Rafael enjoys link-up

Rafael believes his off-field friendship with Antonio Valencia helps the duo shine as a combination on Manchester United's right wing.

The South American pair have been excellent in tandem recently and are building an understanding that may one day rival that of Gary Neville and David Beckham. With Valencia's defensive responsibilities allowing Rafael to bomb forward when the time is right, the Reds are reaping the benefits.
"To be honest, I think it's well recognised by everybody that Antonio has been one of my best friends at the club," Rafael told MUTV in an exclusive interview. "That's not to disrespect anyone but I think we have created a very good understanding on the pitch.
"I can feel what he wants to do and vice versa and that is probably the reason why we have so much understanding on the pitch.
"I think it's quite difficult to define Antonio's qualities on the pitch. He's quite fast and direct. He looks for the ball all the time. If I go forward, he covers me at the back and vice versa. It's easy to work with him and, when I see him on the pitch, it leaves me more relaxed due to the understanding we have on the field."
Rafael missed the defeat at Wigan but returned against Aston Villa and is starting to pin down a regular place in the back four. Sir Alex Ferguson has also praised him for showing signs of maturity in his play.
"Of course in a league like the Premier League, it's important I play as many matches as possible," Rafael stated. "Although I wanted to play more, every match I play in I am keen to play even better.
"A player wants to play as many matches as possible and I want to play even more.
"I think the reason [behind his good form] is I'm probably getting a bit older and more mature. I see things in a different perspective. My aim is always to help the team, especially this season, to achieve the title we are after. So it's probably due to being a bit more mature."
Part of his experience has been both winning and losing title battles and that should stand the full-back in good stead this time around.
"I think, having been part of the last three seasons when we were two times champions and once not, I think that helps us and me particularly as I know what to expect in the last few matches. The experience I've acquired in the past will help me to deal with these last few games until the end of the league and it helps us to deal better with the wins, losses and any disappointments."

The poll for United’s 2012 Player of the Year is open. Vote for your top Red now

The poll for United’s 2012 Player of the Year is open. Vote for your top Red now

Duo up for PFA awards

Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck's blossoming partnership for Manchester United has been recognised by the strikers' peers, with both men appearing on the shortlists for this season's Professional Footballers' Association awards.
Rooney is one of six

nominees for the PFA Player of the Year accolade he previously won in 2009/10, while Welbeck will contest the Young Player of the Year prize with five others.
Both men scored in United's 4-0 win over Aston Villa at the weekend, with Wayne's double taking his tally for the season to 31 goals, while Danny's far-post stab just before half-time brought his total up to a highly respectable 11.
Manchester

dominates the running for the senior players' prize as City trio Sergio Aguero, Joe Hart and David Silva are also on the list with Rooney. Two players from the capital, Arsenal's top scorer Robin van Persie and Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker, complete the heralded half-dozen.
Aguero also features in the Young Player stakes, alongside Welbeck, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge, Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and two Tottenham stars in right-back Kyle Walker and midfield ace Gareth Bale - winner of the senior award last year.
The winners of both awards will be announced at a dinner in London on Sunday 22 April, when the PFA Premier League team of the year will also be named.

Ashley eyes first prize

Ashley Young may be new to the business of closing out a title race but he’s as determined as anyone to ensure the trophy remains at Old Trafford… This is your first involvement in a title challenge – how are you finding it? It’s everything I expected and more. It’s exciting to be involved, especially at this stage of the season. We’ve never been out of contention but to be in the position we’re in now is fantastic. A lot of people wrote us off when City were a few points clear with a superior goal difference, but we’ve gone about our job in the right way and everyone in the squad has made a contribution.

And we’ve done what every other United team seems to do and come strong in the second half of the season. How does it compare to what you’ve been used to in April & May? It’s completely different. At previous clubs it was about cementing a place in the top six or challenging for a Champions League spot. Going for a title is a totally different experience – there is an expectancy to win every game here. The manager said when I joined it’s going to be a challenge and you get that challenge in every match, especially now. But this is why I joined United – to win trophies. To have that opportunity is brilliant. Many people have said the turnaround is simply down to City’s dip in results and dressing room issues, but you can’t argue with our form… Exactly. There has been a lot of talk about City all season but we’ve just concentrated on ourselves and got on with our job. We’ve managed to kick on and hit another gear, whereas I don’t think they have. We’ve taken full advantage of that. It seems like our experienced players are helping to give us the edge... Having players like Giggsy,

Scholesy, Rio, Carrick and Evra has been vitally important, especially for the younger ones. Then there’s the manager – he knows exactly what to do, when to do it and what teams to pick for different games. You’ve chipped in with some excellent, crucial goals – have you got a favourite? [Smiles] I’m not sure which one stands out. It’s always nice to score and I’m happy with my tally, but I get greater satisfaction from laying on an assist. The one for Giggsy at Norwich is my favourite. For him to score so late on his 900th appearance was fantastic. You only needed to see how everyone celebrated to see what it meant. How would you rate the quality of wingers we have at the club? It’s certainly an area of the squad that seems very strong… Definitely. To have that competition for places is great for the team although it creates a bit of a headache for the manager! When you’ve got Giggsy, Antonio, Nani and Ji around, you know you need to be on your toes, training well and, when you get your chance, delivering for the team. Valencia has really caught the eye. Is he the league's best winger at present? Definitely. I don’t think there’s been a better winger this season. He’s like a steam train when he’s running at defenders. He’s so strong and his delivery is brilliant. His goal at Blackburn typified the kind of form he’s been in week-in, week-out since he came back.

What would it mean to you to win the title in your first season? It would mean everything. There have been ups and downs during the season, but we’ve got ourselves into a great position and we’ve got to make sure we finish the job now.

Cahill pays tribute to 'well-drilled' ChelseaGary Cahill described the experience of playing FC Barcelona "mentally exhausting" but attributed Chelsea FC's 1-0 home semi-final first-leg victory to a "well-drilled" defensive display.

Gary Cahill described the experience of playing FC Barcelona "mentally exhausting" but attributed Chelsea FC's 1-0 home semi-final first-leg victory to a "well-drilled" defensive display.

Gary Cahill relished the satisfaction of a 1-0 victory against FC Barcelona that leaves Chelsea FC well-placed to go through to the UEFA Champions League final, but said the wealth of possession their opponents enjoyed rendered their semi-final first-leg success mentally exhausting. "What I will take from this game more than anything is that the concentration levels have to be so up there," Cahill told UEFA.com. "If you switch off for one second they have so many players who can change the game. "It's mentally exhausting more than anything else but the defence as a whole were concentrating tonight. You can see how well-drilled we were "and it enabled us to achieve a good result." Making only his second start in Europe's premier club competition Cahill was prominent with a number of timely blocks and interceptions as Barcelona brought all their intricate teamwork and dazzling skill into play to try and wipe out the advantage that Didier Drogba's goal at the end of the first half brought his team. They had chances and struck the woodwork on two occasions but it is the west London outfit who are a goal to the good going into Tuesday's second leg. It was an important step for the central defender who has found it hard to earn a regular place in the side since making his move from Bolton Wanderers FC in January. Now Cahill is looking forward to making his first appearance at Camp Nou in the return. "The other players have said what a big pitch it is," said the 26-year-old. "We know it is going to be tough but we will go there with confidence. Things have been going well for us of late and for me it's nice to start the game and to play well." Frank Lampard admitted that fortune favoured his team with Alexis Sánchez striking the bar early on, while Pedro Rodríguez fired his shot against an upright in the dying seconds. "We had some luck but sometimes in football you deserve to have luck on your side," the England midfielder explained. "We worked hard for it tonight. "To keep a clean sheet and to score is a big result for us but nothing is done yet. Every team that goes to play in Barcelona finds it difficult" and it will take a lot of work to keep the result in our favour." Lampard also paid tribute to manager Roberto Di Matteo who has masterminded a big improvement in results since taking over from André Villas-Boas in February. "He's brought an enthusiasm to the place and does the simple things in the dressing room," said the 33-year-old. "He set us up to be strong tonight which you need against Barcelona and he deserves a lot of credit."

Chelsea's class of 2012 turn tables on Barcelona

Having watched Chelsea FC defeat FC Barcelona last night, Graham Hunter expects another exhilarating encounter when the teams reconvene at the Camp Nou next Tuesday.

The same clubs, the same venue and the same stage of the competition as their epic UEFA Champions League semi-final three years ago – but this was an utterly different contest between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona. Two rivals brilliantly briefed by their coaches led to a match so finely balanced that the tiniest slip, such as Lionel Messi being robbed by Frank Lampard high up the pitch to begin the move for Didier Drogba's goal, could prove devastating. There were key differences from 2009. Back then, Guus Hiddink's Chelsea dominated but missed presentable chances; this time it was the reigning champions who fluffed their lines when the stage was set for a goal, having found the difficult part – slicing open Chelsea's defence – unexpectedly easy.

The second notable change was that Chelsea never once worked less hard, or concentrated with less intensity, than Josep Guardiola's relentlessly constructive side. The job which Roberto Di Matteo has done on the general confidence and work-rate of his charges in little over six weeks since taking over is impressive. Not at any stage did Chelsea look nervous, nor did there seem any sort of hangover from their painful away-goals defeat at the hands of these opponents in 2009. This was a classic European contest; two teams from different countries with opposing concepts of how to play, testing themselves to the limit. It was notable that, on the occasions when the players were in dispute, they did so with tolerant smiles on their faces. This was a match played in a spirit of wary respect. That pleasing tendency, following one of the most fiercely-contested contests in recent history last time out when Andrés Iniesta's late rocket broke Chelsea hearts, was capped on the final whistle. There was a warm, sincere and lingering handshake with a sotto voce conversation between Di Matteo and Guardiola. Neutrals would like to imagine the chat went something along the lines of: "Let's play the second leg in that spirit, with that much intensity and attacking intent and may the better side win… OK?" when the Swiss-Italian gracefully accepted the Catalan's congratulations. And if there is anything as sweet for Chelsea as shaking that Iniesta stone out of their shoes then perhaps it is the fact that by the end it was not Barcelona's increasingly eccentric finishing alone which kept the scoreline in their favour as they look to reach the Munich final on 19 May. Sergio Busquets did thrash an opportunity over the bar in the last seconds but moments earlier Petr Čech had produced a save which epitomised athletic elegance and demonstrated his returning confidence as he turned Carles Puyol's subtle flick-on around the post. Chelsea won because they earned it. The intriguingly narrow scoreline, and the ongoing battle of styles, promises so much more at the Camp Nou next Tuesday.

Video Manchester United vs Sheffield United 2-0

 Manchester United vs Sheffield United 2-0

On 17 April 2007, league leaders Manchester United took another step towards the title with a clinical 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Old Trafford.


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