[NoSkillz]

Sat. October 23, 2021

Barclays Premier League
Dover (4-3-1, 15 points, 4th) vs. Manchester United (6-1-1, 19 points, 1st)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 13-2 Draw: 11-4 Manchester United: 2-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 0W 0D 8L

Simply put, we've been Manchester United's BITCH, losing all of our eight matches and we've only scored 3 goals against their 24. We played one *really* good game against them last year at home, where we lost 2-1 but dominated possession and shots so it showed we could hang with them but oddsmakers are giving us NO chance today - 13-2 odds at home? Wow…one of the worst sets of odds I can ever remember for us and we've only lost one game this year.

United are obviously rolling so far and have piled up an astonishing +21 goal differential already in eight league games. They shockingly lost to Fulham 3-2 after drawing Aston Villa in their opener but have since reeled off six consecutive wins in Premier League play. The amazing Yaya Sanogo has FIFTEEN GOALS already this year - that's in 11 matches. We need to stop him…somehow. Our former centre half Cristian Rodriguez is hurt and will miss this game. United will be facing Manchester City in a 4th round League Cup match mid-week but I doubt their focus is on that game.

We'll start a full lineup today but with out of form Giorgos Gesios on the bench. United manager Jurgen Klinsmann came out in the press and said Gesios needed to be stopped so I guess I'm doing the work for him - I've found that Gesios struggles when attention is on him so he'll be on our bench today. I had success in that 2-1 loss last year playing a flat 4-4-2 control mentality so against my better judgement, which would be to stay back and counter, I'm going with a bit more of an offensive approach. We play Liverpool in the League Cup in a few days but I'll be going almost exclusively with a backup squad in that contest.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, P. Tjiuoro, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, A. Rocca, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - S. Andrea, W. Rooney
Bench - J. Kuciak, J. Varga, Mancini, S. Spall, C. Murray, A. Zubizarreta, G. Gesios

They are also in a flat 4-4-2 to start. I'm going all out on Sanogo today - marking him tightly, closing him down, tackling him hard, etc. I also move Rayane Hamon over to his side, as he's faster and more adept at tight marking. I tell the team that despite the odds, they can win this and pull aside Andrea, Rooney and Rocca to tell them I have faith in their abilities.

11' - Play seems relatively even so far. Eden Hazard gets the ball on the edge of the area and rifles a shot right at Wilke and he easily holds on.

19' - Neil Cairney has two shots from distance that just sail over the crossbar. Still no great chances on either side.

22' - Eden Hazard blatantly takes down Salim Loucif and there is no call. Hazard storms all the way down the left side and cuts in toward goal, sending a sharp shot to the far corner. Wilke dives and turns it aside.

25' - We get a glorious chance as Andrea dribbles through the middle of the field into United's area. He sends the ball into the middle and it spits out to Andrea Rocca and he gets a point blank shot on goal that is saved well by United's fine keeper Emiliano Viviano.

28' - We work a counter attack up field and Arsene Bamba dribbles all the way into the United penalty area. He has two defenders draped over him and tries to cross but it hits defender Dedryck Boyata and deflects right to the foot of Rocca. He takes the immediate shot and it's IN THE NET! Rocca's first of the year and we have a LEAD on Manchester United! DOVER GOAL 1-0

30' - United get a free kick just outside our area but Omar Hernandez's cross is headed away to Rooney. He sends a quick pass to Gianluca Bolis and we're working a quick counter. Bolis has way too much speed for their fullback and is able to dribble all the way down the field and into the area. He sends a shot to the far corner but Viviano dives and makes the spectacular save. But there is a rebound and Shanon Andrea is there and puts it into the empty net. IS THIS A DREAM?!?! DOVER GOAL 2-0

35' - Eden Hazard gets a glorious chance on a header from in close but sends it right at Wilke and it's an easy save.

44' - We retain possession after a failed corner kick and Neil Cairney gets off a rocket from the top of the area that Viviano does well to push over the bar.

45'+1 - Rooney gets taken down on a challenge and is hurt. He'll have to come off but the ref blows the whistle for half.

HALFTIME - Possession is 56% in our favour. Shots are 11-7 (6-5 on target) in our favour. We're DOMINATING this game. I hesitate changing tactics but they really started pressing at the end of that half. I will move to a counter attack mentality in the second half. Giorgos Gesios is on for the injured Rooney. I tell the team I'm pleased and pull aside Gesios to tell him I have faith in him. Let's lock it down boys!!!

46' - These United BASTARDS! Now they tackle Shanon Andrea and HE'S HURT. He's able to stay in the game but he has the dreaded cross over his name so he'll likely miss some time.

54' - Sanogo's strike partner Ishak Belfodil gets away from Paulus Tjiuoro and dribbles into the area before sending a shot that Wilke barely pushes behind goal. They get a corner and it's the quiet-until-now Sanogo heading it off the crossbar and out. Whew!

63' - They earn another corner and Hernandez's cross is headed again by Sanogo but the lethal striker makes no mistake this time and it's in the net. Wilke was WAY out of position here, anticipating that the ball would be over his head and essentially, we had an empty net there. Ugh. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 2-1

79' - Geez, Omar Hernandez gets off a piledriver, pivoting from way outside the area and Wilke makes a spectacular effort to dive across and make the save.

80' - Bolis takes a pass from Cairney and cuts into goal before sending a shot that Viviano has to push above the bar.

86' - We get a corner and Rocca goes near post to Andrea but his header is saved by Viviano.

88' - We start milking time. Rocca is out and Mancini is in.

90' - One more change, as Aitor Zubizarreta comes on for Shanon Andrea. Three minutes of injury time. HOLD THEM OFF!!!

90'+3 - They work off a throw in and it's in the middle of the field to Hernandez. He dribbles toward our area and unleashes a blast that JUST curls wide. Oh my God.

OH MY GOD. WE JUST BEAT MANCHESTER UNITED!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dover 2 - 1 Manchester United
Goals - Andrea Rocca (7.9), Shanon Andrea (7.5)
Assists - Gianluca Bolis (7.1), Arsene Bamba (7.0)
Man of the Match - Andrea Rocca
Other Dover Notables - Renato Gaucho (7.0), Ingo Wilke (5.8), Giorgos Gesios (5.5)
Attendance - 14,805 (Sell-Out)

We end the match with a 53% possession edge but they outshot us 18-14 (8-8 on target) as we sat back for the entire second half. This is one of the most important wins in club history, as we finally knock off United! Just a beautiful result and I tell the team as much in the post game team talk. Wilke is rightfully blamed for Sanogo's goal but was excellent otherwise. Giorgos Gesios continues to struggle and I will plan an individual talk to express my dissatisfaction with his game.

-- We get good news and brutal news from our doctors after the game. The good news is that Shanon Andrea suffered only a bruised rib and will miss only about a week of action. The bad news? Wayne Rooney, like our other striker Zoltan Bardi, tears his hamstring and will miss up to three months. Well shit…Rooney was a rock for us this year.

-- A lot of crazy results in other Premier League play, as Chelsea get humbled 4-0 by a very strong Aston Villa club and Liverpool drop a 1-0 decision to Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland and Man City also win so despite our victory, we remain in 4th place on a PACKED Premier League table. I guess it's appropriate to look at the table for the first time this season.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE 29 GAMES REMAINING UNLESS NOTED)

1. Manchester United - 19 points
2. Sunderland - 18 points
3. Aston Villa - 18 points
4. Dover - 18 points
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5. Manchester City - 18 points
6. Arsenal - 17 points
7. Tottenham - 16 points
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8. Middlesbrough - 15 points
9. Huddersfield - 13 points
10. Liverpool - 13 points
11. Chelsea - 13 points
12. Sheffield Wednesday - 13 points
13. Reading - 9 points (31 Games Remaining)
14. Fulham - 8 points
15. Everton - 8 points
16. Newcastle - 7 points (30 Games Remaining)
17. Wolves - 7 points
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18. Blackburn - 6 points
19. Derby - 5 points (30 Games Remaining)
20. Southampton - 4 points



Dover U18 Team Update

-- Our U18's squeak by Southampton 1-0 on a Pete Smith goal.



Bardi Returns!

-- Striker Zoltan Bardi, who has missed the entire season after tearing a hamstring in a match for Hungary, returns to full training! The timing couldn't be better with the long-term injury to Wayne Rooney. Bardi will need weeks to regain match fitness I'm sure but this is a very welcomed addition to the squad!



Next Up

-- We head into the fourth round of the League Cup and host Liverpool at Crabble Athletic Ground.