Carling Cup Preview: United v Wolves

By: Taylor Rockwell | September 22nd, 2009

Who: Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers
What: The Carling Cup
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
When: Wednesday, August 23, 2009 (8:00 PM GMT or 3:00 PM EST)
Why: Because United must defend their title in a cup that no one (aside from nerdy bloggers such as myself) appears to really care all that much about.

Points to Ponder
1) How much does this “unimportant” match matter to Tomasz Kuszczak? With Ben Foster’s recent/ongoing dip in form, a big performance from Kuszczak could reopen the debate as to who is the most worthy heir to Edwin Van der Sar’s soon-to-be-retired gloves. I’ve always favored Foster over Kuszczak, but the former’s performance this weekend coupled with his ongoing inability to use his right foot is becoming somewhat problematic.

2) Who are the first-choice second-choice defenders? Our back four is pretty set at the moment (O’Shea, Rio, Vidic, Evra), but our second choice options are still pretty up in the air. Obviously, Jonny Evans has proven to be a class defender, but others aren’t so cut and dry. Gary Neville remains the United captain and his celebration this weekend shows he still loves United more than he does his adolescent facial hair, but can he cope with the pace that most wingers currently employ? Another player with a lot of question marks surrounding him is Wes Brown, whom some will be surprised to learn is still alive. Brown has had more medical problems that a germophobic hemophiliac, but has somehow recovered in time for the match with Wolves. What exactly that means is anyone’s guess. Rafael and Fabio may not see equal playing time today (especially since Rafael is still a bit injured), but both will look to strengthen their position in the United roster whenever possible. So too will Ritche De Laet who is both Belgian and potentially very good.

3) Is the Carling Cup beneath Michael Owen? Owen may have been the hero of last weekend’s derby, but he also hasn’t started a match since the Burnley debacle. The Carling Cup could be an ideal time to see just what the 29-year-old can do when given free reign, but it could also have significant negative ramifications. What if he gets injured? What if he loses confidence? Or, my secret fear, what if he continues to perform while Berba continues to struggle? Would Fergie ever sit a star signing in favor of his less prominent one? We may soon find out.

4) If Zoran Tosic doesn’t get any minutes, is it pretty much just accepted that he isn’t a star in the making? Obviously, the Serbian is young and, consequently, not particularly polished. However, we haven’t heard anything from him since the preseason, where he figured prominently. So, to clarify, that’s a player who 1) got a lot of PT when it didn’t matter, 2) wasn’t included in our Champion’s League roster, and 3) has been firmly relegated to the bench since the season started. That definitely sounds like a player that Fergie doesn’t see as particularly prepared for first team/second team action. Speaking of…

5) Anyone have any ideas what the hell is in store for Darron Gibson? He gets limited time last season, scores a cracker against Hull, gets linked with transfers this summer, and has thus far only spent 19 minutes on the pitch this season. Does his future lie with United or with another potential suitor (Ipswich, I’m looking in your direction)? Today’s match may prove a good indicator.

6) Is it possible that United could bring together bitter Italian rivals? The answer is yes if both Davide Petrucci (formerly of the Roma youth system) and Federico Macheda (formerly of the Lazio youth system) both get playing time tomorrow. My guess is that they won’t (Macheda far more likely than Petrucci), but if they both do, I’m prepared for another heated debate that will no doubt feature some combination of the words “stole”, “poached”, “thieves”, and “vai fanculo”. Ah well… such is life…

Predictions:
Probable Lineup: Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Evans, Fabio, Tosic, Gibson, Carrick, Nani, Owen, Macheda
Taylor’s Preferred Lineup: Kuszczak, De Laet, Evans, Brown, Fabio, Tosic, Gibson, Scholes, Welbeck, Macheda, Owen (with Petrucci subbing on early in the second half).
Scoreline Prediction: For whatever reason, I have the feeling that this could be a fluky match similar to the one against Derby last season. Thus, I see United getting it done, but in fairly unconventional style (3-2 United with goals for Macheda, Scholes, and Carrick).
Carling Cup Prediction: For a tournament that doesn’t appear to be all that important, there definitely seem to be a fair amount of interesting story lines heading into today’s match. Who knew?