Apr 13 2010, 06:28 PM
QUOTE
Ryan Giggs insists that Manchester United have not given up on retaining their Premier League crown.
The Red Devils had been hoping to claim an unprecedented fourth successive title but have stumbled of late.
Their bid took a major dent over the weekend as they drew with Blackburn, meaning leaders Chelsea could go four points clear on Tuesday as they play Bolton in their game in hand.
Whilst Giggs admits that United are no longer favourites, he insists the title race is not yet over.
"It is certainly in Chelsea and Arsenal's hands now," he told Sky Sports News.
"We dropped points at Blackburn which was disappointing but we will keep fighting to the end and hopefully Arsenal and Chelsea will drop points and we will capitalise."
Giggs is now looking ahead to Saturday's Manchester derby against rivals City, which you can see live on Sky Sports.
"It was always going to be huge at this time of the year, they are going for fourth and we are going for the championship and derby days anyway are massive," he said.
"There is a bit of extra spice to this game but we have faced them three times this year and they have all been great games so hopefully that will be the case again with us coming out on top."
Giggs was forced off at Blackburn with injury but he is hopeful of facing City.
"I strained my hamstring against Blackburn. I felt it in the first 20 minutes but the scan showed nothing so I should be okay," he said.
The Red Devils had been hoping to claim an unprecedented fourth successive title but have stumbled of late.
Their bid took a major dent over the weekend as they drew with Blackburn, meaning leaders Chelsea could go four points clear on Tuesday as they play Bolton in their game in hand.
Whilst Giggs admits that United are no longer favourites, he insists the title race is not yet over.
"It is certainly in Chelsea and Arsenal's hands now," he told Sky Sports News.
"We dropped points at Blackburn which was disappointing but we will keep fighting to the end and hopefully Arsenal and Chelsea will drop points and we will capitalise."
Giggs is now looking ahead to Saturday's Manchester derby against rivals City, which you can see live on Sky Sports.
"It was always going to be huge at this time of the year, they are going for fourth and we are going for the championship and derby days anyway are massive," he said.
"There is a bit of extra spice to this game but we have faced them three times this year and they have all been great games so hopefully that will be the case again with us coming out on top."
Giggs was forced off at Blackburn with injury but he is hopeful of facing City.
"I strained my hamstring against Blackburn. I felt it in the first 20 minutes but the scan showed nothing so I should be okay," he said.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6090798,00.html
Rio eyes another derby epic
QUOTE
Rio Ferdinand will hope to shake off a groin injury to play in the Manchester derby at Eastlands on Saturday. In an interview with Inside United magazine recently, the Reds no.5 talked about the three previous meetings with our neighbours so far this season. Here’s what he had to say…
The fourth instalment of the Manchester derby takes place on Saturday. How do the two home games you played in rank on the scale of dramatic matches?
Well, I didn’t enjoy the first one very much… for obvious reasons (Rio’s mistake on 90 minutes let in Craig Bellamy to level the scores at 3-3). That said, we did go on and win the game so it all worked out OK. But the Carling Cup semi-final was unbelievable. When Wazza scored in the final minute to put the game to bed it was incredible. Walking around town the week after that result was a terrific feeling. I was so happy we put one over them, especially after so much had been said in the lead-up to that match. It was really important for us to win that game – we wanted to hammer home to our fans that we still cared enough about that fixture to go out there and put everything on the line to beat Manchester City.
Going back to the 4-3 in September… Is it fair to say you were more excited than most when Michael Owen netted the winner?
Oh man… [sighs]. It was just a ‘phew’ moment. I said a big thank you to him at the time and I texted him again later that night to say it again. It was odd in the dressing room afterwards. We’d won the game so the lads were bouncing around, going crazy, but I was just depressed, sitting there thinking about how lucky I’d been. I hate making errors, especially in games of that magnitude. I think it’s fair to say I avoided a rollicking from the boss.
How seriously do you take City’s rise to prominence this season?
Well, they’ve got the capacity to challenge because they’ve got so much money and they’re targeting the big players. But the first trophy is always the hardest one to win and until they do that there’ll be a lot of pressure on them. They reached the Carling Cup semi-final this season but came up against us, they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Stoke… so there’s still a bit of work to do. I think if they finish in a Champions League spot this season that will feel as good as winning a trophy.
You played alongside Carlos Tevez for a couple of seasons at United. What’s he like to play against?
Carlos is an interesting character. When he was at United, he saved all his energy for the games – he didn’t really go over the top at training. He’d work hard in the gym – he was a professional in that sense – but everything he did was geared towards the match on the weekend. You could see him conserving his energy during the week and then laying it all on the line out on the pitch. That’s not the way I operate; I have to train at a high level every day. But it works for Carlos and he can be a real handful to defend against. He’s a top player and he’s doing very well at City.
The fourth instalment of the Manchester derby takes place on Saturday. How do the two home games you played in rank on the scale of dramatic matches?
Well, I didn’t enjoy the first one very much… for obvious reasons (Rio’s mistake on 90 minutes let in Craig Bellamy to level the scores at 3-3). That said, we did go on and win the game so it all worked out OK. But the Carling Cup semi-final was unbelievable. When Wazza scored in the final minute to put the game to bed it was incredible. Walking around town the week after that result was a terrific feeling. I was so happy we put one over them, especially after so much had been said in the lead-up to that match. It was really important for us to win that game – we wanted to hammer home to our fans that we still cared enough about that fixture to go out there and put everything on the line to beat Manchester City.
Going back to the 4-3 in September… Is it fair to say you were more excited than most when Michael Owen netted the winner?
Oh man… [sighs]. It was just a ‘phew’ moment. I said a big thank you to him at the time and I texted him again later that night to say it again. It was odd in the dressing room afterwards. We’d won the game so the lads were bouncing around, going crazy, but I was just depressed, sitting there thinking about how lucky I’d been. I hate making errors, especially in games of that magnitude. I think it’s fair to say I avoided a rollicking from the boss.
How seriously do you take City’s rise to prominence this season?
Well, they’ve got the capacity to challenge because they’ve got so much money and they’re targeting the big players. But the first trophy is always the hardest one to win and until they do that there’ll be a lot of pressure on them. They reached the Carling Cup semi-final this season but came up against us, they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Stoke… so there’s still a bit of work to do. I think if they finish in a Champions League spot this season that will feel as good as winning a trophy.
You played alongside Carlos Tevez for a couple of seasons at United. What’s he like to play against?
Carlos is an interesting character. When he was at United, he saved all his energy for the games – he didn’t really go over the top at training. He’d work hard in the gym – he was a professional in that sense – but everything he did was geared towards the match on the weekend. You could see him conserving his energy during the week and then laying it all on the line out on the pitch. That’s not the way I operate; I have to train at a high level every day. But it works for Carlos and he can be a real handful to defend against. He’s a top player and he’s doing very well at City.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=...&newsid=6648093
Ferdinand in derby race
QUOTE
Stuart Mathieson
April 13, 2010
Rio Ferdinand will be monitored closely as United bid to get their first choice central defensive pairing in place to repel City's hot-shots in Saturday's derby.
The Blues are on a goal roll with Carlos Tevez scoring six in the last three matches and Emanuel Adebayor hitting four in the last two games.
It means Sir Alex Ferguson is keen for England defender Ferdinand to team up again with Nemanja Vidic for the Eastlands showdown.
Ferdinand had to limp on at Blackburn on Sunday with United having used all their subs.
The 31-year-old suffered another groin problem which has dogged him all season.
"Rio signalled to us that he was starting to tighten up a little bit," says United number two Mike Phelan.
"It was difficult after that. We had to throw him up through the middle. He couldn't contribute much to the game.
"We thought about bringing him off and playing with 10 men. We tried to do something and it didn't work.
"We need to have a look a bit more closely."
John O'Shea had to be subbed because of tiredness at Ewood Park in his first start since November. But Ryan Giggs (hamstring) is a doubt for Saturday's clash.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand has revealed the secret of Tevez' lung bursting match day displays.
The England defender said: "Carlos is an interesting character. When he was at United he saved all his energy for the games. He'd do his work in the gym - he was a professional in that sense - but everything he did was geared towards the match at the weekend.
"You could see him convserving his energy during the week. That's not the way I operate. I have to train at a high level every day."
April 13, 2010
Rio Ferdinand will be monitored closely as United bid to get their first choice central defensive pairing in place to repel City's hot-shots in Saturday's derby.
The Blues are on a goal roll with Carlos Tevez scoring six in the last three matches and Emanuel Adebayor hitting four in the last two games.
It means Sir Alex Ferguson is keen for England defender Ferdinand to team up again with Nemanja Vidic for the Eastlands showdown.
Ferdinand had to limp on at Blackburn on Sunday with United having used all their subs.
The 31-year-old suffered another groin problem which has dogged him all season.
"Rio signalled to us that he was starting to tighten up a little bit," says United number two Mike Phelan.
"It was difficult after that. We had to throw him up through the middle. He couldn't contribute much to the game.
"We thought about bringing him off and playing with 10 men. We tried to do something and it didn't work.
"We need to have a look a bit more closely."
John O'Shea had to be subbed because of tiredness at Ewood Park in his first start since November. But Ryan Giggs (hamstring) is a doubt for Saturday's clash.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand has revealed the secret of Tevez' lung bursting match day displays.
The England defender said: "Carlos is an interesting character. When he was at United he saved all his energy for the games. He'd do his work in the gym - he was a professional in that sense - but everything he did was geared towards the match at the weekend.
"You could see him convserving his energy during the week. That's not the way I operate. I have to train at a high level every day."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/spo...d_in_derby_race
This post has been edited by alien2003: Apr 13 2010, 06:36 PM
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