Last Five Matches: United
October 17: United 2 – Bolton 1 (English Premier League)
October 21: United 1 – CSKA Moscow 0 (Champions League)
October 25: Liverpool 2 – United 0 (English Premier League)
October 27: United 2 – Barnsley 0 (Carling Cup)
October 31: United 2 – Blackburn 0 (English Premier League)

Last Five Matches: CSKA
October 4: CSKA Moscow 4 – Kuban Krasnodar (Russian Premier League)
October 17: CSKA Moscow 1 – Spartak Nalchik 1 (Russian Premier League)
October 21: Manchester United 1 – CSKA Moscow 0 (Champions League)
October 25: FC Moscow 3 – CSKA Moscow 1 (Russian Premier League)
October 30: CSKA Moscow 1 – Terek Grozny 0 (Russian Premier League)

Current Form: United
The Red Devils are currently second in the English Premier League, having taken 25 points from 11 matches thus far. United have dropped points against Liverpool (5th), Sunderland (8th), and Burnley (10th), but currently remain second behind Chelsea in the EPL. On a happier note, the Red Devils are top of Group B in the Champions League, having taken full points (nine) from their first three games (@Besikatas, Wolfsburg, and @CSKA).

Current Form: CSKA
The Russian Premier League side are currently fifth in the league, having taken 46 points from 27 matches (a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, and 4 draws).CSKA sacked manager Juande Ramos on October 28, and subsequently responded with a win over mid-table side Terek Grozny. The Champions League knock-out round remains a possibility for the Moscow-based side, as they are currently third in Group B (one point behind second place Wolfsburg).

Points to Ponder
1) The world is now one Rooney stronger. The United striker missed training yesterday to be with his wife Coleen as she gave birth to the couple’s first child. Kai Wayne Rooney was born yesterday afternoon, and promptly launched a Twitter account to keep the world up to date with the newborn’s boxing and football training schedule. Perhaps of more concern to United fans is the status of Rooney Sr. With Chelsea waiting at the weekend and Group B not exactly looking like a close race, my guess is that Rooney’s name doesn’t feature in the starting eleven.

2) Rooney isn’t the only face that is expected to be absent. Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad will look a touch inexperienced tonight, as some of the bigger United names are in doubt. Park Ji-Sung (crybaby-knack), Nemanja Vidic (Recovering-From-Torres-Knack), Rio Ferdinand (Alien-Abduction-Knack), and Ryan Giggs (balding-knack) are all expected to be out, and Dimitar Berbatov will likely be held in reserve.

3) A solid performance from Jonny Evans will make an awkward situation even more awkward. It’s no secret that Rio Ferdinand has been struggling this season. Whereas one year ago there were individuals willing to state that Ferdinand was one of the best defenders in Europe, now it seems there are those who are uncertain if he’s even one of the top defenders in the United squad. With Wes Brown looking healthy and Jonny Evans making a very, very good case to be a regular starter, things could get increasingly uncomfortable for Rio.

4) Another player who may be hoping to impress Fergie will be suiting up for the opposition. CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has been linked with a move to Manchester numerous times this season (generally right after Foster let the ball slip out of his hands/cleared the ball directly into an opponent’s back). “I have heard the speculation but it is just talk, nothing else,” said the big Russian keeper. “ I cannot look at this match from a personal perspective. The career of every footballer grows from such games.” He then paused, reflected on how that wasn’t quite enough of a come-and-get-me plea, and then continued, “We are playing a legendary team in a legendary stadium. It will be an inspirational game, the most important in our careers.”

Taylor’s Predicted Starting Eleven: VDS, Neville, Brown, Evans, Evra, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Obertan/Welbeck, Macheda, Owen.
Scoreline Predictions: And the man-crush ensues… I see this one as a comfortable win for United, so I’m going with 3-0 with goals from Obertan, Owen, and Fletcher. It will be good to have the Scotsman back, great to have the possibility of yet another deadly winger providing an outlet for the United attack, and amazing if (as some have suggested) Hargreaves could be on the bench. I don’t think he will be, but the slight possibility remains.

1) Dimitar Berbatov can apparently only score ridiculous goals. Berba had multiple opportunities where he looked certain to score, but those chances often ended up in frustration for player and fan alike. One on one with the keeper? Fired wide. Wide open header? Right at the keeper. Balled played in behind him with all his momentum going the opposite direction? No problem. A beautiful first touch setting up an even prettier finish to the bottom corner. Berba reminds me of the player that can only score when he doesn’t have to think about it. Give him too much time, and he over thinks. Force him to react in a quick situation, and the keeper ends up picking the ball out of the back of the net.

2) Obertan will probably want to avoid watching the game tape from this weekend. I don’t think anyone has ever had more chances to make an impact on their debut, and yet the young Frenchman couldn’t find the goal. Several sparkling runs ended in frustration, and perhaps the most open opportunity of the day went wide after skipping off of the winger’s heel. A decent performance and an optimistic debut for sure, but probably not the happiest of memories for Obertan. That said, I stand by my pre-season prediction that Obertan will “end up as the best signing of the summer.” Manucho is dead… the man-crush mantle has been transferred…

3) Evra + Rooney + Obertan = Joga Bonito. There was one sequence late in the second half where United moved the ball from one side of the pitch to another, and then all the way into Blackburn’s half via simple one-touch passing. It was a sequence of beauty and something that has been lacking at times this season. To be certain, United have the potential to be one of the top sides in Europe. Yet, their inability to play “joga bonito” style may yet do them in.

4) HARGREAVES IS ALIVE! The cameras cut to Vidic and Hargo joking on the bench, and I found myself far too happy to see a half-Canadian, half-English, half-German midfielder with questionable knees. More to the point, what do you think Vidic and Hargo joke about while sitting in the freezing air of Manchester? My guess would be how it still beats playing in the German/Serbian winter. That’s just my guess though.

5) I increasingly believe that Patrice Evra is the most important player in the United squad. He is generally a defensive rock, but manages to chip in all over the field. He’s a physical presence who can throw attackers off their game with his aggressive tackles. He’s an emotional figure who can push United to another level. Most importantly, he may be our most talented transitional player. It was Evra who played the ball in that allowed Berba to knock home United’s first goal (although the Frenchman’s ball may actually have been an attempted shot). And it was Evra who set up Obertan’s near-goal when he delicately stole a Blackburn pass and set up a quick counter. With Evra in the lineup, that left side always looks deadly (regardless of who’s playing in front of him).

On an unrelated note, I think the time may have come for us to add another blogger to the Manchester United Offside page. I’ll be speaking with Daryl about it today, but I just haven’t had the time to post regularly, and I don’t want the site’s readership/overall traffic to suffer as a result. I appreciate all of you who come here and apologize when updates are few and far between. Hopefully, I’ll get the situation rectified as soon as possible and we’ll get this thing back on track.

Me: “I’m always a little nervous… but Liverpool really only have two players that we need to worry about.”
Her: “Who?”
Me: “Fernando Torres, who plays up top and Steven Gerrard, their captain who plays in the midfield. Neither is looking completely match fit, so it should be interesting.”

Fast forward to Sunday morning, and about midway through the second half. She walked into the living room, looked at the television, and asked, “Is Gerrard playing?” I told her that he wasn’t, she paused, and then dropped a bomb: “Then shouldn’t United be winning?” I paused… stammered… and then prepared for the worst. Sometimes it takes a girlfriend with limited soccer knowledge to point out the disturbing fact that you had been avoiding all morning.

Manchester United played their arch-nemesis Sunday morning, and that rival took the field with an injured striker and an inexperienced midfield that lacked its most important player. 95 minutes later, Liverpool walked off the field with 2-0 win and United were left to ponder what happened.

I will avoid going into gory detail about the overall performance, but what I will say is that United lacked a game changer on Sunday. Wayne Rooney tried, but (in my opinion) it needs to come from the midfield. Our starting four were Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Antonio Valencia. Carrick has been taken to the pod people’s mothership (along with Rio Ferdinand). Scholes and Giggs are clearly still playing at a world class level, but I don’t know if they can shoulder the full burden of changing a game. That leaves Valencia, who looked a threat down the flank for the majority of the match. And yet, I don’t think he’s quite ready to be the headliner in that midfield.

I know this has all been discussed at length time and time again, but I think it bears repeating in the wake of Sunday’s collapse. This year’s United squad has deviated from the plan of the past few years, namely “give it to Slave and see what happens.” To be honest, I couldn’t be happier about that fact. I hate the “one player” mentality that we so readily (and often) adopted. This year’s squad seems to have embraced the idea of interchangeable parts serving the greater good.

However, at some point, those parts need a unifying factor. They require a general in the form of Roy Keane. Someone who may not score all the goals or be the most creative player, but an individual who fires the team up, gets them playing at their peak efficiency, and can turn around a struggling performance. Some who won’t hesitate to get in the face of a struggling teammate and make it clear that it’s time to shape up…. And, if absolutely necessary, threaten to punch Patrick Vieira in the face.

My biggest fear heading into this season was complacency. In fact, I was so worried about it that I overlooked the other issue: leadership. With Slave gone, United needed a catalyst to elevate the rest of the team. Many thought it would be Wayne Rooney, and he’s certainly looked formidable for most of this early campaign. But can he take control of the team and keep them on track? I don’t know. It used to be Rio’s job, but he’s too busy giving away easy balls to the opposition to really concern himself. Giggs is the other obvious candidate, but he’s certainly not the solution for the future. Just who will be remains to be seen, but one thing is certain. If United struggled against a Liverpool that was missing it’s most important player and featured a fairly toothless midfield, how will they handle current frontrunners Chelsea? If they don’t solve the obvious problems, then it could be a very blue day when the Blues come to town.

Random Podcasts:

The Soccerlens Podcast – This week, the Soccerlens boys interview author Andy Mitten regarding his new book, “Glory, Glory! Man Utd in the 90s – The Players’ Stories.” The new book is based on detailed interviews with many of the big name players from United squads of the 90s, and will no doubt prove a good read for any and all United fans who want to hear first hand just how crazy Roy Keane actually is (plus in depth interviews with Eric Cantona, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Gar Pallister, and many more). The interview starts about 10 minutes in, and Mitten (not surprisingly) is keen to discuss all things United.

The Football Ramble – Great podcast coming straight from… erm… somewhere in England. The fearsome foursome of Lukey, Markey, Peter, and James/Jim give you a hilarious look at the major topics of the football week. As their website explains, “The most groundbreaking thing to happen in football entertainment since Tim Lovejoy parted company with Soccer AM to go and do that really boring cooking show with that arrogant bloke that makes the cocktails.” The show airs every Thursday and is well worth a listen, if for nothing else than for “The Dean Windass Hall of Fame.”

The Total Football Soccer Show – A bit of self-promotion I know, but for those of you wondering why I seem to be all over the place lately, here’s the reason. Daryl and I do a weekly podcast that attempts to discuss… well… for lack of a better description… the random aspects of world football. This week’s episode is a bit esoteric, as it focuses on our local amateur league. Nevertheless, it’s decent listen for the drive home.

Random Websites:

The Official home of the Unofficial Football World Championships – In 1967, then World Champions England met Scotland in a friendly at Wembley. The Scots won the contest 3-2, thereby allowing many Scottish fans to claim that they were now the unofficial world champions. From the website: “In 2002, a caller to a football phone-in radio show echoed that claim, and threw down a tantalising statistical gauntlet. Who, the caller wondered, were the current holders of the unofficial title?” The website maintains a database that stretches all the way back to the first international friendly (played in 1872 by Scotland and England). The reigning UFC Champion is the Netherlands, who haven’t lost a match since taking the title from Sweden on November 19, 2008. However, Netherlands have a long way to go if they hope to ever reach first place on the all-time winners board. They’re currently fifth (39), and trail Russia (41), Argentina (50), England (74), and Scotland (86).

The Worst Facebook Flirter in History – Gotta love the folks over at College Humor for giving us this one. It would have been funnier if this dude wasn’t simultaneously 1) seemingly illiterate and 2) obviously insane.

25 Funny Motivational Posters – Struggling to stay awake at work? Not entirely concerned about your company’s internet usage monitoring? Then click this link and enjoy 25 wildly inappropriate (but hilarious) Motivational Posters.

Steak House or Gay Bar – How often have you found yourself craving a delicious steak at one of your city’s fine local steakhouses, but you were too scared to venture out for fear of ending up in a gay bar? Probably never, but that doesn’t change the fact that (for some strange reason) gay bars and steakhouses tend to have similar names. Indeed, there’s an entire website/trivia game that should distract you for a good 45 seconds.

Random Articles:

ESPN Soccernet’s “The Week That Was” – A roundup of all the week’s seemingly fake news, featuring all sorts of witchcraft for Slave, Wilson Palacios being ordered by a military regime to get drunk with his teammates, and a Frenchman insulting an entire country in a single breath.

Sporting Emotions At The Highest Pitch – A bit belated I know, but here’s an excellent article from ESPN’s Bill Simmons discussing his trip to the Azteca Stadium to see the USA take on Mexico in a World Cup Qualifier. I found myself taking pride in how amazed he was by the fanaticism of the fans when compared to the likes of the NBA and MLB. “Yeah, we’re soccer fans and we occasionally get so worked up that we throw flares and beachballs onto the pitch. What of it?!”

The Champions League Thus Far – Sports Illustrated’s Gabriel Marcotti hands out his midterm grades for all the Champion’s League teams. I don’t know what’s more surpising. That his worst ranked clubs are Munich, Rangers, Stuttgart, Inter, Liverpool, and Atlético… or that those selections all seem very much appropriate. What a strange, strange world we live in.

Current Form: United
United are currently top of the table in the English Premier League (by a whopping one point). The Red Devils are currently sporting a record of seven wins, one draw, and one loss, with a total of 22 points. United are also on top of Champions League Group B with six points (having bested Besikatas and Wolfsburg in their first two match days).

Current Form: CSKA
CSKA are fourth in the Russian Premier League (seven points behind current leader Rubin Kazan). Through 25 games, CSKA are sporting a record of thirteen wins, four draws, and eight losses with a goal differential of +17. The Russians are also third in Group B standings, as they are level on points with Germans club VfL Wolfsburg (three points), but are trailing on goal differential (-1). CSKA lost their Champions League opener away to Wolfsburg, but rebounded with a home win against Besiktas.

Points To Ponder:

1) English announcers struggle with foreign names. Match commentators tend to refer to the Russian club as C-S-K-A Moscow, electing to pronounce each letter individually. However, most Russians tend to refer to the club as (phonetically) Siska Moscow. So, uh, there’s that.

2) Sir Alex Ferguson is a curmudgeon. So, obviously, there’s been some tension between United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and pretty much everyone else involved in football. It all goes back to United’s draw against Sunderland, wherein Ferguson blamed the poor result on match referee Mike Wiley’s fitness (or lack thereof). The FA and the referees didn’t take kindly to those sentiments, and Fergie was eventually charged with improper conduct by the FA. I’ll refrain from comment on all of this, because I feel like the majority of the parties involved in this story are being a bit ridiculous. Regardless, during yesterday’s press conference, Fergie was asked about the situation, and responded honestly and openly. Oh wait… no… he didn’t. “Silly question gets no answer. I’m not answering it.” When another reporter responded that he didn’t feel it was a silly question, Ferguson ended the press conference with a curt “good night” and then left the room. This whole issue could have blown over rather easily if Fergie would have issued a real apology immediately, but instead he elected to issue a statement which referees’ chief Alan Leighton described as “half-hearted”. Regardless, the fact that a news story which could aptly be titled “Old Man Is Grumpy” continues to make global headlines never ceases to amaze me.

3) The United squad is looking slightly threadbare. United flew to Moscow without the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Park Ji-Sung, and Darren Fletcher. Furthermore, Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic both traveled with the team, but are sporting injuries of their own and may not feature prominently. Couple those facts with the obvious alien-abduction-pod-people-replacement Rio Ferdinand, and one is forced to wonder if United will be calling on the groundskeeper and the kitman to fill out their roster. Well, never fear loyal supporter, for United remain one of the deepest squads in Europe. With capable stand-ins/starters at nearly every position, United should still fare well this afternoon/evening.

4) Who wants to play on plastic? CSKA play all of their home games on artificial turf, which depending on who you talk to is either totally fine or horrendously awful. Fergie doesn’t sound particularly worried, stating, “”I watched CSKA’s previous Champions League game and I didn’t see any issue with it at all. It is a passing surface and we have good passers in our side. When Luton and QPR had them all those years ago we always played well on them. We had a great record at those artificial pitches and that was when the artificial pitches weren’t as good. The one in Moscow has a far better covering on it.” Some (with visions of England crashing to defeat to Russia in Euro 2008 Qualifiers) will have less glowing things to say about the matter.

5) Who gets the nod up top? With no Rooney to challenge the Russian ranks, Fergie will have to choose between a combination of Berbatov, Michael Owen, Danny Welbeck, and Kiko Macheda. Or, more likely, he’ll run out Owen on his own for approximately 13 seconds and then sub him for Berbatov when the Englishman’s legs literally fall off of his body.

Squad List: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster; Neville, Rafael, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, J Evans, Fabio; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, C Evans, Anderson, Nani; Owen, Berbatov, Macheda, Welbeck
Taylor’s Patched Together Starting Lineup: VDS, Neville, Evans, Ferdinand, O’Shea, Valencia, Anderson, Scholes, Nani, Welbeck, Owen.
Prediction: If we can get out of this one with any points, I will be thrilled. Although CSKA have a lot of talent (most notably Serbian striker Miloš Krasić), the previous statement owes more to the United players missing than it does the CSKA players that will take the pitch. CSKA 2 – United 1 (reverse jinx anyone).

• Ryan Giggs has clearly made some kind of deal with Satan. The 96 year old winger once again looked deadly on offense and threatening on defense. My favorite Giggs moment came in the closing seconds of the match when Giggsy dribbled into the corner and then proceeded to hold off two Bolton defenders for far longer than should have been possibly, and then he won a corner. Shouldn’t he be allowed to select a national team to play for in the World Cup? That only seems fair, right?

• Wigan are way better than our shellacking of them indicated. Since we had our way with them way back when, Wigan have found their footing, defeated Chelsea, and drawn with Manchester City. The speed and overall size of that squad could do further damage to some of the bigger teams. Speaking of which….

• Get ready to hear everyone and their mother call on Rafa Benetiz to resign, Hicks and Gillette to commit seppuku, and all of the rest of the team to pack it in for the season. Liverpool have now lost four of nine games, and are currently eighth in the table behind the likes of Sunderland, Villa, and City. Not exactly the start they were hoping for.

• Sir Alex should probably be quiet for a little while. He was officially charged by the FA for his remarks regarding the fitness of referee Mark Wiley. Given the fact that his apology wasn’t an apology (I’m sorry you’re sad/fat sort of thing), I’m not entirely surprised. Ferguson was charged with improper conduct and could face up to a five match ban. Looks like the FA are hoping to make an impression with this one. More to come on this issue later…

• Just when I was ready to count Aston Villa out, they pull me back in. Aston Villa are always pipped to push for a Big Four spot but it never materializes. After City’s growth and Tottenham’s start, I figured the Villains were no doubt going to be luck to push for a UEFA position. Now? I guess I don’t know what to believe anymore.

• AC/DC are still amazingly good despite the fact that 1) they are all approximately 18 inches tall and 2) they are all damn close to being senior citizens. I saw them in Washington DC on Friday, and I gotta say that if I’m in my fifties, and can still run around like Brian Johnson or have demonic seizures like Angus Young, then I’ll consider myself a success.

• I love football. An excellent weekend of games all around, with exciting games all over the place. I was supposed to do housework and the like on Saturday, and instead found myself watching three games at once. I watch so much football that when I tried to turn off the screen, I went through withdrawals and was therefore forced to watch the Argentinean League and the United Soccer League. Good weekend all around.

A club spokesman told the official club website that, “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that the Football Association has been authorised by FIFA to register Paul Pogba as a United player with immediate effect.”

The judge dismissed all of Le Havre’s complaints, stating that Pogba was still technically an amateur when he played for the French club and that as no contract existed, United were well within their legal rights to pursue the teenager. Le Havre retain the right to appeal FIFA’s decision.

Obviously, I am thrilled about this news. Pogba looks to be a real talent, and I expect he will figure prominently in Manchester United’s future plans. However, the obvious issue of teenage “poaching” remains. Obviously, the idea of “poaching” can’t be applied here, as FIFA have made abundantly clear. Nevertheless, as long as there is no uniform system in place, then the debate will rage on.

With the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid proving that they are capable of outspending any team for any player, it seems only logical that big clubs will turn to the youth system to bolster their rosters. Couple that with the recent “home grown player” initiative, and it makes complete sense why English teams are pursuing young international talent. Does it make it right? Probably not. But it’s the way the system is, and until FIFA step in and make some difficult decisions, the loophole will remain.

For now, Pogba is now free to join United “with immediate effect.” All discussion of “poaching” and international age restrictions aside, it will be interesting to see how Pogba handles the spotlight. Instead of being yet another young player in the academy ranks, Pogba may find himself tied to the likes of Gael Kakuta in that now his name is known instead of being relatively obscure. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen, but at least now we’ll have a chance to find out. Welcome to United Paul!

According to an interview with The Sun, “Alex Ferguson told me I’m very close to the first team. There has been talk of me going out on loan but Sir Alex said I can’t leave as he may need me. The new contract is a surprise and fantastic news.”

In unrelated news, Edwin Van der Sar will begin his much anticipated comeback tour with an appearance in tonight’s Reserve Team match against Everton. VDS has been sidelined with finger-break since this summer, and most supporters will no doubt be thrilled to have him back in the squad. No one stands around for 85 minutes before making one all-important save better than VDS. Welcome back, Edwin!

In other injury news, Owen Hargreaves is progressing as expected and looks set to return sometime in the near future. Obviously, that’s been said since late August/early September, but Fergie has now weighed in with his own estimation. “”He is coming along fine. His physio has gone back to America, so he is completely in our control now and hopefully he will be back into football training quite soon. The signs are good. There has been absolutely no reaction to the operations. It has been a long road for the boy, but he made a sacrifice by staying in America for a year to make sure he was right.” Fergie seems keen to include Hargo in his 2009-2010 plans, stating, “Owen can play centre-midfield, he can play wide right or right-back and there are a lot of positions you can play him in.” More to the point, it seems that Hargo may even a viable candidate to take over freekick duties in the event that Ryan Giggs isn’t starting.

Obviously, Jones is a rather large fellow but Foster had the momentum and (to some extent) the advantge going in. Yet, when all was said and done, Foster was on the ground and the ball was in the back of the net. Sunderland went up 2-1, and only a deflected rocket from Patrice Evra saved United the embarrassment of a home defeat.

I have always been quick to support Foster, as I have consistently rated him higher than Tomasz Kuszczak. Yet, Foster seems to have lost a significant amount of confidence in his deputized stint as the Red Devil’s preferred #1. So what does the future hold for Foster? He was dropped from the England squad this weekend (due to an apparent chest injury) and is questionable to make the final roster for the team that will travel to South Africa.

But what of his future at United? Will he remain the heir to the throne once Van der Sar retires, or will we see Foster in a different jersey in the near future?

Should Ben Foster be Edwin Van der Sar’s longterm replacement?(survey software)

Editorial Addition: Here are the match highlights for the draw with Sunderland. Give the Jones goal a good look and then judge for yourself in the poll below. The goal comes at the 5:38 mark…

Watch Manchester United v Sunderland MotD Highlights in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

What’s Your Verdict on Kenwyne Jones’ Goal?(opinion)