Come Christmas Day, fans finally welcome the return of the Red Devils! After a 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in an away game at the beginning of the season, Manchester United finally swept Fulham at home with the same score again at Craven Cottage, setting the stage for "Christmas."
The arrival of "Battle" has made a good start.
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, it has used perfect performance to gain 5 consecutive away games - scoring 10 goals and not conceding a goal.
! Don’t forget that Manchester United, the league champion in the 2010-11 season, only won 5 away games last season. It seems that after being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League early, the people of Manchester United can be said to be "aware of shame and then brave", which is proved by practical actions.
He is still the strongest contender for the league championship.
After losing 1-2 away to Basel in Switzerland, a huge sense of crisis hung over Old Trafford and lingered for a long time.
Under such circumstances, it is not easy for Manchester United to defeat their opponents by 4-1, 2-0 and 5-0 in the last three games. You must know that before this, Manchester United had defeated their opponents in a single game.
He scored 3 goals in an away game against Aldershot, a lowly team in the English Second Division, two months ago. The attacking power of the midfield and frontcourt, led by Li Yu, Nani, Valencia and others, returned in time.
It also provides sufficient confidence for the team's subsequent journey.
Manchester United, which scored three goals in the first half of this game, has not made fans feel so "reassuring and assured" for a long time.
It is worth noting that Fulham once trailed Manchester City by two goals at home and finally tied with the league leader. Manchester United has scored three goals in the first 45 minutes 4 times in the league this season, which is the highest score in the entire league.
The most frequent opponents in the Premier League are Bolton, Arsenal, Chelsea and this time Fulham.
In this game as a guest at Craven Cottage, Manchester United showed extremely strong dominance, which attracted praise from the British media. A British reporter said on Twitter after the game: "This is just like a training match for Manchester United."
Former Arsenal legend Martin Keown also expressed his opinion as a bb commentator: "Fulham can't stop Manchester United. Most home fans may want to go home, or prepare for Christmas shopping in advance.
.
For Manchester United, getting a few more goal differences will help catch up with Manchester City. This is a great night." Manchester United youngster Cleverley, who was injured, also tweeted immediately after the first half: "
Everyone had a great first half, but Dempsey's foul on Phil Jones was disappointing."[
Some data before the game proved that the team was on the right track.
Just last season, Manchester United remained undefeated in the first 16 rounds of the league, which was the case until February. Judging from the record points during the same period, Manchester United's performance this season is even better - 39 points in 16 rounds, 39 points compared to
Last season, they had 5 more points, 3 more wins, and scored one more goal. Before this campaign, 79% of Manchester United's goals occurred in the second half, which was the highest proportion among the top teams.
The three goals scored in the first half of this game announced to the world: Manchester United in the first 45 minutes was equally terrible! Young player Smallin has issued a counterattack declaration: "Manchester City may feel comfortable at the top of the standings, but if we
If we can regain top spot in the next few weeks, it will be hard to knock down because we will get stronger as the season goes on."
Smalling's confidence is by no means unfounded. Historical data will tell people very clearly that Manchester United is a team that is good at exerting force in the second half of the league, especially around Christmas - even if other teams can
Top of the table when Christmas comes, but the final league title is likely to still fall into the hands of Manchester United.
Since the 1992-93 Premier League season, Manchester United has won 12 championship trophies in 19 games. And among these 12 championship seasons, 8 times they won the "Christmas Championship" with other teams.
"In this case, Manchester United finally achieved a reversal.
On the other hand, judging from the subsequent 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 challenges against Newcastle are Manchester United's
In the last three games, during this period Manchester City will play away games against West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, and then return to home to face the "hard-core" Liverpool.
Therefore, for Manchester United, the next three league games are crucial, 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 Manchester United's recent state will continue
To rebound, nothing is impossible.
Judging from past experience, Manchester United's ability to play at home is far better than playing away from home. It is very important to regain its ability to play at home as soon as possible. Now Manchester United has overcome the most difficult "household" layer of becoming an "away dragon".
"Paper", the Red Devils' strong away ability this season seems to have made Manchester City feel threatened, and they have even taken action in ticket sales.
Facing the upcoming focus game of the FA Cup, the game has not yet started, and the "Manchester City duo" are already arguing off the field: In the upcoming FA Cup, 7,000 tickets were originally planned to be sold to away Manchester United fans.
, there were only 5,700 tickets in the end, much less than planned. It is said that this is because Manchester City believes that the security issue will face a severe test. The voice from Manchester United is quite dissatisfied with Manchester City's approach: "We have already reported this matter
Tell the FA that this is just the little we can do."
On the field, compared to Manchester City's unhurried counterattack to kill time after 3-0, Manchester United continued to strengthen its attack when leading by 3 goals, which shows the urgency of getting the goal difference. I believe that such enthusiasm and excitement
This mentality will further promote the team to catch up with its archrival in the standings and gain the long-lost top spot. And the final winner of the championship and runner-up is likely to be like a 100-meter dash, the difference is just a few millimeters.
A hearty victory put Manchester United back on track, winning 4 consecutive league victories, continuing to chase the leader Manchester City, and still in a relatively favorable position in the standings when the "Christmas Battle" comes.
Regarding this game, Manchester United coach Carlo Ancelotti was very satisfied with the performance of his players after the game and revealed some information about injuries in the team.
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 showed great aggression in the second half. They changed their playing style, but on the contrary, we are not afraid of the opponent's threats. We already have some injured players. Phil Jones was hit by Temple on the chin
West's elbow, but I don't think it was an intentional foul. We will do an x-ray for Jones tomorrow. It doesn't look good." "The Sun" and "Daily Mail" said Phil
- Jones likely suffered a broken cheekbone and could be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Phil Jones was not the only injured Manchester United player in this campaign. Ashley Young, who came on as a substitute for Jones in the 20th minute, limped off the field after a fight in the second half. Ancelo
Ti said: "Fulham played very aggressively, and Mata paid the price for it. He will be absent for 2 to 3 weeks." Unfortunately, this is already the end of the season for this new Manchester United player.
This is the second unpleasant injury experience of the season. If he is absent for three weeks, Mata will play in the FA Cup third round away game against Manchester City on January 8.
On the other hand, defense general Ferdinand may continue to miss the next game against Wigan Athletic. Ancelotti said: "Leo injured his foot last Sunday against Queens Park Rangers. I think he should be able to play in the New Year.
He came on against Blackburn Rovers the night before, not against Wigan Athletic."[
After losing two players again in this game, Manchester United's injury situation has further worsened, including Phil Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio, Anderson, Mata, Fletcher, Cleverley and Owen.
Players including others have been injured to varying degrees and will still require treatment and observation in the near future.
After being elbowed off the field by Dempsey, the British media worried that Phil Jones would miss 5 or 6 weeks, but now it seems that this worry is unnecessary. The "Daily Mail" said that Phil Jones' injury is relatively serious
Optimistic, he may even return against Wigan on Boxing Day (December 26).
It is reported that Phil Jones is not training with the team, 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 press conference, but from the looks of it so far, there will be no problems.
"The Sun" stated that Phil Jones only suffered a soft tissue contusion on his face, not a fractured cheekbone as previously expected. If he returns in the game against Wigan, he is likely to wear a mask and transform 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 recuperate from injury, but Manchester United does not seem to be worried about the central midfielder problem, because Giggs once again showed off his dancing skills.
"Manchester Evening News" stated that Giggs was very happy after the goal. He believed that Manchester United was on the right track. Giggs said: "The past few weeks have been good. Look at our game against Fulham, it was exactly the same as before.
Our rhythm is going, similar to the game against Queens Park Rangers. At Craven Stadium, we returned to the top level." Giggs specifically pointed out that Manchester United's current midfielder is very good: "Carrick and I
In the midfield, the forward movement 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." Li Yu was slightly proud of his goal: "This is a great victory. We played well. We seized the opportunity.
, I’m happy that I also scored a goal.” He believes that Manchester United today is already waiting for Manchester City to make mistakes: “We must keep moving forward and follow Manchester City. If they slip, we will raid them.
"
After Van der Sar retired, many people worried that Manchester United would suffer a big decline due to the goalkeeper position. However, former coach Ferguson not only filled the vacancy after Van der Sar's departure through two very bold signings, it can even be said that in
The goalkeeper will worry about the next 15 years. However, when there are two top players in the same position, it will make people sigh, "How can there be excellence when there is excellence".
De Gea, known as "Europe's most talented young goalkeeper", quickly adapted to Manchester United after joining from Atletico Madrid this summer and performed outstandingly. He was just elected as the best player in November selected by Manchester United's official website.
Another Danish national goalkeeper, Lindegaard, whose name was before coming to Manchester United, has also had satisfactory results in the limited playing time. He has only conceded 1 goal in 6 appearances for Manchester United this season.
However, in the eyes of new coach Ancelotti, having two top goalkeepers is not a worry: "This is not a problem because I think Lindegaard has more experience and I think he can be used at the right time.
, we will do the same for De Gea." Ancelo
Ty believes that De Gea and Lindegaard have their own strengths: "De Gea is only 20 years old. He will become a dream goalkeeper. There is no doubt that having Lindegaard as a substitute can make him a dream goalkeeper at the right time."
He rested. Lindegaard is also a very good goalkeeper and he has more experience."
Although Anshuai has some "preference" for De Gea, 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 the 0-0 victory over Fulham, Lindegaard has kept clean sheets in 5 games this season.
Degard said: "I have not conceded a goal in 5 games, which is a very beautiful data and I am very satisfied with it. We played some good games and we did not concede too many goals. I said before,
No one will remember any saves from 10 games ago, they will only remember the statistics."
Lindegaard is confident about Manchester United's trend this season: "After losing to Manchester City, we performed very well. We were unlucky to be eliminated from the Champions League and we can only blame ourselves, 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 are already under pressure. I know Manchester United has a tradition of performing better in the winter, so this will
This is a critical period that determines the championship."
It is worth noting that in this game, Manchester United's performance on the offensive end is not to mention, but on the defensive end, the team's performance is equally good. This is the fifth time in a row that they have kept a clean sheet in away games in the league. Danish goalkeeper Lindegaard
Before the game, De Gea was unexpectedly rotated into the starting lineup. His performance did not disappoint Ancelotti. Faced with Fulham's fierce offensive in the second half, Lindegaard made a high pass and blocked the ball, trying to keep the goal open and help the ball.
The team welcomed the arrival of Christmas with a perfect victory.
This game is Lindegaard's fourth league appearance for Manchester United this season. Before the game started, captain Evra specially shook hands with Lindegaard behind him in the tunnel to cheer him up.
In the first half, Fulham was very unusual. They did not pose any threat to Lindegaard in their offense. They only had their first shot in half-time stoppage time, but Andrew Johnson's low shot in the penalty area was missed by Lindegaard.
Easy to get. Andrew Johnson probably didn't expect that this Manchester United substitute goalkeeper would become his nightmare in this game.
In the second half, Fulham, who was lagging behind, launched a frenzied counterattack. The Manchester United penalty area was once full of dangers, and they could only rely on sporadic counterattacks to launch their offensive. In the 56th minute, Brian Ruiz took a corner kick, and Dempsey's header from far away was blocked.
Lindegaard confiscated the ball in front of the goal line. Evra, who was guarding the goalpost, broke into a cold sweat. He patted Lindegaard to encourage him.
In the 79th minute, Dempsey made a wonderful pass from the right side of the penalty area to Andrew Johnson, who shot a powerful shot in the penalty area. Lindegaard saved the ball over the crossbar with his fingertips; in the 82nd minute, Murphy found Andrew Johnson in an open space in front of the penalty area.
Johnson, who faced Lindegaard one-on-one, chose a low shot. The Danish goalkeeper reacted very quickly and made a side dive to hold the ball firmly under him. Andrew Johnson could only hold his head and sigh, and Lindegaard also waved.
He pumped his fists to encourage his performance.
In the 88th minute, Andrew Johnson, who did not believe in evil, tried a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, but Lindegaard fell down and saved the ball. In the 89th minute, Zamora's possession of the ball caused chaos in the Manchester United penalty area. Captain E.
Fola made a mistake in making a clearance, and Andrew Johnson got another opportunity to talk directly with Lindegaard. Perhaps due to the aura shown by Lindegaard in his previous saves, Andrew Johnson's shot missed the post.
, Fulham failed to score a face-saving goal in the end.
Perhaps this night was destined not 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 received a high score of 7 points.
Although the outside world defines the Dane as De Gea's substitute, and although Schmeichel looks down on this little brother, as long as he is given a chance to play, he will definitely contribute stable performance and bring good luck to Manchester United.
.Lindegard represents Manchester United this season
After playing 4 league games and 2 Champions League games, Manchester United maintained an unbeaten record of 5 wins and 1 draw. More importantly, in these 6 games, their opponents shot a total of 78 times and 19 shots on target. Lindegaard
Only conceded one goal in the Champions League group stage against Benfica.
This is simply a miracle! Of course, you can attribute this magical data to luck or the lack of opponent strength, but anyone who has watched the game knows that Lindegaard’s performance in these games
Very good, with almost no mistakes, and many world-class saves. His performance is enough to reassure Ancelotti and Manchester United fans.
bb football consultant and former Arsenal star Martin Keown specifically praised Lindegaard when commenting on this game, and believed that Lindegaard has the strength to compete with De Gea for the main goalkeeper position of Manchester United. Keown
Said: "Manchester United seems to be interested in Dech
It is not very clear which one is the No. 1 goalkeeper between Asia and Lindegaard. Both of them performed very well, but I don’t think they are dominant enough, so I think that in the next season, Manchester United will
Will continue to rotate at the goalkeeper position."
Although Lindegaard's worth and reputation are not as good as De Gea's, 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 confrontation. This is what Ferguson, who is good at cultivating young people, would like to see. Lindegaard
His outstanding performance also made Kuszczak, the former "Van der Sar's successor", give in. The Polish national goalkeeper is likely to move to Greece's Olympiakos after the winter transfer starts.
But Kuszczak's departure has minimal impact on the team. Lindegaard's performance is worthy of the second goalkeeper position and can even attack the main force. The Danish goalkeeper's low-key and calmness make people think more about him.
expectations. Van der Sar's retirement has made many fans worry about Manchester United's goalkeeper position, but I believe that De Gea and Lindegaard, who are gradually growing up, can one day really take over Van der Sar with convincing performances.
gloves and become Manchester United’s new generation of goalkeeper!
