Ready For Chelsea

United's defeat at Arsenal last weekend has opened the door for the defending champions who appeared to be out of the title race just a few weeks ago. The Reds still hold their destiny in their own hands and know victory on Sunday will all but guarantee a record 19th championship crown.

"Everyone's aware of the magnitude of Sunday's game and it's one we're looking forward to," Sir Alex told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

"Last Sunday's result has certainly brought an awareness to us of how important this game is and I think it's one of the reasons I had to pick the team I did on Wednesday. It's given us a fresh team for Sunday. It should be a fantastic match and if we win, we should win the league."

The Reds possess one of the best home records in Europe having dropped just two points all season in the league. And the boss is hoping his team can produce can another match-winning display against Ancelotti's men.

"Our home form is a big advantage. That's the reason we're there [on top]," said Sir Alex. "It's probably the best in Europe. Some of our performances at home have been absolutely terrific. Hopefully we get the result we want."

@Manutd.com

Ferguson:We Were Battered In The First Half

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the work of Charlie Adam after Manchester United came from behind to beat Blackpool 3-2 at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.

The United manager paid tribute to his fellow Scot, whose future has been the subject of much media debate.
Speaking to ESPN, Ferguson was honest in his appraisal of his team’s first half display.
“The first half we were battered, and we couldn't handle Charlie Adam, his corner kicks are worth £10m,” he said.
United trailed 2-0 at the break and Ferguson made changes to his side which altered the course of the game.
The experienced boss brought on Ryan Giggs for the ineffectual Darron Gibson and later replaced Wayne Rooney with Javier Hernandez. It was this substitution that kickstarted the red revival.
Ferguson added: “We changed it at half-time, brought on Ryan Giggs, started to penetrate and, in the end, ran out deserved winners. The team kept going, playing their football, penetrating, and they got their reward for that.”
Ferguson, whose team are now five points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier league and remain unbeaten, reserved special praise for his young Mexican forward.
He continued: “His [Javier Hernandez's] pace and timing of the runs are fantastic. He is so good at the end, [he] could have scored four goals. He has made a tremendous impact.”

It Was A Kick In The Teeth At St Andrew's

The league leaders make a swift return to the Birmingham area this Saturday - New Year’s Day - when Sir Alex Ferguson’s men will visit West Bromwich Albion. Rio no doubt speaks for the squad when he hopes for a better outcome than Tuesday night and, indeed, than in the last meeting with the Baggies – 2-2 at Old Trafford in October.

“We should have got the three points at Birmingham but we'll be looking to the next game to make things right,” 

“I thought, on the whole, we deserved to win at St Andrew's. After battling with Birmingham in the first half, we started the second half quite brightly. We passed the ball about and got our noses in front with a great goal from Berba.

“But you want to shut games out like that and we didn't manage to do it. It was a kick in the teeth to concede the equaliser so late on.”

While dismayed by the modus operandi for Birmingham’s last-gasp leveller – “he (Nikola Zigic, the goal’s creator) even said at the end of the game he handled the ball” – Ferdinand respects the way United’s opponents approached the contest.

“They get right into you as you expect, understand and appreciate when you go to places like Birmingham and, of course, their fans get up for it," said Rio.

“It's what makes the Premier League such a great league to play in. You get a different set of tasks in front of you each week and you have to deal with them.”

The Reds must now deal with a wounded animal in West Brom – the Baggies lost both their Christmas matches, 0-2 at Bolton where they were arguably the better side and 1-3 at home to Blackburn. Victory for United at The Hawthorns seems almost vital as the title race continues to twist and turn with Manchester City and Arsenal now serious contenders, while Spurs have climbed above Chelsea into fourth spot.

“It's open for four or five teams to go and take it,” acknowledged Ferdinand. “We want to be the team that does just that.”

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Reds Eye Christmas No.1

Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to stress the importance of Monday night's 1-0 victory over Arsenal, as the Reds moved two points clear of the chasing pack with a game in hand.

United always aim to be top of the charts at Christmas and the Reds boss labelled next Sunday's visit to Stamford Bridge to take on ailing Chelsea as "massive", "a big, big game for United". But first, the Reds had to get past the Gunners.
"These games are important," stressed the boss. "Arsenal were top of the league and we were in third, so it was an important result for us.
"The game-plan was to stifle the midfield and to make sure we got possession of the ball in there. We did that well in the first half. We played very well and maybe we should have been further in front.
"In fairness, with the goal we did score, we deserved that. In the second half we had some great opportunities on the counter-attack, we were disappointed [not to make more of that]. Arsenal had more of the game in the second half without actually making many chances."
Ji-sung Park's looping head just before half time ensured a lead United's play had warranted. The Reds could have extended the advantage playing on the counterattack in the second 45 minutes when Nani won a penalty for Gael Clichy's handball. However, Rooney blasted the spot-kick over the bar.
"I'm surprised," said the boss. "He usually gets his shots on target. It was the complete opposite to the one he scored against Rangers, which was
low, hard and in the corner. Tonight he ballooned it over the bar.

"You always worry at 1-0. It's not a great score in a game like this. It only takes a second to lose one. But I thought our back four were fantastic. They were absolutely brilliant.
"[Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic] were tremendous. That gives you a great foundation, and 1-0 victories can win you the league. If my back four keep that foundation of not conceding any goals it gives us a really good chance."
They will need to be at their miserly best again next weekend. "It's a massive game now," added the boss. "That will go a long way to establishing the top of the league. It's a big, big game for United."

Vital Park

United-Arsenal:More Respect Now

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is desperate to be fit enough for the clash against Arsenal, so as to help his side register a victory over old foes that, he says, they have now come to respect.

The 31-year-old centre-half is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and is a doubt for the encounter, though there have been encouraging words from manager Sir Alex Ferguson that the defender will be back in time for Monday night's game.
And Ferdinand, for his part, wants to put pressure on the north London club by beating them, with inspiration coming in the form of United's defeat to the Gunners in the 2005 FA Cup final.
Ironically, that was the last trophy that Arsene Wenger's side won, as they have since gone without silverware in the past five years.
"The 2005 FA Cup final, when we battered them but lost on penalties, was one of the worst moments of my career," Ferdinand told The Telegraph.

"But then we have had some very good times against them. They have had us when we would have beaten anyone in the world, like in the 2008 Champions League semi-final [when United beat Barcelona].
"There used to be a genuine rivalry bordering on dislike between us. You saw that when we had a couple of fracas in the tunnel. Now it is more respect."
But looking beyond the game against the Gunners, Ferdinand insisted that he would like to remain at Old Trafford for the remainder of his career.
"I want to finish my career at United," he said. "I have two years on my contract, and if the manager sees that I am fit enough, a four year deal at that age would be great."
After missing the start of the season due to a knee injury that he suffered on the eve of the World Cup finals in South Africa, subsequently ruling the England captain out of the tournament, Ferdinand's return to fitness has seen him rocket up the Castrol Rankings. The centre-back is now rated as the 94th most influential player in Europe's top five leagues.

A Good Weekend

United leapfrogged Arsenal and moved level on points with Chelsea on the top of the table.

Seeking Ruthlessness

United fans got their money’s worth in terms of tension and entertainment in the first few weeks of the season, didn’t they?
Aye, but they shouldn’t have had the drama at Everton or Fulham. At Craven Cottage we missed a penalty kick with three minutes to go, which would have made it 3-1 and put the game out of sight. We threw points away there. And then it was even worse at Everton, where we threw away two goals in injury time. That’s unthinkable.
Losing late goals isn’t something you associate with the Reds. Was it as baffling for you as it was for the supporters?
It’s not like us to concede goals like that. This team doesn’t kill sides off as well as they should – that’s an area where I'd like to see an improvement. At Goodison we had three or four chances at 3-1 to put the game out of sight, but we were wasteful and paid the price. That killer instinct just isn’t there at the moment and it’s something we need to develop. That said, we haven’t had a problem scoring goals – we got three against Liverpool, Everton and West Ham, two at Fulham, three in the Community Shield; we don’t have difficulty finding the net. What we’re not doing, though, is killing teams off.
How do you address that?
The lessons learned are always important and I have no doubt the players have taken these setbacks on board. They suffer just as much – if not more – than the rest of us. They’re the ones throwing the points away and they’re the ones who know fine well that they’re good enough to win this league. So they don’t want to let themselves down. During the match, those on the sidelines – the fans, myself and my staff –perhaps feel the frustration more, but after the game, and for the next day or two, it’s the players who continue to hurt. They don’t like feeling that way, so they’ll take steps to ensure they don’t keep making the same mistakes. All the very best professionals, in any sport in the world, need two things – consistency and concentration. Those attributes are vital to success.

Have we already reached a stage where we can’t afford to drop any more points?
No, no, no. Every team is going to drop points – that’s inevitable. If you look at Chelsea’s start to the season, you’d have expected them to have won all those games, so the position they’re in doesn’t surprise me. Meanwhile, we’ve had tricky trips to Fulham and Everton then played Liverpool at home. Those are difficult matches. Liverpool, Arsenal and ourselves have all played top sides early on – Chelsea’s sterner tests are still to come.
Antonio Valencia suffered a bad injury against Rangers. How do we compensate for his absence from the side?
It’s a loss to lose any player but Antonio was probably the most improved squad member over the last 12 months, so it was a big blow. The development we saw from when he signed for us to the present day has been amazing. We thought it would take a couple of years for him to reach this level, but he took to the challenge like a duck to water. However, we’ve got a strong squad and we’ll cope. It’s up to Nani now to play his part, and he has done superbly this season, so he’ll offer us width. Then there’s also Gabriel Obertan and the boy Bebe, who’s training very well. We’re not too bad – we’ve got options.
Do you learn as much about a player on a cold night in Scunthorpe as you do when they play at Old Trafford against Liverpool?
Absolutely. In the last few years we’ve done really well in the Carling Cup. But it’s not only the fact that we’ve had success. We’ve been to Scunthorpe this season and we went to Barnsley last year, and it’s in those sorts of environments you learn about your squad. We fielded a lot of young players in the Carling Cup last time out, and they acquitted themselves admirably. The competition has served us well; it allows me to keep everybody happy in terms of giving them games and we’ve reached the last two finals, which has its obvious advantages. Playing at Wembley and competing on the big stage is terrific for player development.
You can’t beat the experience of winning trophies, can you?
No, you can’t, but going out in the early rounds – like we did against Coventry and Southend a few years ago – are also good experiences. We always prefer to win, but I remember when Coventry came to Old Trafford and beat us in 2007. Our lads simply forgot it was a cup tie and the penalty for a poor performance was getting knocked out. Coventry were very hungry and you have to say they deserved to win. That was a big lesson and it helps us now.

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