Snow is forecast at Old Trafford tonight, and after freezing at Everton at the weekend, Manchester United know that they’ll need to produce a performance to keep their green and gold scarf-wearing fans happy and warm.
Lacklustre, limp and lazy at Goodison Park on Saturday, United were overrun by a spirited, strong Everton side on that sunny Merseyside afternoon, and victories later in the day for Chelsea and Arsenal ensured that it was a pretty forgettable weekend for Sir Alex Ferguson and company. Tonight they’ve got the chance to put it right, not that it’ll be easy.
West Ham head north buoyed by two wins – not to mention two clean sheets – in their last two games, and the Hammers will be bullish about their chances of getting a good result.
Gianfranco Zola has heavily bolstered his attacking ranks in recent weeks, but it is their defence who will determine their fate tonight. The Hammers back line has had somewhat of a makeshift look about it at times this season, but the likes of youngster James Tomkins and Old Trafford academy graduate Jonathan Spector have impressed, and will need to do so again tonight. Captain Matthew Upson can be relied upon to be a calming influence at the back, and he’ll need to be.
Wayne Rooney was subdued and starved of service at Goodison Park on Saturday, but you get the feeling that he won’t allow that to happen again. Bolstered in defence by the returns of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, United will be keen to return to winning ways ahead of their Carling Cup final clash with Aston Villa at Wembley on Sunday. For the sake of their title ambitions, they dare not slip up on the icy Old Trafford surface.
Anything less than three points this evening could see Chelsea go at least six points clear of United with a win over Manchester City on Saturday, while – perhaps more relevantly – Sir Alex Ferguson will be able to see the breath of third-placed Arsenal coming up behind him once more. He’ll happily smile for cameras should United win the Carling Cup on Sunday, but all within football know that his priorities lie elsewhere.
Ferguson is a veteran of “squeaky bum time”, it was he who invented the term after all, but he’ll be feeling the pressure ahead of tonight’s game. Luckily for him, his Manchester United players and their followers – whatever colours they happen to be wearing around their necks – he’s always thrived on pressure, and will look upon this cold evening at Old Trafford tonight as a chance to reignite his club’s trophy challenge.
Frozen out by Everton at the weekend, it’s time for United to turn up the heat again.
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