Spirit of Now

It's all about opposition managers today. Let's take them in reverse order of their league position.
Arsene Wenger proves that he's still in possession of his blinkers, saying, from The Telegraph:

"I have watched Man United get an opening here and there and they are a great side. But I don't feel they dominate the games like we do. The trophies flow in for them at the moment so it's all natural for them.

No, we don't dominate games like Arsenal, we do it successfully. Kevin McCarra has a piece on The Guardian's blog, looking at how our dominance has changed from one of attacking power to one of possession:

the present side is designed not to cut loose and United's dominance is of a different character from the type established by Ferguson in the past. ...Nowadays Ferguson has three established strikers but Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney often resemble schemers and Carlos Tevez's industriousness leads him to go back in search of the ball. Nearly everything that happens is ­precisely as intended. Possession has become the key. United's brilliant defensive record owes much to the fact that rivals spend most of the game chasing and covering until their stamina or concentration collapses.

Onto Benitez, and there's a great article in The Independent, entitled "Benitez's call to arms lost in pit of despair", which sums it up nicely:

Rafael Benitez looked glum yesterday lunchtime; so glum, in fact, that you wondered how he would muster the energy to rally his players for the arrival of Sunderland.

And it offers a nice look at Benitez's transfer dealings:

Yes, Benitez insisted, he did have an appetite for a fifth season seeking the domestic crown for his club, starting next August, by which time Manchester United should have equalled Liverpool's 18 championships. "We can break the cycle." But he didn't offer much conviction and his analysis of what needs to change between now and then will depress those Liverpool fans who are wondering whether he will ever bring that most elusive piece of silverware to Anfield Road.

"We have to do things sooner rather than later," Benitez said. "In the future we have to approach players very quickly or we will not sign them. In a top side like [ours] it will be very important." This was a reprise of Benitez's well-worn critique of the ponderous performance, as he sees it, of outgoing chief executive Rick Parry in the transfer market.

Given the contribution this season of individuals who Benitez demanded and got last summer – Andrea Dossena has delivered even less than Robbie Keane did, while Phillip Degen has never rarely been off the treatment table – the prognosis was painfully one-eyed.

Liverpool have quite simply lacked a strike force, as Saturday's defeat on Teesside painfully showed, and given that Ryan Babel, David Ngog and Nabil El Zhar are so far off the pace, it is currently hard to resist the conviction that Benitez should have persisted with Keane and risked the financial hit of selling him next summer. Whose fault was it that none of those players he wanted have performed? Not the chief executive's.

At least Hiddink is sounding positve, with The Mirror comparing his words to "the Keegan rant":

And while Hiddink’s pledge to stop United’s relentless glory quest was far more measured than Keegan’s infamous 1996 rant as Newcastle went into title meltdown, the Dutchman promised his Blues are the team who can end Old Trafford dreams of the ultimate season.

“I hope we can stop him,” said Hiddink. “I would love to stop him in this aim.

“Of course I am not naive. In the championship they have a lead and a very strong squad, so realistically it will be very difficult.

Onto us, and there's some more talk of Ben Foster, a new contract and England, from The Guardian:

"I've got my eyes on being in the England squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer," said Foster, who gained his only cap against Spain under Steve McClaren in 2007 before he had made an appearance for United. "That's a big target for me, like for any player. David James is the England No1 at the moment, but there are a lot of keepers scrambling for places underneath him – Rob Green, Scott Carson, Chris Kirkland, Paul Robinson, Joe Hart.

"I've not been in a squad since Fabio Capello took over because of injuries. When we went up for the trophy it was the first time I had spoken to the man. He shook my hand and said, 'Well done.' I can't expect to be in the England team if I'm not playing regularly. He has made it clear he isn't picking players on reputation, only on merit, and that's the way it should be. I accept that.

"I don't want to even think about leaving United but, at the same time, I need to be pushing my career now. I'll be 26 in April and I need to be playing regular football. The two years I had on loan at Watford, playing week in, week out, were great. Obviously I want that here. I've not spoken to the manager about next season so I don't know how things will pan out. I've just got to keep doing my best and we will see what happens."

Talks are expected to begin on a new contract at Old Trafford before the end of the current season, though the prospect of dislodging Edwin van der Sar, who has not conceded a goal in 16 matches stretching back to 8 November, appears even more daunting than ousting James, another 38-year-old. "Nothing's been said about a new contract yet, but I've got 16 months left and I'm sure there will be no worries," said Foster. "I want to stay here. I'm at Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, and I want to stay here for as long as I can. I'm only 25 and that's young for a keeper. Hopefully I'll have a decade or more here, and I want the Carling Cup to be the first of many more trophies to come my way.

Rio Ferdinand has some words on the Carling-Cup-not-being-devalued-thing, from The Daily Star:

“When you finish your career, this is added to the highlights of what you’ve won. This competition has never diminished for me.

“People say this is down the pecking order but you saw how many fans travelled here and how the players were smiling as we’d won.

“But, if I finished the season and had won only this, I would be disappointed. We want to achieve more.”

And, in the same article, Giggs puts it in the context of momentum and likens it to 1999:

“Momentum is key at this stage and it’s what every team wants,” said Giggs after pocketing his Carling Cup winner’s medal on Sunday.
“Hopefully, we’ve got that. We had it in 1999, we’ve got it at the moment and, hopefully, we can do it again.
“When you’re winning and playing well, you can’t wait for the games to come and you never seem to feel tired. Hopefully, that’s the case again.
“Tomorrow’s game against Newcastle builds momentum into Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Fulham, then on to the following Wednesday and Inter Milan in the Champions League.”

Finally, Henry Winter in The Telegraph has a brief look at our FA Cup tie against Fulham in 1958 in the aftermath of Munich:

In the aftermath of Munich, United's 1958 Cup run, which took in a semi-final with Fulham, was much more than a sporting journey.

The passage to Wembley came to signify United's resilience, an inner spirit that could never be destroyed. The distinguished sight of Sir Bobby Charlton sitting in the stands at Old Trafford on Saturday will stir particular reminiscences; having recovered from his Munich injuries, Charlton unleashed two specials in the 2-2 Villa Park meeting with Fulham, a team inspired by Johnny Haynes and Jimmy Hill.