Ferguson faces delicate balancing act
Reuters - Tuesday 03 May 2011, 02:00
MANCHESTER - Manchester United
manager Sir Alex Ferguson faces a delicate balancing act of picking
a strong enough side to reach the Champions League Final while
resting the players he needs for this week's domestic showdown.
After securing a comfortable 2-0 at Schalke 04 in their
semi-final first leg last week, Ferguson was already talking
about making changes for Wednesday's return leg at Old Trafford
and the need has since become even greater.
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United's lead at the top of the Premier League was trimmed
to three points this weekend to set up Sunday's match at home to
Chelsea as a potential title decider. The London side would go
ahead on goal difference with victory.
"We'll regroup and get them freshened up. I'll make some
changes, without question, on Wednesday," Ferguson told MUTV
after his side lost 1-0 at Arsenal on Sunday to throw open a
title race that United had looked to have well under control.
"We'll bring Paul Scholes back in. Dimitar Berbatov, Michael
Owen, fresh players. We need to do that but, also, I've probably
got to keep experienced players at the back."
That would point to captain Nemanja Vidic keeping up his
commanding central defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand and
if Schalke are anywhere near as toothless as last week, the duo
would not expend too much energy.
It will hardly be a second-string side if it features the
Premier League's top scorer Berbatov and evergreen midfielder
Scholes, but it will be weaker.
Midfielder Ryan Giggs, who became the oldest scorer in the
Champions League at 37 years and 148 days when he struck the
first goal last week, is unlikely to be rushed back after
missing the Arsenal game through illness.
The first leg's other scorer Wayne Rooney is also a prime
candidate to be rested as the striker has been excelling in a
new deeper-lying role behind Javier Hernandez that is as
energy-sapping as it is devastating to defences.
DONE ENOUGH
Schalke travel to Manchester needing goals but know United
have conceded only three times in 11 matches in the competition
this season, suggesting the English side will reach their third
final in four years.
United defender Patrice Evra was, however, keen to remind
his team mates they could not afford to think they had done
enough to reach the May 28 final at Wembley, having experienced
a Champions League turnaround in his Monaco days.
"In football, you never know because I remember when I was
playing with Monaco, we lost in the Bernabeu 4-2 and Madrid
thought they were going to the semi-final. But in the second leg
we won 3-1," he told MUTV referring to his 2004 experience.
While that could inspire Schalke, the reality is they will
need to become a different side from the one that barely put up
a fight at home last week.
"We must be much more compact and aggressive than we were in
the first game," defender Christoph Metzelder said.
"In playing terms, we are not as strong in comparison with
Manchester United and therefore we must surpass ourselves in
other aspects. If we are going to pull off a miracle, we must do
a hell of a job."
The winners will face either Barcelona or Real Madrid, who
play on Tuesday with Barca holding a 2-0 advantage before
hosting their La Liga rivals.
Probable line-ups:
Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 22-John O'Shea,
15-Nemanja Vidic, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 3-Patrice Evra; 8-Anderson,
24-Darren Fletcher, 18-Paul Scholes, 25-Antonio Valencia;
9-Dimitar Berbatov, 7-Michael Owen
Schalke 04: 1-Manuel Neuer; 2-Atsuto Uchida, 21-Christoph
Metzelder, 32-Joel Matip, 2-Hans Sarpei; 14-Kyriakos
Papadopoulos, 18-Jose Manuel Jurado, 11-Alexander Baumjohann;
17-Jefferson Farfan, 7-Raul; 9-Edu.