Sir Alex: There Is Drama Ahead

Sir Alex Ferguson is forecasting more thrills and spills in the title race when United, Arsenal and Chelsea play out the final phase of the campaign.

The great rivals all have four league games to play, commencing this weekend. The Reds and Gunners go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Chelsea host Tottenham, a team still with aspirations of their own in terms of the chase for a top-four place.

“I think there’s still drama ahead,” said Sir Alex on Friday morning. “The teams at the top will drop points, including Chelsea. And if we get to the last home game needing to win it to win the league, I’d be happy with that, even though Blackpool may be fighting against relegation and they’ll be really difficult opponents. We’d have taken that scenario at the start of the season. I think we’d take it now.”

The manager would obviously like to get it done and dusted by then, of course, and it will be if the Reds can win the next two games. “The slant I seemed to be getting from the media was that Arsenal and Chelsea were expecting to win these games and change the top of the league,” said Sir Alex.

“My view is, ‘Why can’t we win these matches?’ Surely the form we’re in, we can win the matches. It’s not going to be easy for Arsenal or Chelsea, any easier than it is for us. These are difficult games. But in the form we’re in we’ve got good chance. If we get a point, it’s not the worst point - away from home down at Arsenal - but we’re not going there looking for a point.”

Sunday’s game could have been an even more important affair, had Arsenal not slipped nine points behind United by losing their last game 2-1 at Bolton. Sir Alex admitted, “I have been a bit surprised (by Arsenal’s slide). Chelsea were the dark horses in the sense that people seemed to think they were out of it. But I looked at their programme and I thought they had an easier run-in. They’re now on our coat tails.”