Rooney and Gerrard Set for Anfield Showdown

It has long been credited as the biggest fixture of the Premiership calendar and at Saturday lunchtime the sparks are set to fly once again as Manchester United visit Anfield.

United have started the season in blistering form but lately have come off the tracks slightly, however they have still done enough to occupy the joint top position of the Premier League. The red side of Merseyside are arguably the most improved side in the past 12 months, and under Kenny Dalglish that improvement can only continue.

It has to be noted that Manchester United have not won at Anfield in the last four years and have also  struggled against their fierce rivals at Old Trafford also. Sir Alex’s side will not have been aided by the recent negative press surrounding Wayne Rooney and his father, which obviously got under the striker’s skin in Montenegro. Rooney’s actions in the English shirt during the week, is a prime example of the negative power the British media have over their high profile players.  

The decision by UEFA to hand Rooney a three game ban will add further misery to the striker and whether or not he wants to admit it; Sir Alex will have the striker’s mental state going into Saturday’s clash in the back of his mind.It could go either way for the united talisman i.e. he could come out all guns blazing and put in the performances we’ve seen so far this season or he could come out kicking and play right into the Kop’s hands. Either way the Liverpool fans will be waiting for Rooney on Saturday and it will be a stern test of his mental state of mind.

On the other hand, United have other players in top form that can make the difference for them at Anfield. Ashley Young, Nani and Welbeck, are all on top form, while Hernandez and Owen always have a goal in them. Sir Alex also has his first choice defensive pairing available in Ferdinand and Vidic, while he also has Phil Jones currently in excellent form to deploy at right back.

But Liverpool fans have also a case for optimism heading into Saturday's crunch encounter. Steven Gerrard is set to start for the first time this season and Kenny Dalglish has stated the Liverpool captain is as fit as ever. The Scotsman has taken his time in bringing the Liverpool legend back into action, and one can only imagine that this game has been earmarked for Gerrard’s return for some time.

Similar to United, Liverpool is no one man team and has players in fine form. Charlie Adam has slotted into the midfield with ease and could form a formidable link playing behind the influential Gerrard. Stewart Downing and Lucas have also been impressive for Liverpool in midfield, while Suarez has been in prolific form so far this season. Andy Carroll’s goal two weekends ago will have done him the world of good and don’t be surprised if he troubles United’s back four should he be called upon.

It will be interesting to see the team selections by both Scottish managers in particular the approach they take from kick off. It would not be surprising to see both teams start with a 4-4-1-1 formation and cancel each other out from the start. On the other hand, the fixture also has the potential to be a fiery atmosphere which could lead to mistakes at the back for both sides and provide us with plenty of goals.

With the negative publicity and current animosity surrounding Wayne Rooney, the United man was always going to take centre stage at Anfield, as will the returning Gerrard. The Liverpool captain has been out of the limelight for some time and he will be out to remind Liverpool fans and a certain Fabio Capello of what he is all about. 


One thing's for sure; we can expect a fiery atmosphere at Anfield this Saturday, as Rooney's UEFA ban comes to surface and with Liverpool and the KOP end smelling blood. 

Make or Break for Trap’s Irish Army

So Ireland is once again heading into the final group game of a qualifying campaign needing a result to guarantee a playoff position. Here we go again? Surely not.

Ireland are a neutral country, always have been always will be. We are the nation everyone loves to love and a country many claim to ascend from. Unfortunately, we are also a country whose subconscious mind dreads two words – a playoff.

It’s been over two years since Ireland were controversially denied a place in the World Cup by Thierry Henry’s infamous handball, and yes we have accepted that it is time to move on. However, the heartache for the Irish soccer team stretches back a lot further than a cheating French man.

The glory days of Jack Charlton are a fond and distant memory, as are the not so shabby days under (love him or hate him) Mick McCarthy. This situation is familiar as Ireland has been in this predicament before i.e. enduring a hard fought out campaign in which they should have done better, but cannot be faulted on effort.

It is this kind of mentality that got under the skin of a certain Roy Keane and although his approach and behaviour was wrong in Saipan, the United legend does have a point. Ireland lack a killer mentality and that is the biggest worry heading into next Tuesday’s make or break clash with Armenia.

An even bigger worry is that following Russia’s victory away to Slovakia; a draw is all Ireland need to qualify for the playoff stages of Euro 2012. Trapattoni has been quick to reiterate that Ireland will not play for a draw as he never sets his team out to play in that matter. While this may be somewhat true in the back of the Italian’s mind, his number one intention is always to avoid defeat.

And who are we to complain with Ireland boasting an impressive eight consecutive clean sheets and currently one point away from the qualifying stages of a major tournament. We would have taken that at the start of the campaign right, or is this the exact mentality that has prevented us from topping the group? Ask Eamon Dunphy and I am sure his answer would be yes. The simple matter of fact is we are where we are, and we must get on with it.

Armenia is similar to Ireland; they are no great side but they have proved in this campaign that they have a lot of heart. They have also proved that can play football and get a result. They are faster, fitter and they are a proud nation who will give everything in Dublin on Tuesday night. But so is Ireland and like or loathe his approach, Trapattoni has given us a winning mentality and belief that has been missing for years gone by.

There is no point in hoping for a last minute enthusiastic attacking midfield approach because it just will not happen. Ireland will go out with the same mentality on Tuesday night; hard to break down, defensively solid and attacking on the counter attack in particular on the wings. It has got us this far and there is no point changing it now.

If everyone plays to the best of their ability on Tuesday night then Ireland will be in the draw for the playoffs. If the big players such as O’Shea, Dunne, McGeady, Keane etc, do not play to their standards then Ireland will be in trouble. It is imperative that Ireland start brightly and treat the game as an away fixture as that is when they play their best.

Trap’s army must put Armenia under pressure and not allow them to play their game. Andorra came to the Aviva and scored, which suggests that Armenia definitely have a goal in them. It is therefore important that Ireland score first, preferably early to avoid nerves. The bench may have a significant role to play Tuesday night with the likes of Hunt, Long, McCarthy and Walters offering attacking options to call upon.

There will be a tense atmosphere in the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night, and once again it is make or break for Ireland.

We’ve heard this song before; hopefully this time it will consist of Ole Ole Ole.

Tevez Snub is Mancini’s Blessing in Disguise

The refusal from Carlos Tevez to come on and play for Manchester City against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, is exactly the same as an ordinary worker refusing to get out of bed and go to work. We all have those days and the vast majority of us just get on with it and earn an honest living.

Carlos Tevez most certainly does not fit in to this category and quite frankly he is an embarrassment to himself and an embarrassment to football. One man he is not an embarrassment to however is Roberto Mancini, who now has a reason to stand up to the sulky Argentine and let him rot in the reserves before shipping him off in January.

It’s hard to believe the fall from grace that Tevez has endured in the past few months. This time last season he was the hero at City and without his goals and work rate Mancini’s men would most certainly not be in Europe. But in the midst of all this Tevez decided he wanted to take his ball and go home. He blamed family reasons for not being happy in Manchester and as reluctant as they were in letting him go, Manchester City agreed to let him leave, solely for family reasons.

The arrival of Sergio Aguero in the summer provided clear evidence that Mancini was planning for life without Tevez. However, when the Argentine’s summer transfer dealings broke down, Mancini was left with the striker at City. But things were not all doom and gloom as Tevez appeared to have a smile on his face once again and his family had now joined him in Manchester.

The feeling among City fans and the media was that Edin Dzeko was keeping Tevez’s position warm until he was fully fit and could form a formidable partnership with his fellow Argentine team mate Aguero. The blistering start City has made this season with Tevez on the bench is frightening to say the least, and there was talk of them being genuine contenders for the Champions League.

However, with one point from their opening Champions League games and Tevez now certain to leave the club, it looks all that more of an uphill challenge now for Mancini’s men. On the other hand, the actions of the Manchester City manager following Tevez’s snub, shows that he is firmly in control of what goes on at the club. This whole saga will only make Mancini stronger particularly in the aftermath of Gary Cook’s departure from the club.

Tevez is one of the greatest strikers and footballers in the world at the moment and there is absolutely nothing he can’t achieve. However, he is not a one man club and he is certainly not a loyal player. Everyone asked questions when Sir Alex opted not to sign the striker on a permanent basis and just one year after he signed for the blue side of Manchester the cracks were already beginning to show. He is now in his third season and look at the mess he has caused.

It’s hard to believe that this man was also captain of the club. Manchester City and Mancini can together grow stronger from the Tevez saga, in particular the latter who needs to show that he is the boss and no player is bigger than the club. There is life after Tevez for City, particularly with Sergio Aguero up front and also an unlimited check book.

United Too Good While Europe Halts City Progress

Following the opening fixtures of this year’s Champions League, all eyes were on Manchester City to see how they would respond to playing midweek against Napoli. A 2-2 draw away to Fulham this past Sunday will bring the City fans back down to earth a little bit.

It is too early to say whether or not Mancini’s men will struggle every time they play after Europe, but the manner in which they threw away two goals against Fulham to drop two points, could have a psychological impact on the team.

Arsenal went down 4-3 away from home to Blackburn and it looks as though they will continue to struggle in their fixtures after playing midweek games in Europe. The same cannot be said however for Manchester United who eased past Chelsea this past Sunday.

They were a different class against Chelsea and they never really looked like they got out of second gear. After scoring early in the game, United did not create too many chances and it was Chelsea who had the more attempts on goal. However, after soaking up a bit of Chelsea pressure, United out of nowhere found themselves 3-0 up at half time and left everyone wondering whether Rooney would fire home another hat-trick.

Although Chelsea were stronger in the second half and Fernando Torres finally looks like he is finally getting somewhere near being back to his best, the London side still look nowhere near as strong as Manchester United. Sir Alex’s men travel to Elland Road to face old rivals Leeds United tonight and the Scotsman has an embarrassing array of unused talent to call upon.

Berbatov, Owen, Giggs, Carrick, Valencia – these are just a few of the names of players who need some much needed game time after struggling to break into Ferguson’s squad so far this season. This is where United most definitely have the edge over Chelsea and Arsenal, while it remains to be seen whether or not the City squad will be strong enough to compete on all fronts this season.

Mancini is already pointing to his lack of central midfield options as he has as couple of injuries in that department. But Mancini is the only man to blame for this as he had an open check book all summer. It is therefore that I believe Owen Hargreaves may prove to be an important signing for City after all. 

Mancini has stated that Hargreaves will play 45 minutes in the Carling Cup this week, should he come through unscathed, he may find himself thrown right into the mix of things at Manchester City. Heaven knows he deserves a break.

The games are starting to come thick and fast and this is where the squad depth of the top four teams will be tested to the max. The Carling Cup will provide much needed game time for the players struggling to fit into the top teams in the Premiership. However, it is hard to see any squad outside of Manchester not struggling to cope with the upcoming fixture list.

Torres Comments Could Signify Beginning of the End

Following the apparent recent criticism by Fernando Torres of his Chelsea team mates, we could be seeing the beginning of the Spanish striker's attempts to end his nightmare spell at Chelsea. 

Although the Spaniard has not set Chelsea alight, nowhere near in fact, it was surprising to see him as an unused substitute against Sunderland this past weekend. With Didier Drogba ruled out through injury the onus would have been on Torres to finally step up and make his mark at Chelsea. 

The feeling around Stamford Bridge at the beginning of the season was that this season would see the striker find his scoring touch once again. After all he looked incredibly sharp and back to his old ways against Stoke on the opening day of the season, and how a goal against the Potters would have helped him now. 

Andres Villa Boas's main concern when he came to Chelsea was always going to be the Torres and Drogba saga. However, his ageing squad and lack of pace in the Chelsea side is also a major issue. Villa Boas has gone some way in rectifying this; the introduction of Josh Mceachran and most recently Daniel Sturridge into the first team shows the manager is willing to give youth a try. 

The decision by Villas Boas to choose Sturridge ahead of Torres against Sunderland payed off and the young English man scored a wonderful back heeled goal against Steve Bruce's men. Then came the allegations of Torres referring to his team mates as 'old and slow' in a Spanish interview. This is no surprise following Torres's nightmare spell at Chelsea. 

Something has gone drastically wrong for the Spaniard at Chelsea; he has lost his confidence and self belief. He has also lost his touch and positioning abilities which are what made him the player he was at Liverpool. Whether or not this is down to the Chelsea personnel and type of play is debatable, one thing thats for sure is his time at Chelsea is entering a penultimate stage. 

This is it for Torres; he has been dropped from the first team and he has criticized his team mates, the fans have been patient enough as have the managers and the owner. On the eve of Chelsea's Champions League opener at home to Dortmund, Villa Boas has a massive decision on this hands. Does he start Torres in the hope of a reaction or does he go with Sturridge who was in fine form at the weekend?

A European game may suit Torres better than Sturridge and it may allow Chelsea fans to finally see a reaction from the disinterested looking Spaniard. Villa Boas knew he would be thrown in at the deep end at some stage; it’s now time for him to show off his 'Special' qualities. Torres on the other hand is running out of time and this may be his last chance. 

Irish Draw in Russia looks all the More Sweeter After Slovakia Slip Up

The 0-0 draw by Trapattoni’s team against Russia in Moscow might not have been the prettiest performance in the world, but following the Slovakian’s 4-0 thumping at home to Armenia, the outlook is now a lot more positive for the green army.

Following Ireland’s lacklustre performance against Slovakia in Dublin Friday night, expectations were not too high going into Ireland’s make or break clash with the Russians. The game in Moscow was pretty similar to that in Dublin, with Russia dominating possession and putting Ireland under pressure.

However, the Russians put Ireland under a lot more severe pressure than the Slovak’s, and if it wasn’t for two absolute master class performances from Shay Given and Richard Dunne, then Ireland would not have left Russia with a valuable point.

Given and Dunne have been putting in monumental performances in the green shirt for a long time, with their performances against Russia up there with their best. If Ireland is to qualify for Euro 2012, which now looks a lot more possible following Armenia’s 4-0 demolition of Slovakia, then it will be because of the Aston Villa pair.

As Per usual, Trap’s men went out on the defensive and were totally outplayed in the midfield. With John O’ Shea and St Ledger ruled out of the tie, Stephen Kelly and Darren O’Dea were drafted in as replacements, with the latter putting in a fine performance alongside Dunne. Ireland failed to carve out a clear cut chance in the game, with the team set up once again favouring Ireland away from home.

Two inspirational off the line saves by Given and Dunne, made sure that Ireland returned home with a point that could now see them advance to at least the play-off stages of the competition. Following the folding of the Slovak’s against Armenia at home, Ireland now have a genuine chance to win the group, with qualifying for the play-offs at least in their own hands now.

Slovakia hosts the Russians in the next set of fixtures and they will have to go for a win to remain in the running for at least second place in the group. This could see Ireland leap frog Russia at the top of the group should they beat minnows Andorra away from home. Ireland then finish up their group fixtures with a now crucial encounter at home to Armenia.

It doesn’t often happen but it looks as though Ireland have been thrown a lifeline in a qualifying campaign. The task is simple now, win our remaining two fixtures and we will be guaranteed at least a play-off spot. On the other hand, should Russia drop points against Slovakia and Ireland claim all six points in their remaining games; Ireland will then win the group.

However, if history is anything to go by, Ireland never do things the simple way. On the other hand, it was all doom and gloom after the Slovakia game, it just goes to show what a few days and a couple of results can do. Trapattoni and Ireland have been given a lifeline; can Ireland take that lifeline and run with it now? Only time and a major improvement in fitness and game time for the players will tell. 

Irish Nerves Got the Better of Trapattoni’s Team

It was built as a must win game, and following an impressive run of results which saw Ireland defeat Italy in their own back garden, the Irish public were genuinely confident of a victory against the Slovakians. However, the dire first half performance against the Slovaks brought the Aviva stadium crashing back down to earth with a bang. 

Trapattoni has long been criticised for his negative type of football, particularly his continued trust in the pairing of Glen Whelan and Keith Andrews in central midfield.The decision by the experienced tactician to omit the highly rated James McCarthy from the squad altogether, came as a huge surprise considering the lack of creativity Ireland possess in the middle of the park.The lacklustre showing by the Irish in the opening 45 minutes is a direct result of the Irish team lacking a player to take the game by the scruff off the neck. 

This is where Whelan and Andrews failed dramatically, and not only in this department.Trapattoni is a classic Italian tactician and likes his central midfielders to be defensive, which in turn allows his wingers to get forward and be creative. The Irish public have grown accustomed to this, however, Whelan and Andrews did not even do their defensive duties on Friday night.Whelan will struggle to get into the Stoke team this season, and Andrews who has been shipped off by Blackburn of all teams to Ipswich on loan, had all the signs of a Championship player on Friday night.

Their roles are quite simple, break up the play of the opposition and give the ball to the Irish players who can actually play football. For this to happen, it would entail either of them looking for the ball from the Irish defence, and spreading it out to one of the wingers or the front two, neither of them did this and therefore Ireland were stuck with long balls from the defence. Andrews and Whelan might have been forgiven of this had they put in a good defensive display, although this was most certainly not the case. Both of these players did not press the Slovakian midfield, and they did not attempt to win the ball back; they merely stood off their opponents and let them play the ball around and dominate possession.

This kind of performance from the midfield duo will be punished in Russia should it happen again. On the other hand, Ireland’s second half improvement should not be overlooked, particularly the performances of Damien Duff and the work rate of McGeady, Ward, St Ledger and Dunne. Duff presented Robbie Keane with a sensational cross in the second half, and all the La Galaxy man had to do was direct the ball into the net from five yards. However, the Tallaght man must have been thinking of Hollywood, as he could only direct his header over the bar.

To the dismay of many Irish people, Keane is not to blame for the result, as Richard Dunne also missed a clear cut header in the dieing seconds of the game. The overall performance was not good enough and the team selection must be come under evaluation, in particular O’Shea and Andrews, who did not look fit and had their worst performances in a green shirt to date.However, all is not lost and per usual Ireland have the chance to go out on Tuesday night with their backs to the wall and put in a excellent away performance against the Russians in Moscow. 

Ireland play their best football away from home, and Russia are not exactly a super power in world football at the moment.Trapattoni will need to dust his side down, and instil a winning mentality within the Irish side. Ireland’s style of play could work in their favour Tuesday night, and it would not be a surprise should they come away from Moscow with a result.

On the other hand, the harsh reality for Irish fans is should  Ireland not get three points against the Russians, then they find themselves in third place with a tricky tie against Armenia to come also. It’s all down to Italian tactician now to prepare his Ireland side as best he can, just like he did against Italy and France in the previous campaign. All the Irish public can do is hope for a repeat performance of those ties, and three points to go with it. 

It may be otugh, but try and look at the glass half full; it could taste nice on Tuesday night.