Stay away from that diamond, Carlo

REPEAT after me Carlo – 4-3-3, 4-3-3, 4-3-3 – got that?

If we revert back to that damned diamond at Old Trafford I will not be responsible for my actions.

However, even if Ancelotti has seen the light, United would never capitulate the way that Villa did in the second half last Saturday.

It made their fans’ early chant of ‘We’ve got the Special One’ stick in their throats a bit – needless to say, we didn’t hear that again after the first 45 minutes. O’Neill’s half time team talks must be worse than ours for motivation! To score seven is obviously a stunning feat – to do that without Drogba makes you question the pros and cons of having a player of his stature leading the line. I am not suggesting we sell him, leave him on the bench, or play him less but we must accept that we should not play exclusively to his strengths to the detriment of the other outfield players.

There is nothing I can write about Lampard that hasn’t already been said. Any midfielder that scores 20 plus goals at the highest level for six continuous seasons tells its own story. I feel privileged that he has contributed so emphatically to the most successful period in our history.

Of course there are those that call his talent into question. Only Yesterday when mooching around opposition forums I came across a discussion about Lampard on an Arsenal website where I read “does anyone on here actually rate Lampard? I understand he scores a lot of goals, but I just don’t see what he contributes all round” along with “he does nothing until he scores” and again “no creativity whatsoever – would never make it into an Arsenal side.”

Arsenal fans eh? They always bring a Blackadder quote back to me: “The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but the brain has long since departed.”

Speaking of Arsenal – Wenger really should consider a career with RADA, the London drama school. His exaggerated pained expressions, sharp intakes of breath, the mournful, woeful demeanour, the dramatic holding of head in hands, the raising of the eyes pleadingly to the almighty, the desolate shaking of the head – all in response to the sheer audacity of an opposition player breathing in the general direction of one of his players.

It’s the kind of performance that got silent films a bad name.

I know Wenger has convinced the Arsenal fans and the majority of the English press that his players are ethereal beings who float on pixie dust with their delicate butterfly wings and the rest of the Premier league are evil marauding orcs with the sole intention of destroying the last vestiges of the beautiful game. To be honest it’s all wearing thin and his face has again overtaken Benitez’s as the most slappable in the league.

Everyone in football agrees our game with United will decide the league’s title destination.

I’m not so sure. It will have a bearing but if there is one thing this campaign has taught me is that we (the football fraternity as a whole) have been too keen to name winners and losers prematurely.

I am concerned about this game despite our record against them in recent years. Our injuries could finally tell for us at this most crucial part of the season. Conversely, they seem to be getting all their players back just now for the run-in. If Carlo does manage to pull this one off, I will have to re-think my bleak assessment of him

My only other hope, is that we finally get a little luck with referees – a lot to ask of a team playing at Old Trafford but one can only live in hope. To win the Premier League you need more than good players, clever tactics, a wily manager – you need luck and I don’t think anyone can say that we’ve had a single shred of that!

Win this and fans will start to believe that Ancelotti perhaps does have the ability to make it in the Premier League. Choke now and it will take a long time to build up any faith again.

No pressure then.

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