WEEKS AWAY

The FIFA World Cup Finals are just weeks away now and thus obviously people have started to talk about the favourites.

Generally, the teams in top 5 in the world rankings are believed to have the best chance of going all the way to the final 4 and lift the trophy, but, this time around, a comparatively lower ranked side has emerged as top favourite. It’s Brazil (10th ranked) which is also the host country of the tournament.

Brazil is getting backed to win the World Cup because they would be playing in the conditions which they know perfectly and also they would have the support of the passionate home crowd behind them.

Some people might argue that Brazil is a slightly inexperienced side and so, might crumble at a big stage, but, Confederations Cup was a great example of the fact that that the young Brazilian players are actually quite good as far as the temperament is concerned.

However, it’s not that Brazil is the alone favourite and nobody can challenge them during the course of the tournament. Off course, there are other teams too which are pretty balanced and one of them is Germany.

Skill wise, Germany is probably the best side in the world at the moment. Spain also has some great players, but, they are going downhill now. Also, the thing with the Spanish players is that they seem to have lost hunger to win. At least, their recent performances suggest so.

Off Course, Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina with Lionel Messi cannot be ruled out either, but, these two sides are over dependent on some players and that’s never a good sign for a team especially going into a tournament like World Cup.

However, it doesn’t matter which team wins it, the tournament will be cracking; that’s for sure.

TOTAL BLOW

Darren Fletcher has admitted that the defeat against Swansea City in the third round of the FA Cup the other day was a body blow for Manchester United.

With that defeat, the Red Devils got knocked out of the competition. It was only the third occasion in the last three decades that United couldn’t move ahead of the third round in the FA Cup.

The defeat was more humiliating because United was playing that match in front of its home fans and they were supposed to pull off the win with ease.

Fletcher was one of the few Manchester United players who could have held their heads high at the end of that game. The 29 years old midfielder was in good touch and he hardly committed an error on the pitch.

The Red Devils are not going to get that much break after this humiliating loss. They have to play another big match tomorrow i.e. against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. That will be the Capital One Cup semi final match and United is under huge pressure to put up a good performance in that game.

Talking to the reporters ahead of that game, Fletcher said, “To be honest, we should have played far better in the last game. It was a really poor effort and the boys are gutted at the moment.”

“The supporters were let down by us that day, but, we will try to bring the smiles back on their faces with a good performance tomorrow.”

Fletcher has recently returned to action for the Red Devils after remaining out for about 12 months or so, but, he hasn’t taken long to get into rhythm. His performances have been up to the mark and it’s certainly good news for the United management.

ANDERSON WANTS CHANCE

The Brazilian midfielder Anderson has said that he is waiting for his opportunities at Manchester United at the moment, but, he can’t just keep doing that forever.

Anderson has always been rated very highly and the expectations were very high with him when he had landed at Old Trafford in 2007, but, he hasn’t quite managed to take his game to that level. He has played well in patches for United, but, he is yet to become a regular figure in their starting line up. Even in the ongoing season, he has mostly been sitting on the sidelines. He has featured for the Red Devils just 5 times this season and that clearly shows that David Moyes hasn’t got that much faith in him.

Currently, a few players who feature regularly in the starting line of United are injured. So, Anderson might be given starting opportunities in the next few games and he will have to make sure that he grabs those opportunities. If he fails to do that, he is not going to get too many games in the second half of the season.

Talking to the reporters yesterday, Anderson said, “No player wants to be left out. Everyone wants to be out there playing and so am I. I am at that stage of my career where I can’t just keep waiting for the chances, but, it’s not in my hands. I need to have a bit of patience at the moment I guess.”

When asked if he is upset because of the lack of playing time, Anderson said, “No, I am not. I know the guys who are playing regularly deserve that. I am just waiting for the opportunities and when I get them, I will try my best to make the most of them.”

ROONEY STAYING AT UNITED

There has been a lot of speculation that star striker Wayne Rooney could be deployed in midfield by manager David Moyes, but the former Everton boss has ruled out of the possibility of such an event happening in the near future.

Rooney is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. He came extremely close to leaving for Chelsea in the summer transfer window after admitting his frustration at United. He has been used in a number of positions by United since his arrival in 2004. Despite this, he has become one of the best players in the history of the club. Continue reading “ROONEY STAYING AT UNITED”