Sir Alex pens his thoughts before every home game for United
Review. Read the column in full on ManUtd.com, the day after the
game…
Terrific, tremendous …the whole place is buzzing! We’re going to
Rome in a bid to achieve what has never been done before – and that
of course is to successfully defend our Champions League crown.
The statistics tell you how difficult it is, as we know to our
personal cost after failing in Europe following our victory in
Barcelona 10 years ago. We are ready for another crack at it,
though, after a great semi-final win against Arsenal at the
Emirates on Tuesday. We went through on the back of our first-leg
1-0 win at Old Trafford and then a dominating 3-1 success in
London. Now we look forward to a fantastic final against
Barcelona.
But of course Europe is only part of our story this season. We
also have a domestic title to defend. We have to put Europe out of
our minds, because although we are in a strong position in the
league, we must make sure we are completely focused on our
remaining games if we are to come out on top.
So, enough of Europe for now because a derby poses particular
problems as we also know to our cost, especially now that Mark
Hughes is in charge. I know him too well to expect anything but a
full-on challenge. Mark was a warrior as a player; it’s a quality
still in him and one that he’s trying strenuously to imbue in his
players.
Management is not an easy task at the best of times, and Mark is
managing City at a vital and transitional stage following the
Middle East takeover that put great financial resources at their
disposal. They made a startling impact at the start of the season
with a £32 million signing, a transfer which put down a big marker
of intent. City became the centre of a media storm – in fact I
can’t remember a time when we were so much squeezed off the back
pages!
That kind of media situation does not sit easily with Mark,
whose qualities made him one of our great players, but who
nevertheless was never one for over-the-top hype, either concerning
himself or the team. He was always a constant and consistent
trainer, but he enjoyed his family life too and wouldn’t hang
around before heading for home. He preferred a low-profile life, so
what he is experiencing now is something new for him.
He was able to keep his head down when he was manager at
Blackburn where, incidentally, he did an outstanding job with a
limited budget. Now he is firmly in the media spotlight, and there
is no escaping it with all manner of speculation ranging from
transfers both in to and out of his club, to chatter about his own
future. It’s always good to be the manager of a club with money
available for new players, but how you spend it is what matters. I
am sure there will be all kinds of possibilities turning over in
his head as we draw towards the end of the season.
Like every manager, Mark will be only too aware that signing
players, however good they are individually, is only the start of
the process. Building a team is what counts, and this can take
years. The nature of the media beast is not one of patience,
though, and Mark has already come in for a lot of unfair and hasty
criticism. What he needs is time, and I hope the City owners are
prepared to give him a fair share of that precious commodity. He
will need the patience of City supporters, too, and I think the
whole club must have been cheered by the recent results that
suggest the Blues are going to finish the season on a high.
It’s certainly something we have noted, and which adds to the
challenge we meet today as we seek to maintain our momentum. I
thought our 2-0 win at Middlesbrough last Sunday was a big step
forward. We have had some tricky moments at the Riverside, and I
was worried about having a Saturday-lunchtime start after playing
in the Champions League on the Wednesday with obviously not a lot
of recovery time.
Happily I have a squad that enables me to make changes, and I
was delighted with the way Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in
particular returned to the starting line-up. They gave such
masterly displays in midfield that we ran the game and got an
excellent result. The win topped a great week for Ryan, voted the
PFA Player of the Year and then celebrating
801 appearances for Manchester United by scoring! I have run out of
ways of praising his contribution in a fabulous career in a red
shirt, and can only congratulate him on another fine effort!
Now we go into today’s game after a decent break. Playing at
Arsenal on the Tuesday gave us four clear days before taking on
City. And maybe I will make another change to keep us fresh.
Certainly we are approaching it in good shape after a brilliant
display against the Gunners who started extremely well, only to
give us a break when their young full-back slipped at a vital
moment.
Ji-sung Park scored to set the scene for two fabulous goals from
Cristiano Ronaldo and a performance that I believe would have
prevailed even without our fortunate opening. There was a real
maturity to the team that is going to be invaluable in Rome. The
only disappointment was the red card for Darren Fletcher ruling him
out of the final, which made it a bitter-sweet occasion.
Now though, we must put all those issues to one side, to make
sure we maintain the energy and drive that’s vital if we are to get
over the line for the championship.