Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Arsenal were not strong enough to challenge for title
It's a long, hot Bank Holiday weekend and the pressure levels in the Premier League are rising like the mercury.
Claim: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Arsenal were never going to be strong enough to challenge for the Premier League title Photo: PA
By Henry Winter 10:59PM BST 22 Apr 2011
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Sir Alex Ferguson believes Chelsea are Manchester United's main challengers for the title because they are "stronger" than Arsenal but his message to his players was simple: keep calm and carry on getting results.
His United side are not in the best of form, unlike Saturday's lunchtime visitors Everton, but Ferguson was certainly not feeling the heat. Ten points from five games will guarantee United a record 19th title.
He also argued there were more stressful occupations than management. "I'm sure there are,'' he said, adding that each individual reacted "differently" to life's vicissitudes. "It's about dealing with stress. Sometimes people feel pressure getting an electricity bill.'' Ferguson handles stress well, using it as fuel for his fire.
Touchline bans, refereeing decisions, disappointing results and the sight of late charges like Chelsea's are all kindling to Ferguson. Talking at Carrington with the papers full of Gerard Houllier's hospitalisation, Ferguson sounded more concerned about the ravages of age than the pressures of his profession.
"Some mornings I wake up with aches and pains and I worry what it is,'' said the 69 year-old. "I sometimes say to my doctor: 'I've got a pain here and a pain there.' He says: 'It's your age, you're growing old.' You have to pay attention to your health when you get older. It doesn't come without penalties.
"Modern nutrition and lifestyle mean people live longer but it doesn't guarantee complete health all your life. I had a pacemaker put in seven years ago. That was the first indication that your body is not working the same as 20 years ago.''
Even if the body is slowing, the mind and hunger remain sharp as he hunts trophies. Ferguson can hear the pounding hooves of Carlo Ancelotti's revitalised champions, who have overtaken Arsenal. "I said a few weeks ago that Chelsea would be our main challengers. Now they are above Arsenal.
"I have that slight preference for Chelsea because their fixture list is a wee bit easier but they have to come to Old Trafford and that's not going to be easy for them. Chelsea are far more experienced than Arsenal. Chelsea are a strong team with strong experience. That's the difference between the two teams. Arsenal are the better footballers but Chelsea are the better, stronger team."
Along with Everton, Chelsea are the form team in the Premier League and would have been ahead of United but for a brutal winter. "We all get blips in a season,'' reflected Ferguson. "Chelsea were odds-on at one point for the Premier League and then they hit that blip. But credit to us – we took advantage of that."
United really need to defeat David Moyes's team today to keep resisting Chelsea, who host West Ham early this evening. "Everton have done exceptionally well considering David has had a mountain of injuries in the last few weeks, being without Cahill, Arteta, Saha and Fellaini but still turning out the results," said Ferguson. "David keeps motivating them."
Ferguson himself is a master of the motivational arts. Before kick-off today, he will doubtless remind his players, who looked slightly leggy against Manchester City and Newcastle United, that they have been snubbed for the season's individual honours. So go out and prove a point. Or three.
Gareth Bale collected the PFA award last Sunday and yesterday Scott Parker was named the writers' Footballer of the Year, pipping Bale by two votes. Nemanja Vidic was third while Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van der Sar and Nani also received a few votes.
"Scott Parker has certainly done a good job at West Ham,'' said Ferguson. "He's probably the player who's driven them on, motivated them to be where they are and still with a chance of staying up.
"They've got a mountain to climb – they go to Chelsea. But he's been the driving force in that West Ham team. In a way it's a good thing to recognise the good pros in the game."
Ferguson, though, was building up to his annual mention of David Ginola, a controversial choice as Footballer of the Year in 1999. Even after 12 years, Ferguson has neither forgotten, nor really forgiven.
"I remember when we won the Treble, David Ginola got it. He was a nice player, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against David Ginola at all, but I thought it was an insult to Manchester United. How can we not have had one player who had a better season than David Ginola?"
In truth, they had. More than one. Peter Schmeichel and Roy Keane, among others.
"I suppose at the time you picked David Ginola, we still had four games to go, and may had won nothing,'' he added. But United won the Treble.
Ferguson's players have still been honoured in recent years, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo twice.
Ferguson actually described Parker's prize as "a good step forward". He added: "It's nice to recognise somebody outside of the celebrity clubs in the Premier League, the teams who are getting all the publicity like United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham."
Privately, the feeling within Old Trafford is to let others fight over the individual baubles while United chase the major honours. Their pursuit will be strengthened by Darren Fletcher's return from illness "in 10 days", according to Ferguson. That could mean he is back for United's May 1 trip to Arsenal, a fixture that tends to bring out the spikiest in the combative midfielder.
"In big games, important games, Darren has excelled over the years because he has the knowledge and discipline to carry out a job, whatever I want him to do,'' said Ferguson. "When he does come back, he will go straight into the team."
The pressure will ease slightly when key characters such as Fletcher are back. One pressure seems to be on Ferguson's time. Asked whether he had seen a preview of the BBC's Munich film, to be shown tomorrow, Ferguson countered: "How much time do you think I've got? Newcastle on Tuesday, youth team game on Wednesday and last night I was in my bed! Crikey!"
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