Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs believes a rare family Christmas will fire him up for today’s trip to Hull City and help bury the disappointment of last weekend’s shock defeat at Fulham.
With United not playing on Boxing Day, Giggs was able for the first time in his illustrious career to spend the whole day at home with wife Stacey and children Libby and Zach, having been given the day off by Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Until I had kids, I never got excited about Christmas,” Giggs said. “You just can’t. You have to concentrate on playing on Boxing Day and you are always traveling on Christmas Day. That is one of the downsides about being a footballer. Once you have kids it is hard opening the presents, then going off to training, so to have Christmas Day off for the first time in my career is definitely welcome.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
Meanwhile, Ferguson believes attack could be the best form of defense for United as they look to get their faltering Premier League title challenge back on track at Hull.
United’s defensive problems have left the reigning champions looking vulnerable in recent defeats to Aston Villa and Fulham.
Ferguson’s team have rarely been so out-played as they were last weekend, when they slumped to a 3-0 loss at Fulham which the Old Trafford boss himself thought might end up costing his side a fourth successive title.
Injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Gary Neville have forced Ferguson to play midfielders Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick in defense.
Ferguson, who hopes Vidic and Brown will be fit for the Hull clash, accepts the situation is far from ideal, but he is also keen to see more creative flair from his forward players to help United compensate for their current issues at the back.
“Hull will be encouraged by the fact we have got defenders injured. They will certainly have a go at us,” Ferguson said. “It’s always a dogfight down at the bottom of the table and, as usual, there are six, seven or eight teams involved in that battle. We looked fragile once we lost the goal [at Fulham]. We got away with playing midfielders at centerback once or twice, but it proved difficult.”
“We have to make sure we are better attacking-wise than we were against Fulham,” he said. “We didn’t make a lot of chances in the match, we had a lot of possession, but it didn’t amount to anything. In terms of creating chances, we have to get that creativity, imagination back.”
“I think losing to Aston Villa was a bitter disappointment, we made enough chances to win it,” Ferguson said. “Winning your home games can stabilize you from bad results away from home. It’s unusual for us to lose two games in December, it’s not happened that many times, but hopefully by the Leeds United [in the FA Cup third round] game we will have three centerbacks and we can then kick on and get back to our normal selves.”
“The way the league is at the moment, I think Arsene Wenger said the other day, you could lose seven games and still win the league this year,” he said. “Someone pointed out the recognized top four have lost 41 points between them this season. Nobody would have bet on that.”
While Ferguson frets, his opposite number Phil Brown fears his Hull side are taking on United at the wrong time because they will be determined to erase those recent disappointments.
“I think United will be like a wounded animal, but you write them off at your peril because they will still have a big, big say in the title race,” Brown said. “People talk about their bubble bursting, but that’s rubbish. Nothing has changed with them as far as I’m concerned and we’ve got to be prepared for them.”
■ARSENAL V ASTON VILLA
AFP, LONDON
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be waiting on the fitness of captain Cesc Fabregas for the visit of fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa today.
Fabregas missed the 3-0 win over Hull City last week with a minor hamstring strain, but may have recovered sufficiently to be involved.
Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Robin van Persie (ankle) remain sidelined, along with fullback Gael Clichy (back) and Johan Djourou (knee), while Armand Traore could be ready to return.
After recording impressive victories over Liverpool and Hull in their last three matches, the Gunners look to have recovered from a dispiriting 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea that saw them widely written off as also-rans.
Yet the visit of Villa will truly test their ability to compete with the best, as Martin O’Neill’s side, unbeaten in eight matches, look capable of fulfilling their aspirations of a top-four finish.
Villa have already beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea this season, so a victory over Wenger’s men would complete a clean sweep against the “Big Four.”
On recent form, Villa will make the journey to London confident of repeating last season’s 2-0 triumph at the Emirates.
Stewart Downing and Ashley Young’s form on the wings, combined with the displays of James Milner since switching to a more central role, have been pivotal in Villa’s progress.
O’Neill has revealed he will utilize his squad over the festive season, though.
“To go to Manchester United and win, then travel to Sunderland last midweek and win there, and then beat Stoke at home on Saturday was great, because we’ve gone in with the same team and subs each time,” O’Neill said. “I have really good faith in the players. The players want to play for a start. Imagine asking James Milner if he wants to rest up for Arsenal, he wouldn’t have it. The same would apply to Ashley Young or any of the players, but we have one or two fresh players around and this program between now and the end of the calendar year, never mind the games we go into immediately in January, is definitely something to look at.”
“It is a big period for us and I am quite sure we will utilize the players in that period,” he said.
England forward Emile Heskey is Villa’s biggest injury concern after he suffered a groin injury during the 1-0 home success over Stoke City.
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