Although Sir Bobby Charlton, who is the ambassador of the new Wembley Stadium, the venue for this season's Champions League final, was stranded at Manchester Airport due to blizzard weather, neither the official representatives of Manchester United were present at the UEFA Champions League in Nyon, Switzerland.
The joint draw was on site, but this did not prevent the Red Devils from drawing a good opponent.
Defensive general Ferdinand thought it was "quite good" to be drawn against Marseille. Although Manchester United has encountered French Ligue 1 teams such as Lyon and Lille in recent years, the last time they met Marseille was 10 years ago.
Ferdinand watched Marseille beat Chelsea 1-0 at home in the group stage, and Leo warned his teammates that they must give their best performance when they visit France in February.
"It's a good draw. Marseille is a good team with passionate fans and it's a difficult away game. We've played against Lyon and Lille in recent years, so we
Knowing Ligue 1 teams well, it's always difficult to play against them. It won't be a game where many goals will be scored and I don't think that will happen in the knockout stages. We have to make sure that we are in good shape on that day."
Manchester United will challenge Marseille away from home on February 23 next year; the second leg will be held on March 15, when Manchester United will face Marseille at Old Trafford.
Before and after these two key knockout matches, Manchester United will face Manchester City at home in the Premier League on February 13th; on March 5th, Manchester United will challenge Liverpool away in the Premier League. Since they have been eliminated from the League Cup,
And there is no England match between the two knockout rounds.
In other words, if they give up the FA Cup early, Manchester United will have up to 10 days to prepare for the first leg against Marseille after beating Manchester City; and after beating Liverpool away from home, the Red Devils will also have 10 days
There will be time to prepare for the second leg match with Marseille. And if the FA Cup is not abandoned, it is very likely that there will be FA Cup matches on the weekend of February 19th and 20th and the weekend of March 12th and 13th.
Now, Manchester United is in better and better shape, remaining unbeaten in the two most important competitions, the league and the Champions League. So far, Manchester United has an unbeaten record of 9 wins and 7 draws in the league this season, with one game in hand.
, ranked first in the Premier League, and became the only team among the 98 teams in the five major leagues to remain undefeated in the league this season. In the Champions League group stage, the Red Devils also advanced to the top 16 with an unbeaten record of 4 wins and 2 draws.
, there are only three teams in Europe that are undefeated in the group stage, the other two are Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Manchester United's record in the Champions League has been very stable in recent years. In the past five years, Manchester United has ranked first in the European War points, and it can be called an expert in European wars.
Sir Alex Ferguson still had two wishes before retiring. One was to make Manchester United surpass Liverpool in terms of winning more top-level league titles, thus dethroning the Red Army from the throne of England; the other was to win the fourth Champions League title during his tenure.
The first goal is very promising to be achieved this season. After all, the Red Devils are in a good situation in the league. As long as they do not lose to Chelsea in the away game this Sunday, they are very likely to win the half-time championship. The second goal is somewhat difficult to achieve this season.
It is difficult, but as long as you pass Marseille, if you are lucky and meet Roma or Shakhtar Donetsk among the eight, once you advance to the semi-finals, the possibility of winning the championship will be much greater. Of course, this
All prerequisites require Manchester United to give up the FA Cup as soon as possible, because the Manchester United team can no longer stand the tossing of such a cumbersome event as the FA Cup.
Due to heavy snow, Manchester United officially announced that Sunday's highlight game with Chelsea was postponed due to blizzards. Previously, the league games between Liverpool and Fulham, and the league games between Arsenal and Stoke City were also postponed due to blizzard weather.
Chelsea reported on its club official website, "Sunday's league match with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge has been postponed based on consultations with the police and local government. It snowed in London on Saturday."
After soliciting suggestions from relevant departments to protect the safety of fans watching the game, Liverpool also said, "The conditions at Anfield are not ideal, and the weather is also not conducive for fans from far away to come to the stadium to watch the game." Therefore, on Saturday night,
The game will not be able to proceed as scheduled.
Arsenal's official website also announced that due to the heavy snowfall in North London, the Emirates Stadium is severely snow-covered. Currently, the heavy snow has caused about 3 inches of snow on the ground, and the weather forecast says that the heavy snow will continue. In order to ensure that fans watch the football on the road,
Safety, the referee of this game, Lee Mason, made a decision at 12:07 at that time, and today's game between Arsenal and Stoke City was postponed.
In addition, this round of Wigan's home league match against Aston Villa was also forced to be postponed due to bad weather. Since there was 25 centimeters of snow on the ground, Wigan's traffic was almost paralyzed, and fans could not get to the stadium in time.
Similarly, this round of games between Birmingham and Newcastle, Blackpool and Tottenham, and West Bromwich Albion and Wolves will also be postponed for the same reason.
There has been heavy snowfall in the UK recently. Sir Bobby Charlton, the ambassador for the new Wembley Stadium, the venue for this season's Champions League final, was stranded at Manchester Airport yesterday due to the bad weather and failed to appear in time for the UEFA Champions League draw.
The vast majority of postponements are not due to unsatisfactory stadium facilities, but decisions made more considering the safety of fans on the way to watch the game.
Manchester United's Carrington training base has not been affected by the continuous blizzard, and the players are still preparing for Sunday's game with Chelsea in full swing. Ferguson looked at the team that has been getting better recently with satisfaction, and was interrupted by the ringing of his mobile phone.
His dream was that club secretary John Alisande informed him that Chelsea had canceled the game the next day. Sir Alex frowned. They had already booked a train ticket from Manchester to London at 2:34.
But now, they can only let their sweaty bodies cool down. There is one game every three weeks, and Ferguson, who is about to set a new record in his coaching career, is not thinking about the upcoming relaxing Christmas, but the piled-up schedule that will challenge Manchester United.
The impact of the following seasons!
Arsenal were the last club to announce a suspension from last Saturday's game.
"Due to the continued blizzard in north London, the referee Lee Mason came to the venue at 11:38 and decided to suspend today's game at 12:07. Three inches of snow had fallen in half an hour, and there was no stopping.
"Signs." Arsenal's official website explained. It can be imagined that until the last moment, the Gunners hoped to play the game as scheduled and put pressure on Manchester United and Chelsea against them the next day through a victory.
But Chelsea in West London apparently "reacted a little too quickly". Arsenal announced the news less than three hours before the game, but Chelsea came a full 27 hours in advance!
Even the old outsider Redknapp expressed surprise, "Tomorrow is another day, who knows whether it will be like this morning."
Old Ray muttered that he got the news while waiting with his players at London Stansted Airport that their game against Blackpool was postponed. "I have to say, I can't believe the Chelsea and Manchester United game.
It was stopped. If you think about the ground at Stamford Bridge, they have a geothermal system and they should be able to play. So there must be other reasons for stopping the game that we don't know about."
The explanation given by Chelsea was far less detailed than Arsenal's. "Due to heavy snowfall and after discussions with the police and the local community, Chelsea Club has decided to postpone Sunday's game against Manchester United."
Although the distance between the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge is only 8.2 miles and usually only takes 40 minutes by car, the situations in the two areas are different.
The Emirates Stadium is located in a quiet residential area in the northeast, and Stamford Bridge is located in the noisy west of London. According to the weather forecast, London had already started spreading salt on the streets last Saturday. The "Fulham Region" where Chelsea is located is a key cleanup area. How?
Why react so "quickly" that the train cannot compete? Take care of the train from Manchester? British Rail Network has announced that the train will increase the original running time by 1 hour to reduce accidents.
"Daily Mail" raised a question on behalf of the media: Why can even Ipswich play in a frozen venue, but Chelsea can't play in a geothermal venue?
Just two weeks ago, Chelsea watched with envy as Manchester United's league match against Blackpool was postponed because Blackpool's ground did not have a heating system.
At that time on Chelsea's official website, they started to enjoy themselves enthusiastically.
"In this day and age, with today's technology, it's very difficult to call off a game. It would take extreme amounts of ice or water to call it off, and that's not going to happen at Stamford Bridge," said Jason, their grounds director.
Griffin said, "At Stamford Bridge, we have a very good water delivery system, which is like a huge electric heater to keep the venue warm, and the temperature can be adjusted up and down according to the weather forecast.
Normally, it will stay between 15-20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature gets too high, an alert will appear on my phone and I will know there is a problem."
Chelsea's words at that time were obviously alluding to Manchester United, which was unable to play. Of course, it is pleasant to have a week's rest before the intensive schedule in December. But it is difficult to encourage people to avoid it.
As Lao Lei said, "In Blackpool, it was because the ground did not have a geothermal system, so that became a problem. At Chelsea, they must be worried about other aspects outside the stadium. Even so, it is still disappointing that the game was stopped so early.
People are surprised.”
Perhaps, you will understand better when you look at Chelsea's current seven league games, which have only one victory, the team's defense is short of major generals, and there is even talk of the coach being dismissed. If this game is postponed, then Chelsea may not only transfer in the winter
Staff can be supplemented in the meeting window, and the player's status can also be adjusted.
A photo leaked from the Stamford Bridge camera will definitely make Ferguson itch with hatred - there is no snow on the side of the Stamford Bridge field, and there is not a single snowflake on the field.
Chelsea are recuperating, but Manchester United, which is far away in Manchester, cannot afford to enjoy this too long vacation. "This has brought us real trouble."
Manchester United spokesman Phil Townsend said that although they are relaxed for the time being, the two postponements accumulated in December will make them face a more intensive schedule in the future. They need to choose a date to fight again before the current round of confrontation between the two sides on May 7.
But it is extremely difficult to satisfy both parties, not to mention that Manchester United has finally adjusted to its best condition except for Valencia, who is recovering from a long-term injury, and Scholes, who is bidding farewell to the season.
"We have recently scheduled the game against Blackpool for January 25, but it is difficult to find a date for the Chelsea game. Although we have a match day for the League Cup semi-final, that is on January 11
January 9th or the 12th, I don’t think we want to play then, because on January 9th, we have to face Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup, and then we have the game against Tottenham on the 16th. And February and March
, we will face Marseille on the second and fourth matchdays. Chelsea will face Copenhagen on the first and third matchdays. Of course, the longer the two teams stay in the FA Cup, the harder it will be to arrange the games." Townsend
Analyze rationally.
Chelsea's move of "making mistakes" is really beautiful. Both Lampard and Drogba need time to find their best form. The winter break when Abramovich promised to buy people is not the best day for them to face Manchester United, let alone the legendary team.
The Chinese are panicking about Ancelotti's departure, and the French-speaking gang is also blaming the English-speaking gang. Chelsea needs some time to adjust. And leaving Manchester United, who are also not young, with the consequences of such a dense schedule and multi-front fighting, Chelsea can kill two birds with one stone.
At noon last Sunday, Stamford Bridge recovered from the cloudy morning, and the sun peeked out, briefly warming the busy sports ground. On Fulham Street outside the gate, passers-by began to take advantage of this last opportunity before Christmas.
Weekend shopping.
The hustle and bustle of match days in the past has become much quieter, and the street vendors look depressed. And the Chelsea soldiers at the Cobham training ground may need to squint at the sun and cross themselves - God help me.
There has never been a Christmas that Manchester United will have such a comfortable time. Being able to go without a game for a week and a half when Christmas comes is really a luxury for the players of the Premier League giants. This year, Manchester United has enjoyed such a luxury.
luxury.
But for Manchester United fans, it feels a bit sad.
Last night, Ferguson claimed for the second time this season that Edwin van der Sar would retire next summer. Gary Neville, who will celebrate his 36th birthday in February next year, has only played 3 games for Manchester United this season due to injury.
If unexpected, Ouchi will also retire at the end of this season. Gary Neville, Giggs and Scholes have played more than 2,000 times for Manchester United. Even the 37-year-old Giggs and the 36-year-old
Scholes may renew his contract for another year, but it is an indisputable fact that Manchester United's 92 golden generation is gradually withdrawing from the stage of history. The "Manchester Evening News" stated that Sir Alex Ferguson is looking for the successors of four Manchester United legends for the Red Devils.
Although Lindegaard has been training with the team, he is not the number one goalkeeper candidate in Ferguson's mind. When it comes to Van der Sar's successor, Neuer and De Gea are worth at least 15 million pounds, and Lloris is worth even more.
The price of Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper McGregor is obviously much lower than that of Neuer. Relatively speaking, Dutch goalkeeper Stekelenburg has the highest price/performance ratio. However, Neuer, who has recently been involved in scandals with Manchester United, is talking to the club
After a relationship breaks down, trouble may arise.
Schalke 04 executives warned Neuer last night that if he had reached a secret agreement with Bayern, they would resort to legal action. Schalke 04 chairman Tonis said, "If Neuer and Hoeness
There is an agreement between (Bayern president) and this would be something seriously illegal. If this is true, we will pursue legal action." Currently, Manchester United and Bayern are chasing Neuer, but if Schalke 04 senior management
If given a choice, they would rather sell Neuer to the Red Devils than sell the native of Gelsenkirchen to rival Bayern.
When it comes to Giggs' successor, Tottenham winger Bale is of course Giggs' natural successor.
The 21-year-old Welshman was linked with Manchester United for a long time before joining White Hart Lane from Southampton in 2007.
This season, Bell performed extremely well in the Champions League and attracted attention from all over Europe.
Although Tottenham Chairman Levy insists that Bell is not for sale, everything depends on whether Tottenham can still reach the top four this season and qualify for the Champions League next season. If Tottenham fails to reach the top four this season, Bell
It is possible to request a transfer next summer. In fact, Bell has never resisted joining Manchester United. At that time, he chose Tottenham just because Ferguson did not promise him a starting position. Now, if Bell switches to Manchester United, the left midfielder position will definitely belong to him.
.
In addition to Bell, Manchester United's other option is Ashley Young. "The Sun" said that Villa coach Houllier said that only a crazy offer can take away Ashley Young.
The 25-year-old Ashley Young's contract with Villa expires in the summer of 2012. His worth is about 15 million pounds, but Villa said that they would rather let Ashley Young become a free agent after a year and a half.
Even if he leaves, he will not be sold, but this statement obviously contains an element of anger.
Villa coach Houllier hinted that Ashley Young is available for sale, "We hope to keep him, the club wants to keep him. He told us that he wanted to wait until the end of the season to discuss the transfer. Of course.
, if a team makes an incredible offer, anything is possible in football. Let’s wait and see. But I don’t think he will leave in January.”
Regarding the position of Scholes' successor, the "Manchester Evening News" said that Inter Milan's core Sneijder is the ideal successor to Scholes. However, since Inter Milan's new coach has not yet been decided, the Red Devils need to wait for a while. In addition to Sneijder
In addition, Modric and Hamsik are also one of Manchester United's optional targets, and the "Offside" website claimed today that Manchester United's other option is Argentina international Pastore.
The 21-year-old Pastore is 1.87 meters tall and has performed very well in Serie A this season, scoring 7 goals and 1 assist in 14 games. Pastore is worth between 20 million and 25 million pounds.
, in addition to Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are also very interested in Pastore.
As for the right back position, the "Manchester Evening News" said that Manchester United is interested in the Greek international right back Torosidis. The 25-year-old Torosidis is 1.88 meters tall and can play as a right back, right winger and
Midfielder position, currently playing for the Greek giants Olympiacos.
For Manchester United fans, with Ferguson's retirement, many old faces in the Manchester United team are likely to disappear from the Old Trafford stadium.
