United v Fulham – Match Preview

By: Taylor Rockwell | March 20th, 2009

Did you know that 10 days ago, United were the best team on the planet? Did you know that they probably wouldn’t lose another match in this year’s campaign? Did you know that they were locked to be the champions at the end of the season? Did you also know that, as of this moment, United are going down in flames? That Vidic, Slave, Evra, Berba, and Tevez are all leaving at the end of the season? That we will finish third (if we’re lucky) and be mid-table by the end of next season?

You didn’t? Oh. Well, neither did I… and yet, that’s pretty much all I’ve been hearing for the past week. The loss to Liverpool was devastating, to be sure. But I was amazed how it went from “United are the best team on the planet” to “United are surely done now.” WHAT? Because of one match, United are over? What the hell is everyone going on about?

In 2000, we were drubbed 3-0 by Newcastle and 5-0 by Chelsea. Guess what happened? We won the Premiership. In 2001, Liverpool beat us twice in the same season. Guess what happened? We won the Premiership. In 1999, we got a thorough drubbing by Arsenal 3-0. Guess what happened? We won the Treble. The list goes on. Hell, when we lifted our first league trophy in 1907, we lost to Everton, Citeh, Sunderland, Newcastle, Arsenal, and Notts County by a combined 22-1!

The point is, in every season that United have come out on top, there have been pitfalls along the way. And what makes United the best club on earth is that they always overcome. And that’s just what they’ll do this week. Now that all the fanfare has died down, and words like “untouchable” and “invincible” aren’t being thrown around so haphazardly (shouldn’t those words have gone out the window when we lost to Zenit on August 29), United will have settled. And Fergie will have them ready.

Indeed, the oft-angry Scot took time away from not talking to the media to… erm… talk to the media when, earlier this week, he stated, “The thing is to respond. It always is at this club. You lose a game and you respond. We always do.”

So, on to a waiting Fulham team looking to avenge a 4-0 defeat only a scant few weeks ago. Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will have a full stable of players chomping at the bit to get on the pitch when United make their way to Craven Cottage on Saturday. The Cottagers (thanks Wayne) have been struggling lately, with a recent victory over Bolton covering losses to Blackburn and Hull.

United will be without defender Nemanja Vidic (suspended), Wes Brown (possibly deceased), and Gary Neville (old). Rafael da Silva’s absence adds further evidence to my now semi-legitimate argument that he and twin brother Fabio are actually the same person. Every time one goes down, the other somehow becomes fit. That said, with Rafael down, Brown and Neville out, and John O’Shea fatigued (it was St. Paddy’s day on Tuesday), young Fabio could be called upon to make a significant start.

Predicted United Lineup: VDS, Evra, Rio, Evans, O’Shea, Slave, Carrick, Fletch, Park, Rooney, Berba
Predicted Result: 2-0 United (Berbatov and Slave). COME ON YOU REDS!