"Pulis up for United test"

M13

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Stoke boss Tony Pulis admits this weekend's trip to Old Trafford to tackle Manchester United will pose the greatest challenge to his side.

The Potters have confounded the critics so far this season by taking four points off Arsenal and Liverpool in their debut campaign in the Premier League.

Pulis is relishing pitting his wits against the reigning champions and he insists his whole squad are excited about the game.

"The players will be so up for it it will be frightening, but we have got to enjoy it as well," Pulis told Sky Sports News.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4494582,00.html

I guess that's Stoke shutting up shop on the edge of the box then...

What's with teams playing against us and making more of a deal of it than Chelsea/Arsenal/Liverpool? Yes we're Manchester United, European and English Champions, but every game should be as important as the rest.

Does it give Chelsea, as our closest title rivals, an unfair advantage?
 

Solius

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This is the burden that comes with being Champions of England and Europe. Teams will fear you and on most occasions park the bus. It's up to us to prove we are the best team in the world and break them down every time a team tries it.
 

Sarni

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They are as motivated when they play any of top 4, beyond that they may not be but within top 4 every team is the one to beat.
 

VP

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Sarni said:
They are as motivated when they play any of top 4, beyond that they may not be but within top 4 every team is the one to beat.
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Nah nicking a win against the other 3 just isn't the same as beating the famous Man Utd.
 

Makki

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Well, if they park the bus in their penalty box they can't get any offensive throw ins for Delap, so that's all good. We should be able to break them down over 90 minutes with Carrick back in the team and Ronaldo, Berba, Rooney/Tevez
 

Brwned

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Sarni said:
They are as motivated when they play any of top 4, beyond that they may not be but within top 4 every team is the one to beat.
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Definitely.

Yet you read bollocks no here all the time that teams roll over for Chelsea and then play at their best against us, because they're trying far harder, obviously.
 

M13

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Sarni said:
They are as motivated when they play any of top 4, beyond that they may not be but within top 4 every team is the one to beat.
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Can you really say that when their manager is saying "The players will be so up for it it will be frightening"? As far as I'm aware, there was no mention of that vs. Chelsea.
 

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You ask any of the Stoke players if they could choose to beat only 1 top 4 team away from home and all of them will tell you United at OT.
 

M13

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Nobody questioned that: what I was trying to question was why a team would actively try harder against United than another team, when that team should be playing to the best of their ability every week.
 

cj_sparky

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Hull City have really refreshed my admiration for side that come up, they play with no fear and don't park the bus. Whilst they might not be equal in skill, they make up for it with an amazing work rate and force mistakes.

As for Stoke, if we can keep to not conceeding too many throw ins in our final third then I don't feel they'll pose any opposition.

It is just up to us to take our chances and we will batter them, if we don't then they could nick a point.
 

Chapster

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our finishing just has to be spot on against them

does that mean against stoke you are better off conceding corners than throwins?
 

cj_sparky

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Well I know they have scored a few from Delap's long throws, so they have got to be pretty decent in the air when it comes to corners I'd reckon.
 

Sarni

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M13_RED said:
Can you really say that when their manager is saying "The players will be so up for it it will be frightening"? As far as I'm aware, there was no mention of that vs. Chelsea.
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Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't. We wouldn't have really noticed if it hadn't concerned us. Nevertheless they're up for every game against top 4 because beating top 4 is special for a team outside top 4, every single time.

You usually see teams like Stoke playing out of their skin against top 4 opposition, unless they concede a quick goal and then lose all their hope. It's really a 1-goal game against them when there's a top 4 opposition.

Well, they were up for it enough at Anfield to nick a point and they hardly rolled over for Arsenal, who they beat 2-1. Hull didn't roll over fr Arsenal either.
 
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