Fergie warned: play full team against Hull or prepare to be sued

SIR ALEX Ferguson has been warned by the relegation-threatened clubs that Manchester United could be sued if Hull City won against the recently-crowned champions as a result of a much-weakened United team on the pitch this weekend, reported The Sun (read article here)

Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle and Middlesbrough are still fighting to avoid the drop, with West Bromwich Albion already relegated. Victory over United on the final day of the season will help the Premiership newcomers preserve their top flight status for another season.

The thing is, with the title already in the bag and a Champions League final against Barcelona less than week after the Hull game, Fergie wants his players as fresh and injury-free as possible, and he has already hinted that he would rotate his team for the final game of the season.

But Premier League rule E20 states that “In every league match, each participating club should field a full-strength team.” Fielding a weakened team would not only contravene the rules, but show disrespect to a competition that actually qualified them for the European spectacle, said some critics.

The debate here is: Should Fergie preserve the integrity of the Premiership by fielding a team that is capable of winning against Hull, or should he rest all his top guns for the Barcelona clash?

Tevez: too little too late for United?

CARLOS Tevez has shown Manchester United once again what they could be missing if he really does leave Old Trafford this summer.

The diminutive striker scored a cheeky equaliser against Wigan on a night where the champions lacked inspiration and fluidity on a greasy pitch.

While Tevez had earlier publicly stated his love for the club and its fans, his recent outbursts have shown his frustration at not valued as a first-team player, nor as an essential player in the team, with his future hanging in the balance for months.

How frustrated had the Argentinian been? Well he has now gone to the extent of saying that he will not hesitate to move to bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City or Chelsea at the end of the season.

And now Sir Alex Ferguson has come out to say that he wants Tevez to stay, and the wheels of his permanent deal are set in motion after last night’s 2-1 win over Wigan.

But would it be too little, too late to make the Argentinian stay?

Will Rio’s absence swing the Premiership title race?

MANCHESTER United are one foot into the Champions League final, thanks to John O’Shea’s solitary goal in the first-leg semi-final at Old Trafford early this morning.

But the victory comes at a price, as centreback Rio Ferdinand could be out for the rest of the season with a cracked rib, pending further tests.

This comes at a time where United’s backline is just looking more confident following its recent shakiness, notably in games where Sir Alex Ferguson had to rely on central defensive pairings other than the usual Ferdinand-Vidic axis.

United are currently leading Liverpool by three points, with a game in hand, but United have some tough opponents in their remaining five league matches – against Manchester City at home on 10 May, and a home game against Arsenal the following weekend.

Given how United looked so frail without Ferdinand and Vidic together in the heart of defence, and how Liverpool have come into form in March, will Ferdinand’s injury swing the fate of the Premiership race this season yet again?

What would Fergie’s and Wenger’s starting lineups be like tomorrow morning?

(Picture: AFP)

SIR ALEX Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are set to renew their long-standing rivalry tomorrow morning (Singapore time) as Manchester United face Arsenal in the first-leg Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford.

The two managers have fought epic managerial battles since the Frenchman took charge of the London club in 1996, with sly jabs thrown in either direction from time to time.

And given the recent circumstances, it would be interesting to see how both managers will select their starting lineups.

For United, the spotlight will fall squarely on its front-line. United’s Wayne Rooney and company had to rely on the introduction of Carlos Tevez against Spurs to spark a stirring second-half comeback. The 4-2-4 formation – with Rooney, Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo – tore into the Lilywhites’ defence and put five past a hapless Heurelho Gomes, who had been outstanding in the first half.

United certainly need to score goals, given that they are again faced with the unfamiliar situation of playing at home in the first-leg, but Fergie will surely remember how Arsenal dominated the midfield in their 2-1 victory over the Red Devils earlier this season, and scheme to prevent a similar situation.

For Arsenal, changes are afoot, with Andrei Arshavin cup-tied and Robin van Persie and Eduardo doubtful due to injury. Wenger has been quoted as saying that he is considering moving Samir Nasri – the star of the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over United last November – to a central holding midfield position or the left flank to plug the gap left by Arshavin’s absence.

If you were Ferguson or Wenger, how would you select the players for your starting lineup, and what formation would you use?

Which of Fergie’s old boys is the best manager?

ROY Keane has returned to football last night (Singapore time), after being appointed manager of Championship side Ipswich.

The former Manchester United captain will now attempt to repeat with Ipswich what he did as manager of Sunderland at the end of the 06/07 season – to bring the club to the glittering lights (not to mention the financial riches) of the Premier League.

With the appointment Keane rejoins the ranks of former United players or coaching staff who have played under Sir Alex Ferguson and then went on to manage their own clubs.

Among them are Mark Hughes, Carlos Queiroz, Steve Bruce and – who can forget – Steve McClaren.

Who is the best manager among all these ex-United men who have learned under arguably the most successful British club manager in history?

Was Rafa being arrogant?

A WAR of words have re-emerged again as Sir Alex Ferguson and Sam Allardyce accused Rafa Benitez of being arrogant.

After Fernando Torres scored Liverpool’s second goal against Blackburn last weekend, the Liverpool manager was caught on television making a gesture that may seem to some to mean “We are done, they are finished”.

The YouTube video above shows the gesture in question.

Fergie also added fuel to the fire by recounting Rafa’s “small club mentality” quote on Everton, just before United were scheduled to take on the Merseyside club in the FA Cup semi-final, which they lost.

Here is what Rafa told Sky Sports after the goalless draw against Everton in 2007:

When you play against the smaller teams at Anfield you know the game will be narrow and compact and at times we were a little bit nervous. We are really disappointed. You could see one team that wanted to win. It was difficult because they were defending. They had a chance in the second half after our mistake but Pepe made a good save but apart from that we controlled everything. We had three strikers and Pennant and Riise saw a lot of the ball but they had nine men all the time behind the ball.

He stood by his comments this January, after his side drew 1-1 against Everton in the FA Cup:

I am really pleased with my team. We deserved to win. To play like that against a team with 10 players behind the ball is not easy but we worked hard, created chances and reacted very positively after the disappointment of the other night.

Is there some truth indeed in the accusations hurled at the Spaniard?

Is Berbatov really worth £30.75m?

HE TOOK the run-up in his usual languid style and hit it weakly down the middle, as Tim Howard’s flailing legs managed to block Dimitar Berbatov’s first penalty kick.

In the end, that – along with Rio Ferdinand’s saved spot-kick – proved decisive as Everton marched derservedly into the FA Cup final.

While much have been (and can be) said about Alex Ferguson’s decision to field a much-weakened team, the spotlight now falls squarely on the Bulgarian, who moved to Manchester United early this season in a controversial £30.75m transfer deadline deal.

Berbatov arrived at Old Trafford with much fanfare, as a deadly striker whose silky skills made him such a hit with Tottenham Hotspur. The 28-year-old was supposed to add a different dimension to United’s attack, a touch of class to complement the hardworking Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Brilliance he has shown, but in sporadic bursts in a season where United are chasing every available title on offer. Indeed, 13 goals in 37 games is hardly a hallmark of a player who costs that much, especially when you compare that with his 27 goals last season with Spurs.

Say what you want about the goalscoring opportunities being shared about a posse of United players, but when a player is brought in, he is generally supposed to improve the team. In Berbatov’s case, his hold-up play and vision is supposed to boost United’s strike force.

But take a look at the statistics – United have scored 10 lesser goals in the Premiership at this stage of the competition this season as compared to last, with Berbatov playing 27 of these games.

Is Berbatov really worth £30.75m?

Should Foster leave Old Trafford to save England career?

Ben Foster: should he stay at Manchester United, or leave to fight for a place in the England World Cup squad? (Picture: AFP)

ENGLAND and Manchester United goalkeeper faces a dilemma – stay and fight for a regular starting place at Manchester United with Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak, or leave for a guaranteed starting slot in another club, thereby boosting his chances of playing in the World Cup next year.

The 25-year-old will face a difficult decision come the end of this season, where talks to renew his contract with United will start in earnest. Sir Alex Ferguson has already tipped him to become the future United and England No. 1, and with van der Sar in the twilight of his career and Kuszczak yet to impress, Foster could stake his claim at Old Trafford in as little as one season’s time.

But it could be one season too long, since Foster harbours hopes of making it to the World Cup Finals next year. Even though David James is almost certainly the best choice for England right now, the reserve goalkeeper slot is still up for grabs, with the likes of Joe Hart, Scott Carson and Robert Green contesting for the place.

Already, England manager Fabio Capello has broken his own rule and called up Foster, who has not played regularly for United, to the national team for the friendly against Slovakia. It is unlikely, however, that he would take the same risk in South Africa next year.

Stay or go, what’s your say?

Will United suffer a similar slump as Barca?

MANCHESTER United head into a crucial 11-day period which could very well define their quintuple dreams this season, starting with tomorrow morning’s Premiership game against Newcastle.

The English and European champions then face Fulham in the FA Cup, and Inter Milan next week at Old Trafford for the second-leg Champions League knockout round game before hosting Liverpool in a game that could prove vital to United’s Premiership title dreams this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson could not have chosen a better time to sound off a warning to his charges, especially the young ones such as Rafael and Danny Welbeck that complacency would be costly and would not be tolerated in his dressing room.

The Scot pointed to Barcelona’s recent slump in the La Liga after an impressive first half of the season, which led the league by 11 points at the start of the year. That lead is now cut to just four points, no thanks to their recent erratic form, which includes the latest 4-3 loss to Atletico Madrid.

The question now is: with United still challenging on three fronts – the Premiership, the FA Cup and the Champions League – will they crack or start to get complacent, as they once did in 1998, where they threw away a 12-point lead to hand Arsenal the Premiership crown?

Is Jose Mourinho the right man for United?

(Image source: BBC)

MANCHESTER United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Jose Mourinho has the right qualities to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford when the fiery Scot finally calls it a day, which could be the end of this season if United successfully defends their Premiership and European titles.

Ferdinand, an influential player in the dressing room, believes that the Portuguese has the “ego and personality” to continue Ferguson’s 23 years of good work at United.

Ferguson himself is on very good terms with the flamboyant Mourinho and rates him highly as a manager.