Alex Ferguson-"Ifear Arsenal in title race"

[Dunny]

Ferguson: I fear Arsenal in title race

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Arsenal pose the greatest threat to Manchester United’s hopes of record fourth successive title

Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent

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Sir Alex Ferguson believes Arsene Wenger's Arsenal will push United close in race for Premier League










div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} Sir Alex Ferguson believes Arsenal pose the greatest threat to Manchester United’s hopes of a record fourth successive Premier League title.
United returned to the top of the Barclays Premier League yesterday with a 3-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford, with Wayne Rooney scoring two goals to take his tally to 32 this season.
Chelsea and Arsenal are only two points behind the champions, but even though the West London club have a game in hand on their rivals, the United manager sees the greater challenge coming from Arsène Wenger’s team. Written off as title contenders a few weeks ago, Arsenal have won their past five league matches and have the gentler-looking run-in.
“We are back in the lead, but Chelsea have a game in hand,” Ferguson said. “It’s also going to be a hard-fought tussle, with Arsenal coming strongly now, and I have a suspicion that they might yet mount the biggest challenge.
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“To a certain extent the title is in our hands because Chelsea have to come to Old Trafford [on April 3] and naturally that will be a massive match, but, as I say, I’m wary of Arsenal if they don’t suffer too many more injuries to key players.”
Asked whether this could prove to be the tightest Premier League title race ever, Ferguson said: “Right now it’s looking like it, I must say. It’s looking very tight. We have only got eight games left, Chelsea have nine games left, so you never know. You have to think about goal difference. We’re four goals ahead of Chelsea. I wish it was 14, but at least it’s something in our favour.
“I suppose the simple way for us and Chelsea to look at it is just to win all our games. But life is never that simple.”
Rooney’s two goals were followed by a late effort from Dimitar Berbatov, who declared that his strike partner was, on present form, the best player in the world.“He is still so young, so he has plenty of chance to become even greater,” Berbatov said. “I think he will have scored over 40 goals by the time the season finishes.”
The Bulgaria striker also backed United to leave their title rivals from London trailing in their wake.
“There can only be one winner in the title race and I think it is going to be us,” he said.
“Arsenal and Chelsea are great teams and we have difficult games ahead, but the good thing is we play at home against Chelsea and that will be an advantage for us. I am optimistic that in the end we will be champions.”

[Shola]

Bargain buy

[Lazie]

Bargain buy

Who scored the winner against Liverpool?

[Assasin]

He hasn't played a bad game in a month. I tell you that when he comes back from injury, like Bibi he takes 5-6 games to be effective.

I also said he is the main reason Carlos Tevez was not kept.

[Shola]

i said it was a bargain

[Dunny]

Arsenal plan all-out attack in search of improbable Premier League title

Six down, seven to go – and, with each passing week, the debate moves beyond whether Arsenal are capable of winning the Premier League to just where it would rank among Arsene Wenger’s greatest achievements.



By Jeremy Wilson
Published: 6:00AM GMT 22 Mar 2010

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Cesc appeal: Cesc Fabregas says Arsenal must concentrate on winning every league match rather than looking to their clashes against Barcelona Photo: EPA


On target: Denilson opened the scoring for Arsenal at the Emirates Photo: GETTY IMAGES


One commentator on Saturday christened Wenger’s 2010 vintage as ‘The Improbables’ and, taking into account their collective youth, breaking the recent Manchester United/Chelsea hegemony would surely be a feat to stand comparison with ‘The Invincibles’ of 2004.

Arsenal, after all, were rated 20-1 outsiders for the title when they began the year with comprehensive and consecutive losses against their two main rivals. Six weeks and 18 points later, they find themselves almost halfway to producing the needed flawless finale.

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Yet, given the four defeats and a 10-2 aggregate deficit this season against Manchester United and Chelsea, would they really be worthy champions?

“It's a point of view but, I tell you, I would still take the title,” said Wenger. “Ideally, you would want to win all 38 games and then everyone would say: 'they deserve it'. But you never have the perfect run-in. The league table is the real test of quality for me.

“When you lose against one of the main contenders so convincingly nobody takes you seriously after that but we are in a position where we can show to people that we have improved and matured.”

Wenger senses that a fourth league title would be his should Arsenal win their remaining seven matches and, with the momentum mounting, he feels that his players are being helped by the simplicity of the challenge.

“What is good is that we cannot even calculate,” said Wenger. “We absolutely have to win all of our games. If it's 0-0 with 10 minutes to go, we have to throw all the strikers on and keep pushing for the win. I believe we can go and win the next games; we have that kind of attitude.”

That kind of attitude was certainly evident on Saturday when, despite playing with 10 men for more than half the match, Arsenal never compromised on their passing principles and never stopped taking the game to West Ham.

It was enough for Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, to conclude that Arsenal are playing the best football just now in England. It was also enough for Arsenal to win 2-0, even after Thomas Vermaelen was sent off for placing a hand on Guillermo Franco that caused only the minimum of impediment.

The suspension of Vermaelen against Birmingham City next Saturday leaves Wenger with a considerable dilemma given that his team will face Barcelona three days later and Sol Campbell would struggle to play both matches.
With William Gallas injured, the only other options are Mikael Silvestre and Alex Song, who filled in admirably alongside Campbell on Saturday.

On a more positive note, Robin van Persie should return to training this week, raising the prospect of his availability from the end of April for the concluding stages of the season.

Before that, there is the looming Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona when the sub-plots of Thierry Henry’s ‘homecoming’ and Cesc Fabregas’s return to the Nou Camp will dominate. Fabregas stressed the need to focus only on Arsenal’s next match at Birmingham, yet his excitement at the chance to face the club he left at the age of just 16 was only partially concealed.

“We are going to play against the best team in Europe, probably in the world,” he said. “Barcelona is a great team but we always go with the same mentality and that is to win. I have always said if I don't believe I can win something, I wouldn't play football.”

Fabregas also declared himself fully recovered from his hamstring strain, scoring a late penalty on Saturday for his 18th goal of the season after Denilson had given Arsenal the lead.

For West Ham, the game hinged on Manuel Almunia’s penalty save from Alessandro Diamanti. “We lost our composure and became impatient,” said Zola, who also found himself defending the fitness – and weight – of Mido.
“He has always been like that,” said Zola. “I have asked him the same question but his weight is the same as a few years ago.”

[Jangle]

Looking at the run-in, Arsenal still have some very tricky games to navigate. The two weakest teams that they have are Wolves and Wigan. Birminham, ManCity, Blackburn, Fulham and Tottenham can all beat them. They WILL lose points. Portsmouth and Aston Villa will give Chel$ki some serious problems this week. Portsmouth because of Avram Grant and ASton Villa is not a team to take lightly.

[Dunny]

Looking at the run-in, Arsenal still have some very tricky games to navigate. The two weakest teams that they have are Wolves and Wigan. Birminham, ManCity, Blackburn, Fulham and Tottenham can all beat them. They WILL lose points. Portsmouth and Aston Villa will give Chel$ki some serious problems this week. Portsmouth because of Avram Grant and ASton Villa is not a team to take lightly.

You can always look at it to suit you Jangle,me notice you haven't mentioned Man U's tricky games or do you think they are imune to dropping points.It look like you didn't realize that Torres let you off the hook yesterday and the same with Wolves when Vokes missed a sitter in the last minute!!

[Jangle]

hehe....I have an unwaivering confidence in the Empire. The thing that seperates the Empire from the Gummers is the hard-core steel that runs through our players. We never get panicky when our backs are against the wall because we believe in ourselves. Each of our players put the club above himself because he knows that winning a title is the most important achievement. Even Ronaldo, who most considerd the vainest person on the team, knew this. No other team has that mantra and that's the difference.

[Dunny]

hehe....I have an unwaivering confidence in the Empire. The thing that seperates the Empire from the Gummers is the hard-core steel that runs through our players. We never get panicky when our backs are against the wall because we believe in ourselves. Each of our players put the club above himself because he knows that winning a title is the most important achievement. Even Ronaldo, who most considerd the vainest person on the team, knew this. No other team has that mantra and that's the difference.

OK sir me hear you.