With the pop culture machine spinning all things Charlie Sheen all the time, there’s a renewed global appreciation for “schadenfreude,” as evidenced with over a million Twitter subscribers watching “Mr. Tigers-blood” implode this past week.
Similarly, United-haters delighted in watching Rooney continuously receive the butt-end of Sideshow Bob’s knees on Tuesday. A bit of justice, some must have reasoned for the non-red-card the week previous.
But there was nothing fair about the result of another Atkinson-Job at the Bridge, which denied United at least a point from the match.
How do you put THAT man in charge of THAT match? Did someone put an idle sit-com writer in charge of match officials? Unbelievable.
(And for those that don’t remember the unanimity of the presses reaction to Atkinson’s performance last year, please see The Republic of Mancunia’s
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/what-do-the-press-make-of-the-robbery-at-the-bridge / )
The Snood-less Competition
Is it any coincidence that Arsenal coughed up two points at home to Sunderland after the announcement of the impending snood ban?
I think not, as Wenger’s continental contingent surly must have been lost someplace on the grief spectrum between anger and denial.
In all seriousness, after watching two hugely controversial calls go against the Gunners, at home nonetheless, a measure of joy came in the result, but some irritation about watching a ref and linesman play such a crucial role in a game’s, and possibly, the title’s outcome.
Two poorly refereed matches. Two aggrieved clubs with title aspirations.
Should Arsenal loose the league by a point, many will look back, justifiably, on this game the way Red Devils supporters look back to last year’s controversy at the Bridge.
Maybe this development bodes well for United’s luck this term, especially on the heels of Tuesday’s match.
Tactics
And now we move to Sunday’s huge clash between bitter North West rivals – two clubs that truly appreciate each other’s misfortunes.
United enter the match without three center halves, relying on a Brown-Smalling central partnership versus a Luis Suárez-led attack. That’s obviously the key match-up to watch. Will Suárez link well with Gerrard? Will Carroll be fit to play a role in the match? How would all three play together for the first time?
Sir Alex deserves credit for boldly deploying a 4-4-2 against Chelsea, as it allowed United to deploy two forwards, with the injuries to Anderson, Giggs (still recovering a bit), Park, and Valencia all considerations in the formation here.
Tactically, Fergie faces the decision between the European formation and the 4-4-2 used on Tuesday.
There’s merit to considering a tucked-in, three-man midfield of Fletcher, Scholes, and Carrick behind some combo of Nani/Giggs/Rooney out wide, with Berba or Rooney leading the attack. Yet, this inevitably leaves one of the key attacking options out of the formation.
Rather, United would be better served with Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher or Carrick, and Nani in a four-man midfield and Rooney just behind Berbatov leading the line.
This likely is the strongest possible shape, as Wazza’s much more dangerous in central channels than out wide and tucks back admirably to the top of midfield when United loose possession, while Berba should link play better than Chicharito.
In defense, the only real decision point is whether to play O’Shea or Rafael on the right side, with the Irishman likely to get the nod for his aerial presence and experience over the bouncing Brazilian. And, of course, there's the smash-and-grab goal, which is nice.
Top 3 Stats
Many statistics get quoted ahead of this match, such as Liverpool are unbeaten at home against teams in the top half of the table this year or Kenny Dalglish has a horrible record against Sir Alex Ferguson.
But, here are the top three stats that stood out to me ahead of the match.
The first and most shocking stat is that there’s only been one draw in the last twenty-one EPL matches between the clubs.
Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t feel that way for some reason, as when United head to Anfield, my knee-jerk prediction is the match will be a very tight – quite likely a 1-1 draw. Yet, recent history proves otherwise. Look for a decisive winner here.
Second, start seeing red – cards, that is.
This is an obvious talking point but justifiably so, as match contains the second-most red cards (13) behind only Everton v Liverpool (19). Often the color of the card produced greatly influences which side wins – think Mascherano or Vidic, for example. There’s always a measure of unpredictable boil to this derby.
The last and most hopeful stat involves United’s bounce-back ability under Sir Alex overall and in recent history. United have won 8 of the last 9 after losing. Regardless of tactics and team selection, look for a very focused effort from Fergie’s men. A victory on this ground would likely propel the Red Devils to the coveted Number Nineteen.
This is the rivalry match, with huge implications for both clubs.
United has the opportunity to take back title momentum less than 24 hours after the Gunners slip-up against Sunderland, who ironically also benefitted from a certain balloon back in October 2009 against Liverpool - some serious schadenfreude indeed.
So, come on, get your beach balls and Cantona masks from the closet and warm up the vocal chords. It’s game on in less than 15 hours.
Here’s to watching the Scousers cry – yet again. Cheers.
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