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12/02/2008 15:29, Report by Ben Hibbs

Title going 'to the wire'

Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't believe Arsenal's five-point lead spells the end of United's title challenge, and says the Premier League is set up for its most exciting finish in years.

The Gunners took full advantage of United's 2-1 defeat in the the Manchester derby. Phillippe Senderos and Emmanuel Adebayor struck in a 2-0 victory against Blackburn on Monday to open up a disconcerting five-point gap.

Despite the weekend's results, Sir Alex, speaking at the launch of United's forthcoming pre-season tournament in South Africa, says it's all to play for.

"It was an important weekend for Arsenal in that ourselves and Chelsea dropped points," he told Sky Sports. "But points will be dropped by the top teams. There is a long way to go and it makes it interesting now. It's going to be a really good, tight finish.

"The neutrals will all be enthralled by it. We know the job we've got to do. Arsenal still have to come to Old Trafford and go to Chelsea. I think it will go to the wire."

TeamPGDPTS1 Arsenal26+36632 Man Utd26+36583 Chelsea26+21554 Everton26+18475 Liverpool25+23446 Aston Villa26+14447 Man City26+5448 Portsmouth26+10419 Blackburn26-13910 West Ham25+737

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12/02/2008 14:44, Report by Adam Bostock

South Africa fixtures confirmed

United will play in Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane when the Vodacom Challenge tournament is held in South Africa this summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson was in Johannesburg on Tuesday to announce the fixtures. The Reds kick off the tournament by taking on the Chiefs in Cape Town's Newlands stadium on Saturday 19 July, before playing the Pirates at the Absa stadium in Durban three days later.
On Thursday 24 July, the EPRU stadium in Port Elizabeth stage the 'Soweto Derby' between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs with the winners meeting United again in the final.
The showpiece final is expected to be played in front of a sell-out crowd at the Loftus stadium in Tshwane on Saturday 26 July.
Brand de Villiers, CEO of Vodacom Challenge organisers SAIL Group said:  "The tournament has gained a huge following and it is a privilege to have Manchester United back for a second time, competing against Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. I’d like to personally wish all three teams the best of luck."

United took part in the 2006 Vodacom Challenge, beating Orlando Pirates 4-1 and Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 before losing the final to the Chiefs 4-3 on penalties after the match ended 0-0.

Tickets for the 2008 Vodacom Challenge will be on sale in South Africa from mid-May. Tour packages will soon be available from MU Travel.

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08/02/2008 11:19, Report by Nick Coppack

Fletch: I'm still improving

Scotland international Darren Fletcher insists he’s getting better all the time, despite a recent shortage of first-team football.

The arrival of midfielders Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani last summer undoubtedly strengthened the Reds' squad. But it's also seen 24-year-old Fletcher restricted to just two league starts this season.

“That’s what you expect when you’re at United,” Fletcher told Manchester United Radio. “We’ve always had strong squads over the years. Right now I find myself on the outside looking in, but I’m working hard and keeping myself fit.

“I’m always ready for when the manager needs me and I have to be because the games are going to start coming thick and fast. To be honest though, with the quality of players we have at United, training is almost as good as playing in matches.”

It’s certainly hard to imagine a better education than playing alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. But for all the squad’s talent, Fletcher says there’s still nobody like Paul Scholes.

“What a reception he got when he came back against Spurs,” he said. “And rightly so! The whole stadium errupted in appreciation of a world-class footballer.

“Sometimes I don’t think Paul gets the recognition he deserves, but he’s definitely one of the best midfielders in the world - he has been for the last 10 or 12 years.

“He’s a pleasure to play with… and a nightmare to play against in training! But you always want to test yourself against the best and every day I go up against one of the best players in the world. I'm lucky in that respect.”

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08/02/2008 17:00, Report by Nick Judd

Reds land awards double

On the eve of the Manchester derby, Sir Alex Ferguson scooped his 20th Barclays Manager of the Month award, while Cristiano Ronaldo was recognised as the league's star man for January.

The Reds made a flying start to 2008, registering four league wins and two cup victories in January. Along the way, Sir Alex's men scored 16 goals and conceded just one.

Key to the United's success was Cristiano Ronaldo, who continued his remarkable scoring run. A goal against Aston Villa in the FA Cup preceded his first hat-trick in English football against Newcastle United. The 23-year-old then scored his 11th goal in seven games when his late strike saw off a plucky Reading effort at the Madejski Stadium, before his double against Pompey had everyone gushing.

“No goalkeeper in the world could have saved it,” beamed Sir Alex after the Portuguese winger's dipping, swerving free-kick. David James didn’t even try. In fact, he could only shrug his shoulders at Ronaldo’s near-baffling brilliance.

Ronaldo’s rich vein of form has taken his Barclays Premier League tally to 19 for the season and sees him leading the race for the Golden Boot award. The Barclays Player of the Month honour is just the latest recognition of his talent, and the third time he's picked up the award (he also landed trophies in November and December 2006).

Sir Alex last won the Manager of the Month accolade in February 2007.

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13/02/2008 11:41, Report by Ben Hibbs

Rooney ready to lift Reds

Wayne Rooney will be back for the Reds this weekend against Arsenal in the FA Cup, and John O’Shea says the Reds forward is capable of giving United an injection of confidence.

The effect that Rooney’s suspension-enforced absence had on the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City was palpable. However, O’Shea refuses to use the lack of Rooney’s presence as an excuse for failing to make more of a fight of Sunday’s derby.

“Wayne can lift players around him,” he told MUTV. “He is infectious with his work rate. He gets the crowd buzzing.

“But we were missing other players as well. The team we had out was good enough to win that game. You can always say we’re missing this player, or that player. But we had the squad to cope. We’ve got so many talented players that you hoped one player would conjure something. It just didn’t happen at all for us.”

Whilst not wanting to gloss of one of the most disappointing results of the 2007/08 calendar, O’Shea insists the squad cannot afford to wallow in pity.

“We’re all just waiting for the next game to come around,” he added. “We’re still in a great position in three competitions. We can’t just forget a disappointing result, especially against our city rivals, but we do have a lot to be positive about. We’ve got to make sure we bounce back straight away and go on a long winning run.”

With Rooney back in the team, that seems a more achievable goal. But Sir Alex Ferguson would be keen to point out that United didn’t get to this position operating as a one-player team. And against an in-form Arsenal team at the weekend, the responsibility cannot fall solely on Rooney's shoulders.

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13/02/2008 10:26, Report by Ben Hibbs

Rio: We're still hurting

Rio Ferdinand admits United's players have been hurting this week after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, and says the only way to get it out of their system is to beat Arsenal on Saturday.

The most disappointing aspect of the defeat for the 29-year-old was the Reds' failure to show any of the characteristics that have placed United among three title challengers this season.

"We didn't do any of the things that have taken us into a good position in the league and made us a threatening, compact team," Rio told MUTV.

"It was a very bad weekend. We've all been thinking about the reasons why it happened and how we want to pull ourselves together and get the result out of our minds."

With Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday and Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League last 16 first leg the following Wednesday, Sir Alex Ferguson's men have little choice but to lift themselves.

Ferdinand says the healing process has already begun, but would be significantly aided by knocking Arsenal out of the cup at Old Trafford this weekend. "The best thing you can do is to come into training and just get focused on winning the next game, and that's what we're doing."

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13/02/2008 11:02, Report by Adam Bostock

Scholes stays on his toes

Paul Scholes will be hoping to build - and improve - on his first full match since early October when United face Arsenal this weekend.

His 90 minutes against Manchester City may not have yielded the right result for the Reds, but for Scholes it was another important step as he returns to the peak of his powers. Now he'll be hoping for another start, by seeing off his many rivals for a midfield berth.

Scholes told MUTV: "There are so many options in there now - Michael, Owen, Anderson, Fletcher, O’Shea and Giggsy.

"I think that has to be good for your game. You go into matches knowing that if you don’t play well, there’s always somebody waiting to take your place. We all have to keep our performance level up to get picked for the next game."

The range of midfield personnel at Sir Alex Ferguson's disposal is impressive - as Scholes says, "If we do lose one or two players, it doesn’t make any difference." But he couldn't separate the current crop from any previous set of midfield masters he's been part of.
“It's hard to say (whether this is our best midfield). I think we’ve always had competition, like when Nicky (Butt), Roy (Keane) and (Juan Sebastian) Veron were all here. They were all top midfielders and it was hard to get into the team. I think it’s the same now.

"Any two from six could play and you’d still have the same outcome."

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Papers: Ready for battle
13/02/2008 10:23

Fight to the last
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson picked up the gauntlet of Arsenal's title challenge last night and declared: 'We'll fight you to the finish.' Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Blackburn on Monday and United's derby defeat by Manchester City on Sunday left the Barclays Premier League champions five points behind Arsene Wenger's men with 12 games left, while Chelsea are just three points behind the Old Trafford side. Ferguson said: "It's something the neutrals will all be enthralled by. We know the job we've got to do. Arsenal still have to come to Old Trafford and they have got to go to Chelsea. It was an important weekend for Arsenal in that ourselves and Chelsea dropped points, but points will be dropped by the top teams. There is a long way to go and it makes it interesting now. It's going to be a really good, tight finish. It's like I said at the start of the season. I think it will go to the wire."
Matt Barlow, Daily Mail

Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson believes United will still win the title, despite Arsenal's five-point advantage.

In other news, John Obi Mikel cried the day he joined Chelsea because he wanted to play for United, according to reports in the Daily Mirror. Morgan Andersen, director of Norwegian club Lyn, made the revelation during a court hearing. He is accused of forging Mikel's contract to show they had the rights to sell him to United before his agent took him to Chelsea.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

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15/02/2008 13:52, Report by Ben Hibbs

City defeat made deep impact

The repercussions of last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City could be measured by the unusual hush on United’s Carrington training pitches this week.

But Sir Alex Ferguson, who admits it is an uphill struggle for the Reds to retain the Premier League title this season, believes his players are capable of turning around a five-point deficit.

This week United face matches that will significantly shape the Reds’ opportunities of silverware in two other competitions. Sir Alex’s men face Lyon in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, but first face Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Saturday.

And there is only one way to draw a line under “the worst performance you could expect of Manchester United”, which the United boss seemed genuinely mystified by.

“It’s been a quiet training field this week,” he told reporters on Friday. “There has been a deep impact on the team. I think they really felt it.

“The only thing I can offer is that the emotion of the occasion perhaps got to the players,” he said. “The minute’s silence was very moving, it certainly got to me. It was certainly one of the worst performances you can expect from Manchester United. But we have to put that behind us. It’s a test for us now, just as it was for the club back in 1958.

“They are genuine players, and they have a desire to do better. It’s an uphill fight to win the league, but it’s certainly not beyond them. Points will be dropped and won. We have to ensure we don’t drop many. That’s the challenge for us.”

The winner of Saturday’s FA Cup clash may claim some kind of psychological advantage in the title race, but there is a more
immediate benefit to victory – getting back to winning ways. Both sides may rest players, but that won’t temper the feistiness that is such a prominent ingredient in any United-Arsenal fixture.

“Fasten your seatbelts,” added Sir Alex with a wry smile. “It will be a typical United-Arsenal game, full of great commitment, with competitive football, but good play as well. Both teams play good football.

“Over the 20-odd years I’ve been here, Manchester United and Arsenal have been competing for trophies most of the time. For me personally, it’s been a challenge against George Graham and now with Arsene Wenger.

“These two clubs are run the right way and here for the long-run when you look at the structure of both clubs. You know that in five or six years time there won’t be many fundamental changes, given the ages and composition of both sets of players.”

Expect yet another thrilling chapter in the catalogue of fiercely-contested matches between the two clubs. Sir Alex will hope his 100th FA Cup tie for United ends with another victory.

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15/02/2008 12:25, Report by Gemma Thompson & Ben Hibbs

Saha set to return

Louis Saha is available for United's FA Cup fifth round clash with Arsenal after coming through a week's training unscathed.

The 29-year-old striker hasn't featured for the Reds since their third round victory over Aston Villa last month after picking up a knee injury in training.

He has started just eight games this season, but is finally ready to make his return to action against the Gunners.

"Louis has trained all week and should be involved," revealed Sir Alex Ferguson at his pre-match press conference. “We have strong squad for Saturday, probably the strongest for a while."

With United and Arsenal due to resume their Champions League campaigns next week - the Reds travel to Lyon, while Arsene Wenger's men host AC Milan - Sir Alex expects both sides to make changes.

“I don’t think either side will play the team that everyone expects," he said. "We’ll make a couple of changes.

"My view is that with massive games like Arsenal and then Lyon on Wednesday, you have to give a lot of consideration to how you balance out your teams. Hopefully I get it right.”

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15/02/2008 14:10, Report by Nick Judd

Getting down to business

With United involved in three competitions in the coming week, midfielder Michael Carrick believes the serious action starts now with Saturday's FA Cup clash against Arsenal being first on the agenda.

United entertain the Gunners at Old Trafford, before heading off to Lyon’s Stade Gerland for the first leg of their last 16 Champions League clash on Wednesday.

After that it’s back to the bread and butter of Premier League football and a must-win game against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle at St. James' Park. A draw at White Hart Lane and last weekend’s defeat to City have seen United drop five points behind league leaders Arsenal.

However, when the two sides meet on Saturday tea-time in the Cup Carrick says league form will go out of the window.

“It’s just another easy cup tie for us!” he joked, before admitting to ManUtd.com that whatever happens, the result will have no impact on what might happen in the title race, “It’s a one-off. Cups games are.

"Form doesn’t come into cup games, the league form doesn’t mean anything, nor will a win for us mean anything in terms of the encounter later on in the season.”

Many are predicting the league game against Arsenal on 12 April will have a major bearing on the destination of the title, but Carrick insists there is a lot of work to be done before United can even think about beating the Gunners and possibly retaining the title.

“Every week from now until the end of the season is going to be big, that’s just the way it is,” he admitted. “Every game means so much  - the margins between winning and losing are getting smaller, the impact bigger. Hopefully it’ll
work out.”

Carrick will also be hoping to start after coming off the bench against City last week. The 26-year-old has started both FA Cup games already this season and admits it’s hard watching from the sidelines.

“It is always difficult coming off the bench. It depends. I think certain players are more suited to it. Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] scored a lot of goals coming off the bench," he reasoned.

“For a midfielder you’re in the middle of the action, defending and attacking, and you have to pick up the pace of the game pretty quick. It’s hard. So hopefully I'll be involved from the start against Arsenal.”

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14/02/2008 21:21, Report by Steve Bartram

Rodrigo catches the eye

United's new Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Possebon turned in an impressive display on his first start for the Reserves on Thursday evening.

Although United were beaten by Blackburn at Northwich, the 19-year-old's outstanding contribution was not lost on Reds legend Paddy Crerand.

"I’m looking forward to seeing an awful lot more of this boy," Paddy told MUTV. "He was fantastic tonight.

"He can use both feet, he’s very calm on the ball and his passing is very, very good. He’s a big lad too, so he’s strong and can hold off players."

While the Brazilian's technical skills were there for all to see, it was his awareness of the play around him which augurs particularly well in Crerand's eyes.
"Players like Paul Scholes are always looking around and know exactly where they want to play the ball before it even comes to them," he said. "This kid looks as if he could be that kind of player."

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14/02/2008 21:34, Report by Steve Bartram and Nick Coppack

Owen gunning for Arsenal

Owen Hargreaves insists United will be fully focused on returning to winning ways against Arsenal this weekend, despite next week's Champions League resumption.

The Reds host the Gunners on Saturday before flying to France for the first leg of the second round tie with Ligue 1 champions Lyon but, after last weekend's shock Manchester derby defeat, Hargreaves is preaching short-sightedness as the way forward.

"It’s a big game for us and we need to win," he told MU Radio. "We’ll put all our energy into that and then we’ll prepare for the game against Lyon. We won’t have one eye on Europe – certainly not. All the attention is on the Arsenal game right now.

"Losing last weekend was especially disappointing considering it was a derby game and it had the Munich connection. But we have to move on and put it past us.

"The good thing about this part of the season is that every three days you have a new game. It’s probably one of the only jobs in the world where you get a new exam every few days. We now have a good opportunity to play Arsenal and I expect us to win."

Arsene Wenger's side travel to Old Trafford on the crest of a wave: five points clear of United in the Premier League and on the back of four straight wins.

While Hargreaves is respectful of the Gunners' obvious qualities, he is confident that the Reds have the wherewithal to overcome the visitors' dangers on Saturday - having come within seconds of beating them at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season.

"We could have won that game at the Emirates and probably should have," he admitted. "They were fortunate to get that second goal and I think they knew
that.

"You could tell by the way they celebrated at the final whistle. We took a lot of positives from that game. On Saturday we’re going to get on the front foot and look to get at them and cause them some problems.

"We know how Arsenal play football and we don’t mind letting them have possession away from our goal. That’s fine. But as soon as they get into the danger areas that’s where we have to defend well. I think we can be very confident going into this match."

While the playmaking of Cesc Fabregas and Aleksandr Hleb have won countless plaudits in the Gunners' impressive season, it is Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor who strikes Hargreaves as the visitors' main threat.

"I was impressed with Adebayor when I played against him earlier this season," he said. "The first game in London, he played up front on his own against Rio and Vida, which is quite a task, with me just in front. I was really impressed with his work ethic and his unselfishness. He did a lot of work, was very strong and held the ball up really well. I think he’s been their most important player this season.

"Arsenal don’t really play two out and out strikers. I don’t think they’ve done that all season. They have people dropping off and making runs in behind.

"I remember the boss saying they do that extremely well, probably the best team in England to do that. They move it about, play quick passing football and make runs off the ball. I think they’ll play Adebayor up front on his own with everyone else running in behind."

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15/02/2008 10:51, Report by Steve Bartram

Gunners hit by injuries

Although Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure are back from the Africa Cup of Nations, Arsenal could have 10 first team squad members missing for Saturday's FA Cup clash with United.

Robin van Persie, Manuel Almunia, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby, Denilson and Johan Djourou should miss out, while four more players have been added to the list of likely absentees this week.

"We have some problems," Arsene Wenger told the official Arsenal website. "Clichy might be out. He has a knee problem and a tight hamstring.
"We have Sagna out for personal reasons unfortunately. Philippe Senderos has not practiced all week because of a thigh and a knee problem. Theo Walcott will be short for Saturday and I wanted to play him."
Despite a crippling injury list and next week's Champions League duel with AC Milan, Wenger insists he will still field a side strong enough to advance at United's expense.
"It will be as strong as possible so we have a good chance to win the game without putting the rest of the season into jeopardy by risking injuries," he said. "But I will have a busy night thinking about what I'll do."

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18/02/2008 13:30, Report by Nick Coppack

Sir Alex relishes Pompey tie

Sir Alex Ferguson was unsurprised that United were drawn against Premier League opposition in the FA Cup sixth round, but he is pleased the tie against Portsmouth is at Old Trafford.

The match against Harry Redknapp's men will be played on either Saturday 8 March or Sunday 9 March, with the winner booking a semi-final date at Wembley.

United's incredible run of all-Premier League ties stretches to eleven with the visit of Pompey, but Sir Alex says the cup atmosphere at Old Trafford makes it a match to relish.

"It's a home draw, so it doesn't matter who you get. But it's typical that we have another Premier League team!" Sir Alex told ManUtd.com.

"The good thing about the FA Cup, though, is that the opposition bring an increased number of supporters, which makes for a great atmosphere.

"We've had two great home ties against Spurs and Arsenal in the previous rounds, and hopefully we'll have another one against Portsmouth."

The last time the two sides met in the FA Cup – back in last season's fourth round – United ran out 2-1 winners.

Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers will play West Bromwich Albion and Barnsley host Chelsea. The winner of Middlesbrough and Sheffield United's fifth round replay will meet Cardiff City at home.