Courtesy of Manchester United football Club.
SIR ALEX TARGETS CONSISTENCY
The 'Boss' Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping his Manchester United side can kick on now that the international fixtures have drawn to a close until 2012.
With domestic matters back in focus again, starting with Saturday's trip to Swansea City, the manager is fully aware that his team need to keep winning in order to be in the right position to challenge in January. Manchester City sit five points clear at the head of the Barclays Premier League and the boss is demanding the champions hit top form - beginning with this weekend's teatime encounter.
"It's an interesting game tomorrow," he admitted. "I think everyone's been impressed by the way Swansea have played - they've kept their philosophy of playing attacking football, or playing good football anyway. It was interesting to see their stats from their last away game against Liverpool - they had 67 per cent of possession, which is very good at a place like Anfield.
"So we know we have a tough game tomorrow but that's the way our league is and we have an opportunity now the internationals are over until February, a three-month opportunity, to make sure we get some consistency, good form and by 1 January, we hope that we're in the right position in the league. New Year is always an important time for me. It's always crucial in my calendar that we get to that time of the season in good order."
Boss confirms Cleverley blow
Sir Alex Ferguson says Tom Cleverley will be out of action until Christmas after scans proved the ankle injury sustained against Everton in October is worse than first thought.
The boss also confirmed Danny Welbeck’s exclusion from United’s travelling squad to face Swansea in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, after the striker suffered a muscle strain whilst on international duty with England.
Ashley Young is fit to face the Swans at the Liberty Stadium, however, and Chris Smalling will hopefully return to first-team duties against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
The manager told MUTV: “No-one’s injured from the internationals, the ones who’ve played anyway, which is good. Danny Welbeck, as you know, came back with an injury from an England training session and he won’t be available for Swansea.
“Chris Smalling is not far away but I don’t think he’ll be back tomorrow, I think he’ll be ready for Tuesday. Michael Owen and Tom Cleverley are pretty long-term. I think Christmas time for both of them, which is unfortunate for us.
“It’s worse than we thought. When he (Cleverley) came off against Everton he reported that it was just a bit of tightness, a bit of pain, but we’ve done further scans and he’s had a recurrence of the injury, so we’re going to have to give him a break until Christmas time, I think.
“Ashley Young is fit, he’s trained for the last seven or eight days and is available for tomorrow.”
Phil Jones is a midfield option
Sir Alex has added to the praise being lavished on Phil Jones and admits the former Blackburn youngster is an option to play in the Reds' midfield.
Jones filled the role for England against Spain and Sweden and also featured in the middle of the park during the 1-1 draw at Liverpool earlier in the season.
Coach Fabio Capello likened the teenager to Franco Baresi after being impressed with his versatility and the manager has also been bowled over by his swift integration at Old Trafford.
"I think since he has joined us, his improvement has been really, not remarkable, but eye-catching in the sense that we know he’s 19 years of age, we know it’s a big step up from Blackburn to United, but he’s been absolutely fantastic," enthused Sir Alex.
"He can play anywhere, I’m sure of that, he’s versatile, he’s two-footed, he’s quick, he’s got good perception of the game. So I’m not surprised what Fabio is saying. I think he can be a really influential player for us and England in the next few years."
Tom Cleverley's prolonged absence has caused some concern regarding the midfield but the manager is convinced he still has enough alternatives to Jones in that area.
"We have options," he added. "Michael Carrick is back, we’ve got Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs. I can play Phil Jones there if I wish, we’ve got Darron Gibson coming back, Wayne Rooney has played there. Ji-sung Park can play there and we’ve done that in the past with him. So I have options and I’m not overly worried about it – I’m happy."
Former United player Clayton Blackmore has admitted he would like to see Wayne Rooney restored to his familiar attacking role against Swansea.
The England international has been used in a withdrawn role of late but injuries to Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen could see United's top scorer restored to attacking duties at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
"I think he should be up front because he's a fantastic striker," Blackmore enthused to Red View. "I've got to say he's been playing well in midfield but I think he could play anywhere because he's that kind of player. Even if Wayne went in goal, he'd have a great game.
"I think we need him up front, especially this weekend as one of their weak links is at the back, so I'm hoping Wayne will be right up against the centre-halves and give them a torrid time. It's a good thing for United, although England fans won't agree, that he was suspended for his country.
"I don't know about him moving into midfield in the long term. In the last game, he only ended up having one shot on goal and we need him in a position where he's getting in front of goal all the time."
Buy the new Rooney: Goal Machine DVD at the Old Trafford Megastore from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 November and you could win a Golden Ticket to meet Wayne Rooney at an official DVD signing on Thursday. Limited to 200 Golden Tickets Only.
SIR ALEX TARGETS CONSISTENCY
The 'Boss' Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping his Manchester United side can kick on now that the international fixtures have drawn to a close until 2012.
With domestic matters back in focus again, starting with Saturday's trip to Swansea City, the manager is fully aware that his team need to keep winning in order to be in the right position to challenge in January. Manchester City sit five points clear at the head of the Barclays Premier League and the boss is demanding the champions hit top form - beginning with this weekend's teatime encounter.
"It's an interesting game tomorrow," he admitted. "I think everyone's been impressed by the way Swansea have played - they've kept their philosophy of playing attacking football, or playing good football anyway. It was interesting to see their stats from their last away game against Liverpool - they had 67 per cent of possession, which is very good at a place like Anfield.
"So we know we have a tough game tomorrow but that's the way our league is and we have an opportunity now the internationals are over until February, a three-month opportunity, to make sure we get some consistency, good form and by 1 January, we hope that we're in the right position in the league. New Year is always an important time for me. It's always crucial in my calendar that we get to that time of the season in good order."
Boss confirms Cleverley blow
Sir Alex Ferguson says Tom Cleverley will be out of action until Christmas after scans proved the ankle injury sustained against Everton in October is worse than first thought.
The boss also confirmed Danny Welbeck’s exclusion from United’s travelling squad to face Swansea in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, after the striker suffered a muscle strain whilst on international duty with England.
Ashley Young is fit to face the Swans at the Liberty Stadium, however, and Chris Smalling will hopefully return to first-team duties against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
The manager told MUTV: “No-one’s injured from the internationals, the ones who’ve played anyway, which is good. Danny Welbeck, as you know, came back with an injury from an England training session and he won’t be available for Swansea.
“Chris Smalling is not far away but I don’t think he’ll be back tomorrow, I think he’ll be ready for Tuesday. Michael Owen and Tom Cleverley are pretty long-term. I think Christmas time for both of them, which is unfortunate for us.
“It’s worse than we thought. When he (Cleverley) came off against Everton he reported that it was just a bit of tightness, a bit of pain, but we’ve done further scans and he’s had a recurrence of the injury, so we’re going to have to give him a break until Christmas time, I think.
“Ashley Young is fit, he’s trained for the last seven or eight days and is available for tomorrow.”
Phil Jones is a midfield option
Sir Alex has added to the praise being lavished on Phil Jones and admits the former Blackburn youngster is an option to play in the Reds' midfield.
Jones filled the role for England against Spain and Sweden and also featured in the middle of the park during the 1-1 draw at Liverpool earlier in the season.
Coach Fabio Capello likened the teenager to Franco Baresi after being impressed with his versatility and the manager has also been bowled over by his swift integration at Old Trafford.
"I think since he has joined us, his improvement has been really, not remarkable, but eye-catching in the sense that we know he’s 19 years of age, we know it’s a big step up from Blackburn to United, but he’s been absolutely fantastic," enthused Sir Alex.
"He can play anywhere, I’m sure of that, he’s versatile, he’s two-footed, he’s quick, he’s got good perception of the game. So I’m not surprised what Fabio is saying. I think he can be a really influential player for us and England in the next few years."
Tom Cleverley's prolonged absence has caused some concern regarding the midfield but the manager is convinced he still has enough alternatives to Jones in that area.
"We have options," he added. "Michael Carrick is back, we’ve got Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs. I can play Phil Jones there if I wish, we’ve got Darron Gibson coming back, Wayne Rooney has played there. Ji-sung Park can play there and we’ve done that in the past with him. So I have options and I’m not overly worried about it – I’m happy."
Swansea v United preview
United head to Wales for the first time in Barclays Premier League history...
Form GuideIt's been four wins and four clean sheets since the derby defeat to City and the 1-0 victory against Sunderland kept United within five points of City at the top of the Barclays Premier League. The Swans have been in good form of late, after being unluckily pegged back to a 2-2 draw at Wolves, the Welsh side saw off Bolton 3-1 and held Liverpool to a goalless stalemate at Anfield. City are still unbeaten at home all season and have yet to concede a goal to an opposition player at The Liberty Stadium as Bolton's consolation came when Danny Graham put through his own net.
Ins and OutsDanny Welbeck withdrew from England duty in midweek and Michael Owen is out for six weeks so the striking options may not look as plentiful as in the past. Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs will hope to push for inclusion but Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck are out and Fabio picked up a knock whilst away with Brazil. Stephen Dobbie could feature for the hosts as he returns from an ankle injury and Kemy Agustien is over a hamstring problem.
Last MeetingUnited sank the Swans 2-1 in May, 1983, towards the end of the successful FA Cup-winning campaign. Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson scored the goals for Ron Atkinson's side in front of almost 36,000 fans at Old Trafford.
Top ManMichel Vorm has proved to be one of the shrewdest signings of the close season and is one of the main reasons behind the club's five clean sheets this term. The Dutch keeper was snapped up from FC Utrecht and has looked a class act since day one, even managing to shine in a 4-0 thumping at Manchester City.
At 28, he is part of Holland's plans ahead of the European Championship and United will be looking to provide a test for his shot-stopping ability this weekend.
Quote/unquote"It’s a wonderful game for everyone to look forward to, but it’s also a celebration for the people of this city that we are going to entertain one of the biggest clubs in the world and one of the greatest managers in the world." - Brendan Rodgers.
Any sub-plots?The Liberty Stadium will host a record sell-out crowd and United will be hoping for a better record than the one enjoyed at Swansea's previous home. In eight games at the Vetch Field, the Reds lost six times and drew twice, ensuring it was something of a bogey ground.
Whistle BlowerMike Dean takes charge of matters in Wales - it's the first time he's overseen United this term. He officiated City's 4-0 win against Swansea in the clubs' first game of the season so a similar result would be much appreciated. Dean was the man in the middle for several of the champions' fixtures during the last campaign and sent off two Reds - Rafael and Paul Scholes against Tottenham and City respectively.
Rivals WatchLeaders City entertain Newcastle at 3pm on Saturday after Arsenal are at Norwich in the early kick-off. Chelsea face Liverpool in Sunday's big match at Stamford Bridge.
BLACKMORE'S ROONEY WISH
Former United player Clayton Blackmore has admitted he would like to see Wayne Rooney restored to his familiar attacking role against Swansea.
The England international has been used in a withdrawn role of late but injuries to Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen could see United's top scorer restored to attacking duties at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
"I think he should be up front because he's a fantastic striker," Blackmore enthused to Red View. "I've got to say he's been playing well in midfield but I think he could play anywhere because he's that kind of player. Even if Wayne went in goal, he'd have a great game.
"I think we need him up front, especially this weekend as one of their weak links is at the back, so I'm hoping Wayne will be right up against the centre-halves and give them a torrid time. It's a good thing for United, although England fans won't agree, that he was suspended for his country.
"I don't know about him moving into midfield in the long term. In the last game, he only ended up having one shot on goal and we need him in a position where he's getting in front of goal all the time."
Buy the new Rooney: Goal Machine DVD at the Old Trafford Megastore from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 November and you could win a Golden Ticket to meet Wayne Rooney at an official DVD signing on Thursday. Limited to 200 Golden Tickets Only.
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