Final Preview: Is this REALLY the one United fan's want to win?
I don’t think its outrageous, or disrespectful for that
matter, to claim that today’s Carling Cup final is insignificant in comparison
to recent results.
Sticking with the competition, many fans are united in their
view that the real final has been and gone. The semi-final second leg was so
beautifully executed – the performance, the result and of course the opposition
– that regardless of who we got in the final out of Villa and Backburn, it
would pale into insignificance. And in terms of proximity and immediate
relevance to us, yesterday’s results in the league can again be considered more
vital. Just as they sat back and allowed us to play glittering football in the
semi-final, our massive neighbours again did us a, well, massive favour at
Stamford Bridge by ridiculously beating the league leaders 4-2; so thanks to
the incongruous and highly ironic nature of the league, city are now my new
favourite team…and my favourite player? Yep, you guessed it!
Anywho, back to today. We’re their, in the final, and there
is absolutely no point deriding the fixture or approaching it with any less
ambition or desire than we would going into any other game of relevance.
On top of the immediate glamour that the word ‘final’ and
location ‘Wembley Stadium’ attaches to any fixture, it should hopefully be a
bit of a tasty one to boot. To say the opposition will be up for it is perhaps
an understatement of gastronomic scales seeing as it is their first final in
10 years. This is a team that was once dominating the ‘who gives a shit’
positions in the league; however due to some highly regarded and oh-so-wise captures
over the last few seasons – O’Neill, Agbonlahor, Young, Friedel and now (surprisingly)
Dunn – they are a serious and respectable addition to the race for fourth. On
top of that, it’s fair to say they aint exactly frightened of the big bad wolf
that is United. Some teams, when coming to Old Trafford or of course when
facing us in a cup competition, just can’t handle the name Manchester United.
All their hard work prior to meeting us or their recent run
of fine form can often be completely wiped out and replaced with humiliation as
their hyper-respect towards the bigger teams can automatically make them forget
how to play football. It’s arrogance; it’s simply fact! Villa this season, in
contrast, have come to Old Trafford and dominated, to then also grind out a
point at
United for the first time in god knows how long.
So what shall we expect from today? A tough, hard fought
encounter from both sides – where the battle in midfield will prove key in
winning and maintaining possession – and one that I predict to be tighter and
probably far uglier than last seasons final. Of course I believe we will win,
however if we don’t, then my annoyance and upset towards the defeat will not
even touch the surface of how I felt after
As uncomfortable as it is to lose any final, I will be
delightfully comforted by the fact that we have already won the ‘proper final’
and that
missed their chance to extend their lead at the top yesterday. Today, for the
fans and both sets of players, it will undoubtedly be a great event; but let’s
face it, the Carling Cup is a bonus.
For any team with expectations as high as United’s –
fighting year-in-year-out for the title – the realism is that the Carling Cup can
only be considered as such. As I see it, a win today will not only give us a
handsome piece of silverware, however it may well give us confidence and a psychological
edge in our push for title glory. The fact it cannot simply bask in its own
glory and instead be considered to somehow affect our chances for league glory
says it all.
But whatever…lets go out there on this typically horrible
London day, reassert our dominance and maintain our trophy.
Previews:
Comments
Post a Comment