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Manchester United Comment: League Cup Feeds Premier League Ambitions
The domestic cup competition lets Fergie's reserves off the leash…
27-Oct-2009 5:33:32 PM
Manchester United's Anfield nightmare could be a dream come true for the second string on show tonight in the League Cup fourth-round clash at Barnsley.
Only the reputation of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar survived on Sunday, as in every other area of the Anfield pitch, United were found wanting.
Up top, the chemistry between Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney was visibly lacking. In midfield, the travails of the leaden-legged Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes proved critical in condemning the visitors to defeat.
The critics' glare has also fixed on Rio Ferdinand again after he was out-paced and out-muscled by a half-fit Fernando Torres for the all-important opening goal.
As Sir Alex Ferguson takes his beleaguered first-teamers out of the spotlight for the trip to South Yorkshire, a number of fringe players will be looking to force their way into his Premier League plans with an impressive performance tonight.
At the front of the queue is centre-back Jonny Evans. One man's misfortune is another's opportunity, and as Ferdinand's season goes from bad to worse, the Northern Ireland international is poised to take his place.
Only the reputation of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar survived on Sunday, as in every other area of the Anfield pitch, United were found wanting.
Up top, the chemistry between Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney was visibly lacking. In midfield, the travails of the leaden-legged Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes proved critical in condemning the visitors to defeat.
The critics' glare has also fixed on Rio Ferdinand again after he was out-paced and out-muscled by a half-fit Fernando Torres for the all-important opening goal.
As Sir Alex Ferguson takes his beleaguered first-teamers out of the spotlight for the trip to South Yorkshire, a number of fringe players will be looking to force their way into his Premier League plans with an impressive performance tonight.
At the front of the queue is centre-back Jonny Evans. One man's misfortune is another's opportunity, and as Ferdinand's season goes from bad to worse, the Northern Ireland international is poised to take his place.
Heir to Rio | Evans poised to replace Ferdinand
A solid performance tonight by Evans in tandem with Wes Brown could force Ferguson's hand and see the 21-year old edge out Ferdinand for Saturday's clash with Blackburn Rovers.
Michael Owen and last season's supersub Federico Macheda will also be desperate to impress. The Italian's short run-out in the previous round – he was sacrificed in the aftermath of Fabio's early red card – will fire him up for the Tykes' test.
For Owen, the chance to edge out Berbatov is there for the taking. His darting runs and striker's instinct almost came good against former club Liverpool and a headline-grabbing display will crank the pressure up on the unconvincing Bulgarian.
All eyes will also be on debutant Gabriel Obertan. United looked painfully short of inspiration in midfield on Merseyside, and the French winger, signed from Bordeaux in the summer, could yet be the man to provide the spark.
Not one place in that area has been sewn up, and alongside under-used central midfielders Anderson and Darron Gibson, Ferguson will be on the lookout for a maestro to emerge.
The importance of the League Cup has been questioned again and again, but a match-winning cameo could positively influence Ferguson's starting XI in the Premier League in time to get United's stop-start campaign back on track.
Matt Monaghan, Goal.com UK
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