Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
There’s a Manchester United connection this Afternoon as former Wales international and United forward Mark Hughes leads his Stoke side into battle with the visit of Jose Mourinho’s edition of The Red Devils, but there will be no place for sympathy as Hughes men will look to build on their victory over Sunderland last weekend.
Stoke’s trip to The Stadium Of Light was as good as a trip to Sunderland could ever be as they ran out comfortable 3-1 winners over The Black Cats. The game was all but over within the first 30 minutes as Stoke raced into a 3-0 lead and had the points already wrapped up.
That win would have just eased the pressure on Mark Hughes slightly as his Stoke side suffered embarrassment in the F.A. Cup the week before. After being defeated by a Wolves side that rested many of it’s first team players questions were being asked about the long term future of the Welshmen but a welcome three points can do a lot to silence any doubters.
Today they play host to a United side who have not lost any of their last 7 league matches but failed to make it a magnificent seven last Sunday as their run of successive wins finally come to and end after they had to share the points with arch rivals Liverpool.
On balance a draw was probably the right result as James Milner had put the away side ahead from the spot after Paul Pogba’s needless handball was punished. Credit must go to United though as they certainly finished the game stronger and by the time Zlatan Ibrahimovic had leveled late on the momentum was definitely with the home side.
Unfortunately the dramatic late winner did not follow and perhaps a draw did neither Liverpool or United any real favours in their respective races for the title and the top four. But that said a point against Liverpool is not the worst point that they will earn this season and they will come into this game full of confidence and looking to make it 8 unbeaten in the league.
They will do so a player lighter after the departure of Memphis Depay to Lyon in the week. A player that Jose Mourinho never really took to after inheriting the squad from Louis Van Gaal in the Summer, as Mourinho continues to make his mark on the club it comes as no great surprise that Depay’s stint at Old Trafford was a short one.
Depay won’t be missed all that much by United fans due to the fact that he has not only been just on the periphery this season but has never really lived up to the expectation that are not only set but demanded by anyone who is fortunate enough to grace the hallowed no.7 shirt.
But the Dutchman’s departure will have had little impact on Mourinho’s pre-match preparations going into this game as he looks to exact some revenge for the two points that United dropped when these two sides met earlier in the season.
It was Joe Allen’s late leveler which meant that Stoke snatched a point at Old Trafford and added more pressure on Mourinho in his first few months at the clubs. But United look a well oiled machine and I can’t see the same mistakes being made this time around.
After stuttering through the first few months of the campaign and probably giving up too much ground for the race for the title, Mourinho’s men are finding their stride as of late and I think that will continue this Afternoon as they manage to pick up all three points. A home win for me.
