:

On Rooney –

England is built up to be the be-all and end-all for a striker. He didn’t play the way he wanted, but neither did any member of the team. He could still have been carrying his injury.

On Ferguson -

He should manage for as long as he has the passion and desire. He’s not the type of manager who would want to go out on the low.

On Keegan –

I love Kevin. A lot was written about the disagreements we had when I left Newcastle for Manchester United, but I had a golf day this year and he was one of the first people to say he’d play.

United have faced Newcastle twice over the past ten seasons on the opening day, with Cole scoring in a 2-0 win back in 2000. The Stretty Rant believe that United should overcome the Championship champions 3-1. For more information, check out our Manchester United vs. Newcastle United preview.

The Telegraph have also lined up United as 4-4-2, with Owen partnering Rooney:

On the eve of United’s opening match of the Premier League season, there are some reports that Wayne Rooney may be unfit for the match against Newcastle. Also in tomorrow’s chip paper, Edwin van der Sar warns that United can no longer have so much reliance on the veterans and Sir Alex is linked with a move for another Portuguese player.

Rooney an injury doubt for Toon opener – The Daily Mirror

Certainly not the news you want to read the day before the season. The Daily Mirror is reporting that Rooney picked up a hamstring injury in England’s midweek friendly and not may not be fit for the Newcastle match. If this is true, it is the perfect example of why meaningless international are so frustrating. Unlike last season, though, I’m not as worried for Rooney’s absences this season. Javier Hernandez has shown what a terrific goalscorer he is, and should Rooney be sidelined I’m sure Chicharito can pick up the slack.

Van Der Sar: United can’t rely on old guard much longer – The Daily Mail

The story that becomes more and more worrisome every season. Edwin van der Sar has said that United cannot continue to rely so much on their veterans. Sadly, it’s true. Scholes looked phenomenal against Chelsea in the Community Shield, but can he do that regularly more than once a week now? Sadly, I have my doubts. It also signifies another fear: our goalkeeper situation. With van der Sar inching closer to retirement, what options will we have to replace him. I think Kuszczak is a fantastic backup, but not starting material. Like many United fans, I’m fearing the inevitable day when our old guard finally calls it a day.

Fergie looking to Ozil alternative – The Daily Mirror

The press has managed to link us with a new transfer target while still making mention of Mesut Ozil. I shouldn’t be so shocked… According to The Daily Mirror, United is now chasing Raul Meireles as they set their sights away from Ozil. With Carlos Queiroz rumored to be back in the picture after his alleged involvement in the Bebe deal, I can’t say I’m all that surprised to see us linked with a Portuguese player. I’m not sure I’d even be that excited to see Meireles arrive at Old Trafford. Much rather see Cleverley get a chance. Doubt this rumor has much truth to it anyways.

Todays Matches:

Liverpool 1 – 1 Arsenal

Discuss all today’s matches in the forum.

You can follow Kyle on Twitter at KDill_MUFC.