Tough at the top
Last updated: 27th April 2008
Bob Cass: United have the title sewn up
I think Alex Ferguson, quite rightly, thinks he has won the title.
Sunday, 10am, Sky Sports 1
Chelsea's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday allowed the Blues to move level with United at the top of the table.
And with two games left in the league season, discussion turned to whether Chelsea are set to deny Sir Alex Ferguson another English top-flight title.
"Some of the rhythm and the fluency and exuberance has gone out of Man United play, there is no question about that," said Paul Hayward of the Daily Mail
"They had to snatch points at Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers, they were not themselves really at the Nou Camp against Barcelona, although I feel any draw against Barcelona at home is pretty good going.
"And then yesterday of course they surrendered the advantage with the team selection.
"It is going to help them against Barcelona in the home leg, but it did not help them against Chelsea.
What they need against Barcelona is a performance. They need to get back to playing the way they have played for most of the season. In this final decisive phase they need to be playing the way they know how to play where they are taking teams apart and taking the game too teams.
"At the moment they look a bit stilted, they look a bit unsure of themselves and certainly that team that played against Chelsea looked like it had been thrown together a little bit at the last moment.
"They need to get back on the front foot and put in a really good performance, just to settle the nerves.
I think they were unusually aggressive against the referee yesterday, I think that was a bit worrying," added Hayward.
But on the whole I think you have to make allowances for the fact that at this time of the season these players are performing under maximum duress and the fact that they want it so much is demonstrated by the amount of passion and emotion seen in that game.
"I don't think there was anything there that made you feel that the FA needs to come down on Manchester United.
This is a winning team with a winning mentality and I don't think a couple of small setbacks will knock them off their course, especially if they have Ferguson in the changing room controlling things.
Bob Cass from the Mail on Sunday believes there is no problem and expects Manchester United to win the double.
"I think the two contrasts of priorities the two managers had yesterday was evident," explained Cass.
"Avram Grant had to win that game to give Chelsea a chance of winning the title. He could not pull back from that and he played his strongest team. I think Alex Ferguson, quite rightly, thinks he has won the title.
"I think he has Barcelona more on his mind than Chelsea. I felt that he put out a side that could well have got a point.
"I think the most important thing on his mind was getting a result against Barcelona. I think it played on the minds a little bit, but I think they are well capable of winning the title and winning the European Cup."
