March will shape our season

Date 23/02/11 - Rants - Author

Quite simply, rightly or wrongly, I believe March will be the defining few weeks of the 2010/2011 season in all comps for United. It’s  a month which will feature tough Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup games. Perhaps it’s being cocky or arrogant, but if we come through March still in all comps and still on top of the League, I think it will be a very fair comment to make in saying that we’re going to land the big prizes this May.

Premier League
Chelsea, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers will set the challenges against us this coming March and it won’t be easy having to play Bolton at home and the other two away from Old Trafford. United haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 2002 incredibly, although there have been 4 draws. Chelsea certainly are a tough team to beat on their own ground but with a poor run of form haunting Ancelotti’s men, I’m probably more confident than ever that we can turn them over.

Liverpool will be a very different game. Dalglish has now had the time to settle into the club once again and get his bearings. It has to be said that he has turned their season around a little. Needless to say, they’ll be chomping at the bit to get their revenge on us after we dumped them out of the FA Cup and game them a seeing to in the League. Liverpool have won the last two meetings at Anfield although they will not want a repeat of the 1998/99 season outcome where we managed to beat them at home in the League and Cup while managing a draw away from home. If the game ends in a draw this March, head to the bookies lads!

Bolton will not be an easy opponent, we all know that. 2002 season again, and it was the last time Bolton managed to get three points from Old Trafford and since then it’s been a 1005 record at home to the Trotters. If we can come away from these three games with 7 or more points, then, dare I say it… Well let’s just say Arsenal will need to win the rest of their games this season I’d imagine. Our form is not leaving much to be desired but as was the story with Chelsea in their back-to-back title winning seasons, the points are what wins the league titles and not always the fancy football. Just ask Arsene Wenger!

FA Cup
And Wenger can be brought into the spotlight at Old Trafford again. FA Cup between United and Arsenal only means one thing – Memorable! In 2008, we hammered them 4-0, 2005 saw the most one sided final in history and the better team lost, 2003 won’t be fondly remembered as Giggsy missed an open goal and Arsenal won 2-0. Oh, and then there was that FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park in ’99. Not to mention there’s been a few feisty League encounters. Some Chelsea fans will feel that they’ve overtaken Arsenal in the pecking order but it has to be said that United. However, all of this may be completely irrelevant because Leyton Orient will have their part to play. United who have never played Orient will obviously want that tie but if we are going to be fair here, Arsenal should be the team progressing. Come on you O’s!

Champions League
With Marseille up in the Last 16, the first leg to be played in a matter of hours will surely setup Old Trafford for another wonderful European night. The second leg will be played towards the end of March and should we progress, then who knows who we might get. Ferguson has already stated his belief that all English sides have a fantastic chance of progressing meaning that AC Milan and Barcelona could be two casualties in the first knock-out round according to him. United have only played Marseille twice before, and it was when they were the European champions in 1999/2000. Two group games ended a win and a loss apiece.