Southgate: Pressure all on United
| Gareth Southgate believes all the pressure is on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United for Middlesbrough's Carling Cup trip to Old Trafford.United go into Tuesday night's game with just one win - at Portsmouth in August - to show from six fixtures in all competitions since the start of the Premier League season. While the Carling Cup may be very much last on Sir Alex's list of priorities for the season, the vastly experienced Scot will want to end his side's uncharacteristically poor sequence of results at the earliest opportunity. Should the United boss opt to ring the changes and field a makeshift line-up, Southgate does not believe it puts Boro under extra pressure to claim a result, and lists the non-starters at Chelsea as evidence of the Red Devils' incredible strength in depth. Southgate said: "When I looked at their squad it was Nani, Giggs, Ronaldo, Tevez, O'Shea, Vidic (who did not start), so it still looks decent to me, so I would have said there is very little pressure on us." Asked if it was a good time to take on the champions, he continued: "It is, but you've got to be conscious of their quality. "I wouldn't imagine too many of the side that played at Chelsea will play against us but by my reckoning that still left them with about 10 internationals when I was writing a possible team down. "I think they will be strong, there will be players Sir Alex will want to give a game to and he'll want to beat us so we've got to be prepared to face what could well be a star-studded line-up." Although Southgate and Sir Alex have had the odd touchline confrontation during recent matches between the side, the Boro boss is still a huge admirer of the long-serving United manager. He said: "Sir Alex is obviously the person all other managers look up to for what he's achieved and his continued hunger to keep achieving, his phenomenal drive about him as a person. "He'll be logical about the position they're in at the moment but wanting them to win matches and he'll want to start against us." While United have made a poor start by their high standards, the jury is out on Boro's early-season form. Home wins over Tottenham and Stoke in the Premier League and a 5-1 Carling Cup thrashing of Yeovil have been offset against away defeats at Liverpool, Portsmouth and, most recently, Sunderland. Southgate insists his side are close to clicking but will be disappointed that the injuries are limiting his options. Egyptian striker Mido pulled out of Saturday's derby with the Black Cats due to a groin strain and will not feature against United, while pace threats Adam Johnson (ankle) and Jeremie Aliadiere require fitness tests. With Tuncay Sanli (knee ligament) out for at least another month, Southgate manager may be forced once again to play his main creative element Stewart Downing as a support striker. The England wideman missed a crucial penalty at the Stadium of Light - his second failure this season - and has not been at his best generally, but Southgate expects him to hit his stride sooner rather than later. Praising the 24-year-old Teessider, Southgate said: "Stewart's a very resilient boy and I know he was grateful for the reaction of the fans immediately after. "Within football you get some great lessons in life dealing with disappointment. "When you play at a level Stewart does, the problems that are thrown at you and the things you have to deal with are that much greater. "Good players put themselves into situations where the rewards are there if you're the hero, but the rewards can be massive if things go your way. "You have to keep putting yourself up there |
發表於 2008-9-23 12:56 AM
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