Red Devils stars in ‘red zone’
City rest Hart; Guus: Beware menace of the minnows
SEVERAL Manchester United players are in the “red zone” according to manager Louis van Gaal as he weighs up his options for today’s FA Cup third round tie at home to Sheffield United.
A hectic holiday programme, including four games in 15 days, has taken its toll on United’s squad and Van Gaal fears many of his overstretched players risk injury or burn-out.
Defender Phil Jones is out through injury while winger Ashley Young might not be risked with United set to face a Premier League clash at Newcastle United three days after playing third tier Sheffield United.
“Phil Jones is injured and a lot of players are in the red zone,” said Van Gaal, for once not grilled on his future as United manager.
“(Young) was back in training this week,” Van Gaal added.
“He is not injured, he is overloaded and in the red zone. More players are in the red zone and we have to decide if they can play against Sheffield United or not.”
Van Gaal has only one year left on his contract after the current season and Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has been linked with the Old Trafford hot seat ever since the Spaniard said he would leave Germany at the end of the campaign.
Guardiola has also been touted as Chelsea’s next manager, though bookmakers have him favourite to replace Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City next season.
Van Gaal said he respected Guardiola’s wish to coach in the Premier League, but said nothing should be taken for granted.
“It’s not for sure he (Pep) will be the manager of a Premier club next season,” he said.
“I think it is very good he wants to do that.
“I have already said that I am at the end of my career so for me it is not so interesting. For me, what is interesting is how I take care of Manchester United and I still have one year to go after this season.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s England goalkeeper Joe Hart will be rested for today’s cup tie against Norwich City, manager Manuel Pellegrini said yesterday. Hart was also left on the bench for City’s League Cup semi-final, first leg at Everton on Wednesday and Argentine Willy Caballero will continue in his place today.
“Willy will play both cups. For Joe it’s good to work one complete week because we are playing so many games,” Pellegrini said.
Captain Vincent Kompany is recovering from another calf injury while fellow defender Eliaquim Mangala and striker Wilfried Bony are also unavailable.
“Vincent is progressing, it’s a muscle injury and we must PLAYERS from European champions Barcelona made up nearly half of Uefa’s Team of the Year named yesterday, while Cristiano Ronaldo made the line-up for a record 10th time.
Eight players from La Liga were included in the final XI, voted for by 7.2 million Uefa.com users from a 40-strong short-list.
Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and Neymar were the Barcelona players included, while Real Madrid provided Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich had goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and David Alaba, while the only player to make the cut from Italy’s Serie A was Juventus’s Paul Pogba, one of three players selected for the first time along with Neymar and Rodriguez.
England’s Premier League was not represented, despite its enormous financial clout and stellar names such as Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, Arsenal’s Alexis not rush him,” Pellegrini said.
City are still in all four competitions they started, although they must retrieve a 2-1 deficit against Everton.
Pellegrini says a strong FA Cup run is important, even if that would place extra burden on his squad. “It doesn’t matter which competition you are in. That gives you an ambitious, winning mind.”
Chelsea must not fall victim to another FA Cup giant-killing as they did last year because their chances of success in the Premier League are limited after a poor start to the season, manager Guus Hiddink said yesterday.
Chelsea, who have lifted the Cup four times in the last nine years, face League One Scunthorpe United in the third round at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
Chelsea suffered one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s 145-year history last year when League One Bradford City beat the Premier League leaders 4-2 in the fourth round at Stamford Bridge having trailed 2-0 after 40 minutes.
Hiddink is likely to field a strong team, but will be without injured Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard and France striker Loic Remy.
He also confirmed he intends to leave the club at the end of the season. “I have just two dates in my mind, May 25 and May 28. Those dates are the FA Cup and Champions League finals. I go home on May 29, at the end of this, I will stop.”
BBARCELONA striker Luis Suarez has been given a two-match cup ban for using provocative language after their King’s Cup last-16, first-leg clash against Espanyol, the Spanish federation said yesterday.
At the end of a bad-tempered derby on Wednesday which Barca won 4-1, insults were exchanged by both sets of players in the tunnel after leaving the pitch. NEW Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s attacking football may be welcomed by the players but he will need to deliver results he was unable to achieve when in charge of the club’s reserve team.
James Rodriguez and Isco are set to be two of the main beneficiaries from the arrival of Zidane, who has shown versatility in his limited coaching career but prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to that employed by Jose Mourinho at Real.
Both had their options limited under former coach Rafa Benitez, who opted for a more solid approach and often employed the defensive Carlos Casemiro in a three-man midfield where Toni Kroos was also told to sit deep.
“James and Isco are both important players so I am trying to give them a lot of support and confidence like all the team,” Zidane said yesterday ahead of the La Liga game against Deportivo La Coruna.
“The players are happy and concentrated on working hard. They want to change certain things and we have been working on this in training.”
One of the main concerns for the club, though, will be Zidane’s lack of success with the Real B team and the inability to get the best out of their top players.
After being an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, Zidane became coach of the reserves last season following their relegation to the third tier and his inability to win promotion has been regarded as a failure. – Reuters