EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

Manchester United versus Chelsea

United started with their strongest lineup with one unusual change: Hargreaves started in right midfield. In the 26th minute Scholes had the ball on the right wing. He was surrounded by 2 players until Brown came in to help, Scholes made a quick pass back to Brown (only a few yards away), who then passed it back and then made a run, Scholes immediately one touched it perfectly into Browns run who then took a touch and then made a curling cross. Ronaldo, covered by Essien, jumped into the air and then perfectly headed the ball with machine-like accuracy into the left side of the goal inches away from the post .

Minutes later, Ballack ran onto the box during a cross with Rio Ferdinand defending between Ballack and the goal. Ballack pushed Ferdinand’s head downwards almost forcing him into scoring an own goal. Ferdinand used great strength to keep his head up and head the ball over the goal. The ball came back into play near the United goal and Rooney stole the ball from Ballack. He took a step and then kicked the ball across almost the entire field to Ronaldo who ran all the way to the other side of the field with one defender on him. Rooney’s ball curled in to Ronaldo somehow perfectly who then made a short cross to Tevez who headed the ball low to the left of Cech from about 6 yards away. Somehow Cech managed to block it and it rebounded, rolling on the ground out of the penalty box. Carrick ran on it and fired away; the perfect opportunity for a center mid, Carrck shot it too close to Cech who once again blocked the ball.

In the 40th minute Tevez got a great ball from Rooney who crossed it by megging a defender. Tevez should have had it but missed the ball by inches. 2 minutes later Ferdinand elbowed a defender outside the box and got a yellow card and United got a free kick. Ballack took the shot but it went high over the wall and goal.

In the 45th minute, after a good amount of possession by Chelsea, Essien took a shot which deflected and landed into Lampard’s path (right in front of the goal) who then put the ball in. The lucky deflection gave Chelsea the chance to frustrate United.

In the 57th minute UEFA thought really hard about replacing the ball on the field because Ballack ripped a shot from 29 yards out when he got a clear opening on the goal. The ball went wide by a yard as it curled but it was a good time to take a shot and force United to pull their defense out more.

Chelsea really began to possess and push United back in the 2nd half and they probably got more opportunities. Ronaldo played largely perfect throughout most of the game and beat Essien multiple times on the wing.

But chances were available throughout the game just like when Drogba got the ball at the top of the United box and while falling, kicked a curling shot which hit the United right post. However, the game was destined to go into overtime with Giggs coming on for Scholes (who had a bleeding nose) 6 minutes before OT.

Three minutes in OT Lampard got the ball within the box, spun around and shot the ball to the top right and hit off the post. In the 96th minute the camera showed a bunch of really drunk Russian soldiers taking off their Jerseys and putting on United jerseys.

In the 100th minute Giggs got a clear shot on goal when Evra won the ball just outside the Chelsea box and pass it right backwards right over the PK area. Terry was there however and headed the ball over the goal preventing it from going in.

In the 116th minute, after every single player spread his legs and started stretching for some odd reason (after anyone thought they made a dumb foul they started stretching), an argument erupted between Tevez and every other player on the field. Tevez ended up getting a yellow card, Drogba a red card and Ballack a yellow card. Everyone seemed to be pushing each other as rain started falling with the referees trying to break it up. Drogba did lightly slap a United player in the face as the referee came up behind him. The arguments were an escalation of the entire game as their were many bad fouls and stupid tackles.

The game proceeds to Penalty Kicks:

Tevez took the first shot and kicked it the the right with Cech (wearing bright orange with his safety pad headpiece) diving to the Left.

Ballack fired esentially the same way as Van der Saar

Carrick, this time to the left. (The rain continued to fall)

Beletti (who just got subbed in for this purpose), this time to the right against Van der Saar.

Ronaldo against Cech, he kicked it to the left and Cech dove and blocked it!

Frank Lampard, to the right and Van der Saar almost stopped it!!

Hargreaves against Cech and he kicked it to hte upper left, Cech dove the right way but couldn’t get to it.

Ashley Cole against Van der Saar, he kicks it to the right and Saar almost stopped it, it may have been because of the rain.

Nani puts in an excellent kick against Cech.

John Terry against Van der Saar (for the win): HE MISSED!! He slipped last second and it hit off the right post!

It continues!!!

Anderson puts it in against Cech.

Malou puts it in against Saar.

Giggs puts it in against Cech.

Anelka shoots but its stopped by Edwin Van der Saar.

UNITED HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!!! THEY HAVE OBTAINED THE DOUBLE!!! Players sag in relief and complete fatigue! Terry cries in the rain hugging Grant. Ronaldo falls to the ground.

Manchester United vs. Chelsea

In the first all English Champions League Final, Chelsea and Manchester United will battle in Moscow to earn the right to call themselves the best European Club Team.

Last night while Chelsea were practicing at the Luzhiniki Stadium Ashley Cole was injured by a tackle from Claude Makelele. The right back defender sustained an ankle injury but according to Chelsea officials he may be able to play today in the Final.

“In a challenge with Claude Makelele in front of hundreds of cameras and the world football press, Ashley Cole hurt his right ankle. He was treated, it was tested, then strapped - but after consultation between Grant, club doctor Bryan English and physios Dave Hancock and Thierry Laurent - Cole resumed and took full part in the final training game - only disappearing down the tunnel after the players had listened to Avram’s address and been stood-down for a final kickaround.” English International Wayne Bridges was ready to play in his stead if Cole was unable to.

Terry was being resolute and indifferent to any pre-game wagers. “It’s a different ball game to the league. They deserved to win (the title) but it’s a one-off game tomorrow. There are no underdogs or favourites. We’re hoping we are going to be on our game, fully fit and determined to lift the trophy. They have a lot of quality players in their side and hopefully it’s a good game but if it’s a bad game so be it. It’s about getting our hands on the trophy.”

Though some people have complained about the pitch, none of the players, coaches, or UEFA officials seem to think anything is wrong with it. ”

Ferguson thought the stadium and pitch were fine. “I think UEFA have done their best. The fact they have relaid it from Astroturf to turf is a big delight to me. We are happy in that sense. You have to remind yourself that Old Trafford in January or February is not the best in the league.”

“The pitch is the same for both sides and if get the footwear right we will be fine. We are not worrying about that at all.” said Terry.

Lampard continues to mourn for his mother Pat Lampard who died between the two semi-final legs against Liverpool; he went to go see Harry Redknapp lift the FA Cup at Wembley. Redknapp’s wife was Pat Lampard’s twin sister and both families have been completely distraught. “I was at Wembley on Saturday to see Harry win the FA Cup. It was a great day for the family and Harry in his career. He deserved that for what he has given to the game. I was fully supporting him on Saturday and I’m sure he and all the Redknapp family will be supporting me. I hope we can make it a family double.”

While Manchester United did win the Premier League they are surely still smarting from the loss at Stamford Bride. “Chelsea are physically stronger than most of the Premier League teams but we do not need to match that. We have to play with our main strength, our movement and our passing, our ability to create openings in the game. We are in good shape and I do not want us to change too much. Maybe we don’t have the overall experience like Chelsea in terms of age but we have courage” said Feguson.

“Part of the plan is to have Carlos Tevez at the club in the long term. There is no question we want him to stay. I think David Gill (chief executive) is progressing on that as best he can. One of the reasons we are here in Moscow and won the title is because of Carlos. He has that ability to score important goals for us, just like Eric Cantona used to do. Carlos has been a revelation for us and is a fantastic professional. The final is a big challenge for every one of my players. I depend on them all to be at the top of their game. That way we have a massive chance.”

Ferdinand described the emotion and importance of the Champions League very well: “The pressure comes from within, from your own personal pride in wanting to do well. The history of Old Trafford, the characteristics of the club from the past and the manager all work as an inspiration. You want to become part of the furniture, to be remembered in the history of Manchester United. To do that we know we have to win big things. Tonight we have a great chance to do that and become part of the history.”

“This match is the stuff of dreams. These opportunities do not come around every weekend. You have to step up to the moment when it comes. The main thing is to approach it as we would do any other game, not to do things differently. If the occasion gets to us or we change the way we approach the game then that will be to the detriment of the team.”

Just as ready was Peter Cech, Chelsea’s goalkeeper. “Having won the title, you would say it’s a big boost from them and they celebrated, which in one way can be distracting. When you know you’ve already won something, even if you don’t want to, you can relax. In the back of your mind, you have already that you have succeeded. This could be the advantage for us. Cech is expecting a tight game tomorrow because the two sides know each other so well. If you ask me if we can surprise each other, I say no, because we have played them so many times over the last years and both teams haven’t changed much.”

However, prepared as he is he agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo could be the deciding factor in the game. The way he scores the goals is unbelievable,’ Cech said. “Because he can score from the free-kick, he can score from the penalty, he can score with a header from a corner, and he can score with both feet.”

“You need to remember as well they have a great team. They have an attacking threat, with (Wayne) Rooney, you’ve got (Carlos) Tevez, you’ve got (Ryan) Giggs. They can use the ball quickly and they change position, they rotate a lot. That is why they are dangerous and can score a lot of goals because not everyone can cope with that.”

The Champions League Final is being held in Russia, Moscow, at the Luzhinki Stadium Wednesday.

Wayne Rooney is determined to show fans that Manchester United is the best club team in the world by winning the Champions League Final against Liverpool. Liverpool won the Champions League during the 2004/2005 season against AC Milan; the score was 3-3 with Liverpool winning in penalties 3-2. Any Manchester United fan would hate to see Liverpool take the Champions League from them especially if they could earn a “double” by winning the Champions League and Premier League. Rooney could think of nothing better than downing Liverpool in the Champions League. “It is difficult when you see one of your rivals winning things. When Liverpool took the trophy, it was hard to take. Because they haven’t really been challenging for the league in the last few years, they’ve had chances to rest players before big Champions League games and that helped them. By Liverpool winning the Champions League, it’s made us want to win it even more.”

“We just need to go out there and try and enjoy ourselves. If we enjoy playing, I’m sure we will do well. If we go out there thinking a bit negative then it becomes harder. The players are well educated in the history of the club. When you walk around the training ground, you see the players from 1958, 1968 all the way through to today.” He insists that there’s always room for improvement in his game, despite having scored 18 goals this season. “I can score a few more goals, possibly with my left foot and a some more headers. I keep working on all different things, my passing, my fitness and scoring. I’ve changed my game a little bit. Instead of playing in the hole or off one forward, I’ve mainly been the striker looking to get in behind. I’ve enjoyed doing it this year - to be honest a lot more than I thought I would. It has brought me a few goals in different games.”

Wayne Rooney seems to be ready for the game, in shape but dreading the anticipation. “It’s a horrible feeling waiting for the final. I’d like to go to bed tonight and wake up on Wednesday. It’s a bit like Christmas when you’re a kid, so I just can’t wait. I’ve been playing FIFA on X-Box with my mates. My girlfriend’s not too happy with me, but it keeps me occupied. I’ve played in three cup finals, winning one and losing two, so hopefully I can even that out.”

After the great season they had it would be ridiculous for the young duo to separate. “I hope the partnership will continue for years. Ronaldo is a great player and it will be brilliant if we can keep him at the club for as long as possible. He’s an unbelievable player” said Rooney. “What he’s done for United in the last few years is brilliant and it makes you work hard. For Ronaldo to score those goals is helping the team. I’ve got no problem if he scores 60 goals in a season and I don’t get anywhere near that” he said.

Eriksson has been informed by Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra that he is “not the right man for the job”. Shinawatra is the former President of Thailand; he was President until 2006 when a military coup ousted him from power. While he is said to have reduced the amount of corruption in Thailand he was still accused of embezzling money and engaging in corruption.

Ever since the turn of the year Manchester City has lost their form; when Eriksson informed his players about the decision the players were outraged. “I think it is crazy that his job is even being talked about as being in danger - he has been good for everyone at City” said City defender Micah Richards. Thai billionaire Shinawatra decided upon the move when City lost to Fulham 3-2 after having a 2 goal lead. After the game Shinawatra told Eriksson who “Reacted calmly, as usual, but he was very surprised and disappointed. He doesn’t want to leave the club and will not resign. He loves working with the players and his work at Manchester City has only just begun.” He will be in charge of the last 2 away games against Liverpool (which they just lost 1-0) and Middlesbrough according to a City spokesman though no comment was made about what would happen during the summer.

Erikson’s assistant Tord Grip said: “We will be here for the two last matches. They probably think that we haven’t done a good enough job. Sven will receive new offers soon I’m sure.” Erickson took over City 5 weeks before the season; in November they held 3rd place; however, since Christmas they have failed to produce results and have fallen to 9th having won only 4 of their past 15 games. “The team has not been playing as well as it should have or getting the right results since Christmas. But overall it has been a good season. Thaksin agreed a five-year plan with Sven in the summer and the target for the first year was to finish in the top 10.”

Thaksin signed 8 new player during the summer for £46m shortly after buying the club. However, he has had little contact with Eriskon. They met several times personally at the start of the season and then nothing. Sven has had a list of players he wants to sign next summer for several weeks, but he hasn’t been able to get the go-ahead to get them. He talks to Alistair Macintosh (City chief executive), but things break down when he then goes to the chairman”. With Eriksson going out the door City will have to get a new manager; as of now, Portugese Luiz Felipe Scolari may in serious consideration. We can expect the new manager to be able to buy a lot of new players with Thaksin determined to have Manchester City playing in the Champions League in the next two years. The Thai billionaire is currently involved in a lawsuit in Thailand with hundreds of millions of pounds currently frozen; however, he expects to be able to use them by the summer.

In a thrilling, potentially League Title deciding game, Chelsea succeeded in winning against Manchester United 2-1. Chelsea managed to stay unbeaten at Stamford Bridge (home) for 101 domestic games. “I know that they haven’t lost at Stamford Bridge for 100 games, but records are there to be broken. We will be going there to try to win the match” said Ferguson. United would have been able to lay claim to the League Title if they had won this game, but with their goal differential advantage they can be tied to Chelsea in points and still win the Title. But Ferguson would love nothing better than to defeat Chelsea at home and win the League Title. “We can’t afford to think that we can lose at Chelsea and still win it. We’ve got to think of winning there.”

Vidic got injured in the 14th minute when Drogba caught him in the face with his knee and Hargreaves came on for him. Chelsea should have grabbed the lead in the 20th minute when Joe Cole slipped away from the United defense and smashed the ball against the cross bar. But Michael Ballack produced a goal for Chelsea in the 45th minute when he was unmarked and headed in the ball from a Drogba cross. But Ricardo Carvalho gave away a free point when he passed the ball back right into Rooney’s path who ran around John Terry to score (55th minute). He seemed to injure himself in the process so Ferguson replaced him with Ronaldo. However, in the 84th minute Essien cross the ball into the United penalty box and Carrick handed the ball. Ballack took the PK and neatly put it in. Chelsea and United are now tied at 81 points though United has a much higher goal differential. Chelsea now needs to win their last 2 games and hope that United will tie or lose one of theirs.

Before the game Tevez described what he thought would be the biggest danger to Manchester United, fellow Argentinian: Lionel Messi. “Barcelona are one team with Messi but completely different without him. He is from another planet. He is very quick out of the blocks, he is a fantastic player. He is the main point of reference and the key man in the whole Barca team.” His prediction proved to be true throughout the entire game as Messi created a plethora of opportunities for Barcelona stringing 1-2’s around the United defense.

Massimo Busacca regulated this game at Camp Nou in Barcelona; which was full of fans and noise in this historic game. United started the game without Vidic who had a stomach flu. Wes Brown was a center defender with Ferdinand, Hargreaves played right fullback. Ronaldinho was still out with an injury.

It started off really exciting with a cross coming into the Barcelona box. Ronaldo jumped in to head the ball but missed slightly, Barcelona defender Milito jumped in awkwardly to head it out but the ball hit his upraised hands. A penalty kick was awarded in the 1st minute; Ronaldo took the PK but incredibly missed the goal by a foot to the right.

Lionel Messi continued to evade the United defenders darting quickly around and past them distributing the ball into and around the United Penalty area with multiple passes going a couple yards in front of the United goal. Milito consistently fouled people including Wes Brown on a corner and Cristiano Ronaldo in the midfield though the Referee didn’t call them. Barcelona dominated the first half of the game with the most possession and opportunities; United were unable to control in the midfield.

In the 28th minute Iniesta played the ball back, but Ronaldo intercepted it with a stretching touch of his foot. He raced towards it as it rolled into the penalty box, Marquez, the Barcelona defender who was on the receiving end of the pass tried to make up for Iniesta’s bad pass and got away with it. He ran towards the ball and cut off Ronaldo obstructing him and pushing him over in the box; it should have been a penalty kick especially since Marquez was the last defender but their was no call.

Ronaldo got a long pass from JS Park and ran on the Barcelona goal and was fouled by Marquez who got a yellow card in the 44th minute resulting in his temporary suspension for next game. At the end of the 1st half Barcelona had 66% possession; by the end of the game possession remained the same. With the high possession that Barcelona enjoyed they should have scored. Some speculate that it was actually Ferguson’s plan to lay back and defend against Barcelona in this game. Barcelona’s lack of goals was largely due to their inability to complete the last pass leading up to a shot. The final score was a tie at 0-0 with both teams wishing they had played better.

Liverpool midfielder John Arne Riise gave Chelsea the advantage in this game with a last minute own goal against Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt scored in the 43rd minute in a scrappy mess that described the entire game. Petr Cech did have to produce multiple fine saves to deny Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. 5 minutes into overtime Salomon Kalou quickly crossed the ball; it bounced into the 6 yard box in front of Riise. Riise had the opportunity to kick the ball but for some absurd reason decided to try to head the ball out, instead it quickly shot past the Liverpool keeper. Riise certainly needed to clear the ball as Drogba was right behind him and certainly would have put it in but his absurd header cost Liverpool dearly. Liverpool had the lead for over 45 minutes and were looking to get away with a game at home without giving out ‘away’ points for Chelsea until the ridiculous clearance. It could cost Liverpool dearly, momentum will certainly be for Chelsea as they are playing at home with the away goal advantage.

Chelsea could be out of the title race as they recently tied Wigan 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. They needed the win to compete with Manchester United for the League Title. Chelsea should have been ahead in the 5th minute when Salomon Kalou crossed the ball to Nicolas Anelka, who headed the ball wide. Minutes later, Essien provided a great through ball to Anelka but Wigan’s keeper Chris Kirkland quickly picked it up. Wigan fired back in the 19th minute with a back heel pass from Palacios Valencia who shot near post; Cech proved that even with his handicap (he received 50 stitches due to a collision with Tal Ben-Haim during practice and wore a protective mask during the game, Cudicini was out with a hamstring injury) he could produce fine saves.

While Chelsea was unimpressive in their game play they still pressured Wigan consistently until in the 55th minute Cole crossed the ball to Anelka who neatly gave it to Essien who capitalized. Cole’s presence was felt the moment he came in at half-time replacing Malouda. Cole almost scored again minutes later but missed by a few inches on a fierce shot. Unfortunately for Chelsea, Emile Heskey volleyed the ball into Chelsea’s goal in the 90th minute leaving them no time for vengeance.

Avram Grant was optimist that multiple wins could give Chelsea the edge. “Pressure can affect anybody. It can take you forward in a positive way but also you can see that even big players under pressure cannot play like they used to. It can be any team, any player. If we win every game I think we will win the title. But it’s not easy to win all the games. I said a week ago I didn’t believe Man United and Arsenal would do it, it’s not easy. I can’t say we are the best in England but I don’t think there is a team stronger than us. I will not say we are the best in the world, even though we want to be, but I can say when we have all our players I don’t see a team stronger than us.”

“I have told the players it has been a very difficult year and I don’t know if other clubs could have done what we have with all the injuries to big players, with the African Cup of Nations and with all the problems we have had. The atmosphere is good and we come to the last stage of the season with a very good opportunity to do the best things - we don’t want to miss it. The players know it’s a big opportunity and if I may say so, we deserve it after what we had this year.”

With only 4 games left, Chelsea now has 75 points to Uniteds 80. Chelsea’s hopes now remain on the game they will play against United Saturday, April 26th. Hypothetically, if Chelsea won they could have 78 points to Uniteds 80; then Chelsea would have to hope that United would lose a game.

• Manchester United’s last 4 games include Chelsea, Blackburn, West Ham, and Wigan.

• Chelsea’s last 4 games include Everton, Manchester United (at Stamford Bridge), Newcastle, and Bolton

Ferguson changed the lineup slightly: Tevez up front; Giggs, Anderson, Carrick and Park in the midfield with Hargreaves playing a defensive midfield role; Silvestre, Pique, Ferdinand, and Brown on defense. The change in lineup was perhaps due to Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Roma last week. Roma’s starting lineup had 4 yellow cards (Mexes, Vucinic, De Rossi, and Cassetti); Totti was still out injured.

Man Utd. were much more active attacking and had multiple good opportunities when Roma’s defense had not gotten back in time. The second leg of the quarter finals tournament began with Manchester United dominating by a slight margin. In the 29th minute De Rossi dashed into Manchesters penalty box and Wes Brown tried to slide kick the ball away from him, though he came close he never touched De Rossi who fell down and earned a penalty kick. De Rossi soared the ball way over the goal demonstrating to all the children in the world how a penalty kick should never be taken. The close call seemed to rattle Uniteds nerves; until the halfway point they were shaky on defense though Roma’s attacks were far from fluid.

In the 68th minute French international Ludovic Giuly came on for Pizarro. Tevez stole the ball from Roma off the throw in, he dribbled halfway down the field and passed the ball off to Hargreaves and then ran into the box. Hargreaves crossed the ball to Tevez who dove low and headed the ball to the far post past Roma’s keeper (69th minute). Ryan Giggs came off for Rooney just a few minutes later, but after the first goal Roma had lost hope and Manchester United had moved on to the Semi-Finals having beaten Roma 3-0 aggregate.

In a thrilling semi-final, 2nd leg game, Liverpool once again showed their composure in European competitions. Liverpool had the initial advantage from last weeks game with Arsenal (1-1) where they earned an away goal. Also, Van Persie was unable to play as he had knee problems from last weeks game; Rafael Benitez surprisingly decided to start Peter Crouch (Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt also started). Arsenal started the game with lightning speed, beautifully constructed passes which threatened Liverpool’s defense. Arsenal’s Abou Diaby scored in the 13th minute with a hard near post shot.
Arsenal continued to dominate the midfield and the game until Gerrard took a corner in the 30th minute; Sami Hyypia lost Senderos, and headed the ball in at the top right of the goal leaving Almunia no chance. The goal seemed to give life back to the Anfield crowd. Crouch threatened to dominate Senderos in the air and Kuyt threatened the Arsenal defenders with his speed. Rafael Benitez’s plan to overwhelm the Arsenal defense with Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt and Crouch was working. Momentum shifted away from Arsenal even more when Mathieu Flamini left the field after an ankle injury.

It had been 1-1 for 38 minutes until Almunia kicked the ball long, the ball bounced over Crouch’s head and fell at Torres’ feet; with two Arsenal defenders on him and more nearby he turned and curled the ball around Almunia and into the top left netting (68th minute). Arsenal was getting desperate when Theo Walcott ran furiously across the entire field dribbling straight by 4 players. He dound himself on the right side of the penalty box with 3 Arsenal strikers in the box, he passed it right into the center and Adebayor neatly put it in (84th minute). 1 minute later Babel was running into the penalty box with a decent chance of scoring; Adebayor and Toure were right behind him, Adebayor jostled to get ahead and jumped behind Babels running feet. He barely touched Babel who lost balance and fell, a penalty was awarded which Gerrard put in. Arsenal, devastated by the penalty and seeming to care very little yet trying to press forward allowed Babel to score a goal in the 90th minute.

Arsenal fans will mourn after this one, Arsenal had the aggregate tied up at (3-3) until Babel fell in the penalty box in the 84th minute. The final aggregate was 5-3.
Rafael Benitez described playing at Anfield, “It is easy to say that you do not have any problems with big crowds in away games of this importance. But when you have to face our fans for 90 minutes on top of you then it is not easy for the majority of players. The difference is the Champions League, it’s knockout now and that is the difference.”

He also stated where he thought Liverpool’s weaknesses against Arsenal lay, “It is about small details. We have conceded twice from set pieces in the previous two games. That is a small thing to some but to us it is a big problem. But we have conceded too many crosses and set pieces. We have analyzed and know we must stop them at source. And we also feel that we should defend with greater intensity in such situations. It is not about zone marking - we need to be more aggressive in such situations. And I always try to support Reina and encourage him to try to go to attack the ball in the air. He is confident and knows he can do that. I have talked with him, and I feel he will be okay for this game.”