Ferguson worried about away goal

[Lazie]

Sir Alex Ferguson says it is vital his Manchester United team do not concede an away goal to Arsenal in their Champions League semi-final first leg. United host the Gunners at Old Trafford on Wednesday in the all-English tie.
"There will be more vigilance in terms of an awareness from both teams in not losing a goal, particularly at your own ground. That will be the key," he said.
"We need to win without conceding a goal. I'd be delighted to win 1-0 and take that to the Emirates."
United came back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 5-2 in the Premier League on Saturday and Ferguson believes the win demonstrated his players are showing no signs of fatigue.
"We have got enough freshness in the team now," he added. "I think that period when we were playing quite a few of games in a short space of time has changed a little bit for us.

"Having four days' rest before games is certainly helping us. You saw the energy levels in the second half against Tottenham so there is nothing wrong with the energy.
"That augurs well for the game but Arsenal are fresh as well so it will be a real tussle."
Ferguson, who has a selection dilemma up front after the impact made by Carlos Tevez in the comeback against Spurs, does not expect a mouth-watering tie to be settled one way or the other at Old Trafford.
"It won't be decided on Wednesday," he said. "I feel sure of that. I think that there is a lot of football left at the Emirates.

Arsenal now a 'different animal'

"Looking at the tie and the players on view you almost think this is a perfect semi-final. It is full of terrific footballers and both teams play good football and it could be that way. It has an appetising look about it.
"I hope it is a really good game of football, I hope we play fantastic football and we win.
"I respect Arsenal's ability to play good football too and it could be a cracker."
United are vying to become the first team since the old-style European Cup became the Champions League to win the competition twice in succession.
"It would be great if we could be the first team to do that," said the Scot. "We are good at winning things for the first time and maybe that is a good omen for us.


"We are in the semi-final and if we put in two good performances and win then we will have the chance to do it for the first time and that is quite exciting for us."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger echoed Ferguson's comments concerning the importance of an away goal and that he is convinced his side can "deliver something special" against their rivals.
"The modern rules in Europe encourage the home team to be cautious and the away team to be audacious," he said. "That's why I believe to score an away goal will be very important for us.
"Let's not focus on any weakness of Manchester United but let's focus on our strengths and the way we want to play.


"What I want is my team to play with belief and certainty as well as a desire to score goals.
"We are on a good run and we as a team believe that we go from strength-to-strength and that is very important during this period of the season. That is why we have enough belief that we can deliver something special."
The Gunners have had a testing campaign but now seem to be finding their best form and beat Middlesbrough on Sunday to go 20 matches unbeaten in the league.
And Wenger believes the experience of a tough campaign has benefitted his side.
He added: "The team has matured a lot and is very mentally strong and very determined.
"We have gone through a bad start of the season and through a difficult period and maybe it helped the team, which is very young, to grow. This team is a different animal to last year, especially mentally."
Wenger or Arsenal have yet to win the Champions League but Wenger is convinced he can go better than the Gunners being beaten finalists in 2006.
He added: "I'm an optimist and I believe I will win it and the sooner the better."
Dane Claus Bo Larsen has been appointed by Uefa to referee the game.
Larsen is already known to United, having refereed the Uefa Super Cup final in August when he sent off Paul Scholes for two bookable offences during the 2-1 defeat by Zenit St Petersburg.
United boss Ferguson did not contest the dismissal, admitting the referee had made the correct decision.
Larsen, 43, speaks English fluently and also refereed Arsenal's 0-0 draw with AC Milan last season.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...pe/8020038.stm

[Lazie]

Quick and the Red

Phil Thompson

One thing you can be sure of when Manchester United meet Arsenal is some great football.
I'm not sure we'll get the kind of goals people are predicting, and what with it being the first leg of a Champions League semi-final you might find both sides are a little more wary than they would usually be.

But even when they are not packing a punch, all Arsenal know is silky passing football, and United were irresistible in the second half of their game against Tottenham on Saturday.
It will be interesting to see what kind of team Alex Ferguson picks, particularly high up the pitch. United are at home and the manager will be looking for a high-energy display, so it could be that he goes with Carlos Tevez ahead of Dimitar Berbatov.

It was too easy for Spurs in the first half at Old Trafford - nobody was pressing their defenders and they were able to settle comfortably.
Alex certainly will not want Arsenal getting that kind of foothold on Wednesday night, and he will have noticed the way the game changed completely when Tevez came on and started putting himself about.
Inexperience

Arsene Wenger will not be able to call on his first-choice defence, and it looks as though the left side of the four might be made up of Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou. That would leave them short of experience, and it's another reason to put them under pressure from the word go.
Gibbs has pace, but he is not as good a player as Gael Clichy - not at all. His positional sense isn't there yet and he gives the ball away a bit more than Clichy does. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo hugging that right touchline early in the game to see if he can get at the young man.
I think Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have to start, too. I'm not sure Giggs was the right choice for PFA Player of the Year - it was an emotive decision and I don't begrudge him, but on a purely professional level there were other candidates ahead of him.
But that's not to say he doesn't still have a valuable role to play in these big games, and both he and Scholes are players who move the ball forward quickly. Much as I admire Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, they don't have that same single-minded desire to pick out a telling pass, and if you're looking to make home advantage count that penetration is a must.

Vulnerable

United have their own vulnerabilities, though, even if the recent criticism of Nemanja Vidic went a bit overboard. I'd have no worries about Vidic or Rio Ferdinand ahead of a game this big, but there may be something for Arsenal to exploit in the wide areas.
You feel you have a chance with both Patrice Evra and young Rafael Da Silva, and it's a shame for the Gunners that they have neither Andrey Arshavin nor Robin van Persie available to attack down the left in the way Theo Walcott will down the right.
Arsene has the option of starting Samir Nasri there, though he has been used more centrally recently, and if the manager wants to play it a bit safe away from home he may look at someone like Abou Diaby.
Diaby's not a natural wide player, but he may be better equipped to deal with Rafael's attacking tendencies. He could do a job in the first leg, but come the return at the Emirates Arsene might need something extra there.

Respect

Whatever the personnel, I'm expecting an intriguing night because games between these two still retain an intensity, even if they have not been in direct competition for the title in recent seasons.
The relationship between the managers doesn't make the kind of headlines it once did, but you can be sure that there is the utmost respect from Arsene to Alex and Alex to Arsene. They are two proud men who will go to great lengths to stand up for their clubs and their players.
THOMMO'S CALL: I would perhaps favour Arsenal over the tie, with the second leg being at the Emirates, but I'm going for a 1-0 United win.

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