THIS title win will go down as Alex Fergusons greatest
ever. Better than the first in 1993 which opened the floodgates or
the comeback of all comebacks against Kevin Keegans Newcastle in
1996. Even the one which kicked off the Treble in 1999 should be
eclipsed by this. Why? Because this one was simply not supposed to
happen. Not after the Arsenal Invincibles had eclipsed United
with a 38-game unbeaten triumph in 2004. Or after Chelsea had begun
what looked like a new age of dominance in 2005, then so easily
retained their title the following season.
The first time Chelsea eclipsed third-placed United by 18 points
and then last year by eight. Having taken Liverpools mantle as
English footballs undisputed dominant force, it looked like United
were following them into a cycle of decline. But while their old
enemies are still searching for the route back to the top after
last lifting the title in 1990, United have rebuilt and hit back.
Perhaps only Ferguson himself really believed they could do it.
Right from the very start, he said he had faith in this team. Last
summer, the Old Trafford boss said: I look to the coming season
with every confidence. This season, after three years without the
championship, poses a particular challenge. I am sure they will
measure up. And measure up they have with stunning free-flowing
attacking football reminiscent of their most glorious of glory
days.
From a 5-1 opening-day trouncing of Fulham, they ripped through the
season with stunning goal-filled football. Players like Cristiano
Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney came of age and the experienced pros like
Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes found a new lease of life. But for
Ferguson the key to this triumph was the way his hungry side shot
out the blocks just as Chelsea and Arsenal had done in the
previous three seasons. He said: It was imperative we made a good
start and didnt allow anyone to break away. We didnt want to be
in a position of playing catch-up for the rest of the campaign. We
achieved this target despite injuries to players. It was in this
early period that it was confirmed for me that some of the younger
players had made the progress I was looking for and that we had
quality in depth.
So we were up and running and playing some great attacking
football. Penetrating, exciting and entertaining, while still
keeping it tight at the back with a much improved solidity and
concentration in defence. Our opening to the campaign sent out the
right kind of message especially to our rivals. They realised
that they were perhaps not going to have things all their own way
again and that we intended to pose a real challenge.
United won their opening four Premiership games, scoring 11 goals
in the process and conceding only two. Those who questioned
Fergies decision to sell Dutch superstar striker Ruud van
Nistelrooy to Real Madrid were immediately converted. Here was a
player who had plundered a quite incredible 150 goals in just 200
starts for the Old Trafford side.
Ferguson admitted: I have always admired his scoring skills and I
think everyone must have wondered how we would manage without the
kind of goal tally that he has contributed for us every season.
But I was pretty confident that we would still pose a goalscoring
threat. The goals have been spread right throughout the
team.
The form of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo has been
tremendous. They have got their goals between them without even
being a proper partnership like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were.
While Yorke and Cole hit 53 as a strike pairing in the
Treble-winning side of 1999, Ronaldo and Rooney stand on 46 with 23
goals each and three games of Uniteds 2006-07 campaign
remaining.
In the middle of the season after a potentially crushing late
defeat at the Emirates, Ferguson felt more convinced than ever the
title was coming back. He said: We will have to be strong and
simply make sure that we are in fact stronger than any of the
others. And I believe we are.
Indeed, they have been and richly deserving of a ninth Premiership
title.
