Saturday analysis: Suarez scintillating but Henderson an emerging hero |
- Saturday analysis: Suarez scintillating but Henderson an emerging hero
- Moyes defends Januzaj dive
- Premier League: Manchester United 3 West Ham 1
- Moyes confirms Fellaini back scan plan
| Saturday analysis: Suarez scintillating but Henderson an emerging hero Posted: 21 Dec 2013 12:46 PM PST Henderson thriving after Gait-gate as Liverpool run riot While you have to at least acknowledge Sir Alex Ferguson's openness and willingness to be forthright with opinions in his recently-published autobiography - it's those qualities that make it such a compelling read, after all - it's fair to say that the comments made about Jordan Henderson were in pretty poor taste. For the former United gaffer to suggest that Henderson's running style could make him destined to suffer from injuries as his career progresses was both completely unnecessary and not at all kind on the player. Another, less disputable comment however, was that Henderson is 'among those who would need to prove their credentials' under Brendan Rodgers. On the evidence of Liverpool's last two games the 23-year-old is on course to do just that. In the absence of Steven Gerrard, who may now be concerning himself this Christmas with how on Earth he's going to get back into this swashbuckling Liverpool team, Henderson again put in a fantastic performance, which will largely go under the radar as the country gets its knickers in a twist about Luis Suarez. Some of Henderson's passing against Cardiff was absolutely sublime - the pass for Suarez's opening goal and another in the build-up to Raheem Sterling's strike were two particular highlights. Henderson created more chances than any player on the day, and is gradually beginning to mature into the reliable and quality midfielder that his potential promised. Liverpool 3-1 Cardiff - Analyse it Youngsters thriving at United but Rooney still the main man There was a lot for David Moyes to be positive about after Manchester United dispatched West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford. The victory was comfortable in truth, and only a dubious disallowed goal for the hosts and Alex Büttner's carelessness in playing Carlton Cole miles onside prevented the scoreline from looking even more convincing. For United, Danny Welbeck (23), Phil Jones (21) and Adnan Januzaj (18) stood out, while Tom Cleverley (24) had an afternoon to be very satisfied with, misplacing only one of his 57 passes. United's main man however is Wayne Rooney, as he has continued to be all season. Playing in a more withdrawn role behind Welbeck upfront, Rooney showed he has immense versatility to his game. The England international, much-maligned over the summer, led the way for passes, attacking third passes, chances created and ball recoveries, often dropping deep to regain possession and build play. One definite tick in Moyes' half-term report will be keeping Rooney, and then getting him back to his brilliant best. Manchester United 3-1 West Ham - Analyse it Stoke style guide a work in progress Much has been made this season of Stoke changing their style of play under Mark Hughes. While it is true to a certain extent - the Potters' possession count is up from 43.3% last season to 47.9% in 2013/14 - there remains a tendency to go long if all else fails. In the 2-1 win over Aston Villa, long unwieldy hoof balls from Asmir Begovic to Peter Crouch was Stoke's second most popular passing combination after Geoff Cameron to Crouch (another combination that mostly involved long, direct passes). The style guide isn't quite complete at the Britannia Stadium just yet. For Stoke at the moment it's a case of 'do what you know' if you don't know what to do. Stoke City 2-1 Aston Villa - Analyse it Pardew continues to prove his managerial credentials Newcastle made light work of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, comfortably seeing off the hosts 3-0. Palace had been in good form leading up to this fixture - they'd won two of their last three games and were very unlucky not to get something from Stamford Bridge last weekend in a game Palace didn't deserve to lose. Nonetheless, Newcastle had too much for them and much of the praise for this lays at Alan Pardew's door. Returning to the club where he made his name as a player, Pardew continued to show his tactical versatility by leaving Shola Ameobi out and reverting back to the same midfield and forward line that won at Old Trafford earlier in the month. Loic Remy operated as a lone striker surrounded by Yoan Gouffran, Moussa Sissoko, Yohan Cabaye, Vurnon Anita and Cheik Tiote. Ultimately the extra man in midfield won Newcastle the game as they totally dominated this area of the field. Defensively they won nearly all their tackles - Anita winning 7/7 - Tiote was the pass master, making 100 passes and completing 86 of them, and Cabaye provided the cutting edge, scoring the opening goal. Newcastle lie in 6th with four wins from their last six league games, and Pardew's intelligent tactics have played a big part in this upturn in fortunes. Crystal Palace 0-3 Newcastle - Analyse it Meulensteen must unlock Taarabt's potential for Fulham to survive Manchester City survived a scare to just about get away from Craven Cottage with three points, but Fulham will feel frustrated at what they might see as an opportunity lost. In Dimitar Berbatov's absence Rene Meulensteen opted to leave Darren Bent on the bench and use Adel Taarabt as a false nine. Unfortunately for the former Manchester United coach, the way Taarabt so often flatters to deceive makes him falser than most. Taarabt dropped extremely deep given his nominal position in attack, receiving nearly 1/3rd of his passes in his own half. Indeed the Moroccan only received the ball in City's box twice - and one of those was offside. It meant there was no-one to get on the end of Fulham's many crosses. Despite this Taarabt's ability is obvious, and he must surely go down as one of the game's most frustrating players in recent years. Taarabt was a threat when suitably inspired, grabbing an assist and topping the game for shots on target and successful take-ons. Meulensteen must get the best out of him if Fulham are to survive. There is Barcelona-level magic in Taarabt's feet. Sadly, it's often mixed with a work-rate not even Basildon United would countenance. Fulham 2-4 Manchester City - Analyse it Sunderland need a striker as Altidore struggles to cut it On the evidence of Sunderland's 0-0 draw with Norwich it would be no surprise if Gus Poyet is pondering a move for a striker in the January transfer window. The Black Cats have the league's second lowest goal tally so far and as the weeks go by there is added urgency in the need for firepower. Sunderland managed 19 shots against the Canaries but only 4 on target, and while many of them were from distance - suggesting that creativity in general is lacking - that Jozy Altidore and Steven Fletcher only managed two blocked shots between them over 90 minutes speaks volumes. Fletcher replaced Altidore in the 68th minute, and the American really needs to prove himself soon or this could end up being a second unsuccessful stint in England. Altidore has one goal in 11 starts so far - simply not good enough. As it stands the equation is simple for Sunderland: no goals, no survival. Sunderland 0-0 Norwich City - Analyse it Huddlestone leads the way for the Tigers He might not be able to cut his hair any time soon but Tom Huddlestone impressed once again at the heart of Hull's midfield, helping his side to a creditable 1-1 draw that leaves them sitting comfortably in 12th. The former Spurs man was quietly efficient and led the way for his team with more passes than any other Hull player and more ball recoveries than anyone else on the pitch. Huddlestone can be a frustrating player at times. The talent is obvious, but he seems to play within himself too often. Steve Bruce has given him the platform to once again prove his ability, and the midfielder is doing a pretty decent job of it for Hull so far. West Brom 1-1 Hull - Analyse it This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2013 09:56 AM PST Januzaj scored an excellent goal for United to double their lead during the first half on Saturday at Old Trafford, showing excellent skill to skip past James Collins and place an effort beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian. Danny Welbeck and Ashley Young also scored for the Premier League champions as United moved to seventh, but 18-year-old Januzaj was booked for diving late in the first half. The teenager has already been booked for simulation this season in the same match he scored twice on his full debut at Sunderland but although Moyes reiterated his stance against diving, after previously speaking out against Young for it, he stood up for Januzaj. Asked if he supported players diving, Moyes said: Definitely not. Ive had a chance to see it and I think he believes he is going to get sized. He has been kicked in every game, upside down. But we will make sure and do everything that we can to make sure it doesnt happen. Everybody can see the talent the boy has got. He has got great composure and he is a very good player. He is 18 he has had a lot of games maybe more than he would have thought. I thought he has warranted his place, though. Moyes hailed his team for their professional display against West Ham after United won a league match at Old Trafford for the first time in nearly six weeks. We are (delighted). We are pleased, he added. We played well, we scored three goals and on another day we might have scored more. Moyes added that striker Welbeck who went off early in the second half with an injury was suffering from a knee problem, while he also lauded the efforts of substitute Young. Young, who also scored in Uniteds 2-0 League Cup win at Stoke City on Wednesday, came off the bench to seal the win before Carlton Coles late consolation. On Youngs goal, Moyes said: It was a magnificent finish. He got a great goal in midweek and really made sure he put the game to bed with his goal. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Premier League: Manchester United 3 West Ham 1 Posted: 21 Dec 2013 08:55 AM PST Successive home defeats to Everton and Newcastle United ramped up the pressure on manager David Moyes earlier this month, but there was no repeat on this occasion as United coasted to their fourth win in a row in all competitions. Danny Welbeck gave the Premier League champions the lead in the 26th minute with his first league goal at Old Trafford in more than 14 months. And the England forward turned provider 10 minutes later, setting up teenager Adnan Januzaj, who took his first home goal for the club with aplomb. The second half never really got going, with United substitute Ashley Young providing the only highlight when he curled in his second goal in four days with 18 minutes left. Carlton Cole beat the offside trap to race clear and slot through the legs of David De Gea eight minutes from time to pull one back for the visitors, but it was too little, too late. The result was slightly soured for United as Welbeck limped off with what looked to be a muscle injury early in the second half. United climbed to seventh in the table with their success, while West Ham who looked sluggish after their 2-1 League Cup quarter-final win at Tottenham on Wednesday remain 17th. Wayne Rooney returned from a minor groin problem for United to partner Welbeck up front, but Nemanja Vidic (knock) and Marouane Fellaini (back) remained on the sidelines. Spanish goalkeeper Adrian retained his place for West Ham, while striker Modibo Maiga was promoted after scoring the winner at White Hart Lane. Still missing suspended captain Kevin Nolan, West Ham struggled to get a foothold in the game and only an excellent Adrian save denied Tom Cleverley from close range in the second minute. Rooney then curled a free-kick over and Antonio Valencia forced a decent stop from Adrian, before Uniteds pressure told. A lovely flick from Welbeck released Rooney in space and he returned the pass as the former burst into the penalty box to fire past Adrian from a tight angle. Adrians positioning could have been questioned by manager Sam Allardyce, but the keeper was not the only one left with egg on his face after Januzaj strolled through West Hams defence to double Uniteds lead nine minutes before the break. Januzaj and Welbeck linked before the 18-year-old sold James Collins a dummy, slid past him and curled in his first goal at Old Trafford. Valencia blasted over just before half-time and four minutes after the break, Jonny Evans towering header had to be turned wide by Mark Noble. Collins went close with a header at the other end, but United were still dominant Javier Hernandez only denied by the offside flag after scoring in the 68th minute. Young finally sealed the result shortly after, capping a routine win for United by curling Rooneys pass into the top-right corner. That meant Coles late goal had little significance as United posted a comfortable victory. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Moyes confirms Fellaini back scan plan Posted: 21 Dec 2013 12:48 AM PST The Belgian has been absent since the 1-0 home loss to his former club Everton at the beginning of December and Moyes admitted his recovery was taking longer than planned. Fellaini will now be sent for a second scan to assess the extent of the injury and, if it is likely to keep him sidelined for an extended period, United will also take the opportunity to schedule an overdue wrist operation. Fellaini has an injury to his back, which we hoped might have healed up but it hasnt, Moyes said. I am going to get another scan and if it hasnt healed up then I might need to take the decision to get his wrist done as well. We hoped his back would be better in 10 days but he is still feeling it. Fellaini moved to Old Trafford following a protracted transfer saga, initially involving a joint bid that included Leighton Baines. He has struggled to make an impact since completing the transfer, however, and United are languishing in mid-table ahead of Saturdays visit of West Ham. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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