Birmingham City vs Manchester United Match Preview
Brian Moore, Jan 8th 2010
A 1-0 Victory by United at Old Trafford in their opening match of the season seemed likely at that time to herald another banner year for the Red Devils, while Birmingham’s fortunes appeared less optimistic. The season is far from over but the fortunes of both clubs have taken unexpected turns.
Alex McLeish’s war chest is a reputed 20-40 million pounds, a financial bounty that other Premier League managers would sacrifice limbs for. Yet Birmingham’s form this season is such that McLeish clearly doesn’t need to make sweeping changes.
Money is available, so why not spend it?
But with that kind of money at his fingertips, who can blame the manager for tinkering?
McLeish’s primary target appears to be Michel of Sporting Gijon in the Spanish Primera Division. The latest reports out of England are that the deal is now done, and just rests on the completion of a successful medical examination. Michel is scheduled to depart Spain on Friday so he is unlikely to be available to play against Manchester United.
Liverpool’s Ryan Babel is another target of the Birmingham manager but Liverpool is said to have turned down Birmingham’s initial offering of 8 million pounds. Sunderland’s Kenwyne Jones is another player linked with a move to St. Andrews.
McLeish Coy over possible transfers
Yet McLeish is coy over possible transfer targets. "We've made enquiries about a lot of people,” said the Scot. “There is a lot of transfer speculation now and it is not something I like to talk about when nothing has been done. We have made enquiries for several players. I am not going to confirm or deny any names."
But any such purchase must surely be seen by McLeish as more luxury than necessity, as his squad are unbeaten in 11 Premier League games.
Against Manchester United, Birmingham will have to face the Red Devils without Lee Carsley and Stuart Parnaby, both of whom were injured in FA Cup action at the weekend. Neither player has had many starts this season, but both are valued back-ups for first team regular starters.
Manchester United’s walking wounded are slowly healing, but not fast enough for Sir Alex Ferguson’s liking. United’s loss to Leeds in FA Cup action at the weekend can only have heightened the manager’s anxiety.
Despite having the luxury of four recognized defenders for that match, United’s defenders had difficulty with the pace and work rate of Leeds’ Jermaine Beckford, whose goal dispatched the Red Devils from the competition and created the biggest upset of the 3rd Round.
Carling Cup Semi-Final postponement a blessing?
Expectations were high for the scheduled Carling Cup Semi-Final against cross-town rivals Manchester City on Wednesday but weather conditions caused that match to be postponed. This was probably a blessing for Sir Alex and his recuperating men.
Rio Ferdinand is still out, although he is said to be nearly recovered from his back injury. Evans, Van der Sar, O’Shea and Hargreaves are all on the disabled list too.
Injured defenders may be healing but stability at the back still looks like a rare commodity for Manchester United, and speculation of a falling out between Sir Alex and Nemanja Vidic, fed by the latter's late withdrawal from the Leeds game, have led to rumors that the Serbian international may be on his way out of Manchester. This has been denied, but if true would certainly compound United's defensive woes. Regardless, Vidic is unlikely to play against Birmingham citing injury.
Crucial match for United
Alex McLeish will want nothing more than to beat his old boss at St. Andrews on Saturday. A win would take Birmingham to 35 points, and give them a chance to leapfrog Liverpool, who’ll be tested by Tottenham. Sir Alex Ferguson, on the other hand, will be focused on keeping pace with league leaders Chelsea, and he’ll undoubtedly have an eye on goings-on at the Emirates Stadium. With Arsenal just two points back and with a game in hand Manchester United can ill-afford to drop points to Birmingham City.
