BPL's matchday 5 statistics

Arsenal
* Arsenal have picked up 16 points from their last 16 Premier League games. Only Bolton, Sunderland and Blackburn have displayed worse form.
* Only two sides in PL history have conceded more goals (14) over five games - Southampton in 1998/99 and Derby in 2007/08.
* Robin van Persie has scored just once from 21 Premier League shots this season.


Aston Villa
* Alex McLeish has won just one of his last 11 Premier League games as manager.
* Gaby Agbonlahor has aleady matched his PL goal total (3) from last season.
* Darren Bent has had just six shots in five Premier League matches so far this season.


Blackburn Rovers
* Blackburn have now won two of their last ten PL matches at Ewood Park.
* Yakubu had two shots on his Blackburn debut - both on target and both goals.
* Blackburn recouped more points from a losing position v Arsenal (3) than they did in the whole of last season (2).


Bolton Wanderers
* Bolton have lost nine of their last ten matches in the Premier League.
* They have suffered five successive home defeats for the first time in their history.
* Starting strikers Kevin Davies and Ivan Klasnic did not muster a shot between them against Norwich on Saturday.


Chelsea
* Fernando Torres had as many shots (6) against Manchester United as his other four PL games this season put together.
* Frank Lampard was substituted at half-time despite a 96% pass completion rate.
* Chelsea's record (ten points from five games) is the same as 2007/08 when they finished second.


Everton
* Everton's record (seven from four games) is identical to 2007/08 when they finished fifth.
* The usually lethal Tim Cahill has had ten goal attempts this season without scoring once.
* Marouane Fellaini has conceded nine fouls in his last two PL games.


Fulham
* Fulham's draw v City came from just 35% possession at home.
* They have drawn four of their last six Premier League games.
* Bobby Zamora has scored or assisted three of Fulham's four goals this season.

Liverpool
* Charlie Adam's red card came from his 13th and 14th fouls of the Premier League season. Only Chiek Tiote and Grant Holt have committed more fouls this season.
* Liverpool have conceded as many goals after five games (7) as last season under Roy Hodgson.
* Liverpool managed only one shot on target v Spurs through Stewart Downing.


Manchester City
* Sergio Aguero has scored eight goals from ten shots on target in the PL this season.
* Aguero has averaged a PL goal every 41 minutes of football this season.
* Yaya Toure completed an impressive 99 passes at Craven Cottage on Sunday.


Manchester United
* David de Gea has made 28 saves in five games - already 35% of Van der Sar's total of 81 last season.
* Every visiting team to Old Trafford this season (Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea) has had at least 20 shots: only two teams managed this in the previous five seasons.
* Wayne Rooney has had a massive 28 shots in five matches.


* Newcastle United
* Newcastle had a massive 22 shots against Aston Villa on Saturday.
* They are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games.
* The impressive Yohan Cabaye had a pass completion rate of 91% at Villa Park.


Norwich City
* Norwich have conceded a penalty in each of their five Premier League games.
* Their victory at Bolton was their first away in the top flight for 17 years.
* Steve Morison's 77 minutes: Eight passes, five offsides, three shots, one assist.


QPR
* After only four shots on target v Newcastle, QPR managed ten against Wolves on Saturday.
* Shaun Wright-Phillips completed 90 PL minutes for the first time since May 2010 for Manchester City v West Ham.
* Joey Barton scored his first PL goal since a double in February against Arsenal.


* Stoke City
* Asmir Begovic conceded four goals at Sunderland for the first time since December 2009 for Portsmouth v Arsenal.
* They have managed only three shots on target in their last two PL games.
* The Potters have won just one of their last 13 away games in the Premier League.


Sunderland
* Victory over Stoke ended a run of four home defeats for Sunderland.
* Nicklas Bendtner has claimed two assists in two PL appearances for Sunderland.
* They also scored four goals in their last home win over Wigan in April.


Swansea City
* Swansea scored three goals from just four shots on target against West Brom.
* The Swans are yet to concede a goal at the Liberty Stadium this season.
* Leon Britton recorded a phenomenal 97% pass completion rate v the Baggies.


Tottenham Hotspur
* Tottenham have won their last six Premier League games with Ledley King in the starting line-up.
* Gareth Bale has hit the target with only two of his 17 shots in the league this season.
* Jermain Defoe recorded a rarely seen 100% pass completion rate v Liverpool on Sunday.


West Brom
* Ben Foster has made only ten saves in five Premier League games this season - and six were against Chelsea.
* Five of Shane Long's seven shots have been on target this season.
* West Brom had eight corners v Swansea but still failed to score a goal.


Wigan
* Franco Di Santo's goal at Wigan was their only shot on target at Everton despite enjoying 52% possession.
* Di Santo has had 14 shots this season. He registered only 28 in the whole of 2010/11.
* Victor Moses has had 17 shots this season without scoring a goal.


Wolves
* Wolves have not scored in over five hours of Premier League football.
* Kevin Doyle has not had a single shot in his last two games.
* Wolves have suffered two consecutive defeats for the first time since early April.




source: http://www.football365.com/f365-features/7189178/Premier-League-Geeky-Numbers-And-Stats

Preview: MU vs Leeds United - statistics

• These two sides have met 106 times in their long histories and not surprisingly Manchester United have had the better of those meetings with 45 wins. Leeds have only been successful on 26 occasions with the other 35 matches ending level.

• Leeds and Manchester United have met four times in the League Cup, with the Red Devils coming out victorious on all four occasions scoring nine goals. They have not met in this competition since 2003 when David Bellion, Diego Forlan and Eric Djemba-Djemba won the game for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

• The two Uniteds last met in January 2010 when Leeds surprised their opponents with a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup third round at Old Trafford, a 19th-minute Jermaine Beckford strike sealing a memorable victory for the Yorkshire side.

• Elland Road is a happy hunting ground for Manchester United. They have won five out of their last 10 visits to Leeds. And the stats are not good for Leeds who have only won twice in this fixture at Elland Road in the last 15 years.

• Manchester United have been in outstanding form in front of goal already this season, scoring an impressive 21 goals in their five Premier League matches, making them the highest scorers in the Premier League by some way.

• Leeds have made a solid start to the Championship this season, sitting in 11th position, and have won their last two matches against Crystal Palace and Bristol City.

• Boss Grayson (pictured right) will be glad the fixture is at home as they have not won any of their three games away from Elland Road this season, whereas at home they have three out of four.

• Leeds have overcome Yorkshire rivals Bradford and Doncaster in this competition so far, winning both games by a one-goal margin.

• Honduran Ramon Nunez is the currently the competition's second top scorer with four goals, with only Burnley’s Jay Rodriguez ahead of him on five goals.

Preview: MU vs Leeds United

MU perlu melakukan persediaan terbaik bagi kunjungan ke elland road untuk bertemu seteru lama, leeds united bagi saingan piala carling terutamanya leeds berjaya mengalahkan MU dalam perlawanan terakhir sebelum ini. para peminat MU sudah pasti dapat mengingati kekalahan MU di tangan leeds apabila tewas 0-1 dalam pertandingan piala FA pada tahun 2010. dalam perlawanan tersebut, leeds memperoleh gol kemenangan menerusi bekas penyerangnya, jermaine beckford.

pengurus leeds, simon grayson menyatakan bahawa beliau membuat pemantauan terhadap pasukan MU apabila hadir ke OT untuk melihat MU beraksi menentang chelsea. namun, grayson mengakui mengalami masalah untuk membuat jangkaan kesebelasan utama yang bakal diturunkan oleh SAF walaupun telah melakukan 'kerja rumah' sepatutnya sebagai persediaan untuk bertemu MU.

SAF sekali lagi akan melakukan rombakan terhadap kesebelasan utama MU dengan membariskan gandingan tenaga tua dan muda. pastinya giggs, JSP dan owen merupakan antara nama yang akan disenaraikan di samping SAF memberikan peluang kepada pemain2 muda seperti pogba dan keane untuk beraksi. berikut merupakan kesebelasan utama MU yang aku jangkakan akan diturunkan:

lindegaard

jones - ferdinand - evans - fabio

valencia - carrick - giggs - JSP

berbatov - owen

walaupun tiada dalam kesebelasan utama, kemungkinan pogba dan keane akan dimasukkan sebagai pemain gantian memandangkan SAF bercadang untuk memberikan pemain2 muda tersebut membuat penampilan sulung buat MU. selain itu, SAF tampak memiliki pilihan yang sedikit untuk barisan pertahanan selepas smalling, rafael dan vidic masing2 mengalami kecederaan.

atas kertas, barisan MU ini dilihat mampu untuk mengetepikan cabaran leeds yang beraksi di halaman sendiri. walaubagaimanapun, MU perlu bersedia untuk menghadapi saingan sengit daripada leeds yang sudah pasti ingin melihat MU berputih mata sekali lagi di tangan mereka. aku menjangkakan MU dapat mengatasi leeds dengan keputusan 4-2 dengan gol2 disumbangkan oleh owen, berbatov dan JSP.

jadi, jangan lupa menyaksikan aksi MU menentang leeds pada jam 2.45 pagi di saluran astro supersport 3.

Saha, de Rossi, de Gea, Wenger dan Pogba

1. penyerang everton, louis saha diketepikan oleh pengurusnya, david moyes bagi perlawanan everton-wigan selepas saha enggan untuk beraksi bersama skuad simpanan dalam perlawanan pertengahan minggu. moyes yang bengang dengan tindakan saha mengambil keputusan untuk mengetepikan saha dalam kesebelasan utama dan bangku simpanan.

2. man city dikatakan berminat untuk mendapatkan pemain tengah as roma, daniele de rossi dengan melibatkan yuran perpindahan 8 juta pound pada tingkap perpindahan bulan januari nanti. ini adalah kerana, pengurus man city, roberto mancini merasakan kelabnya tidak mempunyai banyak pilihan pemain untuk bahagian tengah sekaligus menyebabkan kelabnya hanya mampu seri 2-2 dengan fulham baru2 ini.

3. selepas bolos 13 gol dalam empat perlawanan, pengurus arsenal, arsene wenger menempelak pemainnya dengan menyatakan mereka kurang dari segi tumpuan perhatian, komunikasi, koordinasi dan semangat sepasukan. wenger kini berada dalam tertekan akibat kekalahan terbaru arsenal di tangan blackburn rovers. wenger mungkin akan membuat rombakan dalam kesebelasan utama arsenal bagi bertemu shrewsbury dalam saingan piala carling bagi mengelakkan arsenal dimalukan. pemain2 seperti chamberlain, miyaichi dan park berkemungkinan akan diturunkan oleh wenger.

4. penjaga gol MU, david de gea telah mendahului carta prestasi penjaga gol BPL apabila setakat ini, de gea telah menyelamatkan 29 percubaan lawan ke arah pintu golnya. berada di tangga kedua adalah penjaga gol man city, joe hart yang hanya menyelamatkan 15 percubaan sahaja.

5. SAF telah menolak tawaran burnley untuk meminjam pemain muda MU, paul pogba. pengurus burnley ingin mendapatkan pemain berusia 18 tahun itu secara pinjaman bagi membantu pasukannya yang kini mengalami kesukaran dalam saingan liga kejuaraaan. ini adalah kerana SAF ingin menggunakan khidmat pogba dalam skuad MU bagi menghadapi cabaran piala carling.

Nani vs Cristiano Ronaldo (CR)

perlawanan menentang chelsea baru2 ini membuktikan kehebatan dan kematangan yang ditunjukkan oleh nani. jika sebelum ini, ramai yang meragui potensi dan bakat yang ada pada nani, kini nani benar2 telah menjadi pemain MU yang berkaliber, keluar dari bayangan rakan senegaranya yang juga bekas pemain MU iaitu cristiano ronaldo.

jika hendak membuat perbandingan dengan CR, nani mengambil masa untuk menunjukkan prestasi yang bagus dan secara konsisten. nani bermula dengan lebih perlahan dengan mencari rentak permainannya sendiri. nani meraikan perlawanan ke100nya buat MU apabila menjaringkan gol cantik dalam perlawanan bertemu chelsea. dikhabarkan gol nani tersebut dijaringkan dari jarak 30 meter dan kelajuan bola sepakan nani menghampiri 100 km/j.

nani dan CR menjaringkan 19 gol dalam 100 perlawanan bersama MU. tetapi perbezaan yang nyata adalah jumlah 'assist' yang dilakukan di mana nani memperoleh 34 manakala 12 sahaja daripada CR. ternyata, nani merupakan pemain yang penting buat MU dan tidak mustahil impian nani untuk menjadi pemain hebat seperti CR dan messi akan menjadi kenyataan suatu masa nanti.

Review: MU vs Chelsea

Keputusan perlawanan:

Manchester United 3
Chris Smalling 8'
Nani 37'
Wayne Rooney 45'

Chelsea 1
Fernando Torres 46'


Ulasan perlawanan:

MU bermula agak perlahan di babak awal separuh masa pertama manakala chelsea cuba untuk merobek pertahanan MU dengan percubaan2 awal. chelsea berjaya menggemparkan MU dengan serangan awal apabila torres yang bijak melepasi kawalan pertahanan MU lalu membuat lorongan kepada ramires. pada ketika itu, ramires kelihatan dapat menolak masuk bola ke dalam gawang gol MU setelah penjaga gol MU, de gea agak 'off position'. namun kepantasan de gea membolehkan dirinya menepis sepakan ramires sekaligus mennyelamatkan gawang MU daripada dibolosi.

seumpama terjaga dari tidur, MU bangkit untuk memberikan aksi yang kemas. MU banyak memulakan pergerakan dari bahagian tengah menerusi anderson manakala fletcher beraksi baik apabila menguasai kawasan tengah padang serta menghadkan pergerakan chelsea. gandingan sayap MU iaitu nani dan young turut cemerlang dalam mengucar-kacirkan pertahanan chelsea dan mengakibatkan pertahanan chelsea kerap membuat bentesan yang memberikan sepakan percuma kepada MU.

Smalling menjaringkan gol pembukaan perlawanan menerusi tandukan cantik

hasilnya, MU memperoleh gol pertama apabila smalling menanduk masuk bola ke dalam gawang chelsea selepas menyudahkan sepakan percuma young. walaupun smalling kelihatan berada dalam posisi 'offside' namun pertahanan chelsea tampak sukar untuk membendung pemain2 MU tatkala sepakan percuma dilakukan.

sejurus gol tersebut, MU mula menampakkan taring serangan terutamanya melalui nani. pemain leftback england, cole menghadapi kesukaran untuk menghalang nani yang bijak menggelecek dan membuat hantaran2 silang. bahagian tengah MU juga memberikan aksi yang mencengkam seterusnya menyukarkan chelsea untuk membuat pergerakan2 yang berkesan.

 Gol kedua MU disumbangkan oleh nani apabila merembat masuk dari luar kotak penalti

gandingan mata dan cole untuk mengekang nani tidak berhasil apabila nani berjaya menjaringkan gol kedua MU. nani bijak melepasi kawalan mereka berdua sebelum membuat rembatan deras dari luar kotak penalti yang gagal diselamatkan oleh penjaga gol chelsea. gol tersebut memberikan kelebihan buat MU untuk bermain dengan lebih 'adventurous' bagi memburu lebih banyak gol.

Rooney mudah menolak masuk bola ke dalam gawang Chelsea selepas berlaku kekalutan dalam kotak penalti

oleh kerana pertahanan MU tidak menghadapi banyak masalah dalam mengatasi serangan2 chelsea, ini membolehkan pemain muda MU, jones kerap naik ke atas untuk membantu serangan. larian cantik jones sambil membawa bola dari kawasan tengah padang sehingga kotak penalti chelsea telah menyebabkan pertahanan chelsea menjadi kelam kabut. jones menghantar bola tersebut kepada nani yang kemudiannya cuba untuk menghantar semula kepada jones sebelum dihalang oleh kapten chelsea, terry. berlaku kekalutan apabila pemain2 chelsea cuba untuk mengeluarkan bola dari kawasan bahaya dan bola tersebut singgah di kaki rooney. rooney yang tidak dikawal, mudah menolak masuk ke dalam gawang chelsea untuk gol ketiga MU, di penghujung babak separuh masa pertama.

sepertimana separuh masa pertama, chelsea garang sebaik sahaja bermulanya separuh masa kedua untuk mengurangkan defisit gol. usaha mereka berhasil apabila torres yang menerima hantaran cantik anelka mudah menewaskan de gea untuk gol tunggal chelsea. gol tersebut menaikkan semangat pemain chelsea yang mula bermain dengan baik untuk memburu gol seterusnya. secara tidak langsung, bahagian tengah MU mula tertekan dan melakukan kesilapan demi kesilapan. berbanding anderson, fletcher tampak tenang untuk mengimbangi bahagian tengah chelsea dan cuba memperlahan rentak permainan kedua2 pasukan. anderson dikeluarkan dan digantikan dengan carrick bagi memperkuatkan bahagian tengah MU.

Rooney gagal menyempurnakan sepakan penalti apabila tergelincir

walaubagaimanapun, MU tetap cuba memberikan saingan kepada chelsea menerusi nani. MU memperoleh sepakan penalti apabila nani dijatuhkan dalam kotak penalti selepas cuba untuk mendapatkan bola yang melantun selepas terkena palang gol chelsea. namun, rooney gagal melaksanakan tugas mudah apabila tergelincir ketika mengambil sepakan penalti mengakibatkan bola jauh tersasar.

Torres terlepas peluang untuk menambahkan jaringan

kedua2 pasukan saling berbalas serangan dengan tempo perlawanan yang agak laju. kealpaan barisan pertahanan MU menyebabkan torres berada dalam posisi terbaik untuk menjaringkan gol kedua. tetapi, mungkin disebabkan kekalutan ataupun keterujaan, torres gagal berbuat demikian walaupun pintu gol MU ternganga luas.

Bentesan Cola ke atas Chicharito yang menimbulkan kemarahan SAF

MU turut gagal menambahkan jaringan apabila beberapa percubaan gagal menghasilkan gol, sama ada terkena palang gol chelsea atau diselamatkan di atas garisan gol. chelsea yang agak tertekan mula bermain dengan keras. beberapa pemainnya dilayangkan kad kuning akibat membuat bentesan yang ganas terutamanya di penghujung babak separuh masa kedua apabila cole membentes chicharito sehingga chicharito mengalami kecederaan dan terpaksa dikeluarkan.

secara keseluruhannya, MU bermain dengan baik pada separuh masa pertama manakala separuh masa kedua, MU agak lemah di bahagian tengah. anderson tidak begitu berkesan ketika MU berada dalam situasi bertahan berbanding semasa MU melancarkan serangan. kehadiran semula fletcher ke dalam pasukan sedikit sebanyak memperkuatkan bahagian tengah MU. nani sememangnya layak untuk ditabal sebagai 'MOTM' kerana menunjukkan aksi yang begitu bertenaga. pemain2 muda MU terutamanya de gea perlu diberikan pujian kerana beberapa kali menyelamatkan gawang MU daripada dibolosi.

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!!

10 detik penting dalam perlawanan MU-Chelsea

10. Fernando Torres fires over the bar, 71 mins

This would have been the moment that people would have been debating as a counterpoint to the Spaniard’s deftly taken goal, had it not been for another more unsightly moment soon after. The ball bounced back towards him after ricocheting around the United area, and the Chelsea man shaped a volley towards David de Gea’s goal.

Hearts were in the home fans’ mouths as Torres prepared to shoot, and it looked for all the world like he would burst the net with a vicious strike. However, he just failed to get his foot over the ball enough to keep his shot down, and it fired high over De Gea’s bar.

The United fans howled their merriment at the former Liverpool striker’s anguish, unaware that much, much worse was to follow.

9. Chris Smalling heads United 1-0 ahead, 8 mins

The game was only just finding its feet when United won a free-kick on the left flank. Ashley Young stood over it, and flighted in a delightful cross that picked out Smalling, who glanced a header high past Petr Cech into the top corner.

It was the scoring touch of a natural goalscorer, never mind a defender, but Chelsea fans would have every right to be up in arms about the goal being allowed to stand, as Smalling appeared to be one of a number of United players offside when Young struck the free-kick.

8. Ashley Cole clatters Javier Hernandez, 78 mins

The game was getting away from Chelsea and when Wayne Rooney scuffed a shot against the post, it bounced invitingly back to Javier Hernandez just yards from Cech’s goal.

The Mexican had to rush his shot however, as Ashley Cole lunged in to try to block the attempt. The ball whistled into the side-netting, but Cole made sure he didn’t miss his target, catching Hernandez high on the shin.

The United forward required extensive treatment before hobbling his way around the side of the pitch and down the tunnel, while Cole became the latest player in referee Phil Dowd’s book, much to John Terry's mirth. No penalty was awarded though.

7. Dimitar Berbatov denied by goalline clearance, 90 mins

The game was all but won, but last season’s top scorer in the Premier League was looking to open his account in the dying moments. Berbatov was set up beautifully and unselfishly by Rooney, who had sprung the offside trap and then drawn Cech from his goal before laying the ball square to his strike partner.

Berbatov had to stretch but managed to poke the ball towards goal, only for Cole to scramble back in time to stab it wide of the post. It was a breathless end to a breathless match.

6. Wayne Rooney puts United 3-0 up, 45 mins

For the second Old Trafford match in a row, United scored three goals in the first half against a side that finished in the top four last season. The manner in which Rooney’s ninth of the season came about, however, was quite bizarre.

Phil Jones had rampaged into the box before being dispossessed and slipping, falling on the ball and seeing it spin behind him. John Terry slid in to try to blast the danger away, under pressure from a recovering Jones, but the ball battered off Nani and perfectly into the path of Rooney, who simply had to sidefoot home his easiest goal of the campaign so far.

5. Ramires submits contender for miss of the season, 26 mins

This would have been the worst miss of most seasons – instead, it might only make the top three in this match alone!

Juan Mata’s weighted pass on the left put Torres through on goal, and rather than shoot, the Chelsea forward unselfishly laid off perfectly for the onrushing Ramires to sidefoot into the goal. Even Daniel Sturridge was queuing up behind the Brazilian, such was the manner in which United had been caught square.

Somehow, Ramires managed to get into a terrible body shape and prod the ball straight at a recovering De Gea before ending up flat on his face, where Sturridge – only partially in jest – kicked his team-mate as he lay on the turf.

4. Fernando Torres scores his second ever Chelsea goal, 46 mins

It was the moment that had the world thinking 'he’s back!' Torres gave his side hope of getting back into the game with a delightful strike just moments into the second half.

Substitute Nicolas Anelka played a great pass through to the Spaniard who had ghosted in between Phil Jones and Jonny Evans and then brilliantly scooped the ball over De Gea with the outside of his right foot.

It was a display of the kind of goalscoring instinct that made Chelsea pay £50 million for his services only seven months ago - but his valedictory celebration in front of the Stretford End was to come back to haunt him.

3. Rooney 'does a Terry', 57 mins

At 3-1, the match was following an eerily similar path to the 8-2 victory that Manchester United had recorded against Arsenal in their last match at Old Trafford.

It seemed as though Rooney would be progressing towards a third successive hat-trick when United were awarded a penalty as Jose Bosingwa's despairing lunge brought down an onrushing Nani yards from goal.

John Terry furiously protested and got a booking for his troubles, but up stepped Rooney. The England star was seemingly set to score his second goal of the game – only to slip badly and drill the ball spectacularly wide of Cech’s upright.

It was a carbon copy of Terry’s own infamous shootout gaffe in the Champions League final of 2008, against United in Moscow.

2. Nani scores a wonder goal to make it 2-0, 37 mins

The Portuguese lit up Old Trafford with a majestic run and strike, but it was another moment of controversy for those of a Chelsea persuasion.

A long pass from deep found Nani out wide on the right, but TV replays were to show that he had drifted back from an offside position. Regardless, the United winger drifted effortlessly past Mata’s limp challenge then hared towards the box before unleashing a 25-yard strike that whistled past Cech and into the top corner.

It was a contender for goal of the season, and Nani’s inimitable tumbling backflips had an extra spring in them as the ground rose to acclaim a brilliant strike.

1. THAT Fernando Torres miss, 83 mins

It will go down as one of the most incredible moments of this or any other Premier League season. The league’s most expensive player, about to score his second goal of the game having gone the previous nine without success, and having bamboozled De Gea with a gorgeous stepover that oozed class, confidence and composure.

And then suddenly… it all went horribly, laughably, incredibly wrong. His skewed left-foot shot fizzed past the left upright and left those in the stadium and the watching world gasping.

It was the most amazing moment of one of the Premier League’s most incredible matches ever.


source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/09/18/2671892/top-10-most-incredible-moments-of-manchester-united-3-1

Gol yang dijaringkan oleh Giggs dalam 16 musim UCL yang disertainya

Manchester United 4-2 Gothenburg, September 14, 1994

It was 17 years to the day of his strike in Portugal, when Giggs benefitted from some horrific defending from the Swedish side to slam home from 10 yards out after the visitors failed to clear Mark Hughes’ squared ball in the area.

Manchester United 4-2 Gothenburg, September 14, 1994

The Welshman then made it 3-2 with a simple tap-in from point blank range after latching on to a save from Paul Ince’s fantastic 35-yard strike.

Rapid Vienna 0-2 Manchester United, December 4, 1996 

Arguably the United legend’s finest goal on the European stage; Giggs picked up the ball in the centre circle before starting a seamless one-two with Eric Cantona before collecting the ball again and coolly slotting home. A fine example of United at their devastating best on the break in the mid-1990s.

Manchester United 3-2 Juventus, October 1, 1997

Giggs secured the three points for Ferguson’s side with an unstoppable top-corner effort after man of the match Teddy Sheringham had set him up perfectly from the left flank.

Manchester United 4-0 Porto, March 5, 1997

The Welshman outpaced the entire Porto defence down the left of the box before slamming an unstoppable drilled effort inside now Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario’s near post to give the Red Devils their third of the night.

Manchester United 2-0 LKS Lodz, August 12, 1998

Expertly finished with the outside of his left boot following on from Paul Scholes’s knock down to give Boguslaw Wyparlo no chance and United a fine start to the qualification tie whick kicked off the treble season.

Manchester United 3-3 Barcelona, September 16, 1998

Put the home side ahead in a true group stage epic by getting on the end of David Beckham’s deep cross from the right and lofting a weighted header past the helpless Ruud Hesp.

Brondby 2-6 Manchester United, October 21, 1998

The Welshman made the most of a Kenneth Rasmussen fumble in the Danes’ area following Roy Keane’s cross and simply tapped home into an empty net to begin the visitors’ rout.

Brondby 2-6 Manchester United, October 21, 1998

Giggs then doubled his total with superb close-range header after meeting Jesper Blomqvist’s dangerous looking ball from the left-hand channel.

Manchester United 1-1 Juventus, April 7, 1999

Kept the eventual treble winners in the tie with a scrappy 91st minute equaliser from five yards out to send United to Turin on level terms, ensuring the tie remained in the balance and that the Italian side’s away goal eventually proved fruitless.

Manchester United 2-0 Bordeaux, March 1, 2000

The winger was the beneficiary of his own lung-busting run into the area to meet David Beckham’s cross on the half volley to give United the lead over the Ligue 1 side.

Sturm Graz 0-2 Manchester United, December 6, 2000

Giggs doubled United’s advantage in Austria with a rasping effort past Kazimierz Sidorczuk after being put through brilliantly by Dwight Yorke.

Manchester United 3-0 Olympiakos, October 23, 2001 

The former Wales skipper left the Greek side’s defence in his dust to meet an inch-perfect through ball by Juan Sebastian Veron before knocking a simple effort home to secure the hosts’ qualification to the second round.

Manchester United 3-2 Deportivo, April 10, 2002

Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated his 100th European game as manager by seeing his side make it through to the semi-finals and Giggs’ goal, a fine solo effort past Jose Francisco Molina after drifting in from the left, was the best of the bunch.

Manchester United 5-2 Maccabi Haifa, September 18, 2002

Giggs nodded a glanced header home from close-range after latching on to a superb Phil Neville cross to put the home side on their way to a winning start to their European campaign.

Manchester United 4-0 Olympiakos, October, 1 2002

The winger opened the scoring for United with left-footed finish from a few yards out after reacting quickest to Paul Scholes’ squared ball across the area.

Manchester United 4-0 Olympiakos, October, 1 2002

Despite looking very much like an own goal, Giggs was given it after he saw his attempted cross for Scholes take a nick off the foot of Georgios Amanatidis and past the helpless Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos.

Juventus 0-3 Manchester United, February 25, 2003

Giggs came off the bench to replace Diego Forlan early on and took only 10 minutes to get on the scoresheet by concluding a fine counterattacking move including contributions from David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Juan Sebastian Veron.

Juventus 0-3 Manchester United, February 25, 2003

The Welshman then doubled his, and United’s tally with a phenomenal solo effort by finishing with his right foot after a mazy run to secure the Red Devils’ passage to the quarter-finals. 

Manchester United 2-0 Stuttgart, December 9, 2003

Atoned for an embarrassing first-half miss by linking up well with Ruud van Nistelrooy on the left flank before sliding a cool finish past Timo Hildebrand to double United’s lead and all but secure the points.

Dinamo Bucharest 1-2 Manchester United, August 11, 2004

Having been put through by Paul Scholes, the Welsh wizard expertly skipped past Bucharest ‘keeper Vladimir Gaev before knocking it in with the goal at his mercy to equalise in Romania.

Manchester United 6-2 Fenerbahce, September 28, 2004

The Welshman latched onto a superb Kleberson cross from the left wing before nodding home a glancing header to give United the lead before Wayne Rooney stole the headlines with a hat-trick on his debut.

Manchester United 2-1 Benfica, September 27, 2005

Giggs benefitted from a wicked deflection to score a 30-yard free-kick to give the home side the lead shortly before the half-time whistle at Old Trafford.

Manchester United 3-1 Benfica, December 6, 2006

The hosts turned it round at the Theatre of Dreams as Giggs latched on a Cristiano Ronaldo cross to nod past Portuguese goalkeeper Quim and take his record to 12 consecutive seasons in which he had scored in the Champions League.

Lille 0-1 Manchester United, February 20, 2007

A strike surrounded in controversy, Giggs curled in a late free-kick before the Lille wall had been fully assembled and referee Eric Braamhaar allowed it to stand, nearly causing a mass walk-out by the French side.

Celtic 1-1 Manchester United, November 5, 2008

Giggs saved United with only six minutes left by pouncing on an Artur Boruc save to head home from point blank range after the Pole had kept out an effort from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United 2-1 Wolfsburg, September 30, 2009

Giggs secured his 150th goal for the club to equalise at Old Trafford after seeing his deflected free-kick fortuitously bounce off Christian Gentner shortly before the hour mark.

Schalke 0-2 Manchester United, April 26, 2011

The Welshman finally broke Manuel Neuer’s resolve with a calm finish between the irrepressible German’s legs after latching onto a pinpoint Wayne Rooney through ball.

Benfica 1-1 Manchester United, September 14, 2011

With Ferguson’s side facing an opening group game defeat, Giggs extended his record of being the Champions League’s oldest-ever goalscorer with a flying effort from 20 yards out to secure his side a point.


source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/champions-league/2011/09/15/2666928/how-manchester-uniteds-ryan-giggs-broke-a-champions-league

Preview: MU vs Chelsea - statistics

• The two previous meetings between these sides at Old Trafford have essentially been Premier League title deciders, with Chelsea winning one and United the other.

• These two sides have met 19 times in the Premier League at Old Trafford, drawing seven times. Manchester United have won seven of those encounters and Chelsea a respectable five.

• Andre Villas-Boas (pictured right) has 95 games as a manager under his belt, a whopping 22 times fewer than the 2,053 of his counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.

• Manchester United have scored 18 goals in four games in the league so far this season, an average of 4.5 goals per game.

• Chelsea’s ‘goals for’ statistic looks meagre in comparison, yet they have matched the league-leaders defensively, conceding just three goals.

• Andre Villas-Boas’ grandmother settled in Portugal after moving from the Manchester borough of Cheadle Hulme.

• Sir Alex Ferguson received the Premier League manager of the month award for his side’s start to this season, the 26th time he has collected the honour.

Preview: MU vs Chelsea

ahad malam ini, MU akan beraksi dalam perlawanan ketiga BPL di halaman sendiri untuk bertemu chelsea. jika dilihat secara terperinci jadual perlawanan MU di halam sendiri, perlawanan menentang chelsea merupakan perlawanan ketiga di tempat sendiri dan lawan MU adalah kelab dari london, sepertimana spurs dan arsenal dalam dua perlawanan di OT sebelum ini. jadi, MU diharapkan dapat mengekalkan rekod cemerlang seperti mana yang ditunjukkan apabila menentang spurs dan arsenal apabila melayan kunjungan chelsea.

setelah SAF melakukan rombakan dan kesebelasan utama MU untuk perlawanan UCL pertengahan minggu ini, sudah pasti SAF kembali akan menyenaraikan pemain2 terbaiknya yang telah direhatkan. young, anderson dan nani merupakan antara nama pemain yang terawal disenaraikan dalam kesebelasan utama MU. selain mereka bertiga, de gea, ferdinand dan jones akan turut kembali beraksi.

yang agak memeningkan kepala adalah untuk mengenalpasti pemain tengah MU yang sesuai untuk digandingkan dengan anderson selepas cleverly mengalami kecederaan. ketika ini, SAF mempunyai pilihan seperti carrick, fletcher mahupun giggs untuk berpasangan dengan anderson bagi menggerakkan bahagian tengah MU. carrick dilihat memiliki keupayaan untuk melindungi barisan pertahanan MU dan dapat membuka permaianan MU dari jarak jauh tetapi kurang mobiliti. giggs pula lebih terarah kepada serangan dan tidak begitu efektif memberikan perlindungan ataupun mengacau permainan lawan. fletcher mampu untuk menjadi 'box-to-box midfielder', efektif ketika menyerang mahupun bertahan tetapi mengalami isu dari segi kecergasan dan 'match sharpness'. ini menjadi dilema buat SAF untuk memilih calon terbaik untuk berpasangan dengan anderson.

jika mengambilkira persembahan dan 'availability' pemain, aku merasakan kesebelasan utama MU untuk bertemu chelsea adalah seperti berikut:

de gea

jones - ferdinand - smalling - evra

nani - anderson - giggs - young

rooney

chicharito

menerusi formasi ini, rooney akan diperlukan untuk memberikan sokongan kepada bahagian tengah MU ketika chelsea menguasai bola. secara tidak langsung, akan mengurangkan beban kepada anderson dan giggs untuk mengimbangi dan menghalang pergerakan pemain chelsea. nani dan young pula akan digunakan untuk melancarkan serangan menerusi larian2 pantas dan aku merasakan young akan kembali menyinar dan memberikan persembahan bertenaga selepas aksinya yang agak bersahaja ketika MU bertemu bolton wanderers hujung minggu lepas. nani berdepan tugas berat apabila berhadapan dengan ashley cole dan oleh sebab itu, young perlu memainkan peranan yang berkesan jika ingin melihat MU mengatasi cabaran chelsea. seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam perlawanan sebelum ini, chicharito berkemampuan untuk mengucar-kacirkan pertahanan chelsea melalui larian pantas dan kebijaksanaan mencari ruang dan peluang terbuka bagi membuat percubaan ke arah pintu gol chelsea.

walaupun media menggembar-gemburkan bahawa MU bakal berhadapan saingan sengit dari chelsea di OT nanti, aku tetap yakin MU mampu menewaskan seteru utama kejuaraan BPL ini dengan mencatatkan kemenangan besar. aku menjangkakan MU mengalahkan chelsea dengan keputusan 5-1, dengan rooney sekali lagi mencatatkan hatrik, dan dua gol lagi disumbangkan oleh chicharito dan young.

Champions League Veterans XI (age 33 and above)

Goalkeeper - Christian Abbiati (AC Milan, 34)

This time last year, 40-year-old Edwin van der Sar would have been the obvious choice to set the tone for an age-defying team in front of him. With the Dutchman retired, however, Manchester United have turned to a man half his age to replace him, and the Champions League is now awash with youthful shot-stoppers whose talent seemingly outweighs the need for experience.
A notable exception is Milan's Abbiati - a key member of the side that won their first Serie A title since 2004 last season and the man in possession of the No. 1 jersey at the San Siro.

Right-Back - Carles Puyol (Barcelona, 33)

Barcelona's swashbuckling, shaggy-haired captain courageous has enjoyed prolific success for club and country. Injuries have begun to limit his participation somewhat recently, but Puyol remains Pep Guadiola's first-choice partner for Gerard Pique and will fancy his chances of lifting the Champions League trophy once more in May. We're using him as a right-back - where he has played on a number of occasions - to facilitate the two players who follow.

Central Defence - Lucio (Inter Milan, 33)

With over 100 caps for Brazil to his name, Lucio brings a combination of vast experience and immense physical stature to our Veterans XI. A Champions League winner with Mourinho's Inter in 2010, and a World Cup winner back in 2002, Lucio's sheer presence is probably enough to dissuade most young strikers from taking him on.

Central Defence - Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan, 35)

In his pomp Nesta was arguably the best defender in the world, and on the evidence of the partnership he forged with Thiago Silva last season, the Italian was wise to go back on his decision to retire. If this is indeed his Champions League swansong, then who would begrudge Nesta a run deep into the knockout stages?

Left-back - Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan, 38)

Argentina stalwart Zanetti is seemingly impervious to the onset of time. Now 38, the Inter Milan captain has played more than 1,000 games as a professional with around 750 of those coming for the Nerazzurri and 145 for his country. Zanetti played a full part in Inter's run to the Treble in 2010, and remains a key member of a squad in which several members are young enough to be his children.

Holding Midfielder - Marcos Senna (Villarreal, 35)

Senna is the ideal man to serve as a shield in front of the back four, lying deep to bring the ball out of defence and tracking ambitious runs from opposition midfielders. The Brazilian-born Spain international remains an important part of the Villarreal squad in his tenth season with the club.

Right Midfield - Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan, 35)

Seedorf is Champions League royalty, having won the tournament four times, with three different clubs - Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan. The Dutchman remains outstandingly fit and technically proficient and is integral to an ageing Milan side whose experience was key in their Scudetto triumph last season.

Central Midfield - Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen, 34)

In his prime, Ballack was a barnstorming, box-to-box midfielder in the mould of his countryman Lothar Mattheus. Injuries have taken their toll in recent years, but what better motivation for Ballack to prove his worth than in a group containing his former club Chelsea? Twice a Champions League runner-up, this could be his last chance to go one better.

Central Midfield - Frank Lampard (Chelsea, 33)

No midfielder has scored more Premier League goals than Chelsea's Frank Lampard, who was considered by Jose Mourinho the best player in the world during his time at Stamford Bridge. Now 33, Lampard's body is no longer the miracle of science that saw him play 164 consecutive league games for the Blues, but he remains a genuine goal threat at the highest level.

Left Midfield - Ryan Giggs (Manchester United, 37)

When he joined Manchester United as a teenager in 1987, Giggs' natural talent invited a level of expectancy that has seen many a footballer fall by the wayside. Nearly a quarter of a century later, he can look back on a remarkable playing career that has seen him span the most successful period in United's history. While his first-team opportunities may be rationed in this season's Champions League, Giggs remains a player Sir Alex Ferguson trusts to deliver on the biggest stage.

Striker - Didier Drogba (Chelsea, 33)

Drogba is such a supreme physical specimen that it wouldn't be surprising if he played late into his 30s. The Ivory Coast striker possesses a combination of raw power and instinctive finishing that has him closing in on 100 Premier League goals. He will once again be key to Chelsea's chances of ending their quest for Roman Abramovich's holy grail this season.



source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/956501/will-tidey:-champions-league-veterans-xi?cc=4716

Review: MU vs Benfica

Keputusan perlawanan:

Benfica 1
Oscar Cardozo 24'


Manchester United 1
Ryan Giggs 42'


Ulasan perlawanan:

untuk perlawanan sulung UCL musim ini, tambahan pula beraksi di tempat lawan, SAF menerapkan formasi 4-2-3-1, formasi yang seringkali digunakan oleh MU dalam UCL. rooney diletakkan sebagai 'target man' dan dibantu oleh valencia di sayap kanan, giggs bertindak di posisi 'attacking midfielder' dan JSP di sayap kiri. namun ketiga2 mereka tidak memberikan sokongan dan bantuan sepatutnya kepada rooney menyebabkan rooney kelihatan agak keseorangan di bahagian atas untuk sebahagian besar perlawanan.

walaupun MU memiliki peratusan besar dalam penguasaan bola berbanding tuan rumah, namun MU gagal menjana serangan2 yang berkesan ke arah pintu gol benfica. MU banyak berlegar2 di kawasan tengah sahaja memandangkan benfica bermain dengan penuh disiplin di posisi masing2 untuk menghalang pergerakan dan hantaran2 MU. carrick dan fletcher dilihat bermain terlalu 'deep' mengakibatkan mereka berdua lebih gemar melakukan hantaran jauh dan jarang untuk naik ke atas membantu bahagian serangan MU.

bahagian pertahanan MU tampak sedikit gugup terutamanya di bahagian pertahanan tengah di mana gandingan smalling dan evans gagal mengekang penyerang benfica yang menjaringkan gol pertama perlawanan. evans juga dilihat mudah hilang konsentrasi dan melakukan hantaran2 yang kerapkali tersangkut. mujur evra selaku kapten pasukan bijak memberikan perlindungan kepada pemain2 muda. lindegaard harus diberikan pujian kerana beberapa kali menyelamatkan percubaan berbahaya benfica. kecemerlangan lindegaard awal pagi tadi dijangkakan akan memberikan tekanan kepada seorang lagi penjaga gol MU, de gea untuk terus memberikan aksi yang bertenaga sekiranya ingin memastikan tempatnya dalam kesebelasan utama MU. fabio kelihatan sedikit tenggelam tetapi masih mampu melaksanakan tugas pertahanan dengan berkesan.

giggs menjadi penyelamat MU apabila menjaringkan gol penyamaan menerusi rembatan cantik dari luar kotak penalti yang menewaskan penjaga gol benfica. giggs yang sebelum ini mencatatkan rekod sebagai penjaring gol tertua dalam saingan UCL pada musim lepas, mencipta satu lagi rekod baru apabila menjadi penjaring gol dalam 16 musim UCL, mengatasi jumlah yang diperoleh oleh lagenda real madrid, raul. 

separuh masa kedua menyaksikan MU cuba untuk mengancam pintu gol benfica namun benteng pertahanan benfica begitu utuh menidakkan segala serangan MU. kemasukan chicharito, nani dan jones memberikan sedikit nafas kepada pergerakan2 MU. dua pemain yang agak merisaukan aku adalah valencia dan fletcher. valencia yang agak diam pada separuh masa pertama, kembali bertenaga dalam separuh masa kedua. tetapi prestasi yang ditunjukkan valencia masih lagi di bawah tahap sebenar sekaligus menyebabkan dirinya digantikan oleh nani. jika valencia gagal meningkatkan mutu persembahannya, agak sukar baginya untuk mengetepikan nani dalam kesebelasan utama bagi posisi sayap kanan. bagi fletcher pula, banyak hantarannya yang tersangkut selain hanya berada di bahagian tengah sahaja. fletcher dilihat tidak mempunyai mobiliti berbanding anderson ataupun cleverly. mungkin fletcher dan valencia agak sedikit 'karat' dan memerlukan masa untuk mengasahkan 'match sharpness' masing2.

keseluruhannya, MU pasti berpuas hati apabila mengelakkan kekalahan dan mencuri satu mata dari lisbon. namun, MU memerlukan pemain2nya terutamanya fletcher, carrick, valencia dan beberapa pemain lagi untuk mempertingkatkan prestasi masing2 jika ingin disenaraikan dalam kesebelasan utama MU di masa hadapan. ini adalah kerana corak permainan MU menjadi sedikit hambar dan serangan menjadi kurang efektif apabila mereka beraksi berbanding corak permainan MU ketika anderson, young dan cleverly turun beraksi.

Gambar perlawanan:

 Oscar Cardozo menjaringkan gol buat Benfica selepas bijak melepasi kawalan Jonny Evans

Gol penyamaan MU diperoleh menerusi rembatan deras Ryan Giggs

Preview: Man City vs Napoli - statistics

- Both Manchester City and Napoli will be making their first appearances in Europe’s elite competition in its current format on Wednesday night.

- The duo also have the same single European triumph each in the now rebranded Uefa Cup. City claimed the competition in 1970, with the Italian outfit winning in 1989.

- City striker Sergio Aguero’s father-in-law Diego Maradona was one of four different scorers for Napoli during the two-legged final back in that Uefa Cup victory.

- In terms of appearances in European competitions, City’s former goalkeeper Joe Corrigan heads the English club's list with 27, whilst Napoli’s comes in the form of Ciro Ferrara with just one more at 28.

- The Naples-based club stand in the current Uefa rankings at 72, with Roberto Mancini’s side a fair bit higher at 34.

- City boss Mancini has three European titles to his name from his playing career, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup on two occasions with Sampdoria and then Lazio, but he has yet to find any continental glory as a manager.    

Ganjaran yang bakal diperoleh oleh kelab-kelab yang menyertai UCL 2011/2012

sepertimana yang diketahui, pada musim lepas, MU menerima hampir 46 juta pound sebagai ganjaran terlibat dalam saingan UCL. walaupun MU hanya menjadi naib juara, tetapi MU menerima ganjaran terbanyak kerana bayaran liputan siaran langsung selain beraksi di stadium wembley dalam pentas akhir UCL.

pada musim terbaru ini, semua kelab yang layak bertanding dalam peringkat kumpulan secara automatik akan menerima bayaran sebanyak 22.5 juta pound. jumlah ini tidak termasuk dengan ganjaran yang dibayar apabila mencatatkan keputusan seri mahupun menang. berikut merupakan pecahan ganjaran yang bakal diterima oleh mana2 kelab yang menyertai UCL musim ini dari peringkat kumpulan sehinggalah ke perlawanan akhir.

jadi sudah menjadi sasaran kepada sebahagian besar kelab2 eropah untuk beraksi dalam UCL kerana ganjaran yang akan diberikan dan menjadikan UCL antara pertandingan sukan yang memberikan ganjaran termahal.

Preview: MU vs Benfica - statistics

• Benfica have made an unbeaten start to their season, winning their last three league games after drawing their first, and overcoming Trabzonspor and FC Twente on their way to the group stage.

• United are not only unbeaten but have won every game they have played of the campaign so far.

• Including the Community Shield victory over rivals Manchester City, Manchester United have scored an incredible 21 goals in their five matches this season.

• This season is the 50th anniversary of Benfica’s European Cup triumph in 1961-62. That victory, inspired by Portugal legend Eusebio, was their second in as many years. They missed out on an unprecedented hat-trick by losing in the 1963 final and have not won Europe’s top prize since.

• Striker Nolito, who moved to the Estadio de Luz from United’s nemesis Barcelona this summer, has scored five goals in his first five games for his new club, equalling a record held by Eusebio.

• But striker Wayne Rooney has hit an even more impressive vein of goalscoring form, hitting eight in five so far.

Preview: MU vs Benfica

awal pagi esok, MU akan memulakan saingan UCL musim ini dengan bertandang ke portugal untuk bertemu naib juara liga portugal, benfica. MU dilihat berada di prestasi terbaik dan melakukan persediaan secukupnya untuk bertemu benfica selepas mencatatkan kemenangan 5-0 ke atas bolton wanderers hujung minggu lepas.

sepertimana yang sudah diketahui, pemain pertahanan senior, ferdinand diketepikan dari skuad 19 orang pemain yang berlepas ke portugal. ini bagi memastikan ferdinand cergas 100% bagi menghadapi perlawanan BPL hujung minggu ini menentang chelsea di OT. ketiadaan ferdinand memberikan peluang kepada pemain muda untuk mengisi slot dalam kesebelasan utama MU. 

benfica boleh dikatakan kelab terkuat berbanding dua lagi kelab yang diundi bersama MU dalam kumpulan C. ini adalah kerana benfica mempunyai beberapa pemain yang bagus seperti alex witsel, pablo aimar dan javier saviola. benteng pertahanan benfica juga agak kukuh dengan adanya garay dan luisao. pemain muda benfica, witsel sebelum ini pernah dikaitkan dengan perpindahan ke MU.

bagi aksi pertama UCL musim ini, aku menjangkakan SAF akan membuat rombakan besar2an terhadap kesebelasan utama, dari posisi penjaga gol sehinggalah posisi penyerang. bagi posisi penjaga gol, rasanya SAF akan memberikan kepercayaan kepada lindegaard dan di barisan pertahanan pula akan diisikan oleh smalling, jones, evans dan fabio. agak sukar untuk menentukan sama ada smalling ataupun jones akan beraksi di posisi rightback memandangkan kedua2 mereka berkemampuan untuk beraksi di posisi tersebut.

dengan cuba menggunakan formasi 4-4-2, SAF akan meletakkan carrick dan giggs sebagai gandingan di bahagian tengah. kedua2 mereka akan diapit oleh valencia di sayap kanan manakala JSP di sayap kiri. keempat2 pemain ini akan memberikan kekuatan di bahagian tengah MU memandangkan mereka masing2 mempunyai pengalaman dan akan memberikan perlindungan secukupnya kepada bahagian pertahanan MU yang dibarisi oleh pemain2 muda. pastinya valencia akan menjadi nadi penggerak serangan2 MU ke arah pintu gol benfica. bahagian serangan pula pastinya akan membariskan gandingan berbatov dan owen, secara tidak langsung rooney dan chicharito dapat direhatkan buat seketika. berikut merupakan kesebelasan utama MU:

lindegaard

smalling - jones - evans - fabio

valencia - carrick - giggs - JSP

berbatov - owen

jika mengambilkira keupayaan pemain2 yang diletakkan dalam kesebelasan utama di atas, tidak mustahil bagi MU untuk mengutip tiga mata penuh dari portugal. namun, aku menjangkakan MU hanya berupaya mencatatkan kemenangan tipis 2-1 ke atas benfica menerusi jaringan berbatov dan owen.

BPL's matchday 4 statistics

Arsenal
* Arsenal's victory over Swansea ended a run of six Premier League games without a win.
* The Gunners had 19 shots against the Swans at the Emirates but only four were on target. Robin van Persie had four shots without hitting the target once.
* New signings Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta were among six Arsenal starters who recorded a pass completion rate of 90% or higher.

Aston Villa
* Alex McLeish has won just one of his last ten Premier League games as manager.
* Villa did not win a single corner at Everton on Saturday while the Toffees claimed eight.
* Darren Bent has had four shots in four Premier League matches so far this season.

Blackburn Rovers
* Blackburn have won only one of their last 11 away matches in the Premier League.
* They produced an incredible 29 tackles at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
* David Goodwillie has had nine shots in the Premier League this season but none have been on target.

Bolton Wanderers
* Bolton have lost eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
* Kevin Davies has become the second player - behind Lee Bowyer - to pick up 100 bookings in the Premier League. His fouls have cost Bolton 13 free-kicks in four games already this season.
* Bolton's start to this season - three points from four games - is the same as in 2009/10 when Gary Megson was sacked as manager.

Chelsea
* Chelsea had 19 shots at Sunderland on Saturday but only five were on target.
* Daniel Sturridge has scored nine goals in his last 13 Premier League matches.
* Raul Meireles has claimed an assist in each of his last two PL appearances.

Everton
* Everton have not beaten Aston Villa in the Premier League since March 2006.
* The Toffees registered an impressive eight shots on target v Villa despite starting without a recognised strker.
* Phil Jagielka's pass completion rate v Villa was a woeful 51%.

Fulham
* The last time Fulham failed to win any of their opening four games in the top flight was in 1951/52 when they finished bottom of the table.
* New signing Bryan Ruiz's 72% pass completion rate made him the most wasteful Fulham player on Sunday v Blackburn.
* Danny Murphy has assisted both Fulham's Premier League goals this season.

Liverpool
* Liverpool have scored just three goals in their last seven visits to Stoke and have never won at the Britannia Stadium.
* They recorded a total of 24 shots against Stoke but only seven were on target.
* Andy Carroll has had 11 shots in the Premier League this season. Only two were on target and none have brought goals.

Manchester City
* Man City have won seven consecutive PL games with an aggregate score of 21-3.
* Sergio Aguero has scored six goals from seven shots on target in the PL this season.
* Carlos Tevez (72%) was the only City starter to record a pass completion rate lower than 86% v Wigan.

Manchester United
* Wayne Rooney has scored from eight of his 13 shots on target for Manchester United in the Premier League this season.
* Didier Drogba, Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand are the only other three players to have claimed back-to-back hat-tricks in the Premier League.
* Javier Hernandez has scored a goal every 110 minutes of Premier League football.

Newcastle United
* Newcastle only conjured one shot on target v QPR - Leon Best's 12th-minute shot.
* They have lost only one of their last nine Premier League games.
* Cheik Tioté has picked up 15 yellow cards in 29 Premier League games for Newcastle.

Norwich City
* Norwich have conceded a penalty in each of their four Premier League games.
* Their record of two points from the opening four games is identical to 2004/05 when they were relegated from the Premier League.
* Central midfield duo Bradley Johnson and Andrew Crofts both had five shots each against West Brom but failed to bother the keeper once.

QPR
* QPR had 16 shots against Newcastle but only four were on target - two cleared off the line and two saved by Tim Krul.
* Shaun Wright-Phillips' 88 minutes was his longest Premier League appearance since May 2010 for Manchester City v West Ham.
* QPR's 33 tackles on Monday night made them the biggest tacklers of the latest round of Premier League fixtures.

Stoke City
* Stoke were credited with just 27% possession v Liverpool on Saturday.
* Their only shot on target was the penalty which beat Liverpool.
* The Potters have lost just one of their last 11 matches at the Britannia Stadium.

Sunderland
* Sunderland have lost eight of their last nine PL games at the Stadium of Light.
* Dong-Won Ji scored with his very first shot in the Premier League.
* Sunderland did not test Chelsea keeper Petr Cech until the 45th minute with a shot from Stéphane Sessegnon.

Swansea City
* Swansea are the third side in Premier League history to fail to score a goal in any of their opening four matches of a season. The other two (Newcastle in 2005/06 and Sheff Wed in 1993/94) both finished in seventh.
* The Swans also failed to score in their previous top-flight appearance in May 1983, when they lost 3-0 to Notiingham Forest and were relegated.
* The isolated Danny Graham attempted only 13 passes in 90 minutes at the Emirates.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Emmanuel Adebayor has scored on his PL debuts for Arsenal, Manchester City and now Tottenham.
* Gareth Bale has hit the target with only one of his ten shots in the league this season.
* Jermain Defoe, Luke Modric, Scott Parker and Gareth Bale all had a pass completion rate over 90% v Wolves.

West Brom
* Four of goalscorer Peter Odemwingie's five shots were on target against Norwich.
* The 1-0 win over the Canaries marked only the second clean sheet of Roy Hodgson's reign.
* The Baggies made only 11 tackles to Norwich's 26 at Carrow Road.

Wigan
* Defeat to Manchester City ended a run of seven PL games without loss for Wigan.
* The Latics have conceded four goals in four games this season. This time last year they had conceded 11.
* Victor Moses has had 11 shots this season without scoring a goal.

Wolves
* Wolves strike pair Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher managed one shot between them in 90 minutes v Tottenham.
* Wolves have lost only two of their last eight Premier League games.
* Roger Johnson has been booked for both fouls he has committed in the Premier League this season.


source: http://www.football365.com/f365-features/7174045/Statistics

Berita bola campoq-aduk (BPL + UCL)

1. kapten bolton wanderers, kevin davies telah meminta maaf kepada pemain tengah MU, tom cleverly kerana bentesen yang dilakukan oleh davies dalam perlawanan hujung minggu lepas telah menyebabkan kecederaan di kaki cleverly. sebelum ini, SAF telah menyatakan rasa tidak puas hatinya terhadap davies yang mengasari cleverly sehingga menyebabkan kecederaan.

2. bekas pemain newcastle, joey barton telah membuat penampilan sulungnya bersama kelab baru, QPR dalam perlawanan menentang kelab lamanya. barton juga telah diberikan lilitan kapten pasukan oleh pengurus QPR, menggantikan adel taarabt.

3. pengurus chelsea, AVB diberitakan akan membuat rombakan besar2an terhadap kesebelasan utama chelsea untuk bertemu bayer leverkusen dalam saingan UCL bagi merehatkan beberapa pemain utama. AVB mengambil tindakan tersebut bagi memastikan sebahagian besar pemain2 utama seperti lampard, anelka dan terry cergas bagi perlawanan BPL hujung minggu ini menentang MU. selain itu, drogba akan terus diketepikan dalam skuad chelsea akibat mengalami kecederaan di kepala.

4. pemain liverpool, joe cole yang dipinjamkan kepada juara ligue one, lille telah beraksi untuk kelabnya pada hujung minggu lepas dan telah membantu untuk menghasilkan gol. cole yang bermain di samping eden hazard turut menganggap lille sebagai "mini barcelona" kerana memiliki corak permainan dan pemain2 yang berkemahiran tinggi seakan barcelona.

5. pengurus england, fabio capello telah memuji persembahan yang ditunjukkan oleh ashley young selepas menyertai MU. ini adalah kerana, capello berpendapat apabila seseorang pemain beraksi dalam pasukan yang besar seperti MU, young dapat meningkatkan keyakinannya serta memperbaiki corak permainannnya sekaligus memberikan kelebihan berbanding beraksi dalam pasukan yang biasa.

6. pemain tengah MU, tom cleverly dijangkakan akan berehat selama empat minggu akibat mengalami kecederaan kaki gara2 dibentes oleh penyerang bolton wanderers, kevin davies. pada awalnya, cleverly ditakuti akan mengalami retak di bahagian kaki, tetapi pemeriksaan selanjutnya mendapati cleverly hanya mengalami kecederaan ligamen sahaja.

7. pengurus arsenal, arsene wenger akan menjalani pergantungan 'touchline ban' bermula dengan perlawanan arsenal-borussia dortmund selepas didapati melakukan kesalahan oleh EUFA baru2 ini. wenger dalam kenyataan terbarunya mengatakan bahawa beliau berharap pembantunya, pat rice dapat menjalankan tugas sebaiknya dalam mencorak taktikal dan strategi ketika perlawanan berlangsung. di samping itu, pemain tengah arsenal, aaron ramsey tidak akan beraksi dalam perlawanan UCL pertengahan minggu ini kerana mengalami kecederaan ketika menjalani latihan.

8. lagenda argentina, diego maradona berkata anak menantunya, sergio aguero yang juga merupakan penyerang man city, akan menyinar di man city kerana mempunyai peluang untuk memenangi sebarang kejuaraan berbanding kelab lama aguero, atletico madrid. setakat ini, aguero telah menunjukkan prestasi yang bagus apabila menjaringkan enam gol dalam empat perlawanan BPL.

UCL 2011/2012 Preview - Group H

BARCELONA

Status: Spanish champions, European champions


Nickname: Barca

THE RECORD: The reigning kings of the Champions League took their time to join the ranks of the continent's elite as they did not lift their first European title until their 1992 triumph against Sampdoria at Wembley, yet they have made up for lost time by winning the ultimate prize in club football three times in the last five years.

TACTICIAN: Pep Guardiola
The Barca boss is fortunate to be working with a squad so sublimely talented that he merely needs to add the icing atop what is a deliciously appetising cake.
It has been suggested that any tactician would succeed at the helm of this Barca side, yet the dignity and calm professionalism this former Barca midfielder has shown since he took up the role in 2008 has provided the perfect backdrop to the brilliance at his fingertips. "Being European champions is a title we embrace and we want to do all we can to defend our trophy this season," Guardiola says.

THE GAMEPLAN: The summer signings of Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have given the unstoppable Barca juggernaut even more attacking potency, with coach Guardiola switching from his winning 4-3-3 formula and experimenting with a 3-4-3 set-up. Defending, it seems, is becoming increasingly less significant for free-scoring Barca.
Barca's unrelenting desire to retrieve the ball on the rare occasions they do not have it has been a key factor in their dominance of European game, with the magic they produce when the ball is under their control never ceasing to delight and enchant.

MAIN MAN: Lionel Messi
There can only be one candidate to fill this position for Barcelona and it has to be the brilliant Messi, an attacking genius who already deserves be placed alongside the all-time greats of the game.
His majestic performance in last season's Champions League final against Manchester United confirmed beyond any doubt that he is in a league of his own in the modern era and his hunger for more shows no sign of waning. "Winning the Champions League at Wembley was a special moment for all of Barcelona, but this team will not be happy to settle for what we have," he says. "We want more and more."

BIG SIGNING: Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas' return to his first club finally came to pass this summer as, after much wrangling, Arsenal were forced to reluctantly hand their skipper back to Barcelona in a deal worth around £35 million.
The expectation was that Fabregas would eventually replace the majestic Xavi in the Barca midfield and that he may not be a first-choice pick this season, yet the new formation means there is room for Fabregas to add even more majesty to Guardiola's line-up straight away. He started scoring goals from the moment he put a Barca shirt on his back once more.

RISING STAR: Thiago
Barca fans enjoy seeing a graduate of their celebrated youth academy make the leap into their star-studded first-team and Thiago looks set to be given his chance to do just that as the champions defend their Champions League crown.
With Thiago's buy-out clause in his Barca contract reported to be a staggering €90 million, it is clear that the Catalan giants expect this classy 20-year-old to flourish into a true star. Born in Italy as the son of Brazilian World Cup-winner Mazinho, he was raised in Spain and has committed his international future to his adopted nation.

THE X FACTOR: Alexis Sanchez
Barca hardly needed any additional magic, yet the £25 million summer capture of Sanchez provided a thrilling injection of invention.
This Chile international may not be a first pick in the initial stages of this season's Champions League, but he offers coach Guardiola an option to give star names a rest if required. That could be a crucial factor when the knockout stages kick in next February.

FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: Guardiola has been fortunate to have Messi, Iniesta and Xavi fit and available on a consistent basis throughout his time as Barca boss, but we have yet to discover whether his side would continue to thrive amid an injury crisis.
Messi, in particular, has bailed his side out of trouble time again in recent years and it would be impossible to fill the void he would leave should he be sidelined for a sustained period. That said, Barca have enough class oozing from their fringe players and celebrated youth academy to plug holes when they arise.

WHAT THEY SAY: "Barcelona are a fantastic team and there is no denying that they are right up there with the best of all time," Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says - and he is a man normally reluctant to pour praise on his chief rivals. "The challenge for everyone in Europe is to try and improve to get close to them because they mesmerise you with their passing and punish you with their finishing. Sometimes you have to accept you are beaten by the better team and that was certainly the case for us in last season's Champions League final."

VERDICT: If they perform at their best and stay injury-free, no one can stop them.

---

AC MILAN


Status: Italian champions


Nickname: Rossoneri

THE RECORD: Italy's most successful club in Champions League history, Milan have reigned supreme over the continent's finest on seven occasions and contributed to some of the most iconic moments in the history of this competition.
Their fall from grace in recent Champions League campaigns has been somewhat alarming and the challenge for Massimiliano Allegri and his team is to build on their domestic success last season against the cream of European football.
T
ACTICIAN: Massimiliano Allegri
The Milan chief achieved his first goal after taking over as Milan boss in the summer of 2010 as he knocked local rivals Inter off their perch by wresting the Serie A title from their grasp. Now comes the challenge of getting this famous old club back to winning ways in the Champions League.
"I have told the players that they can reach the Champions League final this season," Allegri says. "This is a realistic target because we are a team with the history and belief to intimidate any opponent. I like the additions we have made to the squad and we are stronger than last season for sure."

THE GAMEPLAN: The attacking riches Allegri has at his disposal will give him selection headaches aplenty if injuries do not play a part in the Milan story this season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Cassano, Alexandre Pato, Stephan El Shaarawy and Robinho all in the shake-up for starting spots.
His 4-3-1-2 formation ensures defensive solidity is at the heart of his gameplan, with the game changers in the attacking third charged with firing the bullets to see off the opposition. Tottenham exposed Milan's midfield as one-dimensional in last season's Champions League, so improvements are required and a summer of big change in the Milan dressing room heralded fresh hope.

MAIN MAN: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
This big Swede has divided opinions down the years, with his supporters hailing him as the ultimate target man in European football and the doubters believing he is an over-rated slayer of modest opposition who goes missing when the going gets tough.
He did little to dispel the myth that he is only effective in a dominant team as he failed to make his mark in the Champions League second-round tie against Tottenham last season, yet this maverick performer will be determined to prove his critics wrong as he returns to Europe's elite competition this season.

BIG SIGNINGS: Taye Taiwo and Philippe Mexes
Milan tried to reshape their defensive line with some cut-price signings during the summer transfer window and the capture of Taiwo and Mexes should give them some fresh impetus at the back.
Nigerian Taiwo arrived from Marseille, while Frenchman Mexes comes via Roma and is recovering from a knee injury he picked up at the back end of last season. With his signature secured on a free transfer, it was a sound piece of business for Milan.

RISING STAR: Stephan El Shaarawy
Signed from Genoa in June, the belief is that this teenager has the potential to take the Champions League by storm this season.
Blessed with blistering pace and plenty of trickery on the ball, the attacking midfielder who has been capped by Italy at junior levels inherited his exotic name from his Egyptian father. "It has always been my dream to play for Milan as they were the team I followed when I was growing up," he says. "Kaka is my idol and I would love to play like him for a successful Milan team.

THE X FACTOR: Alberto Aquilani
The mere mention of Aquilani's name gets Liverpool fans hot under the collar as they are still furious that ex-boss Rafael Benitez wasted around £20 million of the club's money on this injury-prone misfit who has barely kicked a ball for the Reds since his expensive arrival in 2009.
After his loan spell at Juventus last season failed to lead to a permanent transfer, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was relieved to find another taker for this former Roma star as Milan took him on loan for the season. He is a midfielder with plenty to prove in this season's Champions League.

FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: Milan were exposed as one-dimensional by Tottenham in last season's Champions League, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp dampening down their ambitions as his side secured a famous 1-0 aggregate win in the second-round tie.
A midfield featuring ageing stars Clarence Seedorf, Mark van Bommel and Gennaro Gattuso may lack the pace to unsettle the better sides in Europe, meaning much will depend on the likes of Pato, El Shaarawy and Robinho to provide the magic spark required.

WHAT THEY SAY: "It will be interesting to see if Milan can be better this season because they were a long way short in the Champions League last time," club legend Ruud Gullit says. "I was disappointed with their performances against Tottenham last season and they have to convince us all that they have improved."

VERDICT: Barcelona aside, the group-stage draw has been kind to Milan, but they may struggle to make a splash in the knock-out stages.

---

BATE BORISOV

Status: Belarusian champions


Nicknames: The Car Workers, Zholto-Sinie (Yellow-and-Blues)

THE RECORD: The only team from Belarus to qualify for the Champions League, BATE reached the promised land in 2008-09 and again this year.
Three years ago, they beat Valur of Iceland, Anderlecht and Levski Sofia en-route to the group stage, where, in a group featuring Juventus, Real Madrid and Zenit St Petersburg, they finished bottom with three points. However, it was not all doom and gloom as home and away draws with Juventus suggested they could compete at this level.

TACTICIAN: Viktor Goncharenko
It's little wonder that Goncharenko is regarded as one of the best up-and-coming team coaches in Eastern Europe. Not only has he led his club to three straight Belarus League titles (2008, 2009 and 2010), he has also transformed a once-anonymous provincial outfit into a credible force on the continental stage, qualifying BATE for the 2008-09 Champions League and for the second round of last season's Europa League.
A defender with BATE from 1998 to 2002, his career was ended prematurely by injury, staying on at the club to work with the juniors. He took over as first-team boss from Igor Kriushenko in November 2007 and, when he led BATE into the Champions League in the autumn of 2008, the then 31-year-old Goncharenko became the youngest coach in the history of the competition.

THE GAMEPLAN: Goncharenko usually employs a 4-2-3-1 system but may opt for a more defensive 4-5-1 in the Champions League. He is a man obsessed with the efficiency and togetherness of the team unit and has a three-point recipe for success: great organisation, superior fitness and tactical nous. They are sharp and intelligent on the counter-attack and very disciplined in the way the hold their shape.
To have any chance of holding their own, BATE must stand firm defensively and will be looking to twin-centre-backs Marko Simic and Egor Filipenko and midfield enforcers Dmitriy Baga and Edgar Olekhnovich to fight the good fight. High-profile new-boy Mateja Kezman can either lead the line or play in a more withdrawn attacking role.

MAIN MAN: Renan Bressan
This talented Brazilian-born attacking midfielder was the top scorer in the Belarus League last year with 15 goals, which was no mean feat for a player who does so much more than merely score goals.
The 22-year-old has been starring in Belarus for the past four seasons, first at FC Gomel, before BATE made their move for him last year. From Santa Catarina state in Brazil, he not only received a trophy when voted the Belarus Player of the Year for 2010 but also had his citizenship application rubber-stamped. Now there are rumours of top clubs tracking his progress.

BIG SIGNING: Mateja Kezman
Bidding for one last hurrah on the big stage, this veteran Serbia striker recently signed a contract with BATE until the end of the year and, if all goes well, there is the possibility of a longer-term deal.
Now 32, he was a prolific marksman in his younger years, piling up the goals for both Partizan Belgrade and PSV Eindhoven, but it all started to go horribly wrong for Kezman following a move in 2004 to Chelsea. He made next to no impact at Stamford Bridge and, from that moment on, he has largely flattered to deceive, particularly disappointing while at Paris Saint-Germain from 2008 to 2010. He had a temporary deal to play for Hong Kong outfit South China last season.

RISING STAR: Maksim Skavysh
One of six BATE players in the Belarus Under-21 side that finished third at this year's European Championships, this intelligent and mobile young front-man made his first-team debut for BATE back in 2007 and appeared in every one of his club's Champions League games in their 2008-09 effort.
Although only 21, Skavysh has already won three Belarus League titles (2008, 2009 and 2010), a domestic cup (2010) and two national Supercups (2010 and 2011). He's an ever-willing runner off the ball, creative and a decent finisher.

THE X FACTOR: Vitali Rodionov
An accomplished 27-year-old attacker who can both fly solo up top or play just off the main striker, Rodionov took time to settle after joining BATE from Torpedo Zhodino in 2006.
He came good a couple of years later, scoring 16 times in the Belarus League in the second half of the 2008-09 season. In 2009, he was loaned out to German Second Division for Freiburg and performed ably, only for the Black Forest club to surprisingly not take up the option to buy him.

FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: BATE are essentially a very young and raw side, made up of products from their excellent academy. At the sharp end of Champions League competition, this naivety will be ruthlessly exposed.
They are much the weaker for the recent departure of midfielder Pavel Nekhaichik to Dinamo Moscow as he was outstanding at breaking late into the box. Meanwhile, the signing of Mateja Kezman is a real gamble as he is a fading force and could end up disrupting the tight-knit family at BATE.

WHAT THEY SAY: "Success for BATE will be third-place in their group," former BATE star Alexander Hleb says. "Barcelona and Milan are on another planet entirely, but my old team can beat the Czechs from Plzen. This European campaign is just one more step on the development road. There's so much they can learn from being in this fabulous group."

VERDICT: No chance of qualification for second round, but a win or two against Viktoria Plzen will be hailed as glory for BATE.

---

  

 

 VIKTORIA PLZEN

Status: Czech Republic champions

 

Nickname:  The Reds

 

THE RECORD: These Champions League newbies have very little in the way of European experience. Indeed, prior to this season, they have only competed in two continental campaigns: in the 1971-72 Cup Winners' Cup (knocked out in the first round by Bayern Munich) and last term's Europa League, eliminated in the third qualifying round by Besiktas of Turkey.  

 

TACTICIAN: Pavel Vrba
Since his appointment as Viktoria boss in 2008, Vrba has performed a string of minor miracles with the unfashionable west Bohemian club, steering them to victory in the Czech Cup in 2010 and to their first national championship title last season. His all-conquering success has led many in the local media to suggest it is only a matter of time before he takes charge of their Czech national side. A former professional in the old Czechoslovak League with Cheb and Banik Ostrava, this genial and modest 47-year-old coached Zilina to the Slovak League title in 2007 and also served as an assistant to Slovakia national team boss, Jan Kocian.  

 

THE GAMEPLAN: Vrba's attack-conscious philosophy is breath of fresh air. He has a burning desire not only to win, but to do so with style and in his eyes the ideal result is a 5-4 or a 4-3 victory. Either employing a 4-2-3-1 shape or a 4-1-4-1, Vrba principally asks two things of his players: that they embrace his attacking and are comfortable on the ball. Veteran midfield strategist Pavel Horvath is the fulcrum of the side, lining up in a deeper position in home games and in a more advanced role away. Key to their plans is the speedy performers, with attacking midfielders Milan Petrzela and Daniel Kolar flooding forward in support of the lone front-line pivot, Marek Bakos.  

 

MAIN MAN: Pavel Horvath
"This has been the best season year of my career," beamed the 36-year-old as Viktoria clinched the Czech championship spoils in May and no one could argue with him. Bought from Sparta Prague in 2007, his probing, prompting, perfectly-weighted passes and set-piece delivery were at the heart of the Plzen success story. Since starting out with Sparta Prague in the early 1990s, Horvath has gone on to play for Jablonec, Slavia Prague and Teplice in his homeland, as well as Turkish giants Galatasaray and Sporting in Lisbon.  

 

BIG SIGNING: Marian Cisovsky Even in a team known for its gung-ho spirit, a valid insurance policy is needed at the back and Plzen hope they have gone some way to acquiring one in the shape of this 31-year-old Slovak international, signed in from Romanian outfit Politehnica Timisoara. Cisovsky previously played for Slovak clubs, Inter Bratislava - whom he twice helped win the national championship - Zilina and Petrzalka before moving to Romania in 2008. He can fill in at right-back, but his primary job will be trying to stem the flow towards the Plzen goal at the heart of their defensive line. He has a big task on his hands.  

 

THE RISING STAR: Vaclav Pilar
A livewire little frontrunner or attacking midfielder recently signed on loan from the Hradec Kralove club, Pilar is widely-regarded as the golden boy of his generation. This 22-year-old left-footer likes to punch holes in defences with his speed and low centre of gravity and now he gets his chance to prove he can hurt the best in the Champions League. Pilar has settled in straight away at Viktoria, scoring from the off and becoming a instant hero for the Plzen faithful. He made his senior debut for the Czech Republic in June of this year in a Kirin Cup match against Peru.  

 

THE X FACTOR: Milan Petrzela
This busy, technical and incisive right-sided midfielder has grown steadily in confidence and influence since joining Plzen from Sparta Prague in 2007. Offering industrious and dynamic bursts on his flank, accuracy with his crossing and his share of goals too, Petrzela is a game changer in the Czech league. Something of a late developer, he only won his first full cap for the Czech Republic at the not-so tender age of 27 and is now an established member of the Czech side pushing for qualification for Euro 2012. His former clubs include FK Drnovice, FC Slovacko and Jablonec.

 

FLAW IN THE MAKE-UP: Plzen can be somewhat naive defensively. They throw men forward with abandon and neglect to lock the back-door. Champions League rivals are likely to exploit that glaring soft spot. They also lack sufficient top-level experience to match up to Europe's top sides, while any major injuries and their thin squad will be in trouble. They are already a key man down, following the departure of the free scoring Jan Rezek to Cypriot side Anorthosis during the summer, and his goals will be missed.  

 

WHAT THEY SAY: "It's good to see an old team make history rubbing shoulders with the all the star names in the Champions League," says ex-Plzen defender Lukas Dosek. "The mentality of their coach is to be adventurous and if he can keep his boys relaxed, they can give a decent account of themselves. Yes, Vikoria take chances at the back. Yes, Barca and Milan are extraordinary opponents, but it's important to stick to your principles. Who knows what might happen."

 

VERDICT: In the capital of Czech beer, the locals are likely to be drowning their sorrows come December.

source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/953982/champions-league-2011-12,-group-h?cc=4716