It was when Sir Alex Ferguson was reminded that
his Manchester United side had held a
15-point lead over Chelsea barely two months ago that his
face hardened a little and, briefly, there was the sense he had
taken it as a personal affront.
"I don't know how many points we were in front of Chelsea at any
given time," he replied, and it was here that his voice picked up
speed and he made sure to keep eye contact. "It doesn't matter.
Where we are today is exactly where we are. It doesn't matter what
happened last Sunday, four Sundays ago, four months ago, four years
ago, we are where we are. We have three games left, we're three
points ahead, same goal difference, playing at home, two home games
and one away. That's where we are. Nothing can change it."
He was sitting in the same room at United's training ground
where, in one of those epic tussles with José Mourinho a few years
ago, Ferguson interrupted one press conference to point at the blue
skies over Carrington. "The birds are whistling here and the
sparrows are waking up at Stamford Bridge coughing." It was here,
too, around the same time, that Ferguson's mobile phone went off in
another conference. United had just moved to the top of the league.
"It's José," he said, scrabbling around in his top pocket and
grinning mischievously. "He's panicking already."
On this occasion, the mood was not so light. United have never
surrendered a 15-point lead to lose the title and they will be
acutely aware that Chelsea won this corresponding fixture 2-1 in
April last year. Another win at Old Trafford on Sunday will mean
Carlo Ancelotti's team move to the top of the league for the first
time since December, with two games to go.
Ferguson, maybe not coincidentally, spoke for the first time
about the importance of United overtaking Liverpool by winning a
record 19th league title. "It's not important for me, but it is for
the history of the club." The alternative, by his own admission,
would be unbearable, comparable to any of the disappointments he
has encountered in almost a quarter of a century in charge.
Ferguson, nonetheless, was emphatic when he was asked whether
United should still be considered as the favourites. Away from
home, it has been a strangely unproductive time for United with
only five wins, meaning they could be the first team since
Liverpool in 1976-77 to win the league with fewer than eight
victories on the road. "Our record has been – how would you put it?
– ordinary," Ferguson conceded. At Old Trafford, however, it has
been a remarkable story of success, the 2-2 draw against West
Bromwich Albion in October being the one occasion when they have
dropped points. "We've had a lot of criticism about our away form
and rightly so because I've not been happy myself sometimes because
I've not been happy myself sometimes," Ferguson said. "But the
realisation of that has made us really step up to the mark at home.
The home form has been fantastic, probably the best in Europe."
It certainly feels like a long time now – 398 days, to be exact
– since Joe Cole and Didier Drogba scored past Edwin van der Sar to
condemn United to their last home defeat. In all competitions,
United have played 30 home games since. They have won 27 and drawn
three, scored 68 and conceded 15. Most remarkable of all, Cole's
effort 13 months ago was the last time an opposing player has
scored a first-half goal at Old Trafford in the league.
Ferguson spoke about the improvements to the Old Trafford pitch,
which has not been relaid since 2003, when it was once the bane of
his life. "By December, January, February, the bad winter months,
that was when the pitch used to break up. It's no longer that way
now. It's absolutely perfect, the best we've ever had."
Another conclusion would be that many of United's opponents
appear to consider trips to Old Trafford as an exercise in damage
limitation, just as was once the case at Liverpool during their
period of domination. Blackburn Rovers sieved seven goals,
Birmingham City five. Others, notably Sunderland and West Ham
United, have meekly raised a white flag and that has left United on
course to go through an entire league season unbeaten at home for
only the eighth time in their history.
Ferguson (1999-2000 and 1995-96) and Sir Matt Busby (1955-56 and
1966-67) have both done it twice. There were two occasions in the
Newton Heath era, in 1894-95 and 1896-97. Ron Atkinson also managed
it in 1982-83, the last time United went unbeaten at Old Trafford
in all competitions. There has never, however, been a home record
in United's history as formidable as the current set of
results.
"Everyone comes here knowing they are going to get a hard game,"
Ferguson said, and the manager's ethos could be summed up when it
was pointed out that a draw would be a decent result. "We won't be
going for a draw. Everyone knows that. Chelsea know that. Our fans
know that. Everyone sitting in here knows that. There's no point
discussing draws."
Nor did he want to consider the prospect of losing yet, for
once, Ferguson was happy to expand on what it would mean to
overtake Liverpool on 19 titles. "I certainly didn't think we could
do that when I took over," he said. "The target was to win the
title. I got it and, since then, the club has taken off."
