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Posts Tagged ‘fitness’

• Ferguson says players and fans have responsibility to behave
• Manager refuses to discuss whether he will select Patrice Evra

Sir Alex Ferguson has pleaded for calm ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round trip to Liverpool on Saturday.

The match represents the first meeting between the sides since the spat between Luis Suárez and United left-back Patrice Evra, following which the Liverpool striker was banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racist comments. Ferguson is eager for the game to make headlines for the right reasons.

“As [the Liverpool captain] Steven Gerrard said yesterday, there is a responsibility on the players to behave properly and also both sets of fans,” he said. “We want to make sure we are talking about the game, nothing else.”

Ferguson refused to discuss whether he would select Evra, although it seems certain that he will. “I am not getting involved in that,” he said.

There has been a clear policy from United not to inflame an already tense situation, which, after writing to ticket holders earlier this week, led to Ferguson making a further call for co-operation between fans and the police and matchday stewards following an increase in the club’s allocation, taking it beyond 5,000.

“It is a massive game for both clubs. There is a tremendous profile on it,” he said. “I am confident. We want to talk about the game of football. It is something you want to look forward to. That is what I intend to do.

“Our fans were terrific there this season. The issue of clubs reducing the number of tickets for our supporters has been going on for quite a while now. It has become a convenient way of selling their hospitality. But the stewards have a difficult enough job as it is. We should be helping.”

Following reports that Nani could be out for two months with a foot injury and Wayne Rooney was a major doubt for Saturday’s game, Ferguson offered no clues as to the fitness of his players. Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand may also miss out but Ferguson twice said: “We have a few hoping to be training this morning. I have no update really.”

Sir Alex FergusonManchester UnitedLiverpoolFA Cup
guardian.co.uk

• United coach indicates Liverpool should accept ban
• Kenny Dalglish concerned about crowd reaction to Suárez

Sir Alex Ferguson has broken his silence on the Luis Suárez affair, describing the Liverpool striker’s eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra as “the right decision” and indicating that the Anfield club should accept the guilty verdict.

Liverpool’s vigorous defence of the Uruguayan, including the controversial decision to warm up for their game at Wigan in Suárez T-shirts, has led to widespread criticism throughout the game. Ferguson was not willing to talk about Liverpool’s protest statement, in which they described Evra as “not reliable” and called on the Football Association to issue a separate charge against the Manchester United defender, but he made clear that the Premier League champions felt vindicated.

“Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that’s still the same. The matter is over and I think we’re satisfied that they [the FA's independent commission] found the right decision. This wasn’t about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused.”

Liverpool maintain that was not the case, despite Suárez reportedly admitting using the word “negro”, and are now waiting for the commission chairman, Paul Goulding QC, to deliver his full written findings before deciding whether to lodge an appeal.

That risks an even longer ban and Ferguson drew a parallel with the way United reacted when Evra was banned for four matches in 2008 for becoming embroiled in a post-match fight with Sam Bethell, a Chelsea groundsman. The club, he pointed out, had accepted the verdict.

“Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach. He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through. We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there’s nothing you can do about it, you know.”

The insinuation was that Liverpool should accept Suárez’s guilt but there is no sign of that from Anfield, with Kenny Dalglish maintaining he had no regrets over the T-shirt protest and aggressive wording of their statement.

“The club have issued a statement and the players have made their statement both visually and verbally,” said Dalglish. “The statement couldn’t have caused anybody any trouble. I don’t think the players have caused any trouble with the FA either with their statement or by their support with the T-shirts. If we are not in any trouble, we will just leave it at that before we do get into any trouble.”

Dalglish said “it might be weeks” before the commission’s findings are made public and believes the verdict and the reasons for it should have been released simultaneously. In the vacuum, the Liverpool manager fears opposition crowds will declare open season on Suárez, as was the case at the DW Stadium on Wednesday.

He said: “I wouldn’t think it is helpful to anybody that it [the verdict] is done before we have seen the written documents. If that’s the way they have always done it then we cannot complain. I wouldn’t know because I have never been involved in anything like this before.

“They [the Football Association] run the game; we don’t, do we? Whether you agree with it is another matter. In another walk of life, they would have walked away and waited until they had it ready. But this is what happened. I think where they have to be more supportive is the reaction from people – and the antagonism of the crowds – towards Luis. That is the great problem.”

The Liverpool manager believes the fallout from the complex case will be far-reaching for the FA. “It would be helpful to everyone if someone gave us some guidelines about what you can and cannot say,” he argued. Yet despite his concerns over the hostility towards Suárez, who is also facing an improper conduct charge for allegedly making an offensive gesture towards Fulham supporters at Craven Cottage on 5 December, Dalglish is adamant the 24-year-old can handle the scrutiny.

“Obviously he would be better off without it, but he is a strong enough character and he has handled it very well up to now so I wouldn’t expect him to show anything other than total strength. If Luis is fit and well, he will be considered for the matches until such time that he is under sanction.”

Ferguson is clearly unimpressed with the lengths to which Liverpool have gone, including Dalglish’s decision to wear a Suaárez T-shirt during a television interview on Wednesday. “I don’t need to talk about it,” he said, before adding pointedly: “I’m happy with how I run my club.”

The United manager was asked whether he fears it will worsen the rivalry between the two clubs. “This is the biggest derby game in the country,” he replied. “It’s never needed anything to light the powder keg; it’s always there.”

Sir Alex FergusonLuis SuárezManchester UnitedLiverpoolAndy HunterDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk

• Injured duo missed Saturday’s win over West Bromwich
• ‘We’ve got lads who can step in when needed and do a job’

The Liverpool striker Andy Carroll believes the team have shown they are better placed to cope without the services of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

The experienced pair were absent for Saturday’s 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion and although Carragher’s calf problem is unlikely to keep him out for long, the extent of the problem with Gerrard’s infected right ankle has yet to be determined. Liverpool’s captain is likely to find out in the next 24 hours what course of action needs to be taken to return him to full fitness.

Carroll, a £35m January signing, has had to play virtually all of his short Anfield career without Gerrard – who was sidelined for six months in March after a groin operation. In fact, with Carroll’s injury problems delaying his debut last season, the pair have been on the pitch together in just four matches. And Gerrard, Carroll and Luis Suárez, the new focal point of Liverpool’s attacking options, have never started a match together.

“It was tough not having Stevie or Carra in the squad,” Carroll said. “They are great players and we need them in the team once they’ve got over their little niggles. But we have fantastic players that can come in. The game showed we’ve got lads who can step in when needed and do a job. We showed what we can do. We passed it around well and deserved the three points.”

On his developing partnership with Suárez, Carroll told the Liverpool Echo: “Luis is a great player who works so hard for the team and it’s nice to have him up top with me. Luis drops off, gets the ball into his feet, can dribble with it and slip people in.

“I couldn’t name a better player in the Premier League than Luis. He’s fantastic to have in the squad. He makes chances and scores goals himself, so he’s a great all-round player and he showed that again. Luis makes it easy playing alongside him. I think we played well together and hopefully that will carry on.”

Carroll’s start to his Liverpool career has not been as straightforward as the club’s record signing would have liked, as fitness affected his early progress and he has yet to secure a regular place in the starting line-up this season.

“I’ve been disappointed to be sat on the bench,” he added. “But when you are left out it just makes you work harder the next day in training to get your place back. We have a big squad, players come and go every week. It was a different XI at West Brom compared to the previous week and the week before that.

“Everyone is fighting hard in training for a place. I’ve been working hard every day to get my fitness up and to try to get a place in the team and I think I earned it. We will have to see what happens next weekend. I want to get my name in the starting XI every week.”

Meanwhile, the defender Jack Robinson has signed a new long-term contract having earned a place in the first-team squad over the past six months. The 18-year-old left-back was drafted in by Kenny Dalglish towards the end of last season and has now made five appearances.

“I’m delighted,” Robinson said. “There was no doubt in my mind, I was just so excited the club were offering me a contract. I’ve just got to keep working hard in training. I can’t just sit back on this contract. I’ve got to keep improving and showing people what I’m about.”

LiverpoolAndy Carrollguardian.co.uk