What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester United vs Newcastle United
When: Wednesday 26th December, 2012, at 15:00 UK Time
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
Another Assured Showing Underlines Manchester United Credentials
In the end Manchester United were unlucky not to beat Swansea, after dominating the second period of the game with the Welsh side on Sunday. Although they dropped two points, it was a very impressive showing against one of the hardest teams in the Premier League to play against. And the Red Devils were able to enjoy their Christmas knowing they hold a comfortable advantage over Manchester City.
The biggest challenge for Manchester United will now be maintaining full focus with the title well within their grasp. Although they picked up two points fewer than their only realistic challenger at present, Manchester City, it is fair to say Manchester United’s performance was the more impressive at the weekend.
Sir Alex Ferguson could use the memory of New Year’s Eve last year, when his team were humbled 3-2 at home by a struggling Blackburn Rovers side, as inspiration for his team. That would be a telling reminder that even when things appear to be going to plan, a loss of focus and control can easily result in a damaging and avoidable defeat, whoever the opposition.
Newcastle Try to Battle Out of Trouble
It has not been a good season so far for Newcastle. Prior to Saturday’s 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers, they had taken just three points from 21 and were worryingly close to the relegation zone. Alan Pardew will be scratching his head and questioning his own methods. At West Ham, a hugely impressive season in the Premier League after promotion was followed by a weak second in which he was perhaps harshly sacked. That will not happen with Newcastle, who have given him an eight-year contract, but he must be wondering why his teams struggle to build on a good season.
He can certainly point to misfortune on the injury front. Hatem Ben Arfa has been missing, as has Yohan Cabaye, two of the stars of last season. And Demba Ba has been catch 22 of sorts for Pardew. The Magpies’ most prolific goalscorer so far this year, getting the best out of the Senegalese and keeping him happy seems to have come at the expense of Papiss Cisse and the team’s general form. It may be a blessing in disguise if Newcastle offload him in January, with speculation continuing to surround Ba, and bring in a more versatile forward in the winter transfer window.
A visit to Manchester was not what Pardew would have planned for the festive period and the Newcastle fans will have plenty of travelling to do between now and the New Year, with a visit to Arsenal to come at the weekend. They will not necessarily expect to get anything from those games, but no points from six could leave them in a perilous position come the start of 2013.
Recent form
Manchester United:
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (09/12; Premier League)
Manchester United 3-1 Sunderland (15/12; Premier League)
Swansea City 1-1 Manchester United (23/12; Premier League)
Newcastle United:
Fulham 2-1 Newcastle United (10/12; Premier League)
Newcastle United 1-3 Manchester City (15/12; Premier League)
Newcastle United 1-0 Queens Park Rangers (22/12; Premier League)
Key absences
Manchester United: Rafael (doubt); Shinji Kagawa; Nani; Anderson
Newcastle United: Steven Taylor; Ryan Taylor; Hatem Ben Arfa; Yohan Cabaye; Dan Gosling
Players to watch
Manchester United – Michael Carrick: Carrick is often derided by some who undervalue what he offers to his teams. Not the most mobile, but brilliantly effective at turning defence into attack, his passing ability is pivotal to what Manchester United are about. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie get most of the plaudits, but Carrick is key because of the way he can feed Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia quickly and into space. Newcastle will probably set up defensively here, and that means those transitions from defence to attack when they win the ball will be all the more crucial for the Red Devils, and therefore so will Carrick.
Newcastle United – Demba Ba: Newcastle’s top goalscorer, Ba is even more important at present because of the lack of options available to Pardew. There is no Ben Arfa or Cabaye to offer creativity from midfield and the lack of width in the team means that they are relying on their strikers making the best of the few opportunities coming their way. Ba has been ruthlessly effective and with Papiss Cisse out of form, it is hard to see where else the goals will come from for Newcastle until their injury crisis clears up. Ba may even be deployed as a lone front man if Pardew decides a draw is the most he can get out of this match.
Match Prediction
If Manchester United “battered” Swansea as Ferguson said they did on Sunday, then they should wipe the floor with this Newcastle side. Yet the visitors adopt a very different approach and they tend to rely on solid defensive organisation and slick counter attacking play; so expect Pardew to set his team up with a solid back four and he may well choose to revert to last season’s favoured system, with two hard working wingers tracking back to help out the full backs with a trio in the centre of midfield to crowd out Manchester United in that area of the pitch.
Such a system would be logical and Pardew’s organisation skills mean Newcastle should put up some brave resistance to the inevitable Manchester United pressure. Yet without Ryan Taylor and Steven Taylor in defence, Cheick Tiote, Ben Arfa and Cabaye in midfield, they lack many of the ‘tools’ to carry out the system effectively. A 4-4-2 would leave the Magpies hugely exposed to Manchester United’s passing game.
Either way, expect a mildly frustrating afternoon for Manchester United until the last quarter of the game, before the movement and skill of Van Persie, Rooney, Young and Valencia eventually proves telling for a weakened Newcastle. Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle.
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