“I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix’d and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.”
Julius Caesar (III, i, 60 – 62)
There is, of course, more than one reason to moderate any temptation to engage in Caesar’s hubris this spring, despite Manchester United’s increasingly powerful position in the Premier League title race. With just seven games remaining United lies five points clear of crosstown rivals Manchester City. Moreover, United can look forward to a series of fixtures – the derby at Eastlands aside – against teams in the lower reaches of the league.
Indeed, upcoming games against Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa and Everton, before the derby, should on current form at least, bring United 12 points. And if Sir Alex Ferguson’s men achieve that minor feat, the Reds can win the Premier League title, or will have already, at Eastlands on 30 April.
Confidence, perhaps, but many fans will ask the simple question: why not? After all, this is a relentless United side that is powering towards a 20th domestic title, seemingly unwilling to countenance its own limitations in pursuit of points and glory.
There have surely been far better United sides than this – at least three under Ferguson’s watch at Old Trafford over the past 25 years – but few were more determined. This is a trait of character demonstrated amply during the Reds’ 10 wins in the past 11 domestic fixtures since humiliating defeat at Newcastle United in January. What a turnaround it has been.
The weekend fixture against QPR is followed rapidly by the short trip to Wigan next week – two games that United expect to win. Ferguson will demand no less. And with City facing in-form Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, Reds need no conceit to foresee a title-winning position emerging over the next few days.
Yet, while confidence in the stands is now at a season’s high, few United players will be anything other than professional in the pursuit of this title. This, despite the wild fist-pumping on-pitch celebrations that 7,000 traveling Reds witnessed at Ewood Park on Monday night.
“[The celebrations at Blackburn] were blown out of all proportion,” veteran defender Rio Ferdinand told ManUtd.com on Wednesday.
“Since I have been at the club, for the last 10 years, it has been a hard place to go. We have not had good results there and we wanted to put that right and make sure we got a good result.
“We are in the position we would like to be in at this stage of the season but it is not over, and I don’t think it is a time that says we won the league. Those celebrations weren’t because we thought it was over, it was because we got a good result at a place where, a couple of years ago, they helped stop us winning the league. So it was nice to get one back over them.”
But it is not solely United’s form that has fans counting the points before they are secured, to bastardise an old expression. Over at Eastlands the pressure, building for weeks while Ferguson’s side continued winning, seems to have finally told, with club official Patrick Vieira making two cack-handed attempts at engaging in media-friendly ‘mind games’ over the past fortnight.
Then, over in Abu Dhabi, an ill-advised mass-media briefing this week can only have piled more pressure on Roberto Mancini, with the word loud and clear – in three national newspapers – that the Italian’s job is dependant not solely on a title-winning conclusion to the campaign, but his ability to reign in the disparate and volatile factions at Eastlands. Good luck with that one, Roberto.
Meanwhile, on the pitch City has dropped points at Stoke City and then again, at home, to Sunderland last weekend. How different it is to the autumn, when press and, indeed, City fans proclaimed the title heading to Eastlands, fait accompli.
Not so. Mancini is now feeling the strain, and with the errant striker Mario Ballotelli doing his best to undermine his manager’s every move, there is a genuine risk of City’s title challenge blowing up in spectacular style. Arsenal is more than capable of ended the race as a contest by 6pm Sunday.
Even if Arsène Wenger’s north Londoners do not inflict catastrophic defeat on City, three away fixtures in the next four before the derby ensure no easy points for a Blues side that has become shot-shy on the road this season.
That level of ostentation is certainly a dangerous outlook for United – players and fans alike – but, even so, its bedfellow schadenfreude has certainly raised its head from the parapet this week. This is a run-in fans are enjoying, even if Ferdinand will have none of it.
“There is still a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season, when the trophies are handed out,” insists Ferdinand.
“We have to make sure we apply ourselves in the right way for every game. If we do that, put in the performances and get the results we want, we will hopefully be lifting the trophy at the end of the season. We know it can change very quickly as well, from being on a great run to having a dip. We have been there before.
“The only thing on our minds is to keep winning each game and not look beyond that. It is a cliché and it is boring, but that is the way it is. It is quite simple. Black and white. The next game is the most important one. You just have to keep ticking off the fixtures and winning games.”
Ferdinand, potentially in his final season with the club, could say little else. Certainly, there should be no repeat of United’s victory at Norwich that came so late and smacked, dare one say it, of complacency. After all, Ferguson’s side could still affect the title race negatively from here on in. In the old cliché, it is United’s to lose.
Few expect that now though – the Ides of March inflicted its damage firmly on City. And as Cesear might once have said, supporters’ confidence in the final outcome is only hubris if United fail.
Really good piece, Ed. I know you write a piece every week and sometimes it can come across as staing the obvious but I like the angle on this.
I don’t think complacency will come into because I think we are better than the rest and even if we do belive our hype, we are simple better.
One thing that struck me as the most important mind-game tactic and the one which really broke Citeh was Rio’s comment last week.
It has to rank as one of the best and possibly impt things he has ever said. I’ve often accused Rio of being a lazy waste of talent because as we know next to Scholes and Giggs, he is one of purest footballers around, if and to the extent he pulls is finger out of his arse.
However, the line “when you are doing well, the supporters come out of the woodwork” is so brilliant on so many levels. A tactical brilliancy fired right at the heart of Cite:m
Fergal’s” noisy neighbours” and Rio’s “out of the woodwork” are right up there with Keane’s “prawn sandwiches”.
I also think that Mancini has doen remarkably well and his players have let him down rather that he has made errors. Mancini comes across as an OK guy andhas pretty much said “what the fuck am I supposed to do with a fucknugget like Balotelli and a thundercunt like Tev”.
Prawn Sandwiches. Bah. I admire Roy Keane but I’ve been to Old Trafford twice now and it’s the ‘locals’ who stay quiet even though they outnumber the ‘tourists’ by a great margin.
tbf mancini has bottled it completely
as far back as spetember it looked like he might do so when he shat himself when city were 2-0 up at fulham who then pulled one back, starts taking all of his attackers off and fulham get a point
he handled the tevez thing well on paper,
but only cause aguero and silva and djeko were flying at that time, now they aint and hes completely undermined himself, he wont be there next season
No he is just learning, bottling it is something else – it’s a one off thing. Mancini lost the league because of players who think they are or are bigger than the team. He will learn that lesson. Mancini will be there next season, not tev or ballocrazy.
Where the fuck did my post go? Fuck sake.
Mancini has to take some of blame, Dannii. He’s handled Tevez and Balotelli well, but what about Silva? He doesn’t finish games. He’s fucked, and he shouldn’t be at the most important part of the season.
Toure is on his arse n all. He’s not having an impact on games like he was doing earlier in the season. Aguero hasn’t scored for 7 games or something. Even the domestic shite like Johnson and Milner aren’t doing it against the riff raff.
He’s got a shitload of talent in that squad – players he’s been allowed to cherrypick – and he can’t get them going. AND fucking and he STILL whinges that they need to sign more players to meet expectations. That will piss Mansour off.
Taggart has done the same only that he puts a shit side out and then we get a draw when he realizes we just faff
OtherWise we get ahead and then shit our pants for 15 mins only for our defense to bail us out.
Fucking iPad is shit when doing quotes my post is in SIDS
You wanna get yourself a proper computer
One that has enough genius and zen technology in it to quote properly lol
Spot on
I can’t find the article… but I read summat this morning, about 3 of Abu Dhabis national papers running the story that Mancini WILL be sacked in the summer if… not only does he NOT win the league title… but also doesn’t get control of his team, which has become somewhat of a joke.
Mancini has made a right mess of things… but this stupidness from the owners doesn’t help.
Just read (Independent) that Pogba has decided to sign for Juve. Any truth?
Bah!!!
Fuck him!
I can’t be arsed with more agonising over Pogba…
Btw, do you remember this story about Rooney in the Independent http://7cantonas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Screen-shot-2012-01-06-at-20.57.22-274×300.png
What a load of shit that was. They apologised 3 months later.
Yeah fair enough. I’m pretty much over the whole Pogba thing. Juve and Italian football is a step down. Average attendance at Juve is around 25,000.
Average attendance at the new Juve ground is about 37,000. It’s certainly lower then United but it’s a team going in the right direction. They have classy midfielders in Pirlo,Vidal and Marchisio and can find a place for Pogba. That United’s ordinary midfield can’t is crazy.
It is crazy, but he’s still a child ffs… if he’s this impatient and self important, that he can’t see that United are in the middle of a title run in… then it’s just a matter of time… he’d fuck off eventually anyway.
He’s definitely not earned a right to start. I’d be happy if we signed Eriksen or Sigurdsson in the summer, they are both better players than Pogba.
I’m sick of sagas. Especially ones based on little to no evidence.
before slagging him off, has this so called breaking news been verified by any reliable source?
wouldn’t surprise me if he was on the bench tomorrow, so i guess this is another no news story
home game against riff raff with the rest of the team in great form, if its sunny tomorrow berbashite should probably start
The man has 7 goals in 5 league starts this season.
Until the title’s in the bag, there’s no such thing as “riff raff”…
Besides… it’s not like we have to budget our resources for other competitions… fuck it… don’t spare the horses… full throttle till it’s over.
whats up uncfuckhead? you been sniffing aunties draws again?
the best bit about giving berbashite stick is knowing han dies a little inside every time he reads it, the way fergies fucking him off is great, and right
why must you be so spiteful knobhead?
really u should take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror – actually don’t, you’ll definitely crack it
you are such a bitch at times….
I have contempt for spineless footballers, carrick received the same stick in the past, you just never noticed cause you agreed in his case
berbatov is not spineless
you and i will never agree on this
perhaps 1 day you will see the error of your ways – even saul had his damascus moment
he’s flopped when it counts, run ins, games against title rivals, all cl games, we won’t agree because once he’s turfed out he’ll go back to some small time no pressure club like leverkusen spurs etc where winning isn’t paramount and he’s under no pressure to actually do something of note against teams other than wigan at home