Tottenham vs Man United team news

Match Schedule
Tournament: Barclays Premier League
Match: Tottenham vs Man Utd
Kick Off Time: 16:10 GMT
Live/Repeat: Live
Date: 4th March 2012
Venue: White Hart Lane, England
News:




In true Fergie fashion, the fires have been stoked ahead of the clash with the wily Scot warning the Spurs Board to expect an approach for their manager, telling the pre match press conference The people who will be more concerned are the Tottenham directors,”.

“I am sure they will be wondering what the next step is.

“I don’t think they can dismiss the eventuality of the FA making contact. It is going to happen.

“They will be more worried than the actual players.”

Redknapp will be more concerned are gaining revenge for their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford at the start of the season, not to mention rallying his troops following last weekend’s collapse at Arsenal.

Spurs are currently 10 points off top spot and another loss on Sunday could prove crucial at this stage of the season. United meanwhile are just two points behind City and looking to his players to show the never say attitude that saw them beat Norwich 2-1 last weekend when they travel to London.

Spurs:

Influential midfielder and midweek England captain Scott Parker is out for Spurs due to suspension following his sending off last weekend in the 5-2 loss to Arsenal.

William Gallas and Tom Huddlestone remain on the treatment table while doubts surround Rafael van der Vaart, Ledley King and Kyle Walker ahead of the crucial clash although Harry Redknapp expects the trio to feature.

Redknapp’s biggest worry ahead of the game is the hamstring strain suffered by Gareth Barry on Welsh duty midweek and the Spurs medical staff will be working their magic to get the winger fit for Sunday’s clash.

Manchester United:

Sir Alex’s only doubt coming into the game is Chris Smalling, who required stitches to a head injury sustained in a sickening clash of heads with Jan Klaas Huntelaar during England’s 3-2 loss to Holland.

Wayne Rooney is fit again following a throat infection while Michael Owen, Tom Cleverley and Antonio Valencia are out.

Tottenham (from): Friedel, Gomes, Cudicini, Assou-Ekotto, Rose, Kaboul, Khumalo, Walker, King, Dawson, Nelsen, Livermore, Sandro, Bale, Kranjcar, Lennon, Dos Santos, Modric, Defoe, Adebayor, Van der Vaart, Saha, Lancaster, Luongo.

Man Utd (from): De Gea, Amos, Rafael, Fabio, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Carrick, Park, Anderson, Scholes, Giggs, Young, Berbatov, Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez.

sportsnewsireland.com

Luis Suárez returns for Liverpool but Dalglish starts with Andy Carroll

The Uruguayan had to wait while his manager continued the rehabilitation of his even more expensive striker from Newcastle

Liverpool's Luis Suárez reacts after heading a glorious late chance straight into the hands of the Tottenham goalkeeper. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

The masks were ready, the T-shirts were on sale again outside the ground and Liverpool prepared to make up for lost time with Luis Suárez on completion of his nine-match ban from the Football Association for improper conduct and racially abusing Patrice Evra. Then the team-sheets landed and shifted the focus from the rehabilitation of the Uruguay international to that of Andy Carroll. He is seizing the chance if not the chances that came his way against Tottenham Hotspur.

It did not take long for Suárez to find controversy in a hard-fought but otherwise forgettable draw at Anfield – four minutes after his arrival as a substitute to be precise, when he kicked Scott Parker in the stomach to earn a booking for a foul that seemed clumsy not malicious but provoked a rebuke from Wayne Rooney on Twitter. Saturday at Old Trafford should be fun. He also left Kenny Dalglish ruing his side's profligacy once more when, late on, he headed Liverpool's best opening into the grateful arms of Brad Friedel.

Suárez's first appearance since Boxing Day was guaranteed to take the spotlight and he did not disappoint even in his brief time on the field. But nor should it disguise another encouraging contribution from the striker who arrived at Anfield on the same day last January, the £35m Carroll, and who, performance-wise at least, has to repair his reputation from a much lower starting point. He too shared the misery of wasting a fine opening to seal victory when he blazed over from Martin Kelly's cross with the bottom corner gaping. He also turned a difficult header just over as an uneventful contest came to life late on. His all-round display, however, augurs well for Dalglish as he pursues the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League qualification.

There was more movement from Carroll, right, throughout, more aggression, clearer illustrations that he has a left foot that complements his obvious prowess in the air and, in the 28 minutes they were on the pitch together, signs of a productive understanding between the former Newcastle United and Ajax strikers bought for a combined £57.8m 13 months ago.

Dalglish cited a lack of match sharpness as the reason for starting Suárez on the bench but the Uruguay international also had to earn the right to dislodge a team-mate and none of Carroll, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy had offered that route back. Even so, it would have come as a major relief to Carroll to retain the faith of his manager and it was an important call from Dalglish.

Being a young, strapping centre-forward, and one said to have a laissez-faire approach, does not make Carroll immune from a damaging loss of confidence, as his performances had shown before the influential display in the FA Cup win over Manchester United. No amount of public praise from Dalglish, the latest coming after revelations Liverpool had inquired about swapping the England international for Carlos Tevez, can compare with being asked to lead the line against title-chasing opposition. This was Carroll's third consecutive start in the Liverpool team, equalling the best run he has been given all season. He needs far more before a considered judgment can be delivered.

It assisted Carroll's response to complaints over a lack of movement to have Steven Gerrard moved out of central midfield and deployed behind him. The adjustment almost paid dividends in Liverpool's first attack when the home captain pierced the Tottenham defence, rekindling memories of the fruitful supply line he once provided for Fernando Torres, and Carroll peeled away from the recalled Michael Dawson. It required a perfectly executed challenge to prevent the striker testing Friedel.

The early combination proved a false dawn for Carroll and Liverpool who, for all their promise around the Spurs' area, did not escape behind Dawson and the commanding Ledley King that easily again until the final moments. Carroll won a healthy share of headers against the Tottenham central defence but the runners were better marshalled than by Patrice Evra in United's recent visit to Anfield. Kuyt escaped from Benoît Assou-Ekotto once to a flick-on from Carroll and set up a thwarted shooting opportunity from Charlie Adam as a result before the inevitable substitution arrived. Liverpool were in need of ingenuity to supplement the centre-forward's impressive work-rate and the wait was finally over in the 66th minute for Anfield and Suárez. He returned to a strikeforce that, belatedly, is showing it can share the burden.

guardian.co.uk

Tottenham 1 - 0 Sunderland

 

Pavlyuchenko showed great composure to earn Tottenham victory 

Substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko's cool second-half strike was enough to see off Sunderland and send Tottenham up to third spot in the Premier League table.

Rafael van der Vaart and Sandro wasted chances as Spurs's early dominance went unrewarded in an absorbing encounter.
The Black Cats responded and Sebastian Larsson and David Vaughan both tested home keeper Brad Friedel.
But Pavlyuchenko hit a deserved winner low into the far corner from a wonderful Van der Vaart pass.
Luka Modric then offered a late contender for miss of the year when he somehow shot over with the goal gaping.
But his glaring error did not matter as Tottenham closed out their sixth successive home victory with relative ease.
The win was all the more impressive given the home side's injury problems.
Already without attacking duo Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale, they also lost Bale's fellow flying winger Aaron Lennon to a hamstring strain after 30 minutes.
And although they continued to threaten and look dangerous, Lennon's departure and Bale's absence meant Spurs were deprived of their most potent attacking option.
Modric and Van der Vaart provided their usual class and creativity but Harry Redknapp's team were deprived of their main cutting edge and blistering pace in wide positions.
By the time Lennon was replaced by Pavlyuchenko, Spurs should probably have been ahead.
Van der Vaart deflected Benoit Assou-Ekotto's driven shot wide when it seemed easier to turn it into the back of the net and then Sandro scuffed his shot badly after being played in by Van der Vaart, as Spurs failed to make the most of several promising positions.
The Black Cats seemed to grow in confidence following Lennon's exit and had the better of the latter stages of the first period.
Kieran Richardson tested keeper Friedel with a low, long range-strike and then, moments later, narrowly failed to get on the end of the best move of the half.
Stephane Sessegnon set Larsson free down the right and the Swede's cross was just behind Richardson as he steamed in towards goal.
Larsson then tested Brad Friedel with a firmly struck 25-yard free-kick, as the game really began to spark into life.
Wales international Vaughan, who was involved in a fascinating midfield tussle with the ever-impressive Scott Parker, then worked the American keeper again with a shot having charged forward from the halfway line.
And moments later, Jack Colback was crowded out when through on goal.
But seconds after Colback failed to get a shot away Spurs broke the deadlock when Pavlyuchenko, who had looked a little off the pace, provided a fine low finish across keeper Keiren Westwood from a sublime reverse pass from Van der Vaart.
The Russian's calm finish settled Tottenham's nerves and they should have added a second in the final 30 minutes.
Modric fluffed a staggeringly easy chance to double the lead when he shot over rather than into an unguarded net from 12 yards, after Westwood saved Emmanuel Adebayor's initial chipped effort.
Pavlyuchenko also dithered and failed to get a shot away and also shot wide, while Adebayor poked an effort straight at Westwood when well placed.
Sunderland substitute Nicklas Bendtner had the visitors' only noteworthy late chance, but blazed wildly off target after a neat one-two with Sessegnon.
The win sees the hosts move two points ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea, with the west Londoners next to visit White Hart Lane on Thursday.
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill:
"The players put in a big effort so there is a big disappointment all round. It was a real valiant effort although when Tottenham got their goal their confidence came back and they could have put the game beyond us.
"It's a tough business and we were playing against a very good side but I never thought we were out of the game.
"You would say they had a number of chances after the goal but up until then it was touch and go.
"I thought the effort was great and when we had an opportunity to try to play, the players tried to do that.
"While it was very, very tight we always had a chance but they took their chance. It's fine margins."

bbc.co.uk