There are striking similarities between this season and the 1998-99 Treble season-The premiership going down to the wire, Man Utd qualifying for the FA Cup Final and Man Utd facing Italian oppositions in the UCL Quarter Finals and Semi Finals. The big question is-Will Man Utd be able to win The Treble? After all the hard work throughout this season, its time to achieve the ultimate prize a player can ever dream of.
After Chelsea drew with Newcastle today, it looks like the script has been written for this season. Whenever things looked gloomy for Man Utd someone took points off Chelsea to relieve the pressure. When West Ham beat Man Utd, Chelsea had a chance to move to the top of the table temporarily but Steve Coppell's Reading held them to a draw at the Bridge. When Newcastle drew with United, Aston Villa held Chelsea to a draw to restore Man Utd's 6 points lead. When Arsenal beat Man Utd, Liverpool did the same to Chelsea. Now, Boro drew with United and a day later Newcastle took 2 points off Chelsea. Its been amazing.
Man Utd have 3 points lead over Chelsea with 4 games left. The most important thing is that Man Utd have their destiny in their own hands. They don't have to look at other teams to take points off Chelsea. Chelsea vs Man Utd at Stamford Bridge will be a cracker. It might decide the fate of the championship. But, that is not the only difficult match, Chelsea have to worry about. They face Arsenal at The Emirates and Arsenal might have a big say in deciding the fate of the premiership. Chelsea have tricky home games coming up against Bolton and Everton as well. So, things are looking good for Man Utd. The rivalary between Man Utd and Chelsea is not limited to the EPL only. These two teams have booked a date at The Wembley for the FA Cup Final. Thats not all. There is a strong possibility that these two teams will collide in the Champions League Final as well. In 1999, Man Utd beat Internazionale and Juventus to reach the final where they created history. This time, they take on Italian oppositions as well. After demolishing AS Roma, Man Utd face formidable AC Milan in the Semis. Milan have had a poor season domestically but their form in Europe has been phenomenal. The main worry for Man Utd at this juncture is that too many players have picked up injuries-Rio, Vidic, Silvestre, Saha, Neville. The list grows with each and every game. Interestingly, most of the injured players are defenders. So, Man Utd host AC Milan with a make-shift defense comprising of O'Shea, Brown, Heinze and Evra. It looks almost certain that they will concede an away goal against AC Milan. So, the attackers will have to make sure that they score at least a couple to give themselves a chance of winning this tie. Hopefully, most of these players will be back for the away leg at San Siro. That might make a huge difference to the outcome of this tie.
Man Utd have played brilliantly throughout this season to get into this wonderful position. Its time to turn the hard work into a great result. Its time to create history. Its time to win The Treble.
After Chelsea drew with Newcastle today, it looks like the script has been written for this season. Whenever things looked gloomy for Man Utd someone took points off Chelsea to relieve the pressure. When West Ham beat Man Utd, Chelsea had a chance to move to the top of the table temporarily but Steve Coppell's Reading held them to a draw at the Bridge. When Newcastle drew with United, Aston Villa held Chelsea to a draw to restore Man Utd's 6 points lead. When Arsenal beat Man Utd, Liverpool did the same to Chelsea. Now, Boro drew with United and a day later Newcastle took 2 points off Chelsea. Its been amazing.
Man Utd have 3 points lead over Chelsea with 4 games left. The most important thing is that Man Utd have their destiny in their own hands. They don't have to look at other teams to take points off Chelsea. Chelsea vs Man Utd at Stamford Bridge will be a cracker. It might decide the fate of the championship. But, that is not the only difficult match, Chelsea have to worry about. They face Arsenal at The Emirates and Arsenal might have a big say in deciding the fate of the premiership. Chelsea have tricky home games coming up against Bolton and Everton as well. So, things are looking good for Man Utd. The rivalary between Man Utd and Chelsea is not limited to the EPL only. These two teams have booked a date at The Wembley for the FA Cup Final. Thats not all. There is a strong possibility that these two teams will collide in the Champions League Final as well. In 1999, Man Utd beat Internazionale and Juventus to reach the final where they created history. This time, they take on Italian oppositions as well. After demolishing AS Roma, Man Utd face formidable AC Milan in the Semis. Milan have had a poor season domestically but their form in Europe has been phenomenal. The main worry for Man Utd at this juncture is that too many players have picked up injuries-Rio, Vidic, Silvestre, Saha, Neville. The list grows with each and every game. Interestingly, most of the injured players are defenders. So, Man Utd host AC Milan with a make-shift defense comprising of O'Shea, Brown, Heinze and Evra. It looks almost certain that they will concede an away goal against AC Milan. So, the attackers will have to make sure that they score at least a couple to give themselves a chance of winning this tie. Hopefully, most of these players will be back for the away leg at San Siro. That might make a huge difference to the outcome of this tie.
Man Utd have played brilliantly throughout this season to get into this wonderful position. Its time to turn the hard work into a great result. Its time to create history. Its time to win The Treble.
1 comment:
The treble surely beckons the "men in red", who on their day, can tear the opposition to shreds. we saw a glimpse of that in the way ManU drubbed AS Roma (7-1, roma,were u kiddin me or wat??).
Lets wait n watch if ManU can turn the treble's dream into reality. they've shown signs of it in the victory against ac milan at old trafford yesterday, with rooney leading the way with his splendid moves.
nice blog, great analysis, and the undertow of a diehard ManU groupie!!!
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