Man Utd v Newcastle

Sundays game against Newcastle is a must win if we are to prevent the pressure piling up on us. We have a great record against the Geordies and I hope that this continues beyond Saturdays game. In recent meetings Rooney has excelled and this could be the very game for him to find his form again.

As I have written previously the team looked low on confidence on Tuesday until the goal went in. After that we looked like a completely different outfit and we must use that win as a stepping stone to bigger and better achievements. As much as I hate to say it I feel like we need a little bit of Mourinho magic. For all his faults he is a motivator, Chelsea have the self belief and confidence that was eminent at United throughout the 1990’s. Confidence wins you games and we need a boost right now.

That is not to say that we are not better than Chelsea or that we can’t compete with them because I really believe that we can mount a serious challenge in all competitions this season. However we certainly miss Ryan Giggs and his leadership. Although not a vocal man he has a wise head on his shoulders and drives the team forward when the younger players are struggling to get going. Gary Neville is another player who does this, but it is also important (probably more so) that we have that kind of player in the midfield. After all they say that games are won and lost in midfield.

In other news it seems Rio Ferdinand really wants the United captaincy. If he had not been photographed with Kenyon, our biggest enemy, then he would probably be wearing the armband by now. I for one hope that he does get the opportunity to lead the red-devils. Ferdinand is the kind of player who thrives on responsibility. He has been accused of cruising at times in his career and the captaincy would provide him with that fresh challenge. I have every confidence that he would step up to the mark.

Back to Sundays game, I think we can build on Tuesdays performance and I predict a 2-1 victory to us. I think we will also see a similar formation with Rooney stuck out on the left again. Hopefully he will have a little more freedom than against Benfica.