How To Beat Sunderland
A home game against a newly promoted team that has already lost to Wigan and Liverpool. That’s got to mean a home win even if it is against Sunderland, led by Red legend Roy Keane.
It would be a major embarrassment if United cannot despatch last year’s Championship winners with ease, as the tough-as-nails match against Spurs was supposed to have kick-started the season.
United boast world class stars and are up against players who just a year ago could never have dreamt that they would be playing against the Premiership champions.
But Sunderland would love United to enter the match drunk on over-confidence. This is the team that held its own against Spurs and won the game in the last minute.
As befits a Roy Keane team, Sunderland do try to play football. The ball is kept on the ground to a reasonable degree and there is little kick and rush. Chopra up front looks useful and Keane will hope to have available his newly signed players and more importantly those already at the club with Premiership experience.
Sunderland have a decent keeper too. But for Gordon, Liverpool would have doubled their score last weekend.
But relying on the keeper’s heroics is proof that the defence is ragged. Sunderland have shipped goals in recent games and the defensive naivety that gifted Wigan a victory must worry Keane.
United struggled against Spurs because they couldn’t get in behind the defence. Chimbonda played a blinder and Spurs other defenders were resolute. Ferguson will hope that his players do much better against the north east visitors. The fullback Halford had a terrible game against Liverpool and looks ripe for a roasting by Nani. McShane at centre-half will want to impress on his return to Old Trafford but is still finding his feet at this level.
Sunderland look light in midfield. Dwight Yorke is in his twilight years and is slowing. On his showing against Liverpool, why did anyone think that Miller was destined to be a great player?
Sunderland will have looked at the tapes of United’s matches and know that the key to their survival at Old Trafford is by pressing and harrying United in midfield and not allowing Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves to find any rhythm or fluency.
It has been said that the change to Scholes’ position this year is affecting his form. The midfielder has yet to show the dominance of last season and is being asked to do more running by playing closer to Tevez.
But Scholes could be a key player against Sunderland, arriving from a deep position. The Liverpool midfielder Sissoko scored a fine goal against Keane’s team arriving from deep and aided by some poor marking. Scholes will hope for more of the same and won’t mind ruining Roy’s return.
