All eyes will be on the Old Trafford dug-out and the Chelsea teamsheet this weekend as Manchester United begin life after David Moyes, while Liverpool aim to move within touching distance of the Premier League title. Ryan Giggs, assisted by three fellow members of United’s famed ‘Class of 92’, will be in temporary charge of the troubled giants when struggling Norwich visit Manchester for the first match following Moyes’ sacking. Then at Anfield on Sunday, leaders Liverpool will wait with bated breath to see if Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho carries out his threat to field a weakened team as the Reds look to move a giant step closer to winning the title for the first time since 1990. So often at the centre of late-season title drama themselves, United have hogged the headlines for the wrong reasons this week, but their bench will be a different and probably calmer environment without the sight of the strained Moyes growing more pained with each chastening defeat. After only 10 months in charge the beleaguered Scot was put out of his misery on Tuesday, with Old Trafford icon Giggs appointed as interim manager until the end of the season with the intention of lifting flagging spirits. Giggs, a gloriously successful product of United’s youth academy, symbolises all that was best about Alex Ferguson’s reign and the Welsh midfielder has already instructed his team to “go back to playing like Manchester United” — a call to show more freedom and verve after the dour displays of the ultra-conservative Moyes. The 40-year-old has surrounded himself with other gilded graduates of United’s youth academy, with Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes all helping their old colleague and if those familiar faces can inspire a win over struggling Norwich it would put smiles back on many faces at Old Trafford. Once United have begun the post-Moyes era the focus will turn to Anfield, where Liverpool are on the verge of returning to their perch at the pinnacle of the English game that Ferguson so relished knocking them from during the 1990s. Brendan Rodgers’ team are five points clear of second placed Chelsea with three games remaining and a victory over Jose Mourinho’s team would eliminate the Blues from the title race. Although this is Chelsea’s last chance to close the gap, Mourinho has apparently opted to prioritise the Champions League, where his injury and suspension ravaged side face Atletico Madrid in the semi-final second leg at home on Wednesday.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 19:50:26 +0000
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