Introduction
Manchester United entertain Crystal Palace on Wednesday
night as Old Trafford tastes its first Carling Cup action of the season. Once again the United hierarchy have failed to
reduce ticket prices for a match that should be used to entice families and
kids to the Theatre of Dreams. Instead,
it is likely that large parts of the ground will be empty and the players will
be playing in front of another subdued atmosphere.
As for the game itself, United will be looking to advance
past the stage they faltered at last year when West Ham United embarrassed the
cup holders 4-0 at Upton Park. Similarly
Crystal Palace, will be looking to reach their first semi final since 2000/01
when Liverpool convincingly dispatched of them 6-2 on aggregate.
The last meeting between the sides in this
competition ended in a 2-0 win to the Reds with Saha and Richardson grabbing
the goals in November 2004. There is
only one survivor from the United line up that night, Darren Fletcher although
it is unlikely he will feature in the tie this time around. However, a similar result to that of seven
years ago will suit Sir Alex Ferguson’s men as they look to focus their
attention on the Premier League festive run in.
The Opposition
Crystal Palace go in to Wednesday evening’s game looking for
their first win in five. Dougie
Freedman’s men are on a poor run of form at the moment, one which has also seen
them fail to register a single goal in those five games. However, in the Carling Cup they have had
some noticeable results. In the first
round they saw off Crawley Town 2-0, a tie that could have been considered a
potential upset given the big spending nature of the League Two club. They then caused their own upset by beating Premier
League strugglers Wigan 2-1 and followed that up with a win against
Middlesbrough by the same score line.
They were rewarded with a tie against United when they beat the
Championships pace setters Southampton by two goals to nil.
All of these ties have been at Selhurst Park though and they
will face a wholly different proposition coming up against the might of
Manchester United at Old Trafford. The
task of getting a result will be made even tougher given the Eagles’ erratic
away form. In their 9 away Championship
games they have won 4, lost 5 and drew 0. Scoring 10 and conceding 12 in the
process. Saying they blow hot and cold
away from home would be a fair statement to make. If they are to upset the odds tomorrow night
they will need some big performances from their most important players
including youngsters Nathaniel Clyne and Wilfried Zaha.
Clyne has attracted some serious interest from Premier
League clubs after his impressive performances at right back for Palace last
season. He played in every league game, becoming the youngest ever player to do
so. He has resisted the temptation to
fly the Eagles’ nest thus far but it won’t be long before he is plying his
trade in the Premier League. Old
Trafford will be the perfect stage for him to showcase his talent and it should
inspire him to put in a solid performance.
While Clyne will be tasked with keeping United’s attackers
quiet, Wilfried Zaha will be given the responsibility to try and unlock the
United defence with his pace and trickery.
He has three goals in the competition already and five in total for the
season. While not prolific in front of
goal, Zaha has the attributes to trouble what will be a youthful United
backline. He’ll cause problems on the
counter attack whether it be by running at the defence or chasing a ball over
the top. Whoever Ferguson selects at the
back, they’ll need to be on their guard.
United
As another Carling Cup games rolls around, all the buzz is
about what youngsters will feature in this tie.
Sir Alex Ferguson has dropped strong hints that Paul Pogba could make
his first start given the depleted nature of our midfield. Ravel Morrison could also be involved with
Ferguson saying he should make the bench at the very least. Zeki Fryers should make his third start in
the competition, while Jesse Lingard, Larnell Cole and the Keane twins will
also be hoping to make the squad having done so in previous rounds and have
been training with the first team squad.
Whoever makes the squad will be accompanied by a good blend of experience
and players who need minutes on the pitch.
Ferguson has said there will be wholesale changes again
meaning most, if not all, who started the weekend draw against Newcastle will
be left out. The only exception could be
Fabio but with his twin brother needing a game after returning from injury,
Rafael could get the nod. Smalling and
Evans could form a strong central defensive partnership as both needs minutes
after recovering from knocks. That could
see Fryers occupy the left back berth like he did against Aldershot. In what will be his toughest game yet, he
could be faced with the task of containing Zaha if he is employed out wide or
is given a free role behind a main striker.
I have no doubt he will be up to the task and put in another strong
performance. Confidence will be coursing
through his body given the faith Ferguson has shown in him and the positive
feedback/encouragement he has received from his Twitter followers.
Ahead of the defence the front six could allow for some
flexibility. Michael Owen has succumbed
to injury yet again and will not be able to add to his three goals in the
competition. Dimitar Berbatov was
missing from the squad for the Newcastle game due to a knock but if fit he
should return to lead the line. If not,
Kiko Macheda and Mame Diouf could partner each other in attack. Similarly, without the experience of
Berbatov, Ferguson could adopt a fluid 4-5-1 formation especially if Pogba is
going to be handed his full debut. That
could see Diouf or Macheda out wide allowing for the potential to move to 4-4-2
depending on the flow of the game.
Antonio Valencia will likely take his place on the right wing as he
continues to try and rediscover his form.
Although it will not sit easy with many United fans, it is
likely Darron Gibson will make his first start of the season against
Palace. It will cause even more unrest
if it comes at the expense of Pogba or Morrison getting a start. However, given he was on the bench against
Benfica and Newcastle it appears he is still in the Ferguson’s thoughts ahead
of the aforementioned reserve players.
Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are our only two recognised fit
central midfielders so Ji Sung Park could again be utilised in that role
alongside Gibson. Ryan Giggs could also
slot in and would be a good choice to play alongside Pogba if the Frenchman was
to start. It may also be suitable to
have Giggs or Park play in a midfield three with Gibson and Pogba.
The team, like every other round, is very much up in the
air. The fans will live in hope that our
promising youngsters get the chance to shine at Old Trafford. I, for one, will not get my hopes too
high. If they make the starting XI,
great. If not, let’s get behind the players who are playing and get a result
that will see us progress to the semi finals.
Predicted Line up: Amos, Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Fryers, Valencia,
Gibson, Park, Diouf, Macheda, Berbatov
Scoreline Prediction
Crystal Palace will be no mugs and I fully expect this to be
our toughest test in the competition yet even though we are at home. Saying that, Palace are on a dismal scoreless
run and if United field a strong defence like the one I have predicted, I can’t
see them breaching that. We should have
enough in attack to grab the goals that will see us through comfortably in the
end so I’ll go with 3-0.
By Mick Higgins (Follow me on Twitter)
Please feel free to leave your thoughts on the game below.
No comments:
Post a Comment