Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Mid-Week Outlook (07 Dec 2009)




Vfl Wolfsburg vs Manchester United

"...a ManUtd defeat is simply unimaginable. ECL-obsessed Fergie would never allow it...."
- JayWalk, 07 Dec 2009

Hi everyone. I am back but only temporarily as Cool402 is pretty tied up to be able to handle 2 match previews per week. I am still on a season's sabbatical.

Do not let the scoreline deceive you. We didn't really play THAT well to justify the majestic scoreline at Upton Park.

Truth to be told, their goalie was sick to the extent of barfing at the goal mouth.

Yeah. It was that bad that Green (his name, not the colour of his puke) had to be substituted at the 72nd minute.

Other than that, the stats are pretty even but our numbers being the away team carried a heavier weight.

Looking slightly further ahead, we will be playing at home to Aston Villa which will be a difficult match as the Villains will be pushing to break into the top 4. I wonder if we are going to sustain even more injuries after midweek's travel to Germany?

JayWalk The Talk: So now we are kinda screwed as we are heading towards more casualties than players. Brown and Neville hopped off Upton Park over the weekend. So perhaps we have to ditch the 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation in favour of 3-5-2 or 3-4-3?

Why?

Not enough defenders! That's why!

Let me rattle off the sickbay list. We have Brown and Neville as earlier mentioned, then we have Vidic, Ferdinand, O'Shea, Evans, Van dar Sar (still not looking too good) and Hargreaves (why did we even buy him in the first place?).

Anyway, January is round the corner and it's time for Fergie to start his shopping spree. He was right to hold off purchases during the summer when the prices were ridiculously off the charts.

We should be looking at Russian keeper Akinfeev from CSKA Moscow to replace the ailing Van dar Sar. Foster? No quite there yet and perhaps never will be.

Fergie should also be calling on Ribery again but I doubt anything will come out from it as he is still ludicrously priced at 85 million Euros. Besides, he is club tied for the ECL and as such, really no point to buy him now nor is Ribery willing to give up playing the ECL this season.

Then there is also Silva from Valencia but word has it that while he is a big fan of Fergie, he is happily entrenched in Spain.

Meanwhile, on the outbound train, it's time to pack up Nani, Berbatov and Hargreaves and ship them out for cash while we still can get some money out of them.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies are giving ManUtd a quarter-ball advantage over Wolfsburg with decimal odds of 1.95 for both sides. In English, it means that the bookies are predicting a draw i.e. there is no way ManUtd will pull off an away win to wrap up the first round of the ECL.

Which leave ManUtd the only option of a draw which is enough to send them through as leaders. What's more worrying is Wolfsburg who needs to win very badly if they are to advance on their debut season. CSKA Moscow is level on points with them and a relatively easier fixture against cellar-dweller Besiktas, whom the latter's fate is more or less sealed.

Expect CSKA Moscow to go for goals in the hope that the eventual superior goal difference can pip ManUtd to the next round if Vfl Wolfsburg beats ManUtd.

Verdict? I say it's a draw as a ManUtd defeat is simply unimaginable. ECL-obsessed Fergie would never allow it.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Image Credits: http://www.soccernet.com, http://www.comercioelectronico.com.mx

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah loi...... Sell Hargraves? He is not worth much, given his crocked situation. After investing all the time in him, I think its time to get some play out of him.

He is an intelligent player. Dont sell him lah!

As for Berbatov, sell him back to Spurs at half price? I dont think so - heads will roll. But I agree he is not worth. Let's be a little patient; when Owen starts scoring, either Berbatov will feel more pressure, or less pressure. If he feels less pressured, perhaps he may relax and do better. But I agree, he isnt looking good at the moment, letting the pressure get to him.

JayWalk said...

I don't understand why we are buying him when he spends more time in the sickbay than on the pitch.

Time to cut him loose and save the medical bills.

Berbatov is good.... when he was a Spurs player. Felt cheating after paying an obscene amount of money to bring him over to perform like that. But you're right. Give a bit more time like we are giving Carrick.