Ferguson tips top four to stay same
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WITH one team already dismissed as cheeky upstarts, Sir Alex Ferguson is winding up for another memorable season.
"That's City innit - a small club with a small mentality," he spluttered, unable to disguise his contempt for the other half.
Manchester United's manager put City in their place, cuffed aside in classic Fergie fashion in response to the controversial billboard of Carlos Tevez.
The former United striker was sent down the road with a flea in his ear. Others will soon be in the firing line.
At 67, Ferguson shows no sign of slowing down, emerging from his summer bolthole in the south of France to choose his targets carefully. After City, he will pick them off one by one.
He is already eyeballing Rafa Benitez, aware that Liverpool have re-armed and are ready to renew hostilities.
"I don't have an issue with Benitez," claimed Fergie, a glint in his eye as he contemplated taking him out before the season has even started.
He is keeping his powder dry, waiting for the post-Ronaldo era to kick in before taking pot-shots.
There is such needle between two fierce competitors, already fired up as they consider what is at stake for the biggest clubs in English football.
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Fergie has given up on Arsene Wenger, no longer considered a rival in the title race after breaking up the Invincibles of 2004. It is only a matter of time before Carlo Ancelotti gets up his nose, though Chelsea's latest manager is keeping quiet for now as he settles in to Stamford Bridge.
There will be the traditional old pals' act for Blackburn's Sam Allardyce, Tottenham's Harry Redknapp and Hull's Phil Brown, ushered into the manager's at Old Trafford office for a glass of red after another United victory. That will be easy street for Ferguson's team. But the black hole of Barcelona remains off limits, still unbearable for the most successful manager in United's history.
Images of Lionel Messi's outrageous header in Rome are traded off by the celebrations that followed another Premier League title.
That was three in a row. Now they want a record fourth and a momentous 19th league title.
Ferguson makes no bones about the significance of winning the Premier League again this season, the chance to topple Liverpool once and for all. It means that much to Ferguson.
His players know the importance, already instructed that the Premier League is the priority under pressure from a resurgent Liverpool.
To do it they will alter their attacking philosophy, encouraging United's midfielders to provide the goals that will bring the team more glory.
They will miss that bantam Ronaldo, the World Player of the Year with the Wow Factor whenever the ball was at his feet. Preening and posturing is a thing of the past for United, with a workmanlike ethic being introduced to Fergie's Fifth Generation side.
They will miss that sprinkling of stardust out on the wing, the destructive element capable of the most outrageous match-winning moments. Never loved, much admired.
Instead they worshipped Tevez, draped in an Argentinian flag as United celebrated their third successive league title after a 0-0 draw against Arsenal.
Tevez was in tune with the supporters on the terraces, sucked into the Stretford End by his sheer endeavour and enthusiasm.
It was never the same for Ronaldo, boldly announcing to TV cameras that "the end of the season is Cristiano time" as he walked off the field following their 2-1 victory at Wigan.
Now the towering figure of Ronaldo, the flat-track bully who lost the fire in his belly at the Champions League final, is a footnote in United's history.
The showboating will stop and the United roadshow rolls on.
Ferguson will turn to Wayne Rooney, thrust up front after a season isolated on the left wing, to carry them over the finishing line.
Rooney scored 17 times last season, a decent return from a player teasing his way in from the touchline.
There will be added responsibility in the role he craves, drawing the best out of Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov and Federico Macheda.
Ferguson's 4-4-2 formation, a noticeable departure from recent seasons, was tested on the pre-season tour of Asia, designed with Owen's goalscoring instincts in mind.
He wants his new-look team to attack from the wings, to provide ammunition in the same way as Kaka once routinely crossed for the onrushing figure of Andriy Shevchenko at AC Milan.
They will provide the crosses and Anderson, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs will provide the shield in the centre of midfield.
Anderson, exceptional in both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, yet a massive disappointment in the final, has yet to score in a competitive match for United. That needs to be addressed, as does the reluctance of Carrick to take games by the scruff of the neck.
Giggs, the PFA Player of the Year, and Scholes show no sign of slowing.
Undoubtedly United will play a more patient game this season, unlikely to match the 119 goals racked up by one of the most flexible teams in recent memory.
Defensively they remain solid, with Edwin van der Sar - "one of the best keepers the game has ever seen," according to Ferguson - still a commanding presence.
Rio Ferdinand's reading of the game is unrivalled and Nemanja Vidic still one of the most formidable defenders in the Premier League.
It will be tight, but defeat in the Champions League final last May should not overshadow this team's achievements. After all, they are still world champions.
BIG HOPE: To cope with the loss of world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo and secure a fourth consecutive Premier League title, which would be a record AND put them one clear of the joint record of 18 league titles they currently share with their bitter rivals Liverpool. Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney will have to really shine.
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oo even the second team looks decent. cool!
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Sir Alex Ferguson has once again defended his decision not to make any major moves in the transfer market this summer, and insisted it had nothing to do with Manchester United's debts.
Despite receiving a world record £80m for the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Ferguson has restricted his outgoings to £17m on Wigan's Antonio Valencia and another £3m to recruit Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux. Ferguson's only other signings so far have been Michael Owen, on a free transfer, and the 21-year-old Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf.
"Pay no attention to the cynics who have suggested our owners have stopped us spending," Ferguson told United Review. "Believe me, it was purely a football decision.
"Maybe it is the Scotsman in me but I believe in value, even when I am spending someone else's money, and the asking price for players we were looking at just wasn't realistic."
Indeed, Ferguson has been happy to let Real Madrid and Manchester City fuel the "inflationary spiral" in the transfer market because he feels the squad at his disposal is good enough to challenge on all fronts.
"What you must remember is that we are working from a position of strength," said Ferguson. "We don't suddenly have to splash out to try to compete at the top."
And, while Ferguson has already admitted Ronaldo will be a "massive loss", he denies the argument that United cannot prosper without the world player of the year. "We were never a one-man team," he said. "We have other players who will rise to the occasion and fill the gap, of that I am sure."
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Sir Alex Ferguson believes that, for all the money Manchester City have spent, the top four are likely to remain unchanged this season.
He feels his Manchester United side, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will again be fighting it out at the top of the table in the new Premier League campaign.
Ferguson, who is preparing to face Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, said: "It is difficult for any side to break into the top four with the consistency and the quality of the teams.
"Over the last few years those teams have competed for the semi-finals and finals of European Cups. It is great consistency and a great level of performance.
"I think everyone in Europe recognises the league in England is strong, although some people are talking about Real Madrid and Barcelona starting to dominate again. I have my doubts about that."
City have raised the bar in the transfer market by buying Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry.
Ferguson added: "Ourselves, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal are looking at what is happening there with great interest in how it will pan out.
"You look at the money that has been spent - every week City are on the back pages.
"None of us have gone into the market in a big way. In fact we sold players. It has been really quiet with the big four."
Ferguson will be without three key defenders against Chelsea and confirmed that Nemanja Vidic will miss the start of the season with a calf injury.
Wes Brown and Gary Neville are also unavailable.