Almost there

As I write this, it is already Thursday, so the latest edition of the World Cup begins tomorrow. Am I ever eager to watch the matches.

I have to say, the Netherlands are looking good. If any team outside the seven who have already won are to win, my pick would be the Dutch. Having said that though, I have to say Spain looked terrifyingly efficient in that 6-0 drubbing of Poland.

Although the kickoff is tomorrow, the festivities actually start tonight, with a show that promises to sizzle. I don't think there has been any sporting spectacle where the festivities started the day before. Oh well, just sit back and enjoy I guess.

Wasn't actually going to write anything today, but saw this quote in the papers and just had to write it down here. Good sense of humour, that Kiwi coach:

"Not at all, I don't think it matters anything. Unless we get hammered in all three (group games) and then I'll tell you it did."
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert, on whether having to cut short practice sessions due to the unhealthy air caused by smoke from households in the township outside the stadium would affect the team's performances.

Apologies for the late posting

Been really, really busy lately, so have not had the chance to update the blog. Apologies for not doing so and apologies also to Chelsea fans for not congratulating you for your team's good wins.

The truth of the matter is that I was extremely busy and not because I was so morose that United were pipped to the title or that it's a case of sour grapes. My big boss may think so, but no.

Congratulations indeed to Chelsea and their fans. It was a job well done and the win over MU at Old Trafford was, as expected, the end of the road for the Red Devils, as far as I'm concerned.

It was good to learn that Javier Hernandez, the wunderkid who is the first Mexican to sign for MU, has been granted a work permit. When I heard about him, I immediately looked for videos on YouTube and was somewhat impressed with what I saw, though there were only a few videos. Hopefully, he will be something of a sensation at MU, if not immediately, then within the next few years.

Other than that, no real news coming out of Old Trafford apart from the usual rumours. I was sad to note that David Villa has joined Barcelona, as I have always wanted him at OT. But hey, I don't blame him. Barca are a class side.

So that's it for now. In the off season, I will not be updating this blog as often as I care to, but I will from time to time, especially if news comes about new signings. Don't see much of that happening till after the World Cup. I may also update the blog on the World Cup if I feel like it.

Who am I shouting for this World Cup. Well, I'm an Argentina fan so my first choice will always be Argentina, but I am also shouting for England, for obvious reasons as well as the fact that I have English ancestors. Also, Spain and Portugal, simply because I have Spanish and Portuguese blood in me as well!

Come on Maradona, prove me wrong and win the World Cup eh!

As good as over

Yes. It is.

Manchester United can kiss the league title goodbye, at least for this season. Have to face facts. There is almost zero, I repeat ZERO, chance of Chelsea dropping points at home to Wigan.

Of course, anything can happen. The ball, they say, is round. But Chelsea will be fired up to win and take the trophy in front of their own fans. And, to top it all off, Wigan have nothing to play for, having already secured their spot in the EPL next season.

I couldn't watch the Liverpool-Chelsea game due to a dinner I had to attend. Despite Gerrard making a horrid mistake and passing the ball straight to Drogba for the first goal, and despite the Merseysiders apparently not playing well, I don't think they were playing to lose. I think they have too much pride for that.

I jokingly told a few Liverpool fans that perhaps they wanted to lose only because they want Rafa out of the picture next season, but of course I don't believe that either.

Anyway, as I said before, anything can happen, so I'll be praying for a miracle this weekend!

This is it

It's crunch time. If Chelsea win tonight, the title is theirs.

There is no way Chelsea will drop points against a team like Wigan at Stamford Bridge. Sure, Wigan beat them earlier this season, but Chelsea are almost invincible at home and if MU can't overtake them this weekend, it won't happen next weekend either.

The latest news from Anfield is encouraging. They're not giving up, apparently. Chelsea, meanwhile, have no fresh injury worries. Terry returns to the side and will likely partner Alex. His regular partner Carvalho is still out injured. Obi Mikel, meanwhile, returns to the side following his recovery from an injury that left him out of the side that featured against Stoke in that 7-0 drubbing.

Obi Mikel's return is not a plus point, as far as I'm concerned, as I believe there are much better players than he. But Terry's return is certainly an inspiration for the Blues. Alex and Ivanovic did well for Chelsea in Terry's absence against Stoke through suspension. But to be frank, they were hardly tested against a Stoke side that looked utterly lost at the Bridge.

The worry here is Liverpool. Despite an abysmal season, by their standards, Liverpool have the ability to beat any team on their day. I don't believe all this nonsense about letting Chelsea win so that MU can't claim the record 19th league title and kick Pool off of their pedestal. Liverpool players, the club itself, have too much pride for that. The problem is that the players may be tired after that hard-fought 2-1 extra time win over Athletico Madrid, which unfortunately for them, cost them a place in the Europa League final.

My gut feeling is that Liverpool will take some points off Chelsea tonight, but even if they do, there's no guarantee MU will come away with the lead in the league by the end of the day. It's a tricky trip to Sunderland tonight for the Red Devils.

Reports from Old Trafford have it that Ferdinand and Rooney may face the Black Cats. Whether or not they are there, Sunderland are no easy meat at their home ground. And Bruce is no slouch of a manager, either.

My guess, though, is that MU will come away with all three points, especially if Chelsea draw or lose at Anfield.

The slightly clouded crystal ball says: Liverpool 2 Chelsea 2; Sunderland 0 MU 1

What a weekend so far

I had wanted to post a preview of the Manchester derby, but work prevented me from doing so yesterday. After what happened last night, I simply had to write something.

I had wanted to write that I thought it would be a narrow one-goal win for Man United, simply because my gut was telling me that. And I had wanted to say it would come with or without Rooney. As it turned out I was right, and it happened with AND without Rooney. It doesn't make sense, I know, but look at it this way, Rooney played from the start but was substituted before Scholes' header found its mark.

The game itself was frustrating. I think both sides played OK, but lacked the sting to finish off their moves. Although Man City, I think, enjoyed the majority of possession, it was United, I think who had the better chances.

I'm not too sure on both counts, however, as I could only catch bits and pieces of the game while working. Needless to say, when that goal went in, I was shouting my lungs out. Don't think my colleagues (at least the non-United fans) appreciated that!

Having seen Spurs win their last match, another derby game, against Arsenal, I knew they could make it tough for Chelsea and grab at least a point, but after the Manchester derby, I knew the London derby would be even more significant.

Right after the United win, I told a colleague, one of the few Spurs fans I know, that his side would have added impetus to win. Winning a derby is always about pride, but with United having beaten City, Spurs would leapfrog the blue side of Manchester into fourth spot. That final qualifying spot for the Champions League next season is now Spurs' to lose, although I know they do have at least one more daunting match to play -- a trip to Old Trafford.

I managed to catch the second half of the Spurs-Chelsea game and, truth be told, the team in white could have slotted at least three more goals past Cech, if not for bad finishing. The biggest culprit had to be Pavlyuchenko, who missed at least two gilt-edged chances. The last minute counterattack which saw three Spurs players against one Chelsea defender and Cech should have, at the very least, tested the Chelsea goalie, but the final shot wasn't even on target!

Thankfully for the Spurs team and fans (and United and fans), they managed to still win. So all in all, it was a good weekend for United. Only one point separates the teams now, and this, hopefully, can be overhauled soon.

Let's hope it's a record fourth league title in a row and record 19th title overall.

Go on and prove them wrong, lads

Still no Wayne Rooney and 1-2 down from the first leg, but van Gaal insists United are still the favourites to progress to the next round at the expense of his Bayern team.

Was it just mind tricks when he said that? Or does he truly believe it to be so? Who knows, but in my mind, he's right.

That all-important away goal could be the one thing which separates the two sides at the end of today's (tomorrow's, for us) match. Then it will be MU as the only EPL team left in the Champions League.

Fergie has ruled Rooney out of the first 11, although the gaffer admitted his talismanic striker may just convince him of a place on the bench. So that leaves Berbatov to lead the attack again.

I wonder, however, what sort of formation Ferguson will use. The 4-5-1 (or 4-4-1-1) which he opted for against Chelsea, or a more conventional 4-4-2? If he goes 4-4-2, he'll bring in Macheda, but I doubt if he'll do that. My gut tells me he will go 4-4-1-1.

The only thing is, will he put Nani or Giggs in the hole behind Berba? I have to say he needs the big guns today, so put Nani and Valencia on the wings and Giggs behind Berba. The middle of the park should see Scholes and Fletcher reprise their roles, although Carrick may just be in for one of the two.

There's no real point in discussing the back line, although news from Old Trafford is that O'Shea is available again.

As for Bayern, Robben could be back but the main threat as I see it is Ribery. He's got some killer skills, the Frenchman. In the first leg, he was a constant threat. But I did notice that his crosses were just not working too well.

Taking everything into account, I think it will be United progressing to the semi finals. But then again, you guys may think I'm biased!

The old animal bones say: MU 1 Bayern 0

Disappointing, to say the least

To be frank, both sides played half-baked football. A draw probably would have been a fair result, but if either team was to win, you would have to say Chelsea probably deserved it a little more.

It was a tale, I would say, of people going to sleep. First, the entire United defence were guilty of narcolepsy, it would seem, when they allowed Malouda to skip through and lay that pass on for Joe Cole's cheeky finish. Then, the referee's assistant went to sleep when he allowed Drogba to continue when he was quite clearly offside.

It can be argued that the referee and the assistant on the other side were also asleep when Macheda's goal was allowed to stand, as it was handball, but that was a situation which happened in a blink of an eye and I don't think either could have seen much. Then also there were the various appeals for penalties which they missed, at least two of which were legitimate claims.

What has me worried is that United players seem to have lost that ability to pass the ball smoothly, and this has left their game disjointed, so to speak. It seemed like in the last two games, at least, there was no flowing football, something that MU fans have come to expect. That Rooney is missing is not my major worry now, but the lack of a good passing game. Rooney not being there would not be such a problem if the passing game is there.

With the return leg against Bayern coming up, MU and Fergie better find some answers quick, or it will be the end of the road as far as the Champions League is concerned.

Come on you Red Devils! Show them what for!

Moment of truth

For the longest time now, I have been looking forward to this game knowing that this would be the clincher. I still believe it will be, but now my worst fear has been coupled with it.

I'm talking, of course, about the missing Mr Rooney. The man who seems to give his all, running from end to end, sliding in for every tackle, trying to stop goals as well as make them and score them.

England fans may be thankful that his injury is not as bad as first feared and that he will be available for the World Cup in June and July, barring any other injuries, but United fans will be cursing the loss of their talismanic striker at a time when the season is about to end. What more when the title is hanging in the balance, with just a point separating MU from Chelsea and Arsenal only a few more points behind.

Now Chelsea come to Old Trafford more rested than their opponents are, having been kicked out of the Champions League earlier, and on a high having scored 12 goals in their last two league games.

There is no doubt Rooney is an influential and inspirational player on the pitch. Whether his absence is felt will, however, rest on whether the rest of the team can step up and do the job without him.

Berbatov should step into the role Rooney currently occupies as lone striker up front. Fergie tends to use the formation I prefer seeing United play (4-4-2) when playing at home, but in this instance, with a Chelsea team seemingly rampant in front of goal, I think Sir Alex will opt for a 4-5-1 formation, or a derivative there of.

The fact that the only other first team strikers available to him are Diouf, who has yet to impress, and Macheda, who has only just returned from a long-term injury, will also play a part in the decision to go 4-5-1. I'm thinking he will play Giggs in the hole just behind Berbatov.

(You can argue that in this case, the formation will be 4-4-1-1, but I prefer calling it 4-5-1 since it's not a striker playing behind Berba.)

On the wings will likely be Nani and Valencia or Park, while the centre of the park will be marshalled, I believe, by Carrick and Fletcher.

If Fergie opts to play Nani behind Berba, then Valencia and Park will be flying down the wings, with Giggs waiting to come on if needed.

Of course, you never know until you see the starting line-up as you still have players like Scholes and Gibson knocking on the door and champing at the bits. Who knows? Maybe Sir Alex will decide to go ahead and play a 4-4-2 formation. I doubt it as Chelsea are a class team and even though they are away, Sir Alex will definitely show them a little respect and try to control the midfield instead. After all, we just need a draw to keep ahead of them.

Actually, that's where I'm heading with this. I think it will be a draw, although I'm hoping, of course, there will be three points for United at the end of the day.

So, the ol' crystal ball is a little cloudy on this one. It's either a draw, or a slim, extremely hard-fought one-goal win for MU.

Clash of the Red Titans

So much has happened since I last blogged. I've really been super busy so I didn't get the time to write or even visit my own blog.

But all that's in the past. Let's look forward instead.

Bring on the Germans

The CL draw seems to have put MU in the easier half of the table, but all is not as rosy as it seems. First of all, we have Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. Not the easiest of opponents for sure. Still, with the form Rooney is in, I think we can squeeze past them.

The reason why some people may think this is the easier half is because of the opponents MU will face in the semifinals. An all-French quarterfinals between Bordeaux and Lyon will see the victor earn the right to fight for a place in the finals with either MU or Munich. These two French teams are not chicken feed. Lyon knocked out Spanish giants Real Madrid and both are enjoying good form in their domestic league, especially at home.

Back to the Q-finals though. I think the match which will be most enticing will be the Arsenal-Barcelona bout. This is one game I don't want to miss.

So, will it be an all English final? We'll just have to wait and see.

And now, the main feature

MU entertain Liverpool on Sunday in what is an important game for both clubs. I'm sure I don't have to go into the why of it all.

The good news is that Giggs is back. I want him in the starting lineup. Of course, the other one I want to see and barring any mishaps, should see, is Rooney.

Other than that, I think we'll see VDS in goal, Rio and Vidic partnering each other again in what is a rare occurrence this season, Evra at leftback and possibly Neville at rightback.

I think Fergie will go for a five man midfield with Park and Nani on the wings and Giggs, Fletcher and either Scholes or Carrick in the middle.

Hargreaves may have made his comeback in a reserve game against Burnley recently, but don't bet on him being part of the squad this Sunday.

One of the big questions of the night will be whether Vidic can end the game on the pitch. Having been sent off in the last three encounters with Liverpool, all of which were won by the Merseysiders, let's hope Vidic can do better this time around.

Whatever the outcome, expect a fiery game with lots of tackles flying in and emotions running high, as all past games have proven to be just this. I always look forward to MU-Liverpool matches and this one is no exception.

My crystal ball says: MU by a one-goal margin and Vidic to finally stay the course

Goodbye Owen, Hello Owen

Michael Owen will be out for the rest of the season, but Owen Hargreaves is now well on the comeback trail. The midfielder will be playing a reserves team match.

While Owen will definitely have no part to play in United's trip to meet Wolves, it remains to be seen whether Hargreaves will be included in the squad. I highly doubt it, but even if he is, I don't expect him to play.

Sir Alex and MU will be looking to take advantage of the fact that Chelsea does not feature in a EPL match this weekend (they play in the FA Cup) to go two points clear at the top of the table. While Chelsea will have a game in hand after the weekend, MU being ahead would be seen as a psychological advantage at the very least.

It was indeed a relief when Man City beat Chelsea last week, allowing United to stay a point behind following that horrible loss to Everton. No matter who plays this weekend, I expect a United win. Anything else would be disastrous.

Crystal Ball says: Wolves 0 MU 3