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West
Bromwich Albion v Manchester United
The Hawthorns,
West Bromwich. 27th November 2004, 3.00pm. |
| 25th November 2004
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| Position |
19th |
6th |
| Form |
D L L D L D |
W D W W W W |
| Last Match |
Arsenal
(A) 1-1 |
Olympique Lyonnais (H) 2-1 |
Last Meeting
3rd December 2003 |
West Bromwich Albion 2 (Haas
6, Dobie 56)
Manchester United 0 |
Last Baggies win in this fixture
was 2-0 on 3rd December 2003
This result was against a weakened United side
in the Carling Cup but was, nonetheless, a good result. Albion's
last league victory over United at the Hawthorns was on 31st March
1984 when goals from Cyrille Regis and Steve MacKenzie gave the
Baggies a 2-0 win over Ron Atkinson's side in front of almost 28,000
fans. Man Utd went on to finish 4th in Division One that season
as Albion finished a disappointing 17th. |
With five wins from
the last six games, one can hardly say that United are on a run
of poor form, but there are surprisingly a significant few who feel
that United are vulnerable. That may be a reflection of their unusually
lowly position outside the top five, but their recent results, if
not their performances, suggest that they are capable of challenging
the top two.
Any game against a Manchester United team is one to excite players
and fans alike. Albion's last encounter with the Red Devils produced
victory as goals from Haas and Dobie produced a 2-0 victory in the
Carling Cup last season - it may have been against a weakened United
side, but it still included the likes of Kleberson, Butt, O'Shea,
Ronaldo and Fletcher. But it is the youngsters of Ronaldo and Fletcher
that have featured more regularly this season, although Butt has
now moved on, fitting in nicely with the likes of Keane, Scholes,
Van Nistelrooy and new boy Wayne Rooney.
The United side remains one of the very strongest that Albion will
face this season. Having been found wanting against Chelsea and
equal to Arsenal, the Baggies players will be looking to impress
against the third of the new "Big Three". There is hope in the team
news that Saha is definitely out and that Van Nistelrooy, Giggs
and Gary Neville are doubtful, but their squad is strong enough
for United to remain strong favourites to win at the Hawthorns.
It will be interesting to see Rooney and Moore face up to one another
since Big Dave got upset with the young upstart two years ago. Since
then, Rooney has hit new heights with his exploits for England,
although his youthful petulance remains in evidence following the
game in Spain last week. He, and Christiano Ronaldo, are the latest
bright young things in the Old Trafford side but, though their talent
is undoubted, their combined transfer fees of around £35 million
contrast wildly with what they paid to bring through their most
famous crop of young players which included Beckham, Giggs, Scholes,
Butt and Neville.
The match at the Hawthorns will be Sir Alex's 1,001st in charge
of United, and he has been an unqualified success. There have been
question marks of late, but he remains, in my opinion, the undoubted
king of English football management. There have been a few wobbles
this season, but the fact remains that only two clubs have beaten
the Manchester club this season, Chelsea and Portsmouth.
So maybe the Baggies' hope is to sneak a draw. That has been United's
Achilles heel as they have drawn six of their fourteen matches in
the Premiership. Without Van Nistelrooy, the former champions have
lacked that cutting edge in front of goal despite the presence of
Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith. With Saha, and perhaps
the Dutchman, missing on Saturday, Albion fans will hope that their
goalscoring frailties will continue.
As for the Albion, the draw at Highbury will have given the side
great confidence. The transformation in the performances under Robson
has been marked, with Andy Johnson and Neil Clement catching the
eye as much improved players. Robson has gone as far as praising
AJ's performances in the last two games meaning that the former
Forest man is certain to keep his place alongside Greening. That
means that Inamoto seems destined to wait a little longer before
his first appearance, although I expected his obvious quality and
experience will win through in the none too distant future.
The back four looked particularly solid on Saturday and I'd be surprised
to see any change there. There is, however, scope for change further
forward. BR opted for a 4-4-1-1 formation to stifle the Arsenal
midfield and he may opt for the same again against United. Sakiri's
first Premiership appearance was promising, but I expect to see
Earnshaw back in the starting line-up at the Hawthorns although
Kanu may not play.
The mercurial Nigerian has not impressed in recent weeks, although
his ability to keep possession under pressure may prove enough to
retain his place. It's a difficult one to call, but on impressions
so far, I'd trust Robson to get it right.
My prediction is as follows:
Hoult; Scimeca, Purse, Moore, Clement; Contra, Greening, Johnson,
Sakiri; Kanu; Earnshaw.
I think Kanu may play slightly withdrawn, although this role could
be filled by Gera with Kanu, Earnshaw or Horsfield up front.
Only "Pop" knows the answer...
Jon Want, 25th November 2004.
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