United's loss leaves Premiership race wide open

By Vic Mills

LONDON (JP): Defeat for Manchester United at Sunderland has again thrown the Premiership race wide open. Liverpool now stands just a point behind the reigning champion with Arsenal, which has played a game more, a further two points off the pace.

Having controversially rested four key players at Roker Park, manager Alex Ferguson is set to play his strongest side against Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow.

With Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Roy Keanne on injured, last weekend's defeat questioned United's reserve strength. Ferguson would not have been altogether happy with the answer.

Despite a string of fine performances in Euro '96, Czech international Karel Poborsky has struggled in the Premiership. Dutch star Jordi Cruyff has encountered similar problems and has spent much of the season on the substitutes bench.

Of the others called upon to deputize at Sunderland, Brian McClair at 33 is in the twilight of his career and Philip Nevile played his first game in four months.

With United likely to add to its squad this summer, the immediate problem for Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd is to balance fitness and fatigue during the remaining eight weeks of the season. No easy task with United battling for honors both domestically and in Europe.

Beaten just five times in the Premiership this season, fifth- placed Sheffield Wednesday is set to provide the sternest of tests. Knocked out of the FA Cup last week by Wimbledon, Wednesday has its sights set on a UEFA Cup place.

Manager David Pleat will look to defend in depth and hit United on the break. Key figures in this strategy are imports Benito Carbone and Regi Blinker, Carbone has been a revelation since joining Hillsborough from Napoli, his partnership in midfield with Blinker has been at the heart of Wednesday's mid- season revival.

With Liverpool away at Nottingham Forest, it is likely that Manchester United will have to win to stay on top. A tall order given Wednesday's resolute defense and ability to counter on the break.

Interim

Inconsistent since topping the Premiership in December, Liverpool has failed to deceive in the interim. Indeed, Monday's match encapsulated its season. Having outplayed Newcastle to take a three goal lead, it allowed the visitors to draw level only to steal the game with a last minute Robbie Fowler winner.

Back in the title race, Liverpool will need a convincing win tomorrow to prove that Newcastle's result was not another false dawn.

With Dave Bassett appointed as General Manager to assist Stuart Pearce and a reported US$25 million to spend on players courtesy of a recent consortium buy out, the only thing lacking at the City Ground is time. Rooted firmly in the relegation zone, Nottingham Forest has just eight games left of its season.

SCTV will broadcast live the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest tomorrow at 10 p.m.

In a desperate search for inspiration, Pearce completed the transfer this week of unsettled Celtic center forward Pierre van Hooydonk. The Dutchman played in the 1-1 draw at Blackburn on Tuesday and will make his home debut against Liverpool.

The feeling remains, however, that both the finances and the new forward have arrived a little too late to keep them in the Premiership.

Aspirants

Second to bottom Southampton is another side fast running out of time. The home supporters, grateful for a draw at Leeds on Wednesday, will again look to Matthew Le Tissier to upset title aspirants Arsenal.

The visitors arrive with their own magician in the form of Dennis Bergkamp. With six goals in the last seven games, the flying Dutchman and Ian Wright form the cutting edge of Arsenal's championship challenge.

Only the most optimistic of Newcastle supporters would see its team as champion after the defeat at Liverpool. Yet there is still much to play for on Tyneside, not least an UEFA Cup place.

Coventry City, in desperate need of points themselves, visits St James' Park tomorrow. In the classic confrontation, Newcastle will pit its individual might against the collective survival instincts of the visitors.

The heady mix of the individual and the collective within the Middlesbrough team has had much to do with its bizarre season. Bottom of the Premiership, it nevertheless remains on the verge of two Wembley finals.

After beating Derby 2-0 last Saturday to earn an FA Cup semifinal tie against second division Chesterfield, Middlesbrough won through to the Coca-Cola Cup final Tuesday night after beating Stockport County on aggregate.

In a dress rehearsal for that final, Middlesbrough meet Leicester City this weekend at Filbert Street. The Midlanders won through to Wembley at Wimbledon's expense.

From Premiership strugglers, Leicester has turned its season around in the last month. A mid-table position and a Wembley final says much for the management of Martin O'Neill.

The genial Irishman, Alex Ferguson and Joe Kinnear are all candidates for Manager of the Season. But all three still have much work to do, none more than Joe Kinnear whose hopes for Europe now seem to rest on FA Cup success. Set for a semifinal showdown against Chelsea in April, Wimbledon returns to Premiership duty with a game against Blackburn Rovers.

One man unavailable for that all-London FA Cup clash will be Chelsea player/manager Ruud Gullit who broke his ankle in the recent game at Derby. Beaten 3-2 at West Ham on Wednesday night, Chelsea faces Sunderland at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.

The match between Chelsea and Sunderland will be aired by AnTV on Sunday at 11 p.m.

Elsewhere around the Premiership this weekend, Everton entertains Derby County at Goodison Park in a game that neither can afford to lose; West Ham takes its relegation troubles to Aston Villa; and in answer to an insomniacs prayer Tottenham meets Leeds United at White Hart Lane.