Which teams will challenge last season's top
four?
"I think you can expect good improvement from Tottenham and
Newcastle. Everton have done good business in the summer. David
Moyes has lengthened a lot of the contracts at the club, without
having to go outside - hes keeping his own group together. So I
think hes done a good job there. Blackburn, Reading and
Portsmouth, with the experience of Harry Redknapp, will be
respectable."
Do you hope for a closer
race?
"I dont think Liverpool and Arsenal will want to be 20 points
behind us again this year. So, I think you can expect improvement
there. Newcastle - Sam Allardyce will definitely improve them. His
experience and organisational skills will make a difference
there."
What improvement do you expect to see in your
team?
"What you want to see in the team, having won the league, is more
authority, consistency and continuity. We noticed that in training
in the Far East. It is a far more stable situation. We expect the
young players to improve a lot, like Rooney, Ronaldo, Anderson and
Nani. We expect a great deal more authority for players like
Fletcher, OShea, Vidic and Evra. But we also have the right people
to call on in terms of experience, like Neville, Giggs, Scholes,
Ferdinand and van der Sar."
You say Rooney and Ronaldo
can improve. Theyre already being touted as among the best in the
world. How good can they be?
"At 21 and 22, thats three or four years before you reach full
maturity. Getting to that stage gives you authority, timing,
control of your game. When I was a player, I felt at my strongest
when I was 25 or 26. At 21 you do daft things on the pitch,
inconsistent things. You have moments where you show your ability,
you score a goal then you miss a chance. Im confident they'll get
better."
Is it more difficult to retain the title than to win it
initially?
"When we won the league three times in a row, the next season after
that was very difficult because we felt there was an edge to teams
that played us where they were trying to stop us. But, I think the
league has changed. Clubs are far more focused on personal
interests now than stopping other teams playing. The seven or
eight teams I mentioned earlier are all interested in themselves. I
think the Premier League is becoming more competitive. Its more of
an international league, but its not got the same focus of trying
to stop United, or Chelsea or Arsenal. That doesnt come into it as
much as it once did."
Sven-Goran Eriksson has
bought a few players - how do you think Manchester City will
do?
"Well, buying nine or ten players is difficult. You cant expect
overnight success with that. Its difficult to say how theyre
going to do, but you wouldnt expect them to be consistently good.
As I know myself, its always difficult to build
teams."
With the additions you've made over the summer, is the
squad good enough to win more than trophy this
season?
"If we get to the same position as last season, we will have a
better chance. I honestly believe that the Champions League
semi-final against AC Milan was just one too many for us at the
time. Credit to AC Milan, their preparation for the second leg was
much, much better than ours. They didnt have the responsibility of
going for their league title. They rested nine players and we got
caught on that one. The sudden loss of players we suffered from the
middle of March was tough. We went into April missing seven or
eight players. For the Everton game, I rested Ronaldo because his
ankle was giving him bother. But at 2-1 down I needed to bring him
on and he never got over that. His ankle gave him problems all
summer."
In past seasons, you've been
trying to match Chelsea. Do you think the tables have
turned?
"Its possible. You have to do that when one of your rivals wins
the league. You have to ask what youre up against. When Arsenal
went through the season undefeated, we felt then that the bar had
been raised to the 90-point level. Thats what were looking at
now, the 90-point mark, to be in contention to win the
league."
What would a tenth Premier League title
mean?
"It would be fantastic. Thats a great challenge for someone like
Ryan Giggs. Its a wonderful opportunity for someone like him
because it's hard to imagine how it would be done again."
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