Superman to the Rescue
It’s hard to steal the Eastlands spotlight from Robinho, but
Stephen Ireland has done just that in the last few weeks. The man
in the Superman pants has been out of this world, scoring goals for
fun.
This run of form began two weeks ago at Hull City where his brace
secured a hard-fought 2-2 draw. He followed this up with an
inspirational performance against Arsenal, scoring the opener, and
picking apart a ramshackle Gunners defence at will. Ireland got on
the score sheet again in the mid week UEFA Cup victory against
Schalke 04.
All this marks a remarkable turnaround for the Cork-born player who
found himself at the centre of one of football’s most bizarre
scandals last season. ‘Granny-gate’ occurred when he concocted the
'deaths' of his grandmothers to escape the Republic of Ireland’s
international set up.
The controversy created a fire storm that impacted on his club
form. He dropped out of the starting line-up as the campaign drew
to a close, and was nearly sold to Sunderland.
How Mark Hughes must be glad this didn’t happen. Just as the Blues'
fortunes have been transformed by the injection of cash from
Abu Dhabi, so Ireland has been a different player this season.
Along with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Robinho, he will be expected
to tear apart United on Sunday.
City have struggled for consistency though. Their mid-table
position attests to this, with glorious days against Arsenal coming
alongside dour defeats to Bolton Wanderers.
The Eastlands fans will be desperate for a repeat of last weekend’s
win so they can continue their terrific form against the Red
Devils.
Two wins last year saw the local bragging rights go to the Blue
half of Manchester. With some more help from their very own super
hero, this run could be continued on Sunday.
No goals, no glory
These are uncharacteristically lean times for Manchester United.
Two goalless draws in a week ended their tremendous record of
scoring in the last 36 Premier League games, and stopped them from
sealing their place as top dogs in Group E in the Champions
League.
Getting back on the score-sheet will be paramount in Sir Alex
Ferguson’s mind as he attempts to even the score against Manchester
City.
In all the glory of a double-winning campaign in Europe and at
home, you can bet a double of a very different kind has been on the
mind of the Scottish manager.
A 1-0 defeat at Eastlands plus a faultless City display in the 2-1
win on United’s own turf took some of the gloss off their dominant
2007/08 season.
Ferguson has always been aware of football’s tribal side, happily
engrossing himself in United’s rivalries with Liverpool, Manchester
City, Leeds United and Arsenal as he came down south to take the
Old Trafford reins.
A big boost to his hopes of settling the score with the Blues has
been the return to training of Dimitar Berbatov this week. The
Bulgarian endeared himself to the United faithful by turning down
an even bigger money move to City in the summer, but hasn’t
completely won them over on the pitch.
That his absence has coincided with his team mates firing blanks
can’t be just by chance. If he can end this run by notching his
first away Premier League goal for the champions at Eastlands then
he’ll take a big step towards acceptance.
Ferguson will also be aware that a winning show against City could
pile the pressure on Chelsea as they prepare to host Arsenal
straight after. A victory by a few goals will set an even bigger
marker down, and show that United are back in business.
FORM GUIDE
Manchester City:
27th November vs. Schalke 04 (A) won 2-0 (UEFA CUP)
22nd November vs. Arsenal (H) won 3-0 (PREM)
16th November vs. Hull City (A) drew 2-2 (PREM)
9th November vs. Tottenham Hotspur (H) lost 2-1 (PREM)
6th November vs. Twente Enschede (H) won 3-2 (UEFA CUP)
Manchester United:
25th November vs. Villarreal C.F. (A) drew 0-0 (CHAMP LG)
22nd November vs. Aston Villa (A) drew 0-0 (PREM)
15th November vs. Stoke City (H) won 5-0 (PREM)
11th November vs. Queens Park Rangers (H) won 1-0 (CARLING
CUP)
8th November vs. Arsenal (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City:
Samba star Robinho (ankle) returns to the City fold after
recovering from the injury he picked up against Arsenal. He is
joined by Gelson Fernandes (hamstring) and Pablo Zabaleta (thigh).
This game comes too early for Michael Johnson (groin) who is still
a few weeks away from full fitness. Bulgarian pair Martin Petrov
(knee) and Valeri Bojinov (calf) are both out until after the New
Year.
Last starting XI (vs. Schalke 04.): Hart, Richards,
Kompany, Dunne, Garrido (Michael Ball 46), Wright-Phillips, Hamann,
Ireland, Vassell, Mwaruwari (Jo 84), Sturridge.
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Evans, Ben-Haim, Berti, Logan.
Squad: Hart, Schmeichel, Onuoha, Zabaleta, Richards,
Dunne, Garrido, Ball, Ben Haim, Fernandes, Hamann, Wright-Phillips,
Elano, Ireland, Kompany, Robinho, Vassell, Benjani Mwaruwari,
Sturridge, Evans.
Possible starting XI: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Ben
Haim, Kompany, Hamann, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Robinho,
Benjani.
Manchester United:
Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring) has shaken off the injury he picked up
on international duty two weeks ago and comes back into the United
fold. He is joined by captain Gary Neville (groin). Paul Scholes
(knee) was seen on the Carrington training pitch this week but
hasn’t been considered for selection. Wes Brown (ankle) and Owen
Hargreaves (knee) are still out.
Last starting XI (vs. Villarreal C.F.): Kuszczak, O'Shea,
Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Fletcher (Gibson 80), Carrick
(Tevez 86), Nani (Park 85), Anderson, Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Giggs, Vidic, Rafael Da Silva.
Squad: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Rafael,
O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Nani, Carrick,
Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov.
Possible starting XI: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand,
Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Berbatov/Tevez.
