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Electronic Telegraph


Sunday 11 January 1998
Issue 961


Giggs takes the easy way
By Colin Malam at Old Trafford


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          Man Utd (1) 2 Tottenham (0) 0
          
          AS expected, beating Tottenham was almost too easy for
          Manchester United. The contest was no more demanding than a
          practice match for the Premiership leaders at times, though the
          struggling London side did at least make them work hard for
          their two goals, both scored by Ryan Giggs, who was again a
          strong contender for man of the match.
          
          United, now seven points clear, would have won more
          emphatically had it not been for the heroics of Espen Baardsen
          in Tottenham's goal. Baardsen, who is only 20 and has both
          American and Norwegian nationality, made a very favourable
          impression with his shot-stopping and general competence in
          only his second senior game for Spurs.
          
          Nicola Berti had a much quieter time on his debut for the
          London club. Looking desperately short of match fitness after
          spending most of the season on the bench with Inter Milan, the
          Italian international struggled to get into the game and
          managed only one shot at goal, and that off-target. Jürgen
          Klinsmann, who embraced his old pal, Teddy Sheringham, before
          the kick-off, also looks ring rusty still and suffered the
          indignity of being the only player to be booked.
          
          Rather surprisingly, United made one change to the team who had
          walked all over Chelsea in the FA Cup six days earlier. The
          increasingly impressive Nicky Butt, core of the midfield in the
          absence of the injured Roy Keane this season, was rested so
          that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be reintroduced in attack on
          his recovery from illness.
          
          That adjustment suggested two things. One was that United had
          no great fear of being outplayed in midfield, especially in the
          absence of the injured David Ginola, whose vision and passing
          had been the mainstay of Tottenham's performances in recent
          weeks. The other implication was that the Premiership leaders
          intended to attack in force and on a broad front.
          
          Sure enough, United lined up with Sheringham, Andy Cole and
          Solskjaer in attack, while David Beckham, Paul Scholes and
          Giggs supported them in a three-man midfield. The new formation
          clicked very quickly, too, a goal nearly coming after only two
          minutes from the home side's first attack.
          
          It was begun by Solskjaer on the left. His square pass inside
          was turned into a killer ball by Sheringham, who slipped Giggs
          clear to the left of goal. Sensibly pulling the ball back
          instead of shooting, the Welshman offered Cole a free shot at
          goal and only a miraculous deflection over the crossbar with
          his leg enabled Spurs' reserve goalkeeper, Baardsen, to parry
          the thrust.
          
          The confident replacement for the injured Ian Walker, who has
          played for both the United States youth team and the Norway
          Under-21s, was given another scare a few minutes later when
          Giggs sent him hurtling across goal in pursuit of a 25-yard
          shot that whistled just wide. A pass across the face of goal by
          Sheringham also threatened danger until Sol Campbell deflected
          the ball away from Cole.
          
          For 20 minutes, Tottenham were under so much pressure that they
          could hardly get out of their own half. Berti, their latest
          big-name loan signing from Italy, must have wondered what he
          had got himself into as he sought vainly on his debut for a
          touch of the ball in the centre of midfield.
          
          When Spurs did finally lift the seige, though, they nearly
          scored. Campbell's accurate long pass enabled Jose Dominguez
          and Ruel Fox to engineer a counter-attack on the right, and the
          ball was only just deflected into the side-netting by a
          desperate, back-pedalling United defence as the Portuguese let
          fly.
          
          Forcing two corners in quick succession, Tottenham managed to
          apply some pressure of their own before being forced back into
          a defensive crouch once more. Baardsen came to their rescue
          again when he dropped on Cole's shot after the Premiership's
          joint leading scorer had stepped neatly round Ramon Vega on the
          edge of the penalty area.
          
          However, the American-born Norwegian could not go on saving his
          side for ever. A couple of minutes before the interval,
          Baardsen could not make a clean catch when Sheringham
          challenged him for the high, hanging centre Beckham sent over
          from the right. Giggs volleyed the loose ball fiercely into the
          net and the referee allowed the goal to stand despite
          Baardsen's vociferous claims that he had been fouled.
          
          Baardsen was soon in action again after the interval, as
          United's domination of the match began to become almost
          monotonous. The Spurs goalkeeper had saved, in fairly rapid
          succession, from Sheringham, Solskjaer and Cole by the time the
          second half was six minutes old, and that was only the
          beginning of his labours as United really started to turn the
          screw.
          
          But, with Cole shooting into the side-netting after taking a
          cross-field pass from Giggs on his chest, and Baardsen leaping
          to catch Sheringham's chip, United badly needed a second goal
          to confirm their dominance. They got it from a sweeping move
          after 67 minutes.
          
          Sheringham, inevitably, began it with a raking pass out to
          Beckham on the right. The young England international made
          ground rapidly before delivering a deep and perfectly judged
          cross for Giggs, coming in unseen behind a clutch of straining
          Spurs defenders, to head his and his team's second goal just
          inside a post.
          __________________________________________________________
          
          Man Utd (1) 2 Tottenham (0) 0
          Giggs 44, 67.

          Man Utd: Schmeichel, Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Pallister,
          Beckham, Cole, Sheringham, Giggs, Scholes, Solskjaer. Subs Not
          Used: Butt, McClair, Berg, Clegg, Pilkington.

          Tottenham: Baardsen, Calderwood, Fox (Brady 77), Carr, Vega,
          Wilson, Domingues, Campbell, Clemence (Sinton 54), Klinsmann,
          Berti. Subs Not Used: Brown, Mabbutt, Mahorn. Booked:
          Klinsmann.

          Att: 55,281
          Ref: P E Alcock (Redhill).
          __________________________________________________________

   January 11 1998 FOOTBALL
   
   Giggs double adds to Tottenham misery 
   
   United jaded but jubilant 
   
   Chris Lightbown at Old Trafford
   Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 
   
   THIS WAS no classic and it was not an impressive Manchester United
   performance. They looked tired and at the end walked off the pitch
   with the demeanour of men who had found a simple task to be awkward
   and wearing. But Tottenham Hotspur just could not make anything of
   this dip in United's momentum. It does seem that nothing will alter
   the direction of either of these teams.
   
   The tale of the first half was a strange one. United veered between
   periods of having no momentum and starting to work up their familiar
   Old Trafford lather. Overall, they had remarkably little movement in
   midfield and only spasms of penetration into Tottenham's penalty area.
   
   It seemed to take Tottenham a while to realise that the script of the
   day might not necessarily be shot through with annihilation.
   
   United's first attack was brisk and ended with Ryan Giggs passing back
   to Andy Cole, whose snap-shot was excellently saved by Espen Baardsen.
   A corner followed and it seemed like business as usual. Sol Campbell
   and Colin Calderwood made something a hash of clearing the ball
   shortly afterwards, and Giggs shot just wide. David Beckham, among
   others, was barely able to get into the pace of things, but it did not
   seem to matter because others were willing to pick up his tab. Cole,
   for one, was buzzing around with such hyperactivity that at one point
   he needlessly gave the ball to Jose Dominguez. But what could Spurs do
   with it? Precious little. Tottenham flitted down the pitch and the
   move frittered away after a Clive Wilson throw-in led to nothing.
   
   After 18 minutes, the crowd began to grow uneasy. Beckham and Giggs
   just were not getting into things, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was getting
   nowhere in his withdrawn role, and Paul Scholes seemed to be having
   one of those days which was all movement but little action.
   
   Whether Tottenham could take much advantage of all this was another
   matter. After 14 minutes, for instance, Ruel Fox led something of a
   break out from Tottenham's vaguely besieged area, but got trapped far
   out on his team's right flank. However, he managed to get the ball out
   to Jurgen Klinsmann, who promptly whisked it on towards young Stephen
   Clemence. On the left flank, Clemence moved forward, cut in, but then
   gave the ball away with a pass that was too shrewd for the
   circumstances.
   
   Such things were to happen to and with Clemence time and time again.
   Like so many of Tottenham's home-grown young men, he shows endless
   flashes of potential, but it requires good handling and a sustained
   run in the first team to come to anything more than good-looking
   potential. The pendulum swung back to United, albeit half-heartedly.
   
   A torrent of United corners came and went. But Tottenham suddenly
   burst into life. Klinsmann, who had virtually been out of things,
   suddenly got on to the ball in a promising position and, as selfless
   as ever, fed it fast and hard to Fox.
   
   He in turn swished it on towards Dominguez, and Peter Schmeichel had
   to work very hard to ensure that all United conceded from this sudden
   burst out was a corner. Inevitably, this led to an outburst from
   Schmeichel. Is anything that goes wrong in, around, or near his domain
   ever this man's fault? Not yesterday, not according to him.
   
   United's momentum was seriously faltering, and after 44 minutes, the
   Tottenham fans were singing "Can we play you every week?". Then United
   scored. Baardsen vigorously claimed that he had been fouled by Teddy
   Sheringham as he went up for a high ball, and it seemed likely that he
   was. But Paul Alcock, the referee, was having none of it. Baardsen,
   who barely put a foot wrong all afternoon, left the ball while
   Sheringham was - at least - paying him very close attention, and Giggs
   cracked in the ball as soon as it came to him.
   
   The tale of the second half was, if anything, stranger. Beckham came
   to life and United's defence performed nearly as flawlessly as it had
   throughout the first half. But although their apologists may claim
   otherwise, United fell short of their true level. Tottenham's
   patchwork team was defending well enough, but that did not explain the
   level to which Cole's service was reduced.
   
   Solskjaer had sustained periods of anonymity and it was curious to
   note that many of Cole's shots and chances resulted from him drifting
   back into patches of space that might normally be filled by his
   colleagues. Still, Sheringham ran hither and thither and produced his
   usual torrent of linking passes. With a ball-bearing like him, it
   takes an awful lot for the machine to run out of momentum altogether.
   
   United's second goal came during a period when counterattacking
   appeared to be their best chance of success. Sheringham swept the ball
   on to Beckham who, for once, picked out Giggs in the right way at the
   right moment, and although there appeared to be something untidy in
   the way Giggs got the ball over the line, get it over he did.
   Calderwood, for once, was utterly distraught. Tottenham had defended
   well and at that point of the match, you would have made them slightly
   the more likely candidates to score.
   
   But even now, although some of their moves were sharp, United could
   not work themselves into anything like their commanding home form.
   After 70 minutes or so, a move that had begun by Scholes moved through
   two other players before the ball came towards Cole at the wrong pace
   and angle. Neither was anybody on hand to make a better fist of this
   move before it died out.
   
   Not long from the end, Cole had to go back to the centre circle to get
   a decent sighting of the ball and his problem at that point was hardly
   that Tottenham were marking him into oblivion.
   
   Still, United march on. Who can stop them?
   
   Manchester United: Schmeichel, G Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Pallister,
   Beckham, Scholes, Sheringham, Giggs, Cole, Solskjaer.
   
   Tottenham: Baardsen, Wilson, Calderwood, Campbell, Carr, Vega,
   Dominguez, Clemence (Sinton 54min), Klinsmann, Berti, Fox (Brady
   77min).
   
   Scorer: Manchester United: Giggs 44, 67
   Booked: Klinsmann (60min).
   Referee: P Alcock (Halstead).
   Attendance: 55,281.

   Copyright 1998 The Times Newspapers Limited. 
          __________________________________________________________

     Giggs goals keep United on course for title hat-trick
     
     (Adds quotes, descriptive)
     By Mike Collett
     LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Manchester United, who crushed Chelsea
     5-3 in the F.A. Cup last week, out-classed London opposition again
     on Saturday with an easy 2-0 win over injury-hit Tottenham Hotspur
     in the premier league at Old Trafford.

     The victory put United, chasing their third successive title, seven
     points clear of Chelsea, although Blackburn could narrow United's
     lead at the top to five points if they beat Derby on Sunday.

     Both United goals were scored by Ryan Giggs, although the first did
     not come until just before half-time, breaking some stubborn
     resistance from Spurs who had 10 first-team players missing through
     injury.

     Spurs gave a debut to Nicola Berti, their new signing from Inter
     Milan, and although he had a promising start for the
     relegation-threatened side, the Spurs attack and Juergen Klinsmann
     made little impression on United's defence and the outcome was
     never in much doubt.

     Both of Giggs's goals came from David Beckham crosses, with Giggs
     firing home a rasping drive for the first and scoring with a
     well-placed header for the second after 67 minutes.

     Giggs said afterwards: "David's crosses and passes are so precise.
     I don't get many with my head so I was happy to see the second go
     in. But it was a great ball -- and I couldn't really miss."

     The result leaves Tottenham deep in trouble one place off the
     bottom of the table, although their Swiss coach Christian Gross
     could take some heart from the performance.

     He said: "Defensively we did quite well for 90 minutes -- we were
     unlucky to fall behind before the break. We were solid in defence
     but up front we need something more to help Juergen.

     "I'm satisfied with the team performance -- but we need to create
     more dangerous situations."

     Chelsea, who went 5-0 down to United after 74 minutes of last
     week's Cup match, trailed 1-0 to Coventry for more than
     half-an-hour of Saturday's league match before bouncing back to win
     3-1 and maintain their faint hopes of catching Alex Ferguson's men.

     Last week Chelsea scored three goals against United in 12 minutes
     when they were five down. This week they also scored three times in
     12 minutes -- and that was enough for all three points.

     Two goals from substitute Mark Nicholls (65 and 70) and one from
     Roberto di Matteo (78) brought Chelsea victory in a match
     transformed after Chelsea player-coach Ruud Gullit came on and
     breathed some life into his team.

     Liverpool, who have a game in hand on the leading trio, moved to
     within a point of Blackburn with a 2-0 win over their bogey-side
     Wimbledon thanks to two second-half goals from Jamie Redknapp --
     his second a memorable long-range shot.

     It was Liverpool's fifth successive league win and made up a little
     for the disappointment of their crushing defeat by Coventry in the
     F.A. Cup last week.

     Delighted Redknapp said: "It was tough -- it always is against
     Wimbledon but I think we deserved it in the end.

     "We felt if we kept plugging away we'd get chances, they fell to me
     and I tucked them away. We could have had three or four in the end.

     "We've got to keep winning in the league. Manchester United might
     slip up and we've got to be there if they do."

     Arsenal stayed among the leading pack with a 2-1 win over Leeds,
     managed by the former Arsenal manager George Graham.

     All three goals fell to Dutchmen with Marc Overmars striking twice
     for Arsenal after 60 and 72 minutes and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
     scoring for Leeds in the 69th minute.

     West Ham were the biggest winners of the day, crushing
     bottom-placed Barnsley 6-0 at Upton Park with young Frenchman
     Samassi Abou scoring twice.

     That defeat kept Barnsley rooted firmly to the bottom of the table
     on 18 points -- two less than Spurs and four less than Bolton in
     18th place.

     Barnsley are five points behind Crystal Palace, Coventry and
     Everton, who are all on 23 points.

     Everton's recent mini-revival continued with them winning for the
     third time in four league matches, 3-1 at Crystal Palace, still the
     only team in the entire English League without a home league win
     this season.

     Sheffield Wednesday also eased their relegation fears with a 2-1
     win over Newcastle who have now lost four successive league games.

     Bolton drew 0-0 with Southampton who had Francis Benali sent off
     after 31 minutes for flicking Jamie Pollock in the face -- the 10th
     time he has been dismissed in his 10 seasons at Southampton.
     
                           © Reuters Limited 1997
          __________________________________________________________

     Giggs maturing into one of the greats
     
     By Mike Collett
     LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - If things had turned out differently,
     Manchester City could now be the dominant force in English soccer
     and a young man named Ryan could be looking forward to playing for
     England in the World Cup this summer.

     As it is, Manchester United are the undisputed rulers in England,
     but young Ryan will be a spectator at France'98.

     The young man in question is Ryan Giggs, who as a youngster was
     known as Ryan Wilson, played for Manchester City's youth team and
     was captain of the England Schoolboys team.

     The latest team to fall under his spell were Tottenham, beaten 2-0
     by United at Old Trafford on Saturday. Young Ryan scored both of
     the goals.

     The catalyst for his dramatic change of identity, club and country
     was not a footballing matter -- but the divorce of his parents.

     After they split he decided to take his mother's name, and when the
     time came to make his senior international debut he chose to
     represent his Welsh mother's country rather than that of his
     English father.

     Along the way he left Manchester City and signed as a professional
     for Manchester United.

     There have been many people who have thought long and hard about
     how different City's fortunes would have been over the last seven
     years if Giggs had developed at Maine Road rather than move to Old
     Trafford.

     For just about the only thing that has never changed is his
     incredible footballing ability.

     Only recently turned 24, Giggs made his league debut for United as
     long ago as March 1991 -- and is already a veteran of 224 league
     appearances plus nearly another 100 matches in cups.

     When he first played, his darting runs, his balance, his shock of
     black hair and his incredible ball control brought immediate
     comparisons with United's 1960s hero George Best.

     Still some years from his peak, Giggs's virtuoso performances this
     season have consistently reminded many older fans of Best at his
     very best -- and the way he played against Tottenham on Saturday
     was further proof that Giggs is set become an even better player
     than before.

     He may never quite possess Best's raffish glamour and cheek on the
     pitch, but he has the ability to mesmerise his opponents in exactly
     the same way.

     He scored both goals on Saturday and although United did not play
     particularly well against the injury-hit relegation-threatened
     Londoners, Giggs was outstanding.

     Manager Alex Ferguson could hardly praise him enough afterwards.
     "He was the highlight of the game -- he was magnificent.

     "His passing was marvellous today and these are the things that as
     a maturing player he is adding to his game. His passing ability and
     other parts of the game are coming together."

     Giggs, who has now scored six times this season, put United ahead
     with a piercing shot a minute before half-time, and added the
     second with a rare headed goal midway through the second half. "I
     don't get many headers so I was pleased to see that one go in," he
     said. "I've had a good run, I'm quite happy with my form -- last
     season I had a few nagging injuries, hamstrings, and missed the odd
     game. This season there have been no injuries and I'm enjoying it."
     And he believes that United can win not only the league for the
     third straight season -- but also the F.A. Cup and United's real
     goal this year -- the European Cup.

     "We've got the squad to go all the way. We've got to keep playing
     well, consistently. You've got to perform or you're out of the team
     - it's such a good squad.

     "Everyone likes winning and we've got that feeling at the moment."
     Giggs is now regarded as the "old man" of the younger players at
     Old Trafford and has long been used to being in the spotlight.

     This season there has been a greater maturity and self-confidence
     about his play and his outstanding goal against Juventus when
     United beat the Italian giants 3-2 at Old Trafford in October was
     seen as confirmation of his greatness.

     United for their part have carefully nurtured his talent. Mindful
     of how the pressures on Best effectively ended his United career in
     his late-20s, Ferguson was always very protective of Giggs, rarely
     allowing him to be interviewed, and ensuring he stayed away from
     the bright lights.

     "When I was 17, 18 I just wanted to concentrate on football - and
     the manager said to do that and I'm grateful to him. I think I've
     benefited from the boss's early shielding of me. "But I'm becoming
     a bit of a veteran now -- it's easy when your playing well."
     United are currently playing very, very well and Manchester City
     and England can only thing about what might have been.
     
                           © Reuters Limited 1997
          __________________________________________________________
                                      
                    Man United v Tottenham 10/01/98 3.00
                                      
Man United              (1) 2 Tottenham               (0) 0 FT
Giggs 44,67

   It had been billed as a battle between Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen
   Klinsmann.
   
   And the former Tottenham team-mates, who scored 52 goals in a golden
   season at White Hart Lane three years ago, embraced on the halfway
   line before the match began.
   
   But in truth it was the only time they took centre stage in a
   disappointing match which still saw a below par United forge seven
   points clear at the top of the Premiership.
   
   Indeed Sheringham had a quiet game by his standards, leaving the stage
   for United's glamour boys Ryan Giggs and David Beckham to take the
   glory.
   
   Beckham, who boosts his playboy image by jetting off to a Paris
   fashion show this week, provided the little inspiration which was on
   show at Old Trafford with some pinpoint crosses.
   
   And the outstanding Giggs was on hand to score two cracking goals -
   one in each half.
   
   But it is a measure of United's domination of the Premiership this
   season that they can win games like this at a canter while playing
   only to around 80 per cent of their potential.
   
   It was not pretty to watch, in parts it was down right dour, but the
   only statistic United boss Alex Ferguson will be bothered about is
   that it was their ninth win in 10 games.
   
   Maybe the side was suffering a hangover from that dramatic 5-3 FA Cup
   third round victory over Chelsea last Sunday.
   
   It did not look that way when Andy Cole brought an instinctive save
   from Espen Baardsen, the Norwegian goalkeeper deputising for the
   injured Ian Walker, after just two minutes.
   
   And the Premiership's leading scorer was by far United's most lively
   weapon on a day when too many passes went astray and too few shots hit
   the target.
   
   United, however, lifted themselves out of their lethargy in the 43rd
   minute when Beckham supplied a looping shot from the right-hand side.
   
   Baardsen dropped the ball under pressure from Sheringham and Giggs
   drove in a quite venomous volley from 16 yards.
   
   It should have inspired United to greater things but try as they might
   they could not find the fluency of recent weeks against a side which
   is beginning to respond to new manager Christian Gross.
   
   Sheringham had a 20-yard shot saved just after the interval and Cole,
   who with each game surely books his ticket to the World Cup finals in
   France this summer, continued to be a constant danger.
   
   But it was the Beckham-Giggs combination which gave United the
   breathing space their superior workrate deserved.
   
   He swept in another of those waspish crosses from the right in the
   67th minute and Giggs rose at the far post to slot home a rare headed
   goal for his sixth strike of the season.
   
   In truth, it was a stroll after that for a United side superior in
   every department.
   
   Spurs boss Gross, can at least take solace in the fact that his side's
   passion and commitment, so fragile this season, could not be faulted.
   
   But Klinsmann, playing his third match since his move from Sampdoria,
   was still way short of the electric form which once made him such a
   feared striker.
   
   Indeed his main contribution was a booking in the 60th minute when he
   uncharacteristically booted the ball into the stand after the whistle
   had been blown.
   
   Nicola Berti, the former Italian international signed by Spurs on a
   free transfer from Inter Milan in midweek, fared little better.
   
   The midfield man blasted one shot over the bar in the 82nd minute but
   apart from that was virtually anonymous on a disappointing debut.
   
   In the end it was a match which did not really tell us anything new.
   United are marching to the title and Spurs will struggle to stay in
   the Premiership.
   
   Man United: (4-3-3) Schmeichel, Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Pallister,
   Beckham, Cole, Sheringham, Giggs, Scholes, Solskjaer.
   
   Subs not used: Butt, McClair, Berg, Clegg, Pilkington.
   
   Tottenham: (4-4-2) Baardsen, Calderwood, Fox (Brady, 77), Carr, Vega,
   Wilson, Domingues, Campbell, Clemence (Sinton, 54), Klinsmann, Berti.
   Subs not used: Brown, Mabbutt, Mahorn.
   Booked: Klinsmann.
   
   Attendance: 55,281.
   Referee: P E Alcock (Redhill).


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