Ferguson's comments come just two days before United and Chelsea
do battle in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, a game which is
already being touted as a make-or-break game for the Red Devils,
who have just four Premier League points far.
Although Chelsea have matched their Manchester counterparts in the
success stakes recently, winning consecutive Premier League titles
in 2005 and 2006, Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Arsenal are still
regarded as his side's traditional rivals in terms of history and
quality.
The Scot ackowledged that Chelsea's recent surge in fortune and
finance has brought success, but he stated that over the history of
the Premier League, Arsenal have been United's main threat.
He revealed that the contest for domination between himself and
Arsene Wenger has given the English top-flight some of its most
enduring moments.
He told the press: "If you look back over the last 12 or 13 years,
who has it been? - Arsenal v Manchester United, Manchester United v
Arsenal.
"Of course we've got Chelsea at the moment, that's without
question, but the history of Arsenal versus Manchester means that
you're not just talking about winning a football match, you're
talking about your own history against the other team's
history.
"There's a dominance attached to that. You want to be the dominant
team and they want to be the dominant team - and we've had some
volatile matches because of that.
"But you can't beat the history and the quality that both teams
believe in, and the way they want to play has never changed."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger agreed with his long-time rival by
admitting that the 'big games' in any season come against the
current European champions.
He said: "It is usually the decider of the season - big games that
tell you a lot about your team. Will they be capable of winning the
big matches?
'You go into the season with the feeling that you must win the big
games, and the big game usually is Manchester United."
