Wayne Rooney knows precisely how determined AS Roma will be to exact revenge on United after the Reds' 7-1 victory back in April – because he has put himself in their shoes.
After thrashing the Italians in the Champions League quarter final second leg last season, the Giallorossi return to Old Trafford in Tuesday's Group F clash hell-bent on setting the record straight.
Asked what he would do if he had been in a team that had been beaten 7-1 and then had a chance to redeem themselves so soon after the event, Rooney smiled and said: “If it was me, I’d be sitting here rubbing my hands. I’d have been delighted as soon as the draw was made. I wouldn’t be able to wait for the game and I’d see it as an opportunity to put things right.
“I’m sure that Roma will be fired up for this game. We need to be aware of that, but what we have to do is concentrate on our job and play the way we know we can.”
Rooney also says that the Reds must put the 7-1 scoreline out of their minds and concentrate on playing at full tilt against Luciano Spalletti’s men.
"It was a great result for us, but I think we all know it won’t happen again,” he said. “We know it will be a difficult game. We have to do our job and try and win the game.”
The 21-year-old striker is looking for his first goal this season, and Tuesday night would be an ideal time for him to get off the mark.
“It was a disappointing start to the season for me because I got the metatarsal injury,” he added. “But I’ve played three games now and hopefully I can start scoring again and help the team keep winning games.”
Rooney has been deployed as the main striker in United's attack this season, with Carlos Tevez dropping deeper. When asked to do a similar job last season, he went on a scoring run of 11 goals in 14 matches during March and April. He will be hoping to do that again, and says his partnership with Tevez has plenty of potential.
"I enjoy playing alongside Carlos," he said. "He’s a good player and he's starting to play really well.
"Playing with Carlos makes it a slightly different role for me. I have to play on the shoulder of the defender and let Carlos be the link between the midfield and the forwards. Of course, I’m happy to do that role, and I think it could bring more to my game. I did it quite a lot last season. I got a few goals from doing that so I’ve got no problems at all doing that."
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Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Violent Blues were no match for us
Carlos Tevez has accused Chelsea of violent play in Sunday's bad-tempered clash at Old Trafford and warned them that Manchester United no longer view them as their main title rivals. The match featured a red card for midfielder John Obi Mikel and a tackle from Joe Cole that deserved another. United striker Tevez, scorer of United's first goal in their 2-0 win, said: "Chelsea pushed the violence to the absolute limit and there could have been other red cards during the match. But justice prevailed in the end and we deserved to win. Our game is totally superior to Chelsea's this season and the scoreline was actually a little short of what we deserved. I have seen the problems at Chelsea with the change of coach, but this season they have just not developed the rhythm of other years. I don't see that they are superior to any of our other title rivals. Chelsea were very nervous and it was impossible that we were going to lose the match."
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail Read more...
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail Read more...
Boss expects entertaining tie
Sir Alex Ferguson expects a competitive, entertaining tie as United begin their Carling Cup campaign against Coventry City on Wednesday night.
Iain Dowie's Sky Blues come to Manchester with just one point from their last three games, but with a huge travelling support, and Sir Alex is wary of the Midlanders' threat.
"He's doing a good job, Iain," Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio. "I watched them on Saturday against Ipswich. They lost three goals in the first half but they looked the better side to me.
"I think Coventry will have a real go. It will be a fantastic atmosphere, which I think will help them, with 10,000 of their fans here. It will feel like a real cup tie."
The United manager confirmed that he will field a host of his squad's burgeoning young talents against the Sky Blues, and hand run-outs to players who are in need of action.
"I'm going to play the younger ones, but also players like Anderson, Nani, maybe O'Shea," he said. "But the younger one like Pique, Evans, Simpson, Bardlsey, Eagles, Martin, Dong, Campbell, Kuszczak – they'll all be involved."
Sir Alex also confirmed that another match-hungry member of his squad has been pestering him for some involvement on Wednesday night.
"Wayne Rooney's been in my ear wanting to play," he revealed. "'I want to play, I want to be captain, I want to take the penalties, the corners, the free kicks, the goal kicks, the lot'.
"There's a real buzz about the place. We're really looking forward to it."
Learning from the best
Fraizer Campbell admits he cannot wait to start learning from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as soon as the recently-retired striker begins imparting his knowledge on United's current crop of forwards.Solskjaer took temporary charge of the Reds' Reserves against Sporting Lisbon this week, but it's the striker-specific work that excites Campbell, who is itching to learn from a man described by Sir Alex Ferguson as 'one of the best natural finishers I have seen'.
"I’ve done a bit of finishing practice with Ole before, but I was speaking to him recently and he said he’s going to do some work with the strikers," Fraizer told ManUtd.com. "First he wants to do a little work himself and get back into action."
Having seen the Norwegian in action at close quarters on Carrington's training fields, Campbell admits he will be privileged to tap into Solskjaer's finishing know-how.
"I’ve spent time watching him in the past during training, and his finishing is tremendous," said Fraizer. "He was sliding in and hitting it at awkward heights, and still picking out the corners of the goal each time. It’s something I’d like to be able to do.
"He’s probably even now one of the best finishers at the club, and for him to want to teach people like me is an honour really. I’m really looking forward to working with him and trying to learn from him." Read more...
Youth Give Chance to Shine
Sir Alex Ferguson says United's youngsters can look to Sir Bobby Charlton for inspiration ahead of the Reds' Carling Cup clash with Coventry City.
A number of players will gain rare first-team starts on Wednesday night and the United manager says it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.
"I've just been reading Bobby's book and he speaks a lot about his early years here," the manager told Manchester United Radio. "What came across strongly was the number of times he had to say, 'Believe in yourself Bobby, you'll get your chance'. I didn't realise he was 19 before he played his first game for United. He was being kept out of the team time and time again by more experienced players.
"It's the same with these young lads. They have to keep believing in themselves and, when their chance comes, take it. And they will get chances."
Sir Alex revealed he hopes to hand opportunities to almost a dozen Reserves or fringe players, including Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Tomasz Kuszczak. He also said Nani, Anderson and John O'Shea could be involved.
"This is a really important night for these players. They all want regular first-team football and that's not easy to manage. I'm trying to get them games in the Premier League and in Europe too, but Wednesday is a great opportunity for them.
"You have to use your squad throughout the course of the season and I'll be doing that when the time's right. At the moment they might not see that, but it will happen and I know they won't let us down.
"A lot of these players have already shown great improvement. Chris Eagles has been sensational in training and the games he's played in. Young Jonny Evans and Gerard Pique have also been excellent, as has Danny Simpson.
"There's real promise there and that's what we want to see on Wednesday. We want them to play with the kind of commitment they see from the first-team players every week." Read more...
A number of players will gain rare first-team starts on Wednesday night and the United manager says it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.
"I've just been reading Bobby's book and he speaks a lot about his early years here," the manager told Manchester United Radio. "What came across strongly was the number of times he had to say, 'Believe in yourself Bobby, you'll get your chance'. I didn't realise he was 19 before he played his first game for United. He was being kept out of the team time and time again by more experienced players.
"It's the same with these young lads. They have to keep believing in themselves and, when their chance comes, take it. And they will get chances."
Sir Alex revealed he hopes to hand opportunities to almost a dozen Reserves or fringe players, including Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Tomasz Kuszczak. He also said Nani, Anderson and John O'Shea could be involved.
"This is a really important night for these players. They all want regular first-team football and that's not easy to manage. I'm trying to get them games in the Premier League and in Europe too, but Wednesday is a great opportunity for them.
"You have to use your squad throughout the course of the season and I'll be doing that when the time's right. At the moment they might not see that, but it will happen and I know they won't let us down.
"A lot of these players have already shown great improvement. Chris Eagles has been sensational in training and the games he's played in. Young Jonny Evans and Gerard Pique have also been excellent, as has Danny Simpson.
"There's real promise there and that's what we want to see on Wednesday. We want them to play with the kind of commitment they see from the first-team players every week." Read more...
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