SOCCER/ ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:GLORY CAN look like a beautifully appointed dead end. It truly is a cul-de-sac for many clubs, who then go into reverse to get out.
Alex Ferguson, of course, understands how to keep his team moving onwards no matter how far they have already come. When Manchester United last won the European Cup and Premier League title in the same campaign, the defence of the former trophy got to the quarter-final but they remained champions of England with a rampaging campaign.
There were 97 goals in 2000, 17 more than their admired team piled up in the league last season.
United do not look likely to set new standards for themselves this time around. Once Chelsea had been beaten in Moscow three months ago, Ferguson commented his veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes would have to be utilised more sparingly in future. It will be hard to make the club better. As the line-up alters it will, nonetheless, be intriguing to see more of the potentially devastating Anderson, who at present is busy with Brazil at the Olympics.
This, too, has become an important moment for Wayne Rooney. He is popular with the crowd for his tirelessness as much as talent, but to outsiders a striker who was an explosive device at Euro 2004 can seem to have been defused. No wonder Ferguson has spoken about getting Rooney away from semi-exile in wide midfield. Literally and figuratively, United could do with him at the heart of events.
Whatever is said about the credit crunch, the main challenge is locating someone superior to those already on the books. Others face the same problem. For all Roman Abramovich's billions, Chelsea's reaction to a trophyless season has been restrained.
The arrival of Jose Bosingwa had been anticipated and Deco, who turns 31 this month, is a latecomer to the Premier League. It is hard to tell whether buying Kaka from Milan is a pipedream or a practical objective. There are no quick fixes this year. The new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari must deal with what he has and some of the employees should make him uneasy.
The emphasis on managers is particularly intense this summer, when ready-made solutions are denied them. At Liverpool, Robbie Keane was purchased but the club's owners shrank from the notion of letting Rafael Benitez bring in Gareth Barry for €22 million.
Benitez came close to quitting Liverpool last week after being refused funds to complete the Barry transfer and the fall-out from the saga continued yesterday when Xabi Alonso asked to leave Anfield and Benitez revealed evidence of his strained relationship with the club's chief executive and chief negotiator, Rick Parry.
There is one person who has an aversion to the extravagant areas of the market. Arsene Wenger has the status to insist on a bigger budget at Arsenal but he has never been the type to hold a board to ransom. As usual he will be counting on rapid progress from the fresh faces on the payroll. A gentle opening to the programme works in his favour, but he does not seem to have means to last the pace in the Premier League. The Champions League, may hold more promise.
There can be no argument over the site of the greatest tribulations. West Bromwich, Stoke and Hull entered the top flight together and may keep one another company on the way out of it. Compared to Tony Mowbray, Tony Pulis and Phil Brown, Ferguson's job is a sinecure. All Premier League managers will be instructed to demonstrate their ingenuity, but none more so than those three.
• Guardian Service
