future king

Coming to the Christmas game, the fans finally ushered in the return of the Red Devil King!After beating Bolton 5-0 in an away game at the beginning of the season, Manchester United finally swept Fulham at home with the same score at Craven Farm, making a good start for the arrival of the "Christmas Battle".

The good news is that Manchester United has so far achieved an unbeaten record of 7 wins and 2 draws in away games in the Premier League this season. Recently, they have achieved 5 consecutive away games with perfect performance-scoring 10 goals and not conceding a goal !Don't forget that Manchester United, who was the league champion in the 10-11 season, only won 5 away games last season.It seems that after being out of the UEFA Champions League early, the Manchester United people can be described as "knowing the shame and then being brave", and they have proved with practical actions that they are still the most powerful contender for the league title.

After losing 1-2 away to Basel in Switzerland, a huge sense of crisis enveloped Old Trafford and lingered for a long time.

Under such circumstances, it is not easy for Manchester United to beat their opponents with such big scores of 4-1, 2-0 and 5-0 in the last three games.You know, before that, Manchester United scored 3 goals in a single game, and it was done in an away game against the English second underdog Aldershot two months ago.The timely return of attack power in the midfield led by Li Yu, Nani, Valencia and others also provided sufficient confidence for the team's future journey.

Manchester United, who scored three goals in one breath in the first half of the game, has not made fans feel so "reliable" for a long time.

It is worth noting that Fulham ended up drawing with the league leaders after falling behind Manchester City by two goals at home.And Manchester United has scored three goals in the first 4 minutes 45 times in the league this season, which is the most in the entire Premier League. Their opponents are Bolton, Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham in this field.

As a guest at Craven Farm in this campaign, Manchester United demonstrated extremely strong dominance, which attracted praise from the British media.A British reporter said on Twitter after the game: "This is like a training game for Manchester United."

Former Arsenal legend Martin Keown also expressed his opinion as a commentator for bb: "Fulham law is blocking Manchester United. Most home fans are probably thinking about going home, or doing some Christmas shopping in advance. up.

It was a great night for Manchester United to get a few more goals to catch City. "The Manchester United teenager Cleverley, who was injured, also tweeted immediately after the end of the first half: "Everyone dedicated a great first half, but Dempsey's foul on Phil Jones was disappointing. "[

Some data before the game proves that the team is on the right track.

Just last season, United were unbeaten in their first 16 rounds of the league until February.Judging from the record points in the same period, Manchester United's performance this season is even better-2 points in 16 rounds, 39 points more than last season, 5 victories, and one more goal.Before this campaign, 3% of Manchester United's goals occurred in the second half, which is the largest proportion among the top teams.

Scored three goals in the first half of the game, and announced to the world: Manchester United in the first 45 minutes was equally terrifying!The teenager Smalling has issued a counterattack declaration: "Manchester City may feel comfortable at the top of the standings, but if we can regain the top position in the next few weeks, it will be difficult to be knocked down, because we will follow. We got stronger as the season progressed."

Smalling's burst of confidence is by no means unfounded. Historical data will tell people very clearly that Manchester United is a team that is good at making efforts in the second half of the league, especially around Christmas - even if other teams can Occupy the top of the standings when Christmas comes, but the final league title is likely to still fall into the hands of Manchester United.

Since the 92-93 season of the Premier League, Manchester United has won 19 championship trophies in 12 years of competition.In 12 of these 8 championship seasons, Manchester United finally achieved a reversal when other teams won the "Christmas Championship".

On the other hand, judging from the following schedule, Manchester United is also very likely to overtake Manchester City and return to the top of the standings before the arrival of the "FA Cup Derby": home games against Wigan Athletic, Blackburn, and away games against Newcastle are Manchester United The last three games, during which Manchester City will play away against West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, and then return to home against the "hard bone" Liverpool.

Therefore, for Manchester United, the next three league games are very important, and the results will determine whether the team can occupy the "double advantage" in points and psychology before encountering their rivals in the same city.I believe that with Manchester United's recent continuous recovery, nothing is impossible.

Judging from past experience, Manchester United's ability to fight at home is far better than playing away. It is very important to regain their home fighting ability as soon as possible.Now that Manchester United has broken through the most difficult "household paper" of becoming an "away game dragon", the Red Devils' strong away game capabilities this season seem to have made Manchester City feel threatened, even in terms of ticket sales. .

In the face of the upcoming FA Cup focus match, the game has not yet started, and the "Manchester City duo" is already fighting off the field: in the upcoming FA Cup, 7000 tickets were originally planned to be sold to away Manchester United fans , In the end there were only 5700 pieces, much less than scheduled.It is said that this is because Manchester City believes that security issues will face a severe test.The voice from Manchester United is quite dissatisfied with Manchester City's approach: "We have informed the FA of this matter, and this is just a little thing we can do."

On the field, compared to Manchester City after 3-0, killing time by taking a leisurely step, Manchester United continued to strengthen their offense when they were leading by 3 goals, which shows the urgency to get a goal difference.I believe that such a positive and excited attitude will further promote the team to catch up with the rivals in the standings and get the long-lost top position.The final ownership of the championship and runner-up is likely to be the same as the 100-meter dash, with a gap of only a few millimeters.

A hearty victory put Manchester United back on track, won 4 consecutive league victories, continued to catch up with the leader Manchester City, and is still in a relatively favorable position in the standings when the "Christmas Battle" comes.

For this game, Manchester United coach Ancelotti was very satisfied with the performance of the players after the game, and revealed some information about the team's injuries.

Anshuai said: "Objectively speaking, our performance in the first half was very good, just like what we have shown throughout the season. Maybe you would think that the third goal can win Fulham and kill the game, but They were very aggressive in the second half. They changed their style of play, but on the contrary, we are not afraid of the opponent's threat. We already have some injured players. Phil Jones got Temple on the jaw. West's elbow, but I don't think it was an intentional foul. We will have an x-ray for Jones tomorrow. It doesn't look good." "The Sun" and "Daily Mail" stated that Phil -Jones is likely to suffer a fractured cheekbone and could be out for as many as six weeks.

Phil Jones wasn't the only Manchester United player injured in the campaign.Ashley Young, who came on as Jones' substitute in the 20th minute, limped off the pitch after a second-half tackle.Ancelotti said: "Fulham played very aggressively, and Mata paid the price. He will be absent for 2 to 3 weeks." The new aid suffered an unpleasant injury for the second time this season.If absent for three weeks, Mata will only play away to Manchester City on January 1 in the third round of the FA Cup.

On the other hand, defender Rio Ferdinand may continue to miss the next game with Wigan Athletic.Ancelotti said: "Leo injured his foot against Queens Park Rangers last Sunday. I think he should be able to play against Blackburn on New Year's Eve, not against Wigan Athletic." [

Manchester United's injury situation worsened after losing two players again in this game, including Phil Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio, Anderson, Mata, Fletcher, Cleverley and Owen Players, including others, have been injured to varying degrees and still need treatment and observation in the near future.

After being elbowed off by Dempsey, the British media worried that Phil Jones would be absent for 5 or 6 weeks, but now it seems that this worry is unnecessary. "Daily Mail" said that Phil Jones is more optimistic about his injury and may even return to Wigan on Boxing Day (December 12).

It is reported that Phil Jones is not training with the team now, but is observing alone in Manchester United's rehabilitation center.

Phil Jones has gone to the hospital for an x-ray examination, the results of which will be announced by Ferguson at his weekly news conference, but from the current point of view, there will be no problem.

"The Sun" stated that Phil Jones was only a facial soft tissue contusion, not a previously expected cheekbone fracture.If he returns against Wigan, there's a good chance he'll don a mask and turn into a Masked Man on Boxing Day.As for Ashley Young, who was also injured in the game against Fulham, it seems that he is not so lucky. His injury is initially estimated to take two weeks to recover.

Cleverley needs to recover from his injury, but Manchester United does not seem to worry about the problem of the central midfielder, because Giggs once again showed his dancing steps.

"Manchester Evening News" said Giggs was very happy after the goal, and he thought Manchester United was on the right track.Giggs said: "It's been a good few weeks. Look at our game against Fulham, it's completely in our rhythm, and it's similar to the game against Queens Park Rangers. At Craven Stadium, we Back to the top." Giggs pointed out that Manchester United's current midfield is very good: "I and Carrick are in the midfield, and the forward progress is very bright. Obviously, the defense is also very good."

Li Yu, who scored a ground-breaking goal against Fulham, also praised the team's away performance this season.Li Yu said: "This is really an amazing change. We only lost 2 points at home last season, but we have lost 5 points this season, but our away record has improved." Proud: "This is a great victory. We played well. We seized the opportunity and I am very happy that I scored a goal." He believes that Manchester United today is already waiting for Manchester City to make mistakes: "We must Keep going and follow City, if they slip up we'll pounce on them."

After Van der Sar retired, many people worried that Manchester United would cause a big decline due to the position of the goalkeeper. However, the former coach Ferguson not only filled the vacancy after Van der Sar left, but even made a big difference in the future. Goalkeepers worry about the next 15 years.However, when there are two top configurations in the same position, it will make people feel "Sheng Yu, He Shengliang".

Known as "the most talented young goalkeeper in Europe", De Gea quickly adapted to Manchester United after joining from Atletico Madrid this summer, and has performed well.

And another Danish national goalkeeper Lindegaard, who came to Manchester United by name, also had a satisfactory answer in the limited playing time. This season, he played 6 times on behalf of Manchester United and only conceded 1 goal.

However, in the eyes of coach Ancelotti, having two top goalkeepers is not an annoyance: "It's not a problem because I think Lindegaard has more experience and I think he can be used at the right time. , for De Gea, we will do the same." Ancelotti believes that De Gea and Lindegaard have their own strengths: "De Gea is only 20 years old, he will become a dream goalkeeper, it is absolutely true. Doubtful, having Lindegaard as a substitute can rest him at the right time. Lindegaard is also a good goalkeeper, he has more experience."

Although Anshuai has some "preferences" for De Gea, the Danish Lindegaard is not jealous: "We have two world-class players in each position, and the head coach is not afraid to use the entire lineup." In 5- After a 0-5 victory over Fulham, Lindegaard has kept 5 games this season without conceding a goal. Lindegaard said: "I have not conceded a goal in 10 games. This is a very beautiful statistic. Satisfied with that. We played some good games, we didn't concede too many goals. I said before that no one remembers any saves before [-] games, they only remember the stats."

Lindegaard is confident about how United will go this season: "After the loss to Manchester City, we did well. We were unlucky to go out in the Champions League and we only have ourselves to blame, but other than that, we performed well. Especially in the near future." Lindegaard believes that his team will definitely be able to put enough pressure on Manchester City: "I think Manchester City is already under pressure. I know Manchester United have a tradition of performing better in the winter, so this will It is a critical period to determine the ownership of the championship."

It is worth noting that in this game, Manchester United's performance on the offensive end goes without saying, but on the defensive end, the team's performance is equally good. This is the fifth consecutive time that they have kept a clean sheet away from their opponents in the league.Danish goalkeeper Lindegaard accidentally rotated De Gea before the game. His performance did not disappoint Ancelotti. Facing Fulham's fierce offensive in the second half, Lindegaard made high and low blocks to protect the city The goal is not lost, helping the team welcome Christmas with a perfect victory.

This game is Lindegaard's fourth appearance in the league on behalf of Manchester United this season. Before the game, captain Evra shook hands with Lindegaard behind him in the player channel to cheer him up.

In the first half, Fulham was very abnormal. They did not pose any threat to Lindegaard in the attack. They ushered in the first shot in half-time stoppage time, but Andrew Johnson's low shot in the penalty area was blocked by Lindegaard. Easy to get.Andrew Johnson probably didn't expect that the Manchester United substitute goalkeeper would become his nightmare in this game.

In the second half, the lagging Fulham launched a frenzied counterattack. Manchester United's penalty area was once in danger, and they could only rely on sporadic counterattacks to launch the offensive.In the 56th minute, Brian Ruiz took a corner kick. Dempsey's header was confiscated by Lindegaard in front of the goal line. He patted Lindegaard to express his encouragement.

In the 79th minute, Dempsey made a wonderful pass from the right side of the penalty area to Andrew Johnson. The latter shot vigorously in the penalty area. Lindegaard saved the ball from the crossbar with his fingertips; in the 82nd minute, Andrew Johnson found an empty space in front of the penalty area. Johnson, the latter faced Lindegard one-on-one and chose a low shot. The Danish goalkeeper reacted very quickly and pressed the ball firmly under him with a side throw. Crowd his fists to cheer for his performance.

In the 88th minute, the unbelieving Andrew Johnson tried a strong long-range shot from outside the penalty area, but Lindegaard fell to the ground and saved the ball; in the 89th minute, Zamora's possession caused chaos in the Manchester United penalty area. Frau made a mistake in a clearance, and Andrew Johnson got another chance to talk directly with Lindegard. Perhaps affected by the aura shown by Lindegarde's previous saves, Andrew Johnson's shot went wide of the post. In the end, Fulham failed to score a face-saving goal.

Perhaps this night is not destined to belong to the unlucky Andrew Johnson, but to Manchester United's lucky star Lindegaard. In the post-match scoring session of "Sky Sports", Lindegaard also scored 7 points.

Although the outside world defines the Dane as De Gea's substitute, although Schmeichel looks down on this little brother, as long as he is given a chance to play, he will definitely be able to contribute to a stable performance and at the same time bring good luck to Manchester United .Lindegaard played 4 league games and 2 Champions League games on behalf of Manchester United this season. Manchester United maintained an unbeaten record of 5 wins and 1 tie. More importantly, in these 6 games, the opponents shot 78 times in total. 19 times, Lindegaard only conceded a goal in the Champions League group stage against Benfica.

This is nothing short of a miracle!Of course, you can attribute this miraculous statistic to luck or the lack of strength of the opponent, but anyone who has watched the game knows that Lindegaard played very well in these games, with almost no mistakes, and many times Contributing to world-class saves, his performance was enough to reassure Ancelotti and Manchester United fans.

When commenting on the game, bb football consultant and former Arsenal star Martin Keown specifically praised Lindegaard, and believed that Lindegaard had the strength to compete with De Gea for the main goalkeeper position of Manchester United. Keown Said: "Manchester United seems to be not very sure which is the No. 1 goalkeeper between De Gea and Lindegaard. Both of them performed very well, but I don't think they have enough dominance. In the coming season, Manchester United will continue to rotate in the goalkeeper position."

Although Lindegaard's worth and reputation are not as good as De Gea, he is obviously underestimated, and his strength is not inferior to the Spanish goalkeeper.

The existence of Lindegaard is also a good healthy competition for De Gea. Both of them can learn from each other and grow together in this kind of confrontation. This is what Ferguson, who is good at cultivating young people, would like to see.Lindegaard's outstanding performance also made the former "Van der Sar's successor" Kuzzak desperate. The Polish national team is likely to move to Olympiakos in Greece after the winter transfer opens.

But Kuzzak's departure has little impact on the team. Lindegaard's performance is worthy of the position of the second goalkeeper, and can even launch an impact on the main force. The low-key and calmness of the Danish goalkeeper makes people pay more attention to him. expectations.Van der Sar's retirement has caused many fans to worry about Manchester United's goalkeeper position, but it is believed that De Gea and Lindegard, who have grown up gradually, can really take over Van der Sar's gloves with convincing performances one day. Become Manchester United's new generation goalkeeper!