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MIDDLESBROUGH v MANCHESTER UNITED TACTICS TALK 9-3-07
Stuart Ward
The FA Cup has reached the quarter-final stages and this round sees Middlesbrough entertain Manchester United at Fortress Riverside.
Key Players
Wayne Rooney - Rooney hasn't been in top goal scoring form this season, but he still isn't doing badly for himself.
He will be the creative force for United this match and Boro will have to make sure someone is up for doing a number on him. I am thinking Pogatetz personally.
If he is given time and space he will destroy defences but if he is hassled and harried he will get narked and lose his cool.
Kicking it is then!
Christiano Ronaldo - BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Just getting the practice in.
He is another one who will rip us to pieces if he is given the space. And if we don't then he will just dive and cheat! Wonderful!
He has been scoring a lot of goals this season, mainly because fullbacks give him the room to use his explosive pace. If Xavier lets him do that then all hell will break loose as Big Abel is about as mobile as a daft looking Portuguese tractor.
Edwin Van Der Sar - The Big Dutchman is going to be a key player as he is obviously the guy who stands between Yak, Vids and the goal.
He is a world-class shot-stopper, even at the age of 93. He is however prone to the odd blunder, and if we can put some pressure on, hopefully he will drop a clanger.
He is a fantastic keeper though and if he has a good day, it will be very difficult, even for our two superstars.
The Manager
"Sir" Alex Fergusson - I hate the fact that he got knighted, I really do.
The red faced whinger seems to have got his team fired up like he used to when United dominated.
He is however, showing signs of old age. His pre and post match ramblings are sounding more and more random by the day and his goal celebrations are looking increasingly camp due to the fact that he is scared of breaking his hip if he jumps around too much.
Possible Lineup
Van Der Sar
Neville Ferdinand Vidic Heinze
Ronaldo Scholes Carrick Giggs
Rooney Larsson
United are suffering from a mini injury crisis at the minute, worsened by Silvestre's dislocated shoulder midweek.
The United defence doesn't look as solid as it did during the glory days.
In the match at La Riv earlier in the season, a rampant Yakubu bullied Ferdinand from pillar to post, and Boro fans must be hoping to see more of the same in the quarter-final.
Vidic is a big strong footballer, but isn't the best really. He will look to physically dominate the Boro forwards, something not easily done. If we can get the big man turned back towards his own goal chasing one of our quicker lads down then he might well be in trouble.
At full backs, our wingers will have a tough time of things.
Downing will come up against Neville, who some claim to be the best right back in world football. I am not sure I would go that far, but he is a damn good player. Stewy will have to look to get the ball in early, as beating him isn't going to be an option.
Midfield is where United are exceptional.
Ronaldo is pushing towards being the world's best player and if we allow him to run with the ball, we are in all kinds of trouble.
Giggs on the other wing is a legend. He may not quite have the pace he used to, but he is still class. Taylor will learn so much from playing against him and it will be interesting to see how he copes.
In the middle they are again hit with the suspension of Paul Scholes, possibly the most booked player of all time. This provides the opportunity for the man who doesn't actually have a position where he is any good, John O'Shea, to get a run out.
Michael Carrick will try and run the show from the middle. If we give him time on the ball he can pick his passes well, so quick closing down is a must as always against this lot.
Up top, United are so short that they have had to include Chinese kid Dong Fangzou in a senior squad for the first time.
Other than the kid, it will be Rooney and Larsson leading the line, and you can bet Henrik will be looking to score in what is his goodbye performance for the Prawn Brigade.
Rooney has proven that he is class on the ball, and if given a spare yard is capable of scoring from anywhere. He is tireless in his work as well, so Boro's defence won't get a minutes rest.
If we can get under his skin early on though, he might become distracted, as can sometimes be the case.
Now onto the Boro.
Key Players
Jonathan Woodgate - The England centre half's future is still up for debate, so he will be trying to prove himself every match between now and the end of the season.
He will need to lead the defence in what is certain to be a stern test against the attacking talents of United. He has proven himself against the best in the country so far this season and we need him to produce for us again.
Aiyegbeni Yakubu - The country's third top scorer bullied Rio Ferdinand from first to last when United came here earlier in the season, and he will look to do it again.
He has all the strength in the world and will look to drag Ferdinand all over the pitch and hopefully make a few holes for the midfield to exploit.
Mar Viduka - My Manchester supporting friend has somewhat rashly declared that Vidic will have the big Aussie in his pocket all match.
If Viduka can isolate himself against Vidic then I will be happy. The lumbering Serb will have no answer to Vids other than to foul him lots, and we are dangerous from set pieces.
Either way Vids will be vital to our chances of progressing.
The Manager
Gareth Southgate - Boro have still only lost the once in 2007 and that was against Chelsea away. He has even stopped wearing those ridiculous tanktops.
He will send Boro out to attack, and we have actually had a week between matches so there can be no tiredness excuses this time. If he sends us out to play this new brand of Boro football there won't be a problem.
Likely Lineup
Schwarzer
Xavier Woodgate Pogatetz Taylor
Cattermole Boateng Arca Downing
Viduka Yakubu
Boro will be pretty much full strength for the visit of United, with Cattermole and Arca looking to shake off knocks picked up against Newcastle. This won't be a problem, they won't want to miss an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.
Lee Cattermole will add some defensive steel on the right to help Xavier combat the threat of Giggs and Ronaldo. His hard tackling is exactly what is needed for this kind of occasion.
In the middle of the park, Boateng and Arca will be looking for a big game. Our skipper has actually looked a lot better in recent games, and he will have to be right in the face of Michael Carrick, who will sit deep and look to ping balls around.
Arca should have enough to beat O'Shea senseless in midfield. If he can pull the strings then good things usually happen for the Boro.
Downing against Neville is going to be one of the key battles of this game. Neville is one of the best around apparently, but then so is Downing at the minute.
Stewy won't look to take Neville on. He will get early balls into the box, so we need the midfield to not be afraid to get forward and support the strikers.
Up top, Yakubu and Viduka will just look to continue what they have been doing.
Viduka gets the ball into his feet and Yak moves off him and if they can continue then I think they have the beating of the United centre half pairing here. Vidic and Ferdinand are both grossly overrated by the media, and I sincerely hope Yak and Vids prove this.
At the back, the wide areas are going to be pivotal.
The fullbacks need to get right in the face of the winking cheater and not give him the room to set off on his 300mph runs. If they can do this it will be half the battle won and that would force United through the middle where Woodgate and Pogatetz have looked supreme this season.
See - beating United is easy!
How it will go
As well as my own view on the match I have recruited a Glory Boy mate, Anthony Poole to give us a United perspective on things.
Anthony Poole - I can see this being a hard game for United. It will be a cagey affair, but Christiano Ronaldo (booooooooooo) will be the man for us again. He doesn't need to play well, but he can still produce moments of magic that turn the game, like he did against Lille.
I think it will be a hard slog, but we will scrape it 2-1, Rooney and Larsson scoring in the last twenty minutes.
Stuart Ward - I can see this being a top game. There is definitely goals in both sides. Boro don't fear anyone nowadays and we have proven that we are a top cup side.
We need good games from Yak, Vids and Arca going forward and Woodgate at the back. If we get these I can see us winning a five goal thriller 3-2. Dong Gook to come on and score the winner.
Until next week, I have been Stuart Ward with a special guest appearance from Anth Poole.
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