Big Gap Now Is No Guarantee

Sir Alex Ferguson may have won a remarkable 10 Premier League titles - but he still can't forget the few title races he's lost.

Such memories could stand United in good stead this season, as complacency becomes the main threat to an eleventh modern-day championship being chalked up on the honours board. Referring to the fact Chelsea now trail the Reds by 10 points, the boss told MUTV:

"It’s fair to say that Chelsea have an uphill fight to overcome us. But you can never be dead sure. Things can happen. You'll remember we were 12 points ahead of Arsenal back in 1997/98 and then we lost the league.

"We had a lot of injuries that season, though. Hopefully with the squad we’ve got now, we can cope with injuries like we have done in the last few weeks. That’s been a development at this football club. We’ve got such a big squad, we can make changes."

Wayne Rooney's recent absence through injury is the perfect example; the Reds won all seven games in his absence with alternative strikers from Carlos Tevez to Danny Welbeck contributing goals. Now, of course, he's back - on the teamsheet and the scoresheet.

"I was pleased, it was a nice goal," said Sir Alex. "He came in late, which I've seen him do many times, and scored with his first touch. So he’s back and hopefully he stays back.

"He’s 100 per cent - we’re at the stage of the season where we won't take chances. If they’ve got slight injuries, they won't play. If they do, it could exacerbate the problem."