Back on track

Watch out for Manchester United, warns Giggs

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Ryan Giggs has warned Manchester United's Premier League rivals to expect plenty of goals after its attack finally clicked in the 5-2 Champions League defeat of Maccabi Haifa.

United had scored just twice in their previous four games before demolishing the Israeli side at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

"It just happens," Giggs told reporters. "Sometimes goal scorers don't score and it was even more pleasing that all five goals on Wednesday had different scorers.

"There are so many goals in the team. A lot of focus had been on Ruud (van Nistelrooy) and Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) because they are the scorers, but you never lose it and I'm sure there's more to come."

Just as important as the confidence boost for their forwards was a win for United who have made their worst start since the Premier League was introduced in 1992.

"It was very a important result," Giggs added. "Our last couple of games have brought us two defeats so it was nice to win. We needed it. We played some good football as well.

"There actually hasn't been that much of a problem with the way we are playing. You just associate Manchester United with scoring a lot of goals and we haven't been doing that lately."

Giggs admitted that Haifa did catch United by surprise by scoring the game's first goal through Yavin Katan in the eighth minute.

"It was a shock to go one-nil down, so to come back so well and score so many goals was pleasing," he said. "We expected them to be more defensive and credit to them, they created a few chances and got that goal.

"That was probably their plan -- and it worked perfectly. We were lucky when we got the goals, because I got one straight after they scored and the third goal really killed them off straight after half-time."

United finished the night with a boost as Diego Forlan scored his first goal since joining the club in January by converting a late penalty.

"There was a lot of pressure on him," Giggs added. "He hadn't scored and the crowd were shouting for him to take it and that can put pressure on you. The fans realize he has been trying.

"If you are willing and try they want you to succeed. He can shoot with both feet and now he needs to go on and score more goals."

Houllier vows to protect misfiring Owen

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier is planning to rest striker Michael Owen at intervals throughout the season to avoid him suffering a serious injury.

The England forward has scored just one goal this season -- a penalty against Newcastle -- and he has started the last two matches on the bench.

Houllier has pledged to continue protecting the 22-year-old and give him a chance to recover from his exertions at the World Cup finals in June.

"I will rest him whenever I get chance because if we don't we run the risk of losing him for three or four months," the Frenchman was quoted as saying in the British press Thursday.

"The strikers who went to the World Cup are not as fresh as I imagined they would be, whether that be Michael, Emile Heskey or El Hadji Diouf.

"But I'd be happy if Michael played 70 percent of the games this year. If he did, I know we'd be successful."

Houllier insisted the decision to drop Owen to the substitutes' bench every so often will prove to be good for him in the long-term.

The Frenchman added: "I've talked to him about it and he only has to look back at his own experiences to understand my thinking.

"I'm managing a player, a person, but he needs me because I'm backing him 100 percent.

"He knows I will play him but at the same time we have to be careful. There's a split second of sharpness that's been lacking."

Man obsessed

Since the end of last season, Owen has managed just one goal from open play in his last 10 matches for Liverpool and Houllier believes the drought was starting to affect him.

He said: "I'm hoping the rest will have taken a bit of the pressure off him. He was coming off after every game stressed about not having scored.

"He was becoming more or less obsessed with scoring a goal -- you could see the relief on his face when the penalty went in -- and it wasn't doing him any good.

"I don't think he's a lad who particularly lacks confidence, though when you miss chances it does affect you.

"Michael should be the league's top scorer at the moment and was unlucky not to score more against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Birmingham.

"When the goals do come I'm sure there'll be goals galore but at the moment he doesn't appear to have the freshness."

Owen is expected to be restored to the starting line-up for Saturday's league match against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.

 

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