http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Park-Ji-Sung-c29147 confident that Manchester United will stay on top of Premier League table
Pre-Man U vs. Sunderland match: Manchester United’s only Asian player, Park Ji-Sung, has no doubts that his team will be on top of the Premier League table when he comes back from international duty in February.
The winger is scheduled to play in Manchester United’s Boxing Day match against Sunderland at home, before leaving the team to captain South Korea in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Qatar-c2986 for the Asian Cup.
It may not be the best time for Park to leave the club and go on national duty as he has been in sparkling form for the club this season. He joined Manchester United in 2005 after leaving Dutch club http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 Eindhoven, and this has
been by far the best season for him since then. The South Korean has been very impressive on the wing and has even been playing as a supporting striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation for Manchester United. He has been on the scoresheet six times this season, his best
tally so far.
Park, however, does not believe that his absence will hamper the Red Devils’ performance.
"I totally believe we will still be number one when I come back," says Park. "I have no doubts we will be in the same position as we are at the moment. Playing for the national team is an honour but I am going to miss several games,
so it is quite disappointing. But Manchester United have a big enough squad to be very strong and they will do well without me."
United’s Boxing Day match against Sunderland is slated to be a very tough game indeed. Sunderland have performed very well against major teams this season, including their victory over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 last month and drawing a very tight
match against United in October.
"Sunderland have shown what they can do against the big teams," says Park. "Their victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a great result. They probably think they can do the same at Old Trafford. We need to be aware of that
and concentrate because this will not be easy."
A win on Boxing Day is very important for Manchester United for a comfortable shot at the Premier League title, because it marks the start of a very critical period in the league. The post-Christmas period tends to be very tightly
scheduled.
"Previous seasons have suggested this is quite an important period because there are so many matches in such a short space of time," he said. "There is a long time to go but four games in nine days is quite a lot. If you are not
in form, you can lose a lot of points very quickly. In order to win the league, it is very valuable to pick up as many points as possible during this period."
It is unlikely that Park will return to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 any time before the final of the Asia Cup is held in Doha on January 29. South Korea are a well-rounded team and have been tipped to make it to the finals.
Park has been balancing his club and national commitments for the past ten years or so, and is now considering retiring from international football. However, he remains tight-lipped about what his decision might be. "For now I
can't say anything,” says Park. “Maybe after the Asia Cup I will."
Update: Manchester United convincingly beat Sunderland 2-0 and have retained their place atop the Premier League table with 27 points. They are followed by Manchester City with 35 points.
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