Congratulations – Chelsea the BPL Champions

With tight schedules all the way back two months ago, I was really struggling to kept up with the update to this blog.

By the way, the season had long finished. Chelsea is the double Champions of England both Barclays Premier League & FA Cup for 2009/2010 season. Congratulations to Chelsea.

Manchester United will come back stronger next week, till then we have very important tournament to look ahead which is the World Cup 2010 in South Africa is less than 15 days time.

This blog will bring you update, news and etc of England team – obviously I’m the England supporter. Whoever you may support or from which parts of the world lets cheers ahead for this upcoming World Cup events. May all the best for England.

Blackburn 0-0 Man Utd: Hope Gone

Despite dominating almost the entire game, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men rarely looked like making their pressure tell.

Paul Robinson needed to make two excellent saves to deny Antonio Valencia before half-time, but afterwards, with United so desperate for the points, the former England number one had surprisingly little to do.

Not for the first time recently, Dimitar Berbatov was a major disappointment and the fact Rio Ferdinand was feeling his groin towards the end suggested a problem Fabio Capello will not want.

There are no worries for Chelsea though, who still lead the Red Devils by a point, with a game in hand, knowing the main danger to their championship aspirations now lies much closer to home, at Arsenal.

Although United had not actually lost their last three games, that is how it felt.

Even Sir Alex Ferguson spoke in those terms ahead of the clash, a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich apparently not enough to take away the feeling of desolation an away-goals Champions League exit.

In such circumstances, a rip-roaring response would normally be anticipated, the players sent out to represent Ferguson eager not to let their manager down.

On this occasion, such urgings fell on deaf ears.

Although they gradually took control, on a sunny afternoon, the first half took on the air of a pre-season contest.

On Blackburn’s part, the lack of urgency was understandable given their position firmly wedged in mid-table.

For United it was an altogether different story.

After all, they are still supposed to be playing for the title.

Indeed, while it might only be because Chelsea were on FA Cup duty yesterday, the prize for victory was a place at the top of the table.

Despite their torpor, United should have been in front at the break.

Valencia was the recipient of both clear-cut chances.

The first was created by Federico Macheda, making his first Premier League start of the season.

Valencia charged on to the young Italian’s neat pass with purpose and let fly with a powerful effort that was heading for the bottom corner until Paul Robinson made a fine low save.

Berbatov was the architect of the second.

Ferguson had little choice other than to declare his trust in the Bulgarian given Wayne Rooney was missing with an ankle injury.

But it was a largely unhappy afternoon for United’s £30.75million record signing, who was reduced to arm-waving and head-shaking as his meaningful contribution until he threaded a pass through to Valencia.

The South American eagerly latched on to the chance but again Robinson denied him, this time at close quarters.

As there was no immediate injection of focus or direction after the interval, so Ferguson decided to sacrifice Giggs, who admittedly had been fairly anonymous.

Outstanding earlier this season, the Welshman has struggled for form since recovering from his broken arm.

His replacement, Darron Gibson, is at least prepared to shoot, as he proved in midweek.

The Irishman’s aim was a bit askew. But at least he tried as United’s season began to crumble around them.

That Scholes chose to play on as Berbatov was down and apparently injured after a crunching collision with Nelsen seemed to tell its own story about the discontent in the United camp.

Friction between Edwin van der Sar and Ferdinand would be less easy to understand, although there was a clear lack of communication between the pair as, under no pressure, England’s new captain booted a ball out for a corner the keeper was about to collect.

Berbatov’s unhappy afternoon continued when he failed to test Robinson, having been set up by Neville and then fired wide after a long throw from the full-back bounced straight through the Blackburn defence.

It was almost an epitaph for his entire United career, and when Neville’s late scuffed effort rolled wide, the vast travelling support knew their season was destined to end in disappointment.

source: www.teamtalk.com

Rooney out for Rovers

Wayne Rooney is definitely out for Sunday match against Blackburn due to his ankle injury.

Sir Alex Ferguson named Rooney in the Champions League clash even though he was not 100% fit had backfired after Rooney appeared to have injured his same ankle following a challenge with Munich’s player.

Ferguson insisted Rooney did not suffer any long-term damage when he aggravated his injury against the German giants, who knocked out United on away goals.

But the Old Trafford supremo is resigned to being without his star for the Ewood Park clash, although the 24-year-old could return for the derby against Manchester City on April 17.

United trail Chelsea by two points with five games of the Premier League season remaining.

Ferguson said: “Five wins will give us a chance. But five wins for Chelsea wins them it. That is the difficulty.”

“Chelsea will be thinking five wins gets them the title and, at a crucial time of the season, the advantage is with them.

“But we hope that something can happen.

“You would rather be in Chelsea’s position but we have a chance of winning the league, and so have Arsenal, who are a point behind us.”

Chicharito is Rooney new strike partner!

Who is Chicharito? Chicharito is Javier Hernandez nickname who play for Mexican side Chivas.

Right after Champions League exit on away goal to Bayern Munich, Manchester Untied have announced a deal to sign striker Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas for an undisclosed fee.

Hernandez, 21, has agreed personal terms and passed a medical but is still awaiting a work permit. Should a permit be granted, he will join United in July after the Mexico international returns from the World Cup.

As part of the deal, United will play a friendly at the Chivas Stadium ahead of the 2010-11 season.

Sir Alex Ferguson told the club’s official website: “I am delighted to reach agreement with Chivas to bring such an exciting young striker, who has been in such prolific form for both his club and his country.

“He will be a great addition to our squad and we look forward to welcoming our first Mexican player in the summer. We are equally excited to play our first game in Mexico, opening the magnificent new Chivas Stadium in July.”

Chicharito, or “Little Pea”, as he is known, has scored four goals in his first four games for Mexico.

Man Utd 3-2 Bayern Munich: Bayern progress!

How on earth did it happened? Perfect start both away & home games only to collapse later.

Yesterday home game was a combination of genius & stupidity display that left United with ten-man to battle for the last 40minutes, moments later Robben’s wonder strike earns Bayern a ticket to semi-final of the Champions League.

From a seemingly impregnable position, three goals ahead of Bayern Munich on the night and two in front on aggregate, the Red Devils’ world collapsed in a six-minute spell either side of the interval.

First-leg match-winner Ivica Olic pulled a goal back immediately before the break after Nani had followed up Darron Gibson’s early opener by scoring two of his own.

The goal put doubt in United minds that turned into panic once Rafael had been sent off for a second bookable offence shortly after the restart.

United tried desperately to hang on.

But just as the thought started to ferment that they might manage it, Robben escaped to the far post and rocketed a volley beyond Edwin van der Sar after fellow winger Franck Ribery had dropped a perfect corner into his path.

It was a gut-wrenching climax and leaves the Premier League without a semi-final representative for the first time since 2003 and United shattered after the biggest week of their season ended in total misery, with only an outside chance of the title to cling to and a dressing room of shattered bodies, physically and mentally, to revive.

It had all started so magnificently too after Ferguson had named Wayne Rooney in his starting line-up after all.

Such is the subterfuge involved in top-level combat these days, Ferguson’s declaration that there was “no chance” of his star striker being involved was just part of a game.

Yet, no matter how many potential line-ups Louis van Gaal had gone through in his mind, it is a fair assumption that Gibson did not feature in any of them.

When Ferguson has talked the Republic of Ireland international up as a potential star of the future, few have tended to believe him.

Clearly the United boss does have faith, and what an inspired choice it proved to be.

Barely two minutes had passed when Rafael swept the ball forward to Rooney, whose lay-off was collected by Gibson.

If Hans-Jorg Butt had done his homework, he would have known the Derry-born youngster tends to get his goals from outside the area. His startled look as the ball flashed past him suggested an obvious lack of revision.

It was the start United craved, and it was to get even better when Antonio Valencia, a constant menace down the right, sent over one of a number of dangerous crosses.

Just as Joe Cole had done at the other end on Saturday, Nani got himself to the near post and flicked the ball into the far corner with his heel.

Old Trafford erupted, in precisely the manner Ferguson knew they would when he spoke about the feeling of a ball being sucked into the opponents’ goal on those special Old Trafford nights, of which he has had so many.

Bayern were completely bewildered, both by the team they were facing and the whirlwind that had hit them.

Rafael, Rooney and Gibson combined again, this time to send the youngster through, only for the full-back to suffer an untimely bout of nerves as the goal stared back and he fired wide.

Yet just as the half started in a goal burst, so it ended the same way. Once more Valencia the architect, once more Nani supplied the finish, and the elaborate celebration.

The sense of euphoria lasted two minutes, the time it took for Olic to shrug Michael Carrick aside and find the bottom corner with Bayern’s first decent chance.

If Edwin van der Sar had not brilliantly turned away a curling shot from Robben that was heading for the bottom corner, United would actually have reached half-time behind on away goals, so precarious was their advantage.

Amid all the goalmouth incident, another pivotal moment had gone largely unnoticed. Rafael’s petulant kick at Mark van Bommel came back to haunt him four minutes after the restart when he tugged Franck Ribery back.

The sight of the Bayern players converging on referee Nicola Rizzoli demanding a red card was unseemly. The decision itself was correct.

Rafael’s dismissal brought Rooney’s involvement to an end as John O’Shea was introduced for the first time in five months to shore up the defensive gap and begin a rearguard action that required resistance to almost constant bombardment.

United tried to break. Indeed Nani nearly scored his hat-trick from one such raid, but the overwhelming pressure was one-way.

Even then it took a phenomenal goal to defeat the hosts as Robben’s perfectly-executed volley flew past Van der Sar into the far corner.

United did not have the energy to respond.

Vidic said he never think of leaving!

Tough tackling Vidic has once again rubbish talk of a possible move away from Manchester United this summer.

Nemanja Vidic’s wife Ana is reportedly not happy with life in England and both AC Milan and Real Madrid are reportedly hot on the heel for the Serb international.

Yet the 28-year-old has consistently queried how such rumours have spread.

A firm favourite among the United faithful, Vidic has won the Premier League title in each of his three full seasons at Old Trafford.

Vidic was even elevated to the captaincy earlier this season as injury rampaged through Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.

And the £7million bargain capture from Spartak Moscow in 2005 has confirmed that he has not spoken to any other club about leaving United at the end of the season.

“I have never said anything about wanting to leave,” he told United Review.

“The speculation has all been generated by other people.

“I think one reason it went on for so long was because I was injured and didn’t have many chances to speak out about the issue.

“But I haven’t spoken to any other clubs.

“United is a great club. I have had a lot of success and made a name for myself here. I appreciate all of that.”

Man Utd vs Bayern Munich: Preview

Louis van Gaal try to soak up some pressure from his players at Old Trafford by insisting United are still favorites to progress to semi-final despite Bayern Munich having a 2-1 lead after Olic scored a 90min winning goal at Munich.

Manchester United went ahead inside two minute after Rooney had put United in the driving seat only to collapse in the last minutes after soaking Bayern pressure almost the entire 90minuts.

Bayern Munich looked good value for their victory in the Allianz Arena, but Van Gaal feels his side remain underdogs for the return match at Old Trafford.

Asked if he saw United as the favorites for the tie, the Dutchman said: ”Yes. They have scored an away goal and they are a great team.

”They have a lot of experience playing big games at home and of course, they will have the support of the crowd.

”Our team is quite a young one in that it consists of young players, so that is a different situation.

”It is going to be our team versus theirs tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to rule out naming Rooney on the bench, as his 34-goal striker looks to overcome the ankle injury he suffered in the final moments of United’s first leg defeat seven days ago.

Ferguson had at first rejected the notion of an appearance in the return match, insisting Rooney had ”no chance” of being involved.

However, seconds later he said he didn’t ”think” Rooney would be on the bench, before adding that he expected the 24-year-old to try to change his mind before he confirms his squad an hour before kick-off.

Any chance, however slight, of Rooney being involved will be seized upon by supporters desperate for some good news at the end of a dismal week which will see United’s European aspirations brought to an end unless they can overturn a 2-1 deficit.

”He has no chance,” Ferguson began. ”We have made some good progress with the lad and the medical team have done fantastic.

”But I am not prepared to take a risk on a player who is not 100% fit. They are looking more at the Manchester City game, maybe Blackburn as a substitute. That is possible.

”But it is an ankle injury, the same as any other. He is no different to anyone else.”

Asked directly whether Rooney could be on the bench, Ferguson replied: ”I don’t think so, although he will maybe talk me into it. It is a difficult one.”

Van Gaal does not believe that his opposite number is trying to play mind games with him over the fitness of the England forward.

He said: ”I don’t think that will happen, but when we played Fiorentina we were faced with a different team than we thought and that does happen in the football business.

”(But) I don’t think Ferguson will do that and I’d also like to say that we did win a game with Rooney (playing) – it’s not as if we can’t win when Wayne

Rooney is playing for Manchester United. We don’t even need to win – a draw is fine.”