Monday, April 25, 2011
Rooney The White Monster Is Ready with his Blistering Form To Tear Down Shalke 04
It has been some time since we have seen what may be described as the real Wayne Rooney. The 2010-11 model has been a shadow of what we have known before.
Nevertheless, as the Manchester United forward prepares to return to the scene of one of his career low points in Germany on Tuesday night, he appears on the brink of one of the purple patches of form that can be so impressively devastating.
It is almost five years since Rooney's tangle with Ricardo Carvalho in Gelsenkirchen earned him a red card as England tumbled out of the World Cup against Portugal. Now he returns to the same stadium as United face Schalke in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Matchpack: Schalke 04 v Manchester United
Team news and match facts ahead of the Champions League semi-final, first leg between Schalke 04 and Manchester United 
TEAM NEWS
Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick rested several players in their 1-0 home defeat to Kaiserslautern on Saturday. "We will have a different starting team against United," said Rangnick, who took over from sacked Felix Magath a month ago. "If I had chosen the same team on Tuesday that I did today I don't think we would have a big chance to win against Manchester." Peruvian Jefferson Farfan, who missed the quarter-final second leg against Inter, will be back in midfield while defenders Benedikt Hoewedes, Atsuto Uchida and Hans Sarpei should also return. Midfielder Jose Jurado, who came on as a substitute on Saturday, is also expected to start in Schalke's maiden Champions League semi-final appearance.
United beat Everton 1-0 on Saturday to close in on the Premier League title and Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney both played the full 90 minutes in scorching conditions after Dimitar Berbatov was ruled out with a groin problem having missed the previous game with a virus. It was hardly the ideal preparation for Tuesday's trip and, although Ferguson did rest Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick, substitutes Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs were both forced into action as Everton proved a tough nut to crack. Nani and Antonio Valencia both played against Everton, the latter setting up the goal, but Alex Ferguson is likely to keep things tighter for the first leg with Nani probably the man to miss out for the midfield security provided by Carrick.
MATCH FACTS
Schalke are aiming to be the fourth German team to reach a Champions League final after Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen and the second in a row after Bayern last season.
Schalke, unbeaten in their last nine European games, a club record, have scored 10 goals in their last three but have not kept a clean sheet in any of the last five. They have won all five home games in the CL this season, scoring at least twice on each occasion.
Schalke have won only one of their last six games against English teams and have not scored in any of their last three. They lost at home to United's neighbours Manchester City 2-0 in the last such meeting in the UEFA Cup two seasons ago.
Schalke's Spanish striker Raul has netted five times in his first season with the German club after his long distinguished career with Real Madrid and has now increased his European and CL record to 71 goals in 140 games, more than one in every other match.
United are aiming to reach their third CL final in four seasons and could end up in a rematch of their 2009 clash with Barcelona, which they lost 2-0. They beat Chelsea on penalties the previous year.
United, beaten by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season, have won only seven of 19 CL games against German clubs though they have won four of the last five and six of the last eight. They have scored on each of their last eight visits to Germany though they have won only twice in those games.
Amazingly, United, unbeaten in their last 11 CL matches, have not conceded a single goal in any of their five CL away games this season. They have kept 13 clean sheets in their last 18 CL away matches.
United midfielders Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have appeared in more CL games than any player other than Raul. Giggs has played in 124 and Scholes in 119 to Raul's record 140.
ODDS
Schalke 9/4 Draw 11/5 Manchester United 5/4
Manchester United Champions League Facts
Manchester United players' individual factfiles:
Manchester United (England)
Champions League appearances: 16
CL record: 2 titles(1999, 2008), 3 finals, 7 semi-finals, 12 quarter-finals
CL match record: P173 W94 D45 L34 F297 A157
Other European titles: European Cup 1 (1968), Cup Winners Cup 1 (1991)
Overall match record: P288 W156 D77 L55 F526 A271
Coach: Alex Ferguson (Scotland)CL Record: P173 W94 D45 L34
CL matches this season: P10 W7 D3 L0 F12 A3
14.09.10 GP H v Rangers 0-0
29.09.10 GP A v Valencia 1-0 Hernandez
20.10.10 GP H v Bursaspor 1-0 Nani
2.11.10 GP A v Bursaspor 3-0 Fletcher, Obertan,
Bebe
24.11.10 GP A v Rangers 1-0 Rooney pen
7.12.10 GP H v Valencia 1-1 Anderson
23.02.11 KO A v Olympique Marseille 0-0
15.03.11 KO H v Olympique Marseille 2-1 Hernandez 2
6.04.11 QF A v Chelsea 1-0 Rooney
12.04.11 QF H v Chelsea 2-1 Hernandez, Park
Scorers: Hernandez 4, Rooney 2, Anderson 1, Bebe 1, Fletcher 1, Nani 1, Obertan 1, Park 1
Squad
(A/G=CL Appearances/goals, 1=current season, 2=with current club, 3=total career)
Goalkeepers A/G1 A/G2 A/G3 Other clubs Edwin Van der Sar (Netherlands) 7/0 52/0 96/0 Ajax/Juventus Tomasz Kuszczak (Poland) 2/0 10/0 10/0 Ben Amos (England) 1/0 1/0 1/0 Anders Lindegaard (Denmark) 0/0 0/0 0/0 Samuel Johnstone (England) 0/0 0/0 0/0
Defenders Chris Smalling (England) 8/0 8/0 8/0 Patrice Evra (France) 7/0 44/1 65/1 Monaco Nemanja Vidic (Serbia) 7/0 40/2 40/2 Rafael Da Silva (Brazil) 6/0 14/0 14/0 John O'Shea (Ireland) 5/0 70/2 70/2 Rio Ferdinand (England) 5/0 69/1 76/2 Leeds Utd Fabio Da Silva (Brazil) 5/0 7/0 7/0 Wes Brown (England) 2/0 63/1 63/1 Jonny Evans (N Ireland) 2/0 14/0 14/0 Joe Dudgeon (England) 0/0 0/0 0/0 Oliver Gill (England) 0/0 0/0 0/0
Midfielders Michael Carrick (England) 9/0 50/3 50/3 Nani (Portugal) 9/1 35/3 41/4 Sporting Park Ji-sung (S Korea) 7/1 32/3 48/4 PSV Eindhoven Ryan Giggs (Wales) 6/0 124/26 124/26 Darren Fletcher (Scotland) 6/1 52/2 52/2 Paul Scholes (England) 4/0 119/23 119/23 Anderson (Brazil) 4/1 27/1 30/1 Porto Antonio Valencia (Ecuador) 4/0 13/2 13/2 Gabriel Obertan (France) 3/1 6/1 14/1 Bordeaux Darron Gibson (Ireland) 2/0 8/1 8/1 Magnus Eikrem (Norway) 0/0 0/0 0/0 Oliver Norwood (N Ireland) 0/0 0/0 0/0 Ryan Tunnicliffe (England) 0/0 0/0 0/0
Strikers Wayne Rooney (England) 7/2 60/20 60/20 Javier Hernandez (Mexico) 7/4 7/4 7/4 Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria) 6/0 21/4 47/11 B Leverkusen Michael Owen (England) 1/0 7/4 27/11 Liverpool/
Real M Bebe (Portugal) 1/1 1/1 1/1 William Keane (England) 0/0 0/0 0/0 Joshua King (Norway) 0/0 0/0 0/0
Also played Federico Macheda (Italy) 2/0 4/0 4/0 (now with Sampdoria)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Rooney: Hernandez is the signing of the century
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has proclaimed Javier Hernandez as the signing of the century after his late header sealed a 1-0 victory over Everton to keep them on course to win the club's 19th league title.
Hernandez arrived at Old Trafford from Guadalajara in the summer for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around £8million, and has made an instant impact scoring 19 goals in all competitions and scoring several vital goals.
And on social networking website Twitter, Rooney revealed that he is thrilled to be playing alongside the 22-year-old, who was nominated for the PFA's Young Player of the Year award.
He tweeted: "Great result for us today. Love playing with Hernandez. Buy of century. Great lad to." (sic)
Wayne Rooney On Twitter @WazzaRoon08 - Official
Wayne Rooney joined the social networking revolution on Saturday to give Sir Alex Ferguson another headache.
Rooney communicated via Twitter for the first time to offer team-mate Rio Ferdinand a lift, adopting the moniker Wazzaroon08 in tribute to Manchester United's Champions League triumph against Chelsea in Moscow in 2008.
Online: Wayne Rooney (left) is now a social networker
News of Rooney's late entry into the online community spread like wildfire and his following was approaching 100,000 in a matter of hours, meaning any ill-judged comments will also be quickly pounced on.
His record of on-pitch misbehaviour means United manager Ferguson is bound to be worried about him publishing comments that land him in trouble.
West Ham's Carlton Cole recently fell into the Twitter trap with a 'joke' about immigration that earned him a £20,000 fine from the FA. In January, Ryan Babel received a £10,000 fine for posting a mocked-up picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt, after he had played in Liverpool's 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Ferguson could rest easy last night though as Rooney, not officially verified but endorsed by Ferdinand, kept his tweets clean - and the only mistakes came in his spelling.
But fellow United star Dimitar Berbatov might be interested in the apparent favouring of Javier Hernandez as Rooney's strike partner.
After the Mexican scored the winner against Everton, Rooney tweeted: 'Love playing with Hernandez. Buy of century.'
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Manchester United Ready To Hold Up Record 19th Title
Javier Hernandez's late header kept Premier League leaders Manchester United on course for a record-breaking 19th title following a 1-0 win over a stubborn Everton.
The Mexican striker, nicknamed the 'Little Pea', popped up at the far post when the Red Devils were struggling to find a breakthrough and his close-range finish earned a 16th win from 17 league games at Old Trafford this season.
United required time to hit their stride and it took half-an-hour for Tim Howard to be tested, with the former Red Devils keeper pushing away Hernandez's first-time shot after neat play by Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney.
Everton, who had offered little going forward, had a penalty shout dismissed before Hernandez inadvertently came to the visitors' rescue by deflecting away Nani's shot with Howard beaten.
The leaders struggled to create chances after half-time and Everton came close to a surprise opener when Jack Rodwell's deflected shot was tipped past the post by Edwin van der Sar.
As the clock continued ticking down, and with Everton holding firm in defence, a slice of luck appeared likely to be United's best source of a goal and they almost got it when Fabio's cross deflected off Sylvain Distin and back off the post.
With 10 minutes to go, Howard again denied his old club with a stunning reaction save from Hernandez's header after Valencia's shot had been blocked.
But there was nothing Howard could do six minutes from time when Valencia's deflected cross looped to the far post and Hernandez squeezed home his header from a narrow angle.
The victory allowed United to open up a nine-point gap with four games to play ahead of back-to-back meetings with title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Raúl: 'We dream of beating United :Interview
Eight years after your last Champions League semi-final, you're back in the last four of Europe's premier competition – having left Real Madrid. Many thought your departure was the beginning of the end. Instead, you're the story of the season. Did you expect to find yourself here? Did Schalke? No. This was a completely new team. In the league we really struggled – we lost the first five games – and we've been mid-table all season. But in the Champions League, both the group phase with Lyon, Benfica and Hapoel and the knockout stages, we've played very well, we've improved and grown in confidence. Against Valencia and Inter, everyone expected us to be knocked out but we deserved to go through.
Although you didn't expect to get so far, how much of a role did Champions League football play in your decision? You've had the chance to re-establish yourself as European football's all‑time top scorer. You've played more Champions League games and scored more Champions League goals than anyone else. Is it this competition that really moves you? It's special and it mattered. Champions League matches are different to any other game. But the main reason was that the coach [Felix Magath, who has since been replaced by Ralf Rangnick] trusted in me, this is a good team in a good league – they were second last year, were playing in the Champions League and were seeking to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 50 years – and they gave me the opportunity to play regularly and compete. Next year we might not be in the Champions League but I won't leave. Before joining Schalke there was a chance to join other teams but this was what I needed – to play regularly, to battle a little longer. I feel good physically, good mentally, and I hope to continue for at least another year. If I feel like it, if it attracts me, I would love to carry on [beyond that].
What were those other possibilities? Much has been said about Manchester United, your opponents on Tuesday. There were a couple of possibilities and United was one, but the only person who knows just how real that was, how close, is Alex Ferguson. I never spoke to him personally but there were contacts with United. Before deciding to come here I thought about England, where I had a couple of offers. I love the footballing culture there, the respect for the game, the atmosphere, the intensity. I've been at Old Trafford, Arsenal, at Liverpool watching Fernando Morientes, and it's special. I fancied the idea. I wanted to try something different. But I've been able to experience that here. We take 3,000 or 4,000 to every game, we're never alone. And I couldn't be happier.
You even ended up in the stands, celebrating with the fans. Yes, that was wonderful. A player gets "nominated" to join them. I spoke to a few of the fans and I think they understood me. At Madrid, winning was an obligation. Here, you win a game and, although I wouldn't call it a party, it is different. There's a gratitude and enjoyment. It's a great experience that makes you more rounded.
Do you look at how well this season has gone and think: 'Maybe I should have come sooner'? Playing for Madrid for so long outweighs that. But I did reach a point at which I felt that chapter had closed. If I wanted to carry on enjoying football, I had to leave. I could have stayed there but it wouldn't have been what I wanted. I wouldn't be enjoying it. It's not just about the success. In October, November things weren't going so well. I'd only scored a goal or two, things were difficult for the team, but I was still happy. When I came, people stopped me and saidgracias. Thanks for coming to Schalke. For me, that's unreal.
And then you started winning ... To start playing well on top of that! I couldn't believe it, I couldn't. [There's a look of amused wonder on Raúl's face as he begins to catalogue the season.] First, the group stage and we finish first. First! Well, yeah, let's see what happens in the last 16. Valencia. And we win. Inter, the European champions. And we score five in Italy! And now we're in the semis. You look at the German Cup: there are two Second Division teams in the draw, us and Bayern. And of course, we get Bayern – at their ground. And you say 'madre mÃa'. And you go there – and you win, haha! No matter what happens now, I have found what I was looking for.
At some level, was leaving Madrid a relief? Is it a relief not to have the weight of the captaincy of Real Madrid weighing upon you? I'm more relaxed. At Madrid, apart from playing football, I had other responsibilities. And many of them. In the end, that saps your energy. I needed to be focused just on training and playing and enjoying myself with my team-mates. I don't worry about other things now: there aren't events every week, responsibilities. This is what I really wanted. The years spent at Madrid were wonderful, it's my club, and I'll always be a Madridista. Madrid changed my life. But I reached the point where I needed to escape. The captaincy is a real honour but I needed something else. I've got that here. Besides, because of the language, I couldn't be captain here.
Do you speak any German yet? I understand things. The coach speaks in German and also English, which I follow better. It's hard but you have a sense of what the coach wants anyway because of the training. I have a translator for everything. German is a difficult language.
What memories do United bring back for you? Redondo's backheel [almost giggling at the memory of it] was incredible. Ronaldo's hat-trick, although I was injured and didn't play. The two goals against them in Madrid ...
The front cover of one newspaper the morning before the win at Old Trafford in 2000 ran on "United don't scare me", written over and over like a mantra. Few seemed to think it was possible … It was super-complicated. They had an amazing team. We'd achieved a great result at home [a 0-0 draw] but we still didn't think we could beat them there. We might not have had the best Real Madrid side ever but we did have a very close group. We were 0-3 up and then suddenly it's 2-3. If it had gone on for five minutes longer, we would have suffered. Games against United have always been very special.
After the first leg that year, Ferguson called you the best player in the world. He has always said nice things about me and I'm very grateful because he is one of the best coaches in the whole of football history. It is super-difficult to be at the same club for so long, to build competitive teams over and over. There's a nice a mix of youth and experience with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, plus younger players like Wayne Rooney, who is one of thecracks [superstars] of world football. Maybe they're not at the level of Barcelona in terms of play but they are always in the semi-finals.
You mentioned Giggs. Giggs versus Ra̼l in a European Cup semi-final. What year is this? What's the secret? We love this profession, we enjoy it. For Ryan and me, it's our life. He's a great professional who looks after himself. He's 37 now Рit is 37, right? Рand he's playing every three days in all sorts of positions. In the middle, on the wing, deeper, further forward. Giggs and Scholes are players for whom I have an enormous admiration. I would love to swap shirts with Ryan Giggs after the game. It would be a great honour.
Giggs, Scholes and you appear to share a seriousness and dedication to the game. Few media appearances, few adverts, few off-field 'issues'... I could have done things differently but what I really like is football. That's why I'm here. When you're young you do one or two things … but in the end you realise what it is that you really like doing: playing football. And then you avoid all that, you conserve energy for what really moves you. That can help extend your career. When you do other things, you divert your attentions and energies elsewhere and that's detrimental. There are so many things, like endorsements and adverts – and, hey, I've done adverts, too – but I've always tried to organise my life around football.
Are you and Giggs proof that a player isn't finished at 30? If you train and you have ilusión [enthusiasm, hope], you can keep playing. Look at people who run marathons and they're at their best at the age of 38, 40. Forty-two kilometres! Your body can do that. The thing is, your head. Ultimately, that is what matters. I know players who've stopped playing and now they go to the gym for two hours every day and say: "I ran I-don't-know-how-many kilometres," and you say: "You used to complain about running for 10 minutes." Training can be hard but mostly when you prepare for a game it's not that much. And your body can do it. You have to be mentally prepared to suffer – pre-seasons are not easy – because that suffering pays off. Suddenly, it's: "Wow, I feel in great shape."
You talk about mental preparation. Is the pressure greater than we realise? It depends where you are, on the presión mediática[repercussions from everything going on around the club]. You see players at 27 and think: "He's finished." Then you see players at 30, sometimes the same player and think: "Wow, he's flying." Often that's confidence, comfort, environment. You see guys who are 35, 36 and you think: "Bloody hell, he's like a kid." The psychological side of the game, of life, is hugely important.
You have always said that in terms of approach you owe much to Fabio Capello. First there was Jorge Valdano, then Capello, who really made an impact. He brought to Spain the professional attitude and approach of Italy. You're on the pitch for 60, 70, or 90, or 120 minutes, you're concentrated, working, professional. That's what brings the reward. We connected. I have a great relationship with him. I'm sure he'll come to Manchester because he never misses a game – I see him up in the stands all the time – and I'd love to see him. He demanded so much of me when I was 19. There were days of anger but you realise that it's good for you. Sometimes you hear players complaining about a coach's demands and my response is always: "Good." If he didn't say anything to you, that would be much worse. He's doing it for your own good. He wants you to improve, to make a better player. [Capello] was so important for me. Maybe if I'd been older it wouldn't have mattered so much but for me personally it was huge. I trust in him a lot and I expected more [from England] at the World Cup [last summer]. It's hard to meet expectations. Maybe the moment there are no expectations will be when you win the European Championship. You have to wait. You need to have faith. I think Spain will win it but England can be second, ha ha!
Capello only lasted a year at Madrid, both times. United have had the same coach since 1986. Madrid ... ... will have had 15 or 16, for sure. With the exception of Vicente del Bosque, [coaches] haven't had continuity. There isn't the same culture or patience. As soon as objectives go unfulfilled, the project suffers. But I think Madrid have now found the key person in José Mourinho. He will be there for as long as he wants, whether that's two, three, or four years. In Spain, any longer is hard.
Does that pressure mean that you wouldn't want to be a coach?I'm not sure. When I decide not to play any more, I'll see. The only thing I have done for the last 17 years is play. Of course I've watched, observed, taken on ideas, learnt. But if I was to be a coach I'd want the necessary education: my badges, a masters. There's a huge difference between playing and having to take decisions. Then look at Pep Guardiola: he's done brilliantly but he'll last, what, a year longer? Mourinho will be at Madrid for three or four years, I'd imagine. It's not easy. You need patience.
We've talked about pressure and you have talked about being satisfied with the season. Do Schalke go into this semi‑final without pressure? Tell you the truth, I don't think we have been under pressure all year. Pressure, real pressure? Maybe if we'd lost a couple more games in the league and found ourselves near the relegation zone we'd have said joder. But we won, now we're mid‑table. Proper pressure? No. We went to Valencia thinking: "Let's see if we play OK." We went to Milan, playing the champions. I'll tell you something: you don't score five against Inter if you're under pressure.
And now? Now? We dream of beating United. Let's see if we're the better team. Or perhaps not: logic says United will be. But we'll try. We might even have an advantage there. Manchester might be: "Joder, we can't let this final slip through our fingers." Except that they're used to it: like Madrid, they live with that pressure every day. If they "relax" a bit, who knows? We're under more pressure in the Cup. "It's a second division team, this and that and ..." Against United? Well, we're playing well, we are very clear about what we have to do, we're compact. We've got Jefferson Farfán, who's quick and skilful. Jurado is growing. [The goalkeeper Manuel] Neuer is very, very good. I didn't know much about him but he's incredible. You should see him in training – his saves, throwing a ball half the length of the pitch, everything. He might even be more complete than [Iker] Casillas. And he's only 25. It's pity for United because he would have been perfect for them, but people say he's going to Bayern.
The final would be at Wembley. [Ra̼l grins] That would be the leche[literally, the milk, the business]. I'd never scored against Bayern Munich and I scored against them in the Cup. I went to San Siro and scored against Inter, which I'd never done. I've never been to Wembley Рwhich is one of the stadiums with the Maracaṇ ... wow! I'd love to go Рeven if it's as a fan to watch Madrid.
That's the thing, isn't it? If you do get to the final, it could be against Real Madrid. Dream or a nightmare? I don't know. Right now, I can't find the words. If it happens, it would be ... [Ra̼l pauses] ... more than special. We didn't expect to get here so we're satisfied. Now we want a little more: we don't know when the chance will present itself again. Look at Madrid Рseven years without getting past the quarter-finals. No one can believe this. A final would be even more incredible. I hope it's Madrid ... [Ra̼l pauses again] well, I don't know, actually. It would be [again there's a pause as Ra̼l looks for the right word] ... strange. Very strange. If you can guarantee that we'll win the final, maybe it would even be better to play Barcelona. If not, Madrid. Let's see what destiny has in store.
Mascherano: Barcelona to Manchester United
He would be the ideal replacement for the retiring Paul Scholes and Mascherano would bring some absolutely tough tackling into the Manchester United midfield.
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