Carling Cup ~ Leeds v United - Sep 20
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Owen set for United start as Fergie rings the changes for Leeds clash
On the ball: Owen is set to start in United's Carling Cup clash with Leeds
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Time: 2:40 am - (Live) (Wed)
Mio Channel 112
Carling Cup
Michael Owen is set to make his first appearance of the season in Manchester United's Carling Cup tie at Leeds on Tuesday.
Sir Alex Ferguson will make a number of changes, with Paul Pogba and Will Keane amongst the youngsters who might be involved.
But there will be plenty of experience as well and Mame Biram Diouf, Federico Macheda may be joined by Park Ji-sung and Ryan Giggs.
Provisional squad: Lindegaard, Amos, Fabio, Jones, Evans, Giggs, Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Owen, Berbatov, Macheda, Diouf, Pogba, W Keane, James, Brown, M.Keane, Thorpe, Fryers.
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Kns, Goal TV is extra, not included in soccer package. Singtel really know how to cheat money zzz, stream it is. :/
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how come no morrison playing, ravel morrison? he is supposed to be the most talented among the youth squad with potential to go far cos of his skills, but the guy a disaster off the pitch.
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Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that Dimitar Berbatov will be given an opportunity to contribute this season, yet it appears as though the Carling Cup currently offers the former Tottenham striker his only likely route into the team. Berbatov’s languid and unhurried style of play jars with the free-flowing football being played by United this season, but Ferguson is expected to pair the striker with Federico Macheda and Michael Owen at Leeds. With Chris Smalling ruled out for two weeks with a groin injury, Antonio Valencia is set to play at right-back, with Anders Lindegaard replacing the rested David De Gea in goal. And Ferguson is ready to reward French midfielder Paul Pogba with his first-team debut at Elland Road following the 18 year-old’s impressive performances in United’s FA Youth Cup success last season.
Other newspapers also focus on Pogba, with The Independent rehashing 'the new Patrick Vieira' line and indicating that the Keane twins - Michael and Will - will be both be involved in the squad. It's also claimed Ryan Giggs will bring some experience to the midfield.
Elsewhere, The Daily Star state that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be becoming Blackburn Rovers' new manager. The Old Trafford idol is currently doing a great job at title-chasing Molde. A spokesman for the Norwegian club asserted: "He has an agreement for another two-and-a-half years and these years will be spent with Molde."
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Half Time
Leeds 0 - 3 Man utd
2 well taken goals by owen and giggs excellent goal!
Weird Starting lineup
Valencia and carrick in defence.
4 striker playing. Owen, Berba, Diouf, Macheda.
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Very very weird lineup, but I guess Fergie knows what he's doing, I'm assuming he doesn't want to risk any further injuries
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Pogba In for Giggs
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Full Time
Leeds 0 - 3 Man utd
Easy and straightforward win. Nothing much.
Berbatov finish the game in centre back.
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Originally posted by gunner77:
Half Time
Leeds 0 - 3 Man utd
2 well taken goals by owen and giggs excellent goal!
Weird Starting lineup
Valencia and carrick in defence.
4 striker playing. Owen, Berba, Diouf, Macheda.
you stayed up to watch this match?
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Leeds 0
Man United 3
JOY ... Owen celebrates his openerMICHAEL OWEN'S instinct for goal will simply never go away.
The Manchester United striker may go through painful months of injury and find himself in the stands far more often than he would like. But give him a ball near a goal and it is only heading one way.
Many would have had second thoughts on their playing career after just 15 starts in two seasons. And surely at 31 he would have preferred to drop down from the Premier League so he can play more football in the twilight of his career.
Not Owen. He has been determined to stick it out and make his mark as a United player since his surprise signing as a free agent in July 2009.
To be fair, 16 goals from just 16 starts and 33 games as substitute is not a bad return.
Even if he had called it a day at Old Trafford at the end of last season he would always be remembered for his winner in the derby two seasons ago when United beat City 4-3.
But when at the end of last season boss Alex Ferguson told Owen he wanted him to stay for another year that was enough for him.
He was going to get more chances to prove he could still do it at the highest level. They might be few and far between but he will take them — and relish them. A back injury did not help him at the start of this season and he has had to be patient for 37 days before getting his first run out.
In last night's potentially tricky Carling Cup third-round clash at Elland Road he got it — and how he took it.
No matter how long you keep him away from the goal he never forgets where it is and what a classic Owen brace it was to effectively finish this game inside 32 minutes.
He might admit the burst of pace that marked him out as Boy Wonder over a decade ago is not there anymore, but this guy is hardly slow.
And his speed of mind certainly has not gone. His opener on 15 minutes proved that. Dimitar Berbatov fed Ji-Sung Park who slid Owen in.
There was still plenty to do with two Leeds defenders closing him down.
The only option seemed a right-foot shot to a gap in the bottom left corner but keeper Andy Lonergan was already moving to anticipate that.
So Owen used his unfavoured left to scuff the ball back the other way through the legs of Tom Lees and past the wrong-footed Lonergan.
That was clever, his next on 32 minutes was spectacular.
The cross came low and hard from Mame Biram Diouf. Owen killed it with the outside of his right and then launched it with the same foot into the top corner.
It was so good, there was even a smattering of applause came from some Leeds fans. In the final minute of the first half the game was over, as a player who is even beyond veteran status did it again.
Ryan Giggs, 37, had been getting plenty of stick from fans in the Don Revie Stand which United were attacking.
He silenced them all with another piece of brilliance.
Last Wednesday he was doing it in Lisbon with a cracking drive from inside the 'D'. Last night he played a short corner to Park, got the return and then set off on a narrow angle towards goal.
He nutmegged Aidan White then fired a curling drive with the outside of his left boot in at the near post.
Giggs cupped his ear to his detractors and there was nothing in reply. Nor on the pitch either.
Leeds had fielded a strong side with nine starters from their weekend victory over Bristol City.
Lees had a shot cleared off the line early on and Adam Clayton's powerful shot was well held by Ben Amos, 21.
The tackles were flying and the atmosphere was intense as Leeds eyed a repeat of their shock third-round FA Cup win at Old Trafford two years ago.
It was not to be because no matter how many changes Ferguson seems to make — last night it was the whole team — the football stays the same.
It's seven wins and a draw in all competitions including the Community Shield. Not bad for notoriously slow starters.
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GOAL HEROES ... double scorer Michael Owen and veteran Ryan GiggsAlex Ferguson: Michael Owen is still one of the best
ALEX FERGUSON hailed Michael Owen as "still one of the best finishers in the business" after his Carling Cup double.
Owen, 31, struck twice and Ryan Giggs, 37, added the other as Fergie's Premier League leaders destroyed Leeds by half time.
And it left Fergie drooling: "Michael is still fantastic when it comes to putting the ball in the net.
"I'm very pleased for him that he's got another couple tonight.
"When you look at his goal ratio throughout his career it is magnificent. And, yes, absolutely he is still one of the best finishers in England.
"Because of the form of the other strikers we have here, Michael is not getting the amount of games he deserves right now, and that is unfortunate for him.
"But he is a great person to have around."
Owen, who signed a new one-year deal in the summer, scuffed in his 15th-minute opener but his second 17 minutes later was a vintage effort.
The former England striker confessed: "My first goal was a pure mis-hit but, I have to say, that second one was every bit as sweet as I can hit them.
"It's always nice for me to score because it's what I have been all about over the years.
"These days, though, I am also trying to help and encourage the young players here and be an example to them.
"But, at 31, I still believe there are a few good years left in me yet."
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quite boring in the 2nd half when Pogba came on as it seems like SAF told them to give him every ball possible...
Mecheda seemingly wants to emulate C.Ron to be a soloist and not passing...
Diouf is showing nice pace to replace Obertan's role...
Owen still razor sharp in front of goal...
Babar may have drop behind Owen after the match...
Valencia feeling the effects of missing pre-season
Fryers(young CB) looks good and calm...
Pogba showing signs of P.Veria
Last but not least, Giggs shows that he can play for another season...
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Originally posted by dragg:
you stayed up to watch this match?
yup -
Although the experience of Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs provided the goals to seal Carling Cup progress, Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to see another clutch of youngsters take their chance at Elland Road.
Zeki Fryers oozed maturity in his 80-minute outing against Simon Grayson’s Leeds before succumbing to cramp late on, while fellow debutants Paul Pogba and Larnell Cole also acquitted themselves well in their respective cameos.
“They did well,” Sir Alex told Sky Sports. “I thought young Fryers did very well and showed good composure. He wasn’t fazed by it, which was really good because you always want to see what their temperament’s like. The atmosphere here, as you know, is hostile and he coped with it very well.
"The first half was a tremendous performance by us. Our movement off the ball and possession of the ball was very good. In the second half, in fairness to Leeds they kept trying and showed a very determined attitude. They never gave in and we just wanted to make sure we were through.
“Paul Pogba came on at half-time and had a good 45, young Larnell Cole came on at the end, which was very good for him. He’s a very young under-18s player, he’s the youngest of the players coming on so it was good for them to get a taste of the atmosphere and a taste of what the first team’s like.”
“It’s lovely to get their careers underway,” added Owen. “Zeki starting the game was big for him and it was great the way it panned out in terms of how we were playing in the first half. He must have felt right at home straight away, and fair play to him, I thought he was fantastic. He put in a great performance and he should be delighted with himself.”
Fryers’ late withdrawal with cramp facilitated an unlikely switch to defensive duties for Dimitar Berbatov, who joined Michael Carrick and Antonio
Valencia in moonlighting at the back. According to Owen, though, the Bulgarian is hardly a novice in the role.
“He does it all the time in training, so we know he’s capable of it,” revealed Michael. “He thinks he can play centre half, so he was probably first to lift his hand when we lost Zeki. It was no surprise to see Berba at the back!”
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A longer video of the match...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl7i5b_leeds-united-v-manchester-united_sport
