Man U in the semis, Chelsea in the Final
56 comments February 22nd, 2007
Different competitions mind, but nonetheless it’s still exciting. Our impressive youth side will play at Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium in the two-legged FA Youth Cup Semi-Final. The winner will face Newcastle or Liverpool to play for the most presitigous prize in British youth football.
But the real business is the first-team (sort of) and their face-off with Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final this weekend. The good news for us is that John Terry is almost certain to miss the game, with Micael Essien filling in at centre-back. The movement of Aliadiere and Baptista will give them some real problems.
One of the few spots open to debate is left-back. Gael Clichy has been used as a substitute to tremendous effect throughout the competition, but he is backing Armand Traore to start the final. The Reserves’ game with Portsmouth last night was cancelled, but the fact that Traore had been picked and would’ve been risked in such a game suggests to me that Clichy might get the nod.
Jens Lehmann won’t play, and you can understand why he’s slightly frustrated at being rotated so much. It’s important for a goalie to play regularly to retain sharpness, and the cup rotation policy has meant that his opportunities havebeen more limited than usual this calendar year.
Thierry Henry is also certain to be left out, which is just aswell when you hear that he has a foot injury. Interesting, perhaps, that he chooses to mention that now as he is being criticised for poor form.
ps. I know you some of you are irritated by the new comment moderation process. Sadly, I don’t feel I had a choice. 95% of comments still go through (including those criticising me), and some of you are already seeing the benefit of the new system. Keep commenting, and I’ll endeavour to keep moderating as frequently as I can.Â
