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Lyon coach Alain Perrin could not hide his disappointment for not winning the first leg of the contest at the Stade de Gerland last month. A late Carlos Tevez goal had salvaged a draw for the Red Devils, setting them up for an advantageous return leg at Old Trafford.
"It isn't every day that you get the feeling you should have beaten Manchester United."
But he continued, "The draw puts us in a position to be eliminated but places them in just as uncomfortable a position.
“They may feel they have already qualified. That can make them lazy, and we can go and surprise them at Old Trafford. One-nil is okay, for example. It will be enough for us to score in the last minute."
There is some truth to Perrin's line of reasoning. If Man U play the kind of cautious game that they did some two weeks ago, they would be subject to the counter-attacking prowess of Lyon which could possibly result in a late 1-0 win for Lyon.
The onus is upon United to extinguish the hopes of their visitors early.
Ferguson and his players should know Lyon's qualities so much better now and that when United are at their best, they would be too much for Perrin's side.
Ferguson named Lyon striker, Karim Benzema, as the one who worried him the most.
"He's the goalscorer in the team, him and Juninho from set-pieces,” said the United boss. “They are a 100 per cent threat to us and we have to be aware of that.”
The strengths of the two-footed Benzema – pace, individual brilliance, quick brain – will always give Lyon a chance. If United’s defenders remain alert to his danger throughout the contest, guard against Squillaci’s menace at corners and Juninho’s accuracy at free-kicks, then Ferguson’s Moscow dream will remain alive.
Exploiting the weaknesses of a team of toilers might not be enough if Sir Alex’s conservatism on European nights clouds his judgement. The return match at Old Trafford is no place for 4-5-1. Rooney should have Tevez or Saha alongside him if United are to be sufficiently armed for the contest.
To that end, Sir Alex has maintained a careful husbandry of his goal scorers in the run up to the match. The rout of Newcastle last Saturday was little more than a training ground turkey shoot. The 3-0 weekend romp at Craven Cottage allowed the manager to rotate all of his strikers. Eight goals with only one reply is exactly the kind of form to generate confidence for the stern test ahead.
Lyon arrive having recovered their poor form of late with a win over Lille. This should encourage Perrin, who in recent days has learned that Lyon’s chairman was touting the manager’s job to Jose Mourinho last year.
Media speculation suggests that Perrin my not be long for the coaching job in France’s second city. Victory over Manchester United, however, would increase his job security immensely.
For his part, the former Sochaux boss will hope to surprise United with a combination of defensive resilience and forward ruthlessness.
The team’s 4-3-3 formation easily converts to 4-5-1, a set-up which confounded United for large chunks of the first match. Moreover, it was used effectively by Manchester City at Old Trafford last month to ruin United’s on-field Munich tribute.
Midfield workhorse Toulalan will have an important role in stopping United gaining any fluency and Boumsong, if selected, must not suffer any recurrence of his worst days at Newcastle, if a refreshed Rooney and Ronaldo are to be reined in.
Having achieved some famous victories on the road, Lyon will not lack courage and the longer the game goes without United being able to claim an advantage, the more away spirits will rise.
March 01 vs Fulham (A) WON 0 - 3
February 23 vs Newcastle (A) WON 5 – 1
February 20 vs Lyon (A) DRAW 1 – 1 (Champions League)
February 18 vs Arsenal (H) WON 4 – 0 (FA Cup)
February 11vs Manchester City (H) LOST 1- 2
March 01 vs Lille (A) WON 0 -1
February 23 vs Metz (H) WON 2-0
February 20 vs Manchester United (H) DRAW 1 – 1 (Champions League)
February 16 vs Le Mans (A) LOST 1-0
February 09 vs Sochaux (H) WON 4 –1
Probable Team: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Scholes, Hargreaves, Ronaldo, Giggs; Tevez, Rooney.
Probable Team: Coupet; Réveillère, Squillaci, Boumsong, Grosso; Clerc, Toulalan, Juninho, Källström, Govou/Ben Arfa; Benzema.
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
