Sparx
14-02-2007, 12:29 PM
Six points clear in the Premiership and in the last 16 of the FA Cup and Champions League, it's an exciting time for Sir Alex Ferguson. And the United boss is both confident and excited about the crucial months ahead...
How do you view the title race as it currently stands?
We’re in a good position. We got an important away match out of the way against Tottenham, and there are six more toughies to come. I don’t think you can say any one match is harder than the other. You have to view them all as challenges for us to overcome. There are the two big ones against Liverpool and Chelsea, but the ones against Fulham, Portsmouth, Everton and Manchester City will all be hard. Our destiny lies in those away matches.
What do you think of the remaining home games?
Hopefully we can navigate them, but there are two local Derbies in there against Blackburn and Bolton. You can never take them for granted, but what encourages me whether we are playing at home or away is the form of the team. The players are enjoying their football and playing without any nerves, which is great to see. That is helped by our experienced players, like Larsson, Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Solskjaer.
How valuable do you think the senior lads will be in the title run-in?
I think they are the most important part because they have been there and done it all before. The form of the team as a whole is important, of course. But it doesn’t matter what kind of games you have got, experience can help you through the difficult parts. The senior players will help everyone around them.
Wayne Rooney seems to be coming into form...
If Wayne goes reaches the kind of form that he achieved this time last year, we have got an even better chance. He was devastating last year. There are glimpses of that coming back now. Scoring against Arsenal, his double against Portsmouth and another one against Watford – these are all signs that he is getting back. Against Tottenham he had three or four chances at goal and played a good part until he got his injury. Added to Wayne coming into form, we have other additions like Ji-sung Park and Louis Saha coming back from injuries, so we’re strong in terms of the squad.
Rio played his 200th United game against Charlton. Are you pleased with him this term?
Rio has been great for us and is improving all the time. He is getting consistency and concentration in his game. Maybe as a younger lad he was a bit casual and easy-going and relied on his pace and balance to get him out of situations. In terms of the variety of his attributes you would have to say Rio is one of the most complete defenders around; good balance, electric pace, great technique, he’s 6ft 4in… he has everything you'd ask for in a central defender. We hope Rio and Vidic can be a defensive foundation for years to come.
The team is challenging on three fronts – are you excited about the coming months?
We are very excited about it. This is what we have worked for all season, but we need to stay in the melting pot right until the very end. The squad is strong enough and good enough to last the distance. In the league we have to look after ourselves, we shouldn’t be concentrating on our rivals. Let’s do our job first. We need nerve and consistency, and then we have a chance. In the Champions League we have a tough fixture against Lille. They are an aggressive, physical team and they will make it difficult for us. You have to enjoy all these challenges thrown at us, that’s what football is all about.
How do you view the title race as it currently stands?
We’re in a good position. We got an important away match out of the way against Tottenham, and there are six more toughies to come. I don’t think you can say any one match is harder than the other. You have to view them all as challenges for us to overcome. There are the two big ones against Liverpool and Chelsea, but the ones against Fulham, Portsmouth, Everton and Manchester City will all be hard. Our destiny lies in those away matches.
What do you think of the remaining home games?
Hopefully we can navigate them, but there are two local Derbies in there against Blackburn and Bolton. You can never take them for granted, but what encourages me whether we are playing at home or away is the form of the team. The players are enjoying their football and playing without any nerves, which is great to see. That is helped by our experienced players, like Larsson, Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Solskjaer.
How valuable do you think the senior lads will be in the title run-in?
I think they are the most important part because they have been there and done it all before. The form of the team as a whole is important, of course. But it doesn’t matter what kind of games you have got, experience can help you through the difficult parts. The senior players will help everyone around them.
Wayne Rooney seems to be coming into form...
If Wayne goes reaches the kind of form that he achieved this time last year, we have got an even better chance. He was devastating last year. There are glimpses of that coming back now. Scoring against Arsenal, his double against Portsmouth and another one against Watford – these are all signs that he is getting back. Against Tottenham he had three or four chances at goal and played a good part until he got his injury. Added to Wayne coming into form, we have other additions like Ji-sung Park and Louis Saha coming back from injuries, so we’re strong in terms of the squad.
Rio played his 200th United game against Charlton. Are you pleased with him this term?
Rio has been great for us and is improving all the time. He is getting consistency and concentration in his game. Maybe as a younger lad he was a bit casual and easy-going and relied on his pace and balance to get him out of situations. In terms of the variety of his attributes you would have to say Rio is one of the most complete defenders around; good balance, electric pace, great technique, he’s 6ft 4in… he has everything you'd ask for in a central defender. We hope Rio and Vidic can be a defensive foundation for years to come.
The team is challenging on three fronts – are you excited about the coming months?
We are very excited about it. This is what we have worked for all season, but we need to stay in the melting pot right until the very end. The squad is strong enough and good enough to last the distance. In the league we have to look after ourselves, we shouldn’t be concentrating on our rivals. Let’s do our job first. We need nerve and consistency, and then we have a chance. In the Champions League we have a tough fixture against Lille. They are an aggressive, physical team and they will make it difficult for us. You have to enjoy all these challenges thrown at us, that’s what football is all about.