Manchester United's Liverpool trip a case of grin and bear-pit for Ashley Young
Manchester United's Liverpool trip a case of grin and bear-pit for Ashley Young
"You know what the rivalry is like. You want to play in the fiery games - you dreamt as a boy to play in big games like this"
Play it cool: Young aims to enjoy Anfield atmosphere but not get caught up in it
Alex Livesey
Ashley Young claims his Manchester United side can handle the
bear-pit atmosphere they will walk into at Liverpool on Sunday to record
another win.
Anfield will be rocking as the arch-rivals meet, and the home side feel they have an opportunity to close the gap on champions United this season after years trailing in their wake. Brendan Rodgers’ side have made a perfect start,
winning three out of three in all competitions, and a fourth victory on
the spin would see them open up a five-point gap over their fiercest
rivals at this early stage.
Liverpool will hold a minute’s applause before kick-off to commemorate the centenary of club icon Bill Shankly’s birth, which will surely add to the atmosphere, and Young knows United are in for a hot reception.
“I
don’t think there has ever been a time when Manchester United have gone
there and Liverpool HAVEN’T been up for it,” said the England winger.
“We know what to expect. It will be a fiery atmosphere.
“As
long as we go there and play the way we have done in previous seasons,
and as we have started this one, hopefully at the end of it, we’ll have
the three points.
“You know what the rivalry is like between the two clubs. You want to play in the fiery games.
“You want to play in the big games. You dreamt as a boy to play in big games like this - especially games as fiery as this.
“You want to go out and play. We will keep a cool head, let
the fans have their rivalry and try to do our jobs in the right way.”
United’s
critics are looking for any sign that their crown is slipping now David
Moyes has succeeded the retired Alex Ferguson as manager, but Young
says their new boss shares their hunger for success.
“The players
want to win things, but the new manager wants to win things as well,” he
said of Moyes, who spent 11 potless years at Everton.
“He’s told us already that we are in four competitions and we want to win them all.
“As players, every competition you are in, you want to win. We want to retain our title, we want to win the cups.
‘We
want more success and more trophies. I want to be stood here at the end
of the season saying we have had more success and more silverware.
“Once you get that first medal, you want more and more. When you come to a place like Manchester United, you want success.
“You look at the trophy cabinet and the history. You want a piece of that. Everybody is a winner here.”
Young, 28, made his first competitive appearance for United since April as a substitute in Monday’s draw with Chelsea.
After suffering two ankle injuries, he is delighted to be back.
“I’m
a winger who wants to get at defenders,” he said. “There’s no better
feeling for someone like myself than getting past your man, putting a
cross in and someone scoring or getting a goal yourself.
“It’s been a long time since I last played at Old Trafford.
“I was delighted to get those minutes under my belt and hopefully it will continue.”
Home win?
David
Moyes masterminded just three wins in 22 Premier League clashes with
Liverpool when he was Everton manager (Drew seven, Lost 12) - and NONE
of those wins were at Anfield (Drew six Lost five).
Daniel Sturridge has scored 10 goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions for Liverpool. Steven
Gerrard has scored four goals in his last six Premier League
appearances against Manchester United, including a goal in each of the
last two encounters at Anfield.
Away win?
Manchester United have not lost any of their last 13 Premier League away games - the longest current run in the competition. Robin
van Persie has scored four times in his last three Premier League
appearances against Liverpool (two for Arsenal and two for United).
If
United win, they will have equalled Moyes' best ever start to a Premier
League season (2006-07) with seven points from three matches.
No comments:
Post a Comment