United's Twin Sparks who have set up a 20th Domestic league title

After a disappointing derby loss to Manchester City at Old Trafford, Manchester United rebounded with a 2-0 win over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Despite holding a comfortable lead at the top of the table, it was imperative that United suffered no more setbacks on their way to a 20th league title, to try and wrap this one up at the earliest. And they got the 3 points that they were looking for against a Stoke side that looked average, courtesy of a goal a piece from Michael Carrick and Robin Van Persie. Van Persie scored with a penalty, breaking a goalless drought lasting 10 competitive games.

In a way, it was fitting that the goals came from these 2 United players. About Van Persie, there isn't much left to say than what has already been said. His spectacular form in the early part of the campaign meant that United got off the blocks quicker than anyone else and managed to put enough distance between themselves and the chasing pack. The goals may have dried up for the Dutchman in the past month and a half, but it has come with the league title pretty much in the cabinet and hence has not hurt them much in the league. You could argue perhaps that a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal berth and an FA Cup semi-final spot went up in smoke along with his form.

However, discounting all of that, Van Persie still has been the player who has had the highest impact this season and he is favorite to win the PFA Player of the Year award. 20 goals in the Premier League, the latest being the spot kick he took at Stoke, along with 8 assists implying that he has contributed to 28 goals for United. Of those 20 goals, 11 of them have come away from home, it is little doubt that United are the best away team of the season with 38 points to their name from 16 games. City and Tottenham Hotspur are a distant second with 29 points having played the same number of games. "He nearly killed me! He forgets I'm 71. It was a great celebration as it brought the emotion of the players and the fans together. We really did celebrate that.", remarked Sir Alex Ferguson after Van Persie ran to the touchline to embrace Ferguson having scored from the spot.

Another area where the Dutchman's contribution has been significant is set pieces. 20 goals have been scored from set pieces this season by Ferguson's team and Van Persie's quality of delivery goes a long way in explaining that stat. Of course, all the factual evidence apart, his arrival from Arsenal just gave the team a huge lift and had a domino effect on the other players' performances, much like Eric Cantona did a few decades ago. One of those players has been Michael Carrick.

Carrick is a consummate professional, a player who goes about his work with minimal fuss. Calmness personified, his passing ability and interceptions carry an air of languid elegance about them. He is a player who is much appreciated by the manager and his fellow colleagues, but maligned by the fans. His role in the centre of that midfield has been vital for United. Much criticized over the past two seasons for being slow on the ball and not doing anything much with the football beyond passing it sideways, the resurgence of Carrick this season has been a shot in the arm for Ferguson. The stats will show 4 assists and 1 goal to his credit, but what the stats will not show is the impact of his forward passing this season.

Carrick averages 75 passes a game with an exceptional pass completion rate of 88%. Amongst peers who play in his position, there is none better in the league; Cazorla averages 65 passes per game with an 87% accuracy while Steven Gerrard also sees lesser of the ball averaging 66 passes per game at 85% accuracy. Across Europe, Bastian Schweinsteiger's influence for Bayern Munich is at a comparable level with the Bayern vice-captain averaging 72 passes a game at 87% accuracy. Carrick though is bettered by only 1 individual, and this should come as no surprise, Xavi who on average makes 98 passes per game with a pass completion rate of 95%.

The other major feature of Carrick's play this season has been his quick release of the ball forward to the likes of Van Persie and Rooney where in previous seasons he has been guilty of holding on to the ball for too long. A grand reason for that has been the presence of Van Persie, an out-and-out goalscorer, someone of the type not seen in recent United teams since the departure of one Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, Carrick had 2 magnificent seasons for United after his switch from Tottenham in the summer of 2006. He had Paul Scholes for company back then and the two forged a formidable partnership. He suffered a dip in form from the 2009 season onwards which sort of coincides with the period that saw the departure of plenty of attacking talent from United in the form of Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

Ferguson has also been wise to note that Carrick's productivity goes up markedly when partnered with a young and energetic midfield partner who can provide the legs; that's where Tom Cleverley and Anderson have played an important role this season. Cleverley and Anderson have allowed Carrick to operate from a little deeper and also offer him some protection when he is on the ball.

2012-13 has seen Manchester United return to the top of pile in the English Premier League, a return driven by two veteran players. Van Persie's power-packed offense fueled by the steady and enduring supply from the midfield led by Michael Carrick have helped overcome the pain of losing the title last season on goal difference. But, another top goal-scorer (questions remain over Rooney) to tide over lean patches for the Dutchman and a combative midfielder to assist Carrick are necessary if United are to replicate their success in Europe. Van Persie donned the No.20 jersey mentioning that he intended to deliver a 20th league crown to Old Trafford and he's delivered on that promise. Along with Michael Carrick, the two of them have been the twin sparks in United's engine that has put the Red Devils on course to reclaiming the title from rivals City.

What the Statistics say about the two Manchester Clubs' season

The Mancunian derby tonight pitches 1 and 2 in the Barclays Premier League against each other. Manchester United hold a 15 point lead over their 'Noisy Neighbors' from across town and the title looks to be heading to Old Trafford for a 20th time. Looking at the stats for the teams provides a fair reflection of their season so far.

Along with Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are the only 3 teams to have not lost a game in which they have taken the lead. It goes to show that both sides have been good front-runners and seldom relinquish a position of strength. But, the problem for City has been the high number of draws that they have racked up. The Sky Blues have drawn 8 games accounting for 16 dropped points, perhaps the biggest difference between the 2 teams. United in contrast have only drawn 2 and also one fewer game in the Loss column with 3 in comparison to City's 4.

Last year, City's title winning campaign had a lot to do with how tight their defence was marshaled by the excellent Vincent Kompany. They had the best defence last year and are once again the best this year with 14 clean sheets and have conceded just 26 goals. The problem though for them has been scoring goals and the drop in production from their main striker Sergio Aguero has been one of the reasons. The Argentine who scored the decisive game winning goal into injury time on the last day to clinch the title for City is averaging a goal every 178 minutes. The corresponding figure for last year was 113 minutes, which translates to a goal every 2 hours; that's pretty much a goal a game at the very least. Add to that Mario Balotelli's lackluster season which saw him being sold and lesser goals from key midfielders David Silva and Yaya Toure and you can see why City have had trouble finding the back of the net. So while their 1st in goals conceded, their goals tally of 55 is only 5th best in the league.

United meanwhile have the 2nd in defence and 1st in attack, a nice 1-2 combo to have. In the early part of the season the Red Devils were very, very shaky at the back and were conceding goals almost every game. That they managed to win more games than lose in that period was down to their attacking prowess that got them out of jail many a time. It would have been impossible for them to sustain their title challenge at that rate and Sir Alex Ferguson, aware of the problem at hand has got that back-line working a lot more efficiently since. They have the second best defence having conceded only 31 goals and also 11 clean sheets, another department where they have been bettered only by their neighbors. They are top dogs in scoring with 70 goals which translates to a goal difference of +39 a +10 differential over 2nd placed City.

Robin Van Persie's blistering start to the season was instrumental in propelling United in that early period where they struggled defensively. But, the Dutchman has hit a lean patch and has drawn blanks in his last 9 competitive appearances for Man United. This despite being on the field for 549 minutes in that stretch, close to 70% of the total playing time and no less than 24 shots on goal. Perhaps, it is no coincidence that his drop in form has been accompanied with United getting dumped out of the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup. Van Persie did have some really good chances that he failed to put away against both Real Madrid in the Champions League as well as Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Manchester United have scored the most goals in the opening half hour with 27 out of their 70 coming in the first 30 minutes of play. One thing that Ferguson would have stressed on after losing out on goal difference last year would have been to score as many as possible. The purchase of Van Persie came about with that in mind and the early goal has been a feature of their play. It puts the opponent on the back-foot and forces them to come at United. Inviting the opposition onto them works in their favor as they can then pick them out making use of the available spaces. City are at the other end of the spectrum having scored the most goals (28) in the last half hour of the game. Roberto Mancini's men many times this season have been forced to come from behind and have had to chase the game. This stat reinforces that theme to a good extent. Even in their last meeting against United at the Etihad, they had to fight out of a 0-2 hole.

Finally, perhaps in true testament to vintage United sides of old, the 2012-13 crop have salvaged 27 points from losing situations. Everton have been the second best team here.

The arrival of Van Persie at Old Trafford coupled with the the injury ridden struggles of Aguero and Kompany have been decisive in determining the destination of the Premier League title. Mancini and City would have also have to take some flak for not bringing in adequate personnel in key areas to support the likes of Silva and Toure. Ferguson has also displayed better tactical acumen and has managed to get the best out of his squad with smart player rotations allowing for rest to key cogs.

And that's where the title was won and lost !!!

Real Madrid vs Manchester United: UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Preview

It Is THE tie of the 1^st Knock out round of the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid versus Manchester United is always a special occasion and this year’s match-up is no different. The Red Devils are 3^rd in UEFA’s Club Co-efficient while Los Blancos are 4^th. It is not only a clash between 2 of the best sides in Club football but also a clash of two of the Best Managers around in Jose Mourinho & Sir Alex Ferguson.

United this season have been a club rejuvenated by the arrival of the ‘Flying Dutchman’ Robin van Persie from Arsenal. Though a little shaky at the back, going forward they have been magnificent with Van Persie the key cog in a fearsome attacking line-up complimented beautifully by Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez & Danny Welbeck.  They have scored an impressive 81 goals in all competitions with Van Persie accounting for 23 of them. They are 12 points clear of rivals Manchester City in the league and look set to claim their 20^th League title. Patrice Evra’s welcome return to form along with the maturity in right back Rafael’s play has been a huge part of United’s success this season, but the biggest difference has been Michael Carrick driving the play from midfield in the company of young Tom Cleverley and the lethal finishing up front from Van Persie, Rooney & co. They finished top of a relatively easy Group H with 12 points and though they lost 2 games, it was when Sir Alex fielded weakened sides.

Real Madrid on the other hand finished 2^nd in their Group with 11 points in what was the tournament’s Group of Death featuring champions of 4 major European leagues – Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Ajax – along with Los Blancos. Madrid have also been prolific in front of goal with 93 goals to their credit with Ronaldo scoring 36. However their season has been plagued by inconsistent form which has seen their title defence in La Liga fall by the wayside as they sit 3^rd 16 points adrift of leaders Barcelona. Amid reports of dressing room unrest and a fallout between Mourinho and some of the senior Spanish stars at the Bernabeu, Madrid aiming for the ‘Decima’, their 10^th European crown have done well in the Champions League where Ronaldo is the joint leading goal scorer with 6 goals and Mesut Ozil, Angel di Maria & Karim Benzema are joint third in the Assists section with 3 assists each.

The 2 managers also share a special relationship, one that started off with them being fierce rivals but later becoming very good buddies off the field with each holding the other in high esteem. Mourinho has even been tipped to be one of the successors to Sir Alex’s reign at Old Trafford when he eventually calls it a day.

For both teams, the strength lies in attack with their defences not exactly exuding confidence through the season though United with all 4 central defenders fully fit & keeper De Gea  in good form and Evra & Rafael’s improvement this season have an edge over Real in that part of the field. United will have to cut the supply from the likes of Xabi Alonso & Luka Modric in the Real midfield to Ronaldo & Ozil up front and Ferguson may well opt for a 5 man midfield for precisely this reason playing Carrick, Cleverley & Phil Jones in a central midfield flanked by the tireless Antonio Valencia on the right and Rooney dropping back on the left with Van Persie up top. Madrid’s ploy would be simple, to move the ball quickly and get it to their forwards  before United can set their defence and would not mind playing on the counter even though they’d be at home at the Santiago Bernabeu. Recent matches between the two have gone Madrid’s way with Real beating United in both 2000 and 2003 in the Quarterfinals stage.

It promises to be a fascinating encounter, filled with the intrigue of how that 1 man – Ronaldo – will fare against his former club, and how the Real backline will cope with the likes of United’s Rated ‘R’ attack of Rooney & Robin. As Mourinho stated recently – “The world is waiting for Real Madrid vs Manchester United”.