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.
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