Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed
Manchester City as a major threat to Red Devils' Premier League
title.
Ferguson has watched agog like the rest of a startled football
world this summer as City have splashed out millions in the pursuit
of glory.
Emmanuel Adebayor is the latest £25million addition to a cast
list that also includes Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz and former
United favourite Carlos Tevez, with the prospect of more to
come.
As someone who has become accustomed to City's famous
inconsistencies during his 23 years at the Old Trafford helm, it
must feel strange to know a challenge to United's dominance may
come from much nearer home than usual this term.
Yet, relaxed and healthy at the start of another punishing
season, Ferguson let his thoughts wander from United's current base
in Kuala Lumpur to the city they share with a team now in a very
big hurry.
"Given all that has happened in the transfer market this summer,
it is a different type of challenge we are facing," he
reflected.
"We are being challenged for the back pages.
"Manchester City are getting all the back page stories and they
will hold that position for the rest of the season because there is
a lot of interest in what they have done and a lot of speculation
about whether it is going to work.
"But I cannot look at Manchester City as our main competitors.
Liverpool and Chelsea are our main competitors. There is no doubt
about that."
And that means no third championship-winning campaign for Carlos
Tevez, who has irritated Ferguson with the way he has reacted to
his own departure from Old Trafford, bringing the obvious
assumption that he really was not worth the hassle of the extra
£25million it would have cost to make his "lease" period
permanent.
"It won't be easy for them to win anything, even with all the
players they have bought," said Ferguson, moving onto the whole
City project.
"They have bought a lot of high profile players but they have 10
strikers. That is a hell of a lot.
"I have not spoken to all the managers but the one or two I have
are saying "Who are they going to leave out?"
"How do you tell players they are not even going to be
travelling to London? How does he pick a team? We are all
interested."
It was bad enough for Ferguson to inform senior stars like Wayne
Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo they would not be going to Wembley for
an FA Cup semi-final with Everton.
At least he could offer the Champions League as an alternative.
Hughes can't, which just makes handling the expanding collection of
talent gathered at Eastlands all the more problematic.
Problematic for United too as, together with Real Madrid, City
have managed to bloat the transfer market to such an extent
£50million price-tags are being placed on players who have no
background.
No wonder he has withdrawn from action.
"Real Madrid are different to Manchester City," said
Ferguson.
"They have an unusual culture of not really bothering about
money because they can use their name to write off debt. No Spanish
bank will ever close them down.
"Manchester City's culture is about cash. It is about having
money and using it."
United have benefited of course. But Ferguson has opted to use
only a fraction of the incredible £80million pot Madrid presented
him with for Cristiano Ronaldo, bringing in Michael Owen, Antonio
Valencia and Gabriel Obertan to a squad expected to challenge for
an unprecedented fourth consecutive title; challenging with, he
thinks, Chelsea, Liverpool and, maybe, Arsenal.
"I see Chelsea and Liverpool as the main threats because they
have the experience and they are consistent," he said.
"They are hard to beat. That won't change. But I can't make up
my mind about who is the better team. There is not much between
them.
"Arsenal have the biggest job to do because they have sold
Adebayor and don't seem to have the money the rest have got.
"How Arsene develops his team will be his biggest test.
"The one thing we know about Arsenal is that they will play some
of the best football you will see and they will create chances.
They could easily re-establish themselves and challenge for the
league again."
And with that, Ferguson is done, ready to embark on another
rollercoaster year, knowing one more title will bring immortality
for a team aiming to achieve something not done in the previous 130
years.
"We have won the title for the last three years and in the
history of the English game no-one has ever won four," he said.
"That tells you what a competitive league it is.
"Lyon won their league seven times in a row. Dynamo Kiev won
nine, as have Celtic and Rangers. Dinamo Berlin 11 in the old East
Germany. You will never get that in the English game.
"I am in charge of a football club that has the right
philosophy. I have had fantastic moments here. I have 76,000
watching my team in every home game. I shouldn't really concern
myself about another team in the same city, no matter what they
do."
