manchester united vs chelsea
London - Under-strength teams have been the curse of the League Cup for a decade or more.
On Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge - perhaps for the first time ever - we will be glad of them. Nothing that Chelsea or Manchester United can do in terms of extra security or pre-match rhetoric can draw the sting from another meeting between two clubs who parted on such emotional and caustic terms after their extraordinary Barclays Premier League match on Sunday evening.
Nothing indeed will erase the memory or clear the taste of an occasion that served only to deepen the fissures in our game between those who play and watch and officiate.
Perhaps the greatest blessing, therefore, is that the personnel who will face up in west London on Wednesday night will be very different indeed. Different players, different officials and - to some degree - different spectators. Both these clubs have long since regarded this competition as a very distant fourth in their list of priorities.
That is what the bloating of the Champions League has done to domestic cups that used to be such an important part of the calendar.Hence there will be no Mikel, Mata, Rooney or Ferdinand. There will be no Luiz and no Van Persie. Instead managers Roberto Di Matteo and Sir Alex Ferguson will place their faith in their younger players and their fringe players as they try to reach the last eight of a competition that only really begins to interest them when Wembley beckons.
Neither club would on Tuesday night admit to delivering any specific instructions to their players ahead of Wednesday night’s game in relation to their conduct. There will be extra security on duty at Stamford Bridge in the wake of the crowd disturbances that were a feature of Sunday’s meeting but neither Chelsea nor United have thought it necessary to brief their players formally about their own responsibilities.
That, one would imagine, will come from the managers before kick-off. Both have been involved in enough powderkeg matches to know what can happen if players get caught up in the frenzy and it would be a surprise if they are anything but forewarned.
Happily, Stamford Bridge will be full, Chelsea having taken advantage of the game falling on the night of Halloween to offer children discounted tickets. They have even encouraged them to come to the game in seasonal masks.
All that anyone can hope for now - not least referee Lee Mason - is that the football is allowed to take centre stage. “When you play Manchester United it is always a big game in whichever competition you play in,” said Di Matteo.”I hope the supporters get behind the team and push us on to a win. Any trophy you add to your cabinet is a plus and this is one you have to try your best to go and get.”
These teams have met in this competition before, Ferguson famously abandoning his policy of fielding young players to tackle Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in a semi-final back in 2005. Not that it worked, a team including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes losing the decisive second leg at Old Trafford in front of 67 000 people.
This time, it appears Ferguson will be true to his philosophies. Not only can he not smell Wembley quite yet but his first team also have the prospect of facing Arsenal at home in the Barclays Premier League at lunchtime on Saturday. “The squad that played Newcastle in the last round will be in place again,” said Ferguson.
“You don’t want to lose down there and we want to continue in the cup. These are big games and big games are good for us.”
United’s win over Newcastle in the last round was notable not only for the return of Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney from illness and injury but also the performances of a rather young back four.That defence may find things harder going tonight playing away from home against a Chelsea team featuring forwards such as Daniel Sturridge and the exciting teenage Brazilian Lucas Piazon.
“They are very good players and they are young but they have a little bit of experience as well and it will be great to see them perform,” said Di Matteo. “They have been waiting for an opportunity and going forward I think we will see more of them.”
What we will hope to see less of on Wednesday night is red and yellow cards.
It mustn’t be forgotten what a good game these clubs were producing at the weekend before referee Mark Clattenburg began to get mixed up.If referee Mason is allowed to referee and the players are, in turn, allowed to play, then the ugly images of Sunday may just fade. For 90 minutes at least.
Daily Mail
On Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge - perhaps for the first time ever - we will be glad of them. Nothing that Chelsea or Manchester United can do in terms of extra security or pre-match rhetoric can draw the sting from another meeting between two clubs who parted on such emotional and caustic terms after their extraordinary Barclays Premier League match on Sunday evening.
Nothing indeed will erase the memory or clear the taste of an occasion that served only to deepen the fissures in our game between those who play and watch and officiate.
Perhaps the greatest blessing, therefore, is that the personnel who will face up in west London on Wednesday night will be very different indeed. Different players, different officials and - to some degree - different spectators. Both these clubs have long since regarded this competition as a very distant fourth in their list of priorities.
That is what the bloating of the Champions League has done to domestic cups that used to be such an important part of the calendar.Hence there will be no Mikel, Mata, Rooney or Ferdinand. There will be no Luiz and no Van Persie. Instead managers Roberto Di Matteo and Sir Alex Ferguson will place their faith in their younger players and their fringe players as they try to reach the last eight of a competition that only really begins to interest them when Wembley beckons.
Neither club would on Tuesday night admit to delivering any specific instructions to their players ahead of Wednesday night’s game in relation to their conduct. There will be extra security on duty at Stamford Bridge in the wake of the crowd disturbances that were a feature of Sunday’s meeting but neither Chelsea nor United have thought it necessary to brief their players formally about their own responsibilities.
That, one would imagine, will come from the managers before kick-off. Both have been involved in enough powderkeg matches to know what can happen if players get caught up in the frenzy and it would be a surprise if they are anything but forewarned.
Happily, Stamford Bridge will be full, Chelsea having taken advantage of the game falling on the night of Halloween to offer children discounted tickets. They have even encouraged them to come to the game in seasonal masks.
All that anyone can hope for now - not least referee Lee Mason - is that the football is allowed to take centre stage. “When you play Manchester United it is always a big game in whichever competition you play in,” said Di Matteo.”I hope the supporters get behind the team and push us on to a win. Any trophy you add to your cabinet is a plus and this is one you have to try your best to go and get.”
These teams have met in this competition before, Ferguson famously abandoning his policy of fielding young players to tackle Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in a semi-final back in 2005. Not that it worked, a team including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes losing the decisive second leg at Old Trafford in front of 67 000 people.
This time, it appears Ferguson will be true to his philosophies. Not only can he not smell Wembley quite yet but his first team also have the prospect of facing Arsenal at home in the Barclays Premier League at lunchtime on Saturday. “The squad that played Newcastle in the last round will be in place again,” said Ferguson.
“You don’t want to lose down there and we want to continue in the cup. These are big games and big games are good for us.”
United’s win over Newcastle in the last round was notable not only for the return of Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney from illness and injury but also the performances of a rather young back four.That defence may find things harder going tonight playing away from home against a Chelsea team featuring forwards such as Daniel Sturridge and the exciting teenage Brazilian Lucas Piazon.
“They are very good players and they are young but they have a little bit of experience as well and it will be great to see them perform,” said Di Matteo. “They have been waiting for an opportunity and going forward I think we will see more of them.”
What we will hope to see less of on Wednesday night is red and yellow cards.
It mustn’t be forgotten what a good game these clubs were producing at the weekend before referee Mark Clattenburg began to get mixed up.If referee Mason is allowed to referee and the players are, in turn, allowed to play, then the ugly images of Sunday may just fade. For 90 minutes at least.
Daily Mail
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