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Dimitar Berbatov fired in his third hat-trick of the season as Manchester United cruised past Birmingham 5-0 in a one-sided encounter at Old Trafford.

The Bulgarian was at his stunning best as he made it 17 goals in 18 league starts to cement his place at the top of the English Premier League goal-scoring charts.

Veteran Ryan Giggs, who was as fresh and energetic as anyone on the pitch, and Nani got the others as United maintained their top-of-the-table form with their 11th win from 12 at home.

For Alex McLeish the future looks far more ominous. Sitting perilously close to the drop zone, Birmingham’s normally solid defence were run ragged without the dependable Scott Dann, who has been ruled out for the season.

It took just 90 seconds for United to open the scoring. Nani won a corner after Liam Ridgewell dithered and from Giggs’ dead-ball cross, John O’Shea flicked on for Berbatov to nod home from a yard out.

Ben Foster, who left Old Trafford in the summer, did well to keep out a Berbatov blast minutes later after the striker pounced on the keeper’s miscued clearance.

The second finally came just after the half hour when Roger Johnson sloppily gave away the ball in his own half and Wayne Rooney worked the ball through to Berbatov to cut inside and smash in from eight yards out.

United added the third on the stroke of half-time when Berbatov intercepted David Bentley’s cross-field pass and the ball ran to Rooney, whose low cross was fired in by an unmarked Giggs.

While Berbatov cannot stop scoring, his strike partner Rooney has scored just once from open play all season and the England man missed a sitter just after half-time – heading wide from two yards out.

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But he had a big part in United’s fourth in the 53rd minute. Rooney was the only man alert to Edwin van der Sar’s long clearance and he gave the ball to Giggs, who crossed for Berbatov to fire in off the underside of the crossbar.

Birmingham had a golden opportunity to pull a goal back in the 57th minute but Keith Fahey miscontrolled the ball two yards out in front of an empty net.

Nani, who had a largely frustrating afternoon, added a fifth in the 76th minute when he cut inside and hit an 18-yard shot beyond Foster.

Michael Laudrup is thought to be the frontrunner for the vacant Swansea manager’s job, and will be unveiled later this week according to Sky Sports.

The Welsh side are looking for a new boss after Brendan Rodgers departed the Liberty Stadium to take over at Liverpool.

Wigan assistant Graeme Jones was initially the favourite to get the job, but talks with the Latics man broke down.

Since then the likes of Gus Poyet and Ian Holloway have been speculated as potential candidates, whilst it is believed that Marcel Desailly turned the job down.

However, Laudrup has met with the Premier League side and is now thought to be closing in on the role, with no other real contenders in the mix.

The Dane, who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid in an illustrious playing career, has coached Getafe and Mallorca in La Liga and is set to be named Swans boss this week.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Last season was undoubtedly the best that Nani has enjoyed since making his move to Manchester United in 2007. Having been largely in the shadow of fellow countryman Christiano Ronaldo during his first seasons at Old Trafford, Nani finally emerged as a player who is starting to fulfil the potential that led Sir Alex Ferguson to bring him to England.

But up until the start of last season, questions were being raised as to whether his manager was beginning to run out of patience with a player who promised much but often failed to deliver. In contrast, Nani’s form over the course of last season made him one of United’s stand out performers and put pay to any doubts as to whether the winger had what it takes to become a United superstar.

From early in the season, Nani was performing consistently and was rewarded with an extended run in the starting eleven. The player repaid the faith shown in him by his manager by delivering 18 assists during the season, comfortably more than any other Premier League player and finished the season as United’s third highest scorer behind Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez .

It is this end product and delivery, something that had often been missing from Nani’s game, which also led Nani’s fellow players to vote for him as their player’s player of the season. Rumoured to have been on his way out of United just 18 months prior, the turnaround in Nani’s form and fortunes last season was particularly marked.

Nani has always had the raw attributes to suggest that he could become a great player for United and worry opposing defences. He has pace and power combined with trickery, enabling him to beat players with ease, and has two great feet which leads full-backs to question whether he will come inside or try and get to the by-line.

He possesses a great shot from outside the box and is also a real threat on set-pieces with his pacey delivery. But it was Nani’s all round game which seemed to develop last season as he played with greater discipline in staying out wide and showed signs that he was prepared to track back in order to help out in defence when needed. However, whilst it is widely accepted that Nani had a great season last year, based on his manager’s team selection in the Champions League Final at Wembley, it is clear that Nani still has some way to go to convince him that he should be in the starting eleven for the crunch games.

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Ferguson’s decision to start with Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia for that game will certainly have wrangled with Nani, particularly given his fantastic displays throughout the course of the season. Whilst it could be argued that this decision was as a result of his manager’s apprehension about facing the team widely regarded as the best in the world in Barcelona , Nani will need to keep improving in order to ensure that the same does not happen again should United go all the way to the final this season.

If last season’s displays were vitally important in elevating Nani’s importance to United and delivering a turnaround in his career, this season represents an opportunity for the 24-year old to continue his development and truly become one of the best players in Europe.

Whilst United have great depth in wide areas, and have strengthened through the signing of Ashley Young from Aston Villa, no other United winger possesses quite the same ability to turn a match single handedly and create opportunities through his ability to dribble past multiple defenders. He will certainly be an important player for United next season and it could be argued that his form could be inextricably linked to United’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title; such is Nani’s importance to the team.

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Nani must overcome the disappointing end to last season and build on his excellent displays to once again cement his side in the United starting eleven. If he is able to do that show the appetite to track back whilst continuing to deliver in the attacking third of the pitch he will once again win plaudits next season. It will be interesting to watch just how much better he can become over the coming seasons and whether he will truly be regarded as one of the best in Europe.

Read more of ARC’s articles at This is Futbol

Sir Alex Ferguson is considering allowing striker Federico Macheda to go out on loan in January.

Italian sides Lazio and Roma are the teams who are both interested in securing the services of the 19 year-old until the end of the season.

Since making his name by scoring a late wonder goal against Aston Villa in 2009, Macheda has failed to live up to expectations and has struggled to keep himself in first team affairs. He now finds himself behind Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez in the forward pecking order at Old Trafford.

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Macheda joined Manchester United from Lazio as a 16 year-old and made numerous appearances for United’s U-18 side before signing his first professional contract with the Red Devils in 2008. He is yet to earn a full cap for the Italian national side, but has played 19 games for their U-16, U-17, U-19 and U-21 sides, scoring four goals.

Liverpool return to Wembley for the 3rd time this season as Kenny Dalglish’s men looking to complete the domestic cup, should they be able to beat Chelsea this coming weekend. Gary McAllister believes that Steven Gerrard could be the key behind them achieving a result, given his influence over the rest of the team.

“Well, obviously I am a bit biased, but I think the influence that Steven Gerrard has on the game is always big for Liverpool. Generally, when he plays well and is influential then Liverpool win. I think he is very key to Liverpool. He has helped win an FA Cup final for them in the past, against West Ham in 2006.

“So Gerrard is very big for Liverpool, but their maverick forward Luis Suarez is very exciting. He is a player who can frustrate at times, as he can give the ball away too easily, but then at other times he is sublime. When it’s a cup-tie football and it’s tight, you just need someone with that little bit of inspiration and magic, and he can produce that.

“Defensively I don’t think Liverpool have had much of a problem this season. Their goals against is as good as anybody in the league. But they have had a problem scoring goals.

“I’ve been at Anfield a few times this season, and I have watched a lot of draws there against lesser teams. Against the bigger teams motivation hasn’t been a problem, they can always raise their game. But the problem has been against the so-called lesser teams. I think in perhaps three of the five draws I have seen at Anfield this season the opposition goalkeeper has won Man of the Match, so that tells you something right away.”

For more insight from Gary McAllister and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

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With all the talent on display at Manchester United, it can be very easy to overlook some of the players who have stayed out of the media limelight, yet have made a huge contribution in helping the club achieve the success that it has. One player who undoubtedly falls into this category is Park Ji-Sung.

It has recently been announced that Sir Alex Ferguson has offered a two-year contract extension to the South Korean, who retired from international duty back in January in order to focus on his club career. This is a just reward for a player who has worked tirelessly during his time at Old Trafford, helping the club to 4 League titles and 3 League Cups. And yet he has not always been given the credit that he deserves. He may have played alongside some of the world’s greatest and most renowned midfielders, such as Christiano Ronaldo, Nani and Paul Scholes, but he has quietly gone about his job, not created anywhere near as much controversy as his counterparts and, throughout his career at United, barely put a foot wrong.

When you look back at the highlights of Park’s career at Manchester United and with South Korea, it is difficult to see why there has not been more of a fuss made about him:

14 June 2002 – Scored a memorable goal for South Korea against Portugal in the World Cup to help them through to the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time in their history.

9 April 2006 – Scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester United in a 2-0 win over Arsenal

29 April 2008 – Voted Man of the Match in United’s Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona

21 September 2008 – Scored for United in a 1-1 draw against title rivals Chelsea

13 December 2008 – Made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0-0 draw against Spurs

5 May 2009 – Scored against Arsenal in a 3-1 win the Champions League semi-final

27 May 2009 – Became the first Asian player in history to play in the Champions League final

31 January 2010 – Scored a crucial goal in a 3-1 win at Arsenal in the Premier League

10 March 2010 – Scored for United in their 4-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League

21 March 2010 – Scored the winner in a 2-1 win over Liverpool

12 June 2010 – Became the first Asian to score in 3 consecutive World Cups, scoring in South Korea’s 2-0 win over Greece

November and December 2010 – Won the club’s Player of the Month award 2 months in a row

13 December 2010 – Scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Arsenal

25 January 2011 – Made his 100th appearance for South Korea in their Asian Cup semi-final match against Japan

12 April 2011 – Scored in United’s 2-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea

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These highlights prove that Park is a player who loves the big time and has played a pivotal role in some of United’s biggest matches of the last five years.

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He is also one of the most versatile players in English football, with his ability to play anywhere across the midfield. He works well in both defensive and attacking positions and his work ethic and movement off the ball are superb. He also has very high fitness levels and his discipline is exceptionally good. He may not be one of the most glamorous or celebrated players in United’s squad, but he is undoubtedly one of the most useful. He is arguably the greatest Asian to have ever played in the Premiership.

As a new season approaches and now that Paul Scholes has retired, competition for places in United’s midfielder will be greater than ever. Ashley Young has been drafted in and youngsters such as Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley are proving themselves to be stars of the future. Park may have a difficult time convincing Sir Alex that he is good enough to play in the first team on a regular basis. But given his track record at United thus far, his versatility and his commitment to the club, it will be impossible to ignore him. A regular first team spot is the least a player like Park Ji-Sung deserves.

Read more of Sam’s articles at http://diamondformation.wordpress.com/. Also follow him on Twitter: @DiamondFormat.

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Celtic have drawn their last 3 league games and if I were Neil Lennon I would seriously be thinking about ways to ensure Celtic can get their title bid back on track as of January. Today, I propose 5 ways to ensure Celtic recapturing the league title.

1.I am a huge fan of Neil Lennon but it is fast becoming evident that he is tactically inexperienced as Celtic have failed to turn draws into wins. The worrying thing is these last three drawn games were at home, Celtic park used to be a daunting prospect but in recent times it has become anything but. For me this is due to Lennon’s inexperience, the only solution to the problem is time, something Celtic do not really have.

2. If Celtic have sure up their centre back pairing come January I am confident the team can push for the title during the second half of the season. There is an air of cautiousness surrounding the whole team at the moment and I am confident in saying the reason for this is the teams 2 centre backs. Glenn Loovens and Daniel Majstorovic the main culprits.

3. With Celtics troubles at the back would a change in formation be the answer? I feel with the attacking prowess of both Emilio Izaguirre and Cha Du Ri the teams full backs would the idea of playing with 3 centre backs turn around the teams fortunes. If the two full backs were deployed as wing backs would Celtics leaky defence turn into a more watertight entity?

4. With Celtic drawing their last three games are their questions to be asked about the teams attacking ability? It would seem the team have only scored four goals in their three matches, are Celtic’s strikers up to the task? With players like Giorgios Samaras and Daryl Murphy regularly featuring I would have to say Celtic need to seriously think about their attacking options.

5. In Paddy McCourt Celtic have an absolute gem of a player. If Lennon could get him fit enough to play 90 minutes regularly then I feel half the battle would be won in terms of unlocking opposition defences. McCourt has the skill and ability to not only entertain but to win matches too. Time and time again we have seen the Northern Irishman score great solo goals as he glides past defender after defender. Could he be a serious catalyst to Celtics title bid?

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Didier Drogba has backed Fernando Torres to lead the Chelsea attack next season, after confirming that he will be leaving the west London club.

The Ivory Coast international scored the equaliser in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich last Saturday, before slotting home the winning penalty in the shoot-out to see Roberto Di Matteo’s men as European champions.

However, with his contract expiring Drogba has confirmed he will be leaving Stamford Bridge, but feels Torres will be a worthy successor.

“It’s been difficult for him, but he has showed he is the man,” Drogba told reporters, published by Sky Sports.

“Next season is going to be his season and I will try to speak to him. We have a good relationship. We don’t understand why we didn’t play together more, but that’s the past. Torres is the future.”

The African marksman went on to admit that he is happy to have won everything there is to win with Chelsea and will leave on a high.

“I think winning the game was the key. Not me scoring the penalty. Winning the game was the turning point, that’s why I have decided to say goodbye.

“We made the story together and I want people to remember that. This is the best time to move on.

“Yes, there’s a chance that if the result was different, maybe I would be here.

“We were talking for many weeks, but the turning point was based on the fact I won everything I could and scored in most of the finals we have played, trying to make a difference. I hope everyone will understand. Everything I did was for the fans and I hope they understand,” he concluded.

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Drogba is expected to move to big-spending Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, but as yet this has not been confirmed.

By Gareth McKnight

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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that he hopes highly rated Jose Enrique will remain at the Tyneside club.

The Spanish full-back has been subject to transfer speculation after an impressive 2010/11, with Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly interested in the ex-Villarreal defender. However his boss knows that it will be difficult to convince the 25-year-old to stay at St James Park.

“No-one is more keen for him to stay than myself. He was a terrific player for us last year and he has been terrific for the club,” the former West Ham coach told BBC Radio Newcastle.

“We are trying to persuade him to stay, but with a year running on his contract and his desire to play Champions League football at his age, it’s going to be difficult to keep him. It’s one of those situations where we just have to keep watching and hoping that it falls our way,” he stated.

The 49-year-old is also hoping further success on the pitch in 2011/12 will be the key to keeping his starmen, as the northern club are struggling to compete with the top six financially.

“As it stands financially at the moment, we can’t compete with those top teams in terms of trading players. But of course we can compete on the football pitch, so what we have tried to do is bring in players that we feel have an improvement in them and a desire to play for Newcastle, and that’s why we targeted the players that we have.

“Now the most important thing to keep those players is to put success in front of them. When you are building a new side, it needs to have progression, and that’s something we are going to need this season, we are going to need to see a progression in our form, in our consistency and get as close as we can to those top teams.

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“If we see that, I think we an keep them another year, and then when we go into that second or third year, then you really, really need to be very, very close because then they are going to start looking, as Jose is now, for those trophies, and I think we can do that. The likes of [Cheick] Tiote, Cabaye and people like that, we are going to have to have success on the pitch to keep them, 100%,” he concluded.

Pardew also stated that he has a good working relationship with Joey Barton, and hopes the midfielder remains in his squad for the forthcoming season.

Around a month ago Liverpool were on the brink of administration and were in the middle of a brief dalliance with the relegation zone. Fast forward a month and, although things are not entirely fixed, both on and off the pitch, life at Anfield is looking up. After a sensational win over champions Chelsea, Liverpool dropped points against both Wigan and Stoke before putting in an accomplished performance against West Ham at the weekend. If Liverpool had transformed the loss at Stoke and the draw at Wigan into victories they would be sitting one point shy of the Champions League places. As it is they are still only 6 points off 4th and 9 points off the top, and with the way the title challengers are dropping points on a weekly basis, the title is seemingly anyone’s for the taking. So could Liverpool yet make a push for the top?

Their performance against Chelsea was their best of the season by far and although West Ham were woefully poor on Saturday, you can only beat what’s in front of you. The way the league is panning out, it may be one of the tightest seasons ever, with Sir Alex Ferguson noting there could easily be five teams going for the top, and Arsene Wenger asserting that there may even be seven in the running. What Liverpool need is some consistency, if a side can put together a run of wins, then they will find themselves in with an excellent chance of emerging from that run somewhere near the top of the table, and with things looking up at Anfield, there is seemingly no reason that Liverpool can’t be that side.

However, as has been seen at Anfield all too often this season, consistency isn’t something that has generally characterised Liverpool’s performances. But with stability beginning to come at the very top of the club, perhaps it will filter down, ending in with more dependable performances on the pitch. It may seem a little farfetched to suggest that Liverpool have a shot at the title, considering they have lost 5 league games already this season, but to put that in perspective, Chelsea have already lost 4 and sit on top of the pile, albeit on goal difference, and lost 6 last year before going on to clinch the title.

Liverpool may not win the title this season, or even bag themselves a Champions League spot, but with the unpredictable nature of the Premier League so far this season, they would be ill-advised to settle for another mediocre finish just yet.

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