It’s that time of year again, we’re entering the final stages of the season and Sir Alex is in the thick of another title tussle.
Going into the final stages of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson is in a very familiar position; he’s fighting on three fronts in an attempt to add to his impressive collection of trophies. Manchester United are in pole position to win the Barclays Premier League, they’ve got a semi final tie in the FA Cup against arch-rivals Manchester City and they have a Champions League tie with reigning Premier League champions Chelsea. The most significant part of this potential trophy haul is that if Manchester United were to win the league, they’ll have been the champions of England more times than any other club, they’re currently level on 18 a piece with the old enemy Liverpool Football Club.
Sir Alex Ferguson is going into his umpteenth title fight and will be as hungry as ever to add to his 11 league wins with United. It’s quite phenomenal that when Sir Alex took over in 1986 Manchester United were stuck on seven league wins in their history, 25 years later, they’re one league win away from toppling Liverpool as the top English club. Sir Alex Ferguson’s presence could be absolutely key if Manchester United are to become Premier League Champions this year.
Manchester United are in pole position to win the league, they’re five points clear with eight games to go. Much like Arsenal, Manchester United have some plus points and some negative points in regards to their title push this season. First of all they received a massive boost today, Rio Ferdinand, who was said to be out for the season, could be returning as soon as this weekend, reuniting probably the strongest defensive partnership in the division. One thing that’s consistent with any successful team is having a rock solid defence, with the experience of Rio Ferdinand back in the squad, he could be a key factor if United are to go on and win the title this year.
Another advantage for United is that the squad they’ve got is experienced when it comes to title fights, more often than not in recent years they have come out on top, so this team knows how to win the league as they’ve done it on numerous occasions, one thing you can’t say for their closest challengers, Arsenal. The likes of Rio Ferdinand, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney will know exactly what’s needed of them, and they’ll be able to help the likes of Rafael, Javier Hernandez and Nani when the going gets tough, these are three established players, but players that aren’t used to a title fight.
Manchester United will also be looking to continue their solid away form this season, in 15 games they’ve won 14 and drawn 1, quite incredible. This will give United great confidence when they have to take on the likes of Chelsea and Everton when they come to Old Trafford as the season draws to a close. The one thing that United will be worried about is their away form, in 15 away games they’ve won just 4, if their away form wasn’t as bad as this, they’d be runaway leaders and I wouldn’t even be debating if Arsenal or Chelsea can catch them.
United’s final few away fixtures will put a few doubts into their heads if they can’t raise their game, they have to face three teams in Newcastle, West Ham and Blackburn who could all find themselves in a relegation battle, three teams that will be fighting to get a point from absolutely anywhere, they may have an increased urgency that may not have existed in the middle of the season. West Ham’s form has taken off in recent weeks, and it’s not easy going to the likes of Ewood Park and St. James’ Park and getting a result, it will by no means be a walk in the park. Their biggest game will no doubt be against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on the 1st of May, if Arsenal can get past Liverpool and Tottenham with two good results, this game could very well decide whether the title will go to Manchester or North London this season.
The other problem Manchester United may face is their commitment to two other major trophies; they’ll have to play against Chelsea in the Champions League and Manchester City in the FA Cup. The extra games that the squad will have to play may leave them tired, if they were to get eliminated from these competitions by two of their fiercest rivals it could have a bad affect on team morale, their season might just fall apart. The key part of United’s run in will be the four games in succession involving Newcastle (A) Everton (H) Arsenal (A) and Chelsea (H), dependant on Arsenal’s form, United may have to win all these games, but it would take a phenomenal run of results if Arsenal were to pull off nine straight wins.
Manchester United have a great chance of winning their 19th league title, but it won’t be easy. Their run in isn’t the hardest, but given their poor away form this season, the chance of United dropping points are pretty high. Manchester United will definitely deserve to be champions if they come through this due to the fact that they’ve still got to face Chelsea and Arsenal in the final weeks of the season, I feel that if United can get results against these two teams, they’ll win the title. Do I think they’ll win the title? No, I’m an Arsenal fan, I will always back my team to the bitter end, but I will admit as the weeks go on it is looking more and more likely that Sir Alex Ferguson will win his 12th Premier League trophy, making Manchester United arguably the best English club in history.
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