Faruk Ucrut: July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Tottenham lifts Barclays Asia Trophy

Tottenham won the Barclays Asia Trophy after comfortably beating Premier League rivals Hull 3-0 at Beijing's Workers Stadium.
A brace from captain Robbie Keane and a late Aaron Lennon strike secured the win in a game Spurs dominated for almost the full 90 minutes.

The performance will be especially pleasing for boss Harry Redknapp given the game was Tottenham's fourth in a week, while it capped impressive displays from his strikeforce following Jermain Defoe's winner against West Ham on Wednesday.

The Hammers ensured a positive finish to their trip to the Far East with a 2-0 win over Beijing Guoan in the third place play-off match. The Hammers took their time to impose their class on the game but finally went in front on 80 minutes when Danny Gabbidon broke clear of his marker to head home from Mark Noble's corner.

And Gianfranco Zola's men added shine to the victory with a second deep in stoppage time when Zavon Hines sprinted clear of the defence before firing a low shot underneath the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Sir Alex Ferguson changes United tactics

Sir Alex Ferguson intends to tweak Manchester United's tactics following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
The Old Trafford boss believes he needs to re-adjust the team's approach if they are to replicate the Portugal winger's scoring feats.
Ferguson has called on his players to get a century of goals next season when they will aim for their fourth successive title and another assault on the Champions League crown.

In an interview in Inside United, posted on manutd.com, Ferguson said: "Obviously Cristiano is a big loss in terms of the goals he gave us.
"But we will just have to find the goals from somewhere else and our tactics will adjust accordingly. Fans will see us playing a slightly different style of football this season."

Ferguson is now opting to use Wayne Rooney as a central striker, rather than playing him out wide, alongside either Michael Owen or Dimitar Berbatov.

Beyond the three main strikers, Ferguson is demanding an increased yield from midfield.

He said: "Usually you look to score about 100 goals in all competitions, so we are aiming for that again. If we are going to win the league again or do well in Europe we certainly need players to step up.
"Those goals from midfield have dried up a little in recent years, so we have to address that.
"I will be looking to (Ji-Sung) Park, Nani, (Luis Antonio) Valencia - even (Danny) Welbeck and (Federico) Macheda - to contribute 40 goals between them. The defenders will contribute a few from set-pieces too."