Saturday, December 18, 2010

Chelsea v Man Utd Preview: Frank Lampard Aims to Spoil Sir Alex's Big Day

Any other day and this fixture would be a key date in either club's calendar – it is, after all, between two of the main contenders for the Premier League title.

But Manchester United's visit to Chelsea is made even more significant by the fact that this is the day Sir Alex Ferguson will become the longest serving manager at Old Trafford.



He will eclipse Sir Matt Busby's 24 years, one month and 14 days, which is a remarkable achievement when you consider that the average time a top flight manager stays in the job is a shade under three and a half years.

And just as remarkably after such a long time in charge, Ferguson's will to win another title has not dimmed. And after beating Arsenal last week, a victory over Chelsea will send a massive message to the rest of the league – that he is far from calling it a day just yet.

Chelsea hope their season is clicking back into gear after the 1-1 draw against Tottenham last week. Blues' manager Carlo Ancelotti said after that game their "bad moment" had passed.

He was referring to the run of games where they lost consecutive league fixtures against Sunderland and Birmingham, followed by a defeat in the Champions League and draws against Newcastle and Everton.

And what better way to announce you are back in the title race than to beat your main rivals on their manager's big day.

Form Guide: While Chelsea have been on a run of five matches without a win which has seen them slip to fourth in the table, six points behind the leaders. United are the only remaining unbeaten side in the Premier League, having gone a club record 16 games without defeat.

Key Match-up: Lampard v Nani. What better way to see whether Lampard has fully recovered from a hernia operation and a string of ongoing strains than by coming up against a man growing in stature at Old Trafford? True, Nani is no Paul Scholes, but he will certainly let Lampard know he is back in the big time.

Odds: Chelsea 6-5, Manchester United 12-5, Draw 9-4
CHELSEA:
Chelsea manager Ancelotti believes beating Manchester United could reignite their bid to retain the Premier League title.

Ancelotti concedes his side have been through a rough patch, with a run of six league games without a win. But having beaten United twice last season, he is confident they can gain ground on the Premier League leaders.

He said: "To play against Manchster United can be fantastic motivation for us. We can use this game to move on from our difficult moment. The atmosphere was different at the training ground this week and I hope in the game we are able to do the best.

"The match against Tottenham was good for us. It was not good for the result obviously, because we had chances to win the game, but the atmosphere and mentality was good. This is an important game – but it is not decisive game because we have a lot more to play.

"It is difficult to compare victory over Manchester United with another team. They are both three points but United is one of the best teams in the country and a win would be big for the confidence of the team."

Frank Lampard will start for the first time since August and Ancelotti is confident his injury problems are behind him.

Ancelotti added: "We waited a long time before bringing him back. We didn't take any risks. Obviously we are not 100 percent certain, but we did everything we could to maintain that Frank is safe for as long as possible."

Strategy:
Ancelotti has a nearly full-strength side for the first time in over three months and as the midfield battle will be key, he will expect Lampard to rekindle the partnership he enjoyed last season with Florent Malouda.

Injury Update: Chelsea have no new injury worries, but Alex (knee), Jose Bosingwa (hamstring) and Yossi Benayoun (Achilles) remain out.

MANCHESTER UNITED:
Ferguson attributes his success - and longevity - to the ethos which his fellow Scot Sir Matt Busby developed at Old Trafford.

Ferguson said: "The issue of ex-players at the club was something I have been addressing for quite a long time. I wanted to keep all our great players around the club in some capacity.

"I had Sir Bobby Charlton on the board and Sir Matt was here as well. People like that are able to understand the dimensions of Manchester United. That is necessary to understand the role of manager. It was very helpful to me."

After Sir Matt retired, Manchester United entered a period of decline which was reversed by the arrival of Ferguson in 1986. Ferguson has since ushered in a new era of unprecedented success and is now aiming to add to his silverware collection by wrestling back the title from Chelsea.

He added: "I think of Sir Matt Busby as being here forever. He started at the end of the war and went right through to winning the European Cup in 1968. The timespan seems to be much longer than mine."

Strategy: Don't expect Ferguson to adopt a gung-ho approach following their win over Arsenal. He would love to mark his milestone by ending their eight-year winless run at Stamford Bridge, but he would take a point here.

Injury Update:
Paul Scholes (groin) is out while John O'Shea (calf) is set to join him on the sidelines. Michael Owen is not ready to return after hamstring trouble, with Owen Hargreaves and Antonio Valencia still long-term absentees.

sumber: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/12/18/chelsea-manchester-united-frank-lampard-alex-ferguson/#commentform

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