Tricera -TOP-s

Aside from one transfer story (us being linked to yet another Wigan player) the news today is mainly of the Carling Cup semi-final. The Times concentrates on the negative, having a go at Nani:

Nani made a largely positive contribution during his first campaign with United, making 41 appearances in all competitions and starting 16 of their 38 Barclays Premier League matches, but, despite being one of the few players to have stayed clear of injury, he has figured only fleetingly this term.

He has started just three of the club's 21 league fixtures and, at 22, has failed to show anything like the same maturity that Cristiano Ronaldo exhibited at the same age.

I'm not sure I agree with this, firstly the article goes on to single out Nani and Anderson for criticism for the display against Derby in the first leg but really we were just collectively bad, Anderson's form has been more worrying for me personally, against Bolton on Saturday his passing was really dreadful, Nani has been good on a couple of occasions I remember this season, one bad performance, in the context of the whole team's failings doesn't really warrant this type of article as far as I'm concerned.
The other reports go for the more positive, looking forward to the possibilty of Zoran Tosic starting the game, or at least starting on the bench; Mike Phelan quoted in The Independent:

"Whether it is as a starter or coming on as a substitute against Derby we have not decided yet," Phelan told the Manchester Evening News.

"But Zoran has shown he is capable of blending in. He has done it nice and quietly. Now it is a case of giving him a chance for everyone else to see what we have seen.

The Guardian has the biggest look at this, with an article including several quotes from the player and this useful snippet of information:

he already has Balkan folk sessions with Dimitar Berbatov

(and that awful post title is my attempt at a pun related to the fact that we are now top of the league with a game in hand -in case it was inobvious)