SOCCER:ALEX FERGUSON, reflecting on the probability Manchester United will relinquish the Premier League title to Chelsea this weekend, expressed his confidence last night they will come back stronger next season. After three successive titles United are relying on Wigan to pull off an unexpected result at Stamford Bridge tomorrow if the reigning champions are to win the league for a record 19th time.
Chelsea have dropped only five points at home and it was a sombre Ferguson at his press conference yesterday as he identified where the season had gone wrong.
Uppermost in his thoughts was the home defeat against Chelsea, coming in between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich and representing part of “the one bad week that could cost us everything”.
Ferguson also identified the injury-ravaged run of games in winter when Patrice Evra was the club’s only fit defender and, in keeping with a season in which he has seemed permanently in despair at the standard of refereeing, he referred to Martin Atkinson’s display at Chelsea in November, a 1-0 defeat in which United’s players felt the goal originated from a free-kick that should not have been awarded.
“You can agonise whichever way you want but it doesn’t do you any good,” Ferguson said.
“We lost our first away game to Burnley. We didn’t beat Aston Villa home or away. You can go on and on and on. The refereeing decision against Chelsea influenced the destiny of the title. But at the end of the day we’re a point behind Chelsea.”
He described it as “amazing” the team had stayed with Chelsea to the final weekend given 17 of his players have been injured for a month or longer, and he said he was certain they would not lose seven league games again next season.
“Apart from the older players such as (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes and (Gary) Neville – and, of course, this could be their last year coming up as they can’t be guaranteed to carry on much longer – there is a reasonable structure in terms of age.
“Someone pointed out we could play an under-21 team with the Da Silvas (Rafael and Fabio), (Jonny) Evans, (Darron) Gibson, Anderson, (Mame Biram) Diouf, (Daniel) Welbeck, (Federico) Macheda; all these young players. They are the future, and there’s a good foundation there.”
Between them, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez have scored 61 goals for Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively, but Ferguson said the bigger problem had been injuries to key defenders such as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. “When Ferdinand and Vidic are playing every week you see that stability, authority and experience. It’s not been the case this season. Rio’s had only (started) 11 (league) games and the moments of fragility were in that period when we were playing (Darren) Fletcher and (Michael) Carrick in the central defensive positions and lost 3-0 to Fulham.
“That was a bad time for us because we were thinking to ourselves if we don’t get these defenders back quickly it’s going to cost us the league.”
Wigan have taken only 11 away points all season and Ferguson has already described United as “clutching at straws” as they prepare for Stoke City’s visit to Old Trafford. “We have confidence they (Wigan) will do their best,” he added. “I can say that without any fear . . . All we can do is hope.”
Stoke manager Tony Pulis believes United have suffered as a result of losing Ronaldo and Tevez last summer. “I think where United have been a bit unfortunate, with Ronaldo and Tevez leaving, is with goals. And people tend to forget Owen’s got injured as well,” said Pulis.
