In with a chance: Avram Grant
thinks Man Utd could slip up soon
Avram Grant believes the pressure will begin to
tell on league leaders Manchester United if his Chelsea team beat
Wigan tonight and Everton on Thursday. Grant, who dismissed reports
he is under pressure following chairman Bruce Buck's refusal to
publicly discuss the manager's future, is not fazed by United's
wealth of experience hunting down championships.
"I believe that nobody is a computer," he said.
"Pressure can affect anybody. It can take you forward in a positive
way, but you can see that even big players under pressure can play
not like they used to. It can be any team, any player." Chelsea
have the chance to gain six points on United in the space of four
days and, with Sir Alex Ferguson's side due to play at Stamford
Bridge on April 26, Grant has warned that there is no team in the
country he fears.
He said: "If we win the next two games the next game is
against Man United. Then we are in a good position. I don't think
there is a team stronger than us." It would be a remarkable
achievement for Grant if he could beat the odds to guide Chelsea to
the title especially after Buck refused to answer a question about
the Israeli's future when quizzed by fans at a club event last
week.
"Basically we are together," said Grant. "And to finish
with this story I will say if the club is at any stage not happy
they can come to me and I'll go, it's not a matter of money. And
also if I'm not happy at some stage and want to go I'm sure the
club will understand too."
It's a bold statement from the Israeli, who is
considering a remarkable gamble on goalkeeper Petr Cech's fitness
after the Czech international trained yesterday wearing a mask over
the 50 stitches he required to a facial injury sustained in a
training ground collision with team-mate Tal Ben Haim.
