Deep down, Sir Alex Ferguson knows that his team’s race is just about run for another year. Only a Devon Loch moment — Ferguson’s own words — by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday will hand United the 20th English championship they crave.
Sitting before the written media for the last time this season, though, the United manager did plant just one seed of mischief on Friday when he allowed himself to wonder what life might be like for Roberto Mancini and his players were they to let glory slip through their fingers.
‘The disappointment of losing the game would be unbelievable,’ said Ferguson. ‘It’s untold at this moment in time what effect it could have on them.
‘We can only do our best and try and win the match. Hopefully something stupid happens to City. Twenty-nine years ago today I took a wee team called Aberdeen to beat Real Madrid in a European final.
‘That’s QPR’s challenge — to do an Aberdeen.’
Ferguson struck exactly the right tone. While he clearly hopes victory for his team at Sunderland will be accompanied by a miracle in east Manchester, he knows the chances are slim.
As such, he was careful to be complimentary about City manager Mancini, but also clear on one thing. That United have been in this position before and recovered the following season.
‘The situation at the moment means we are probably going to lose out this season but there’s a lot of young players in the squad,’ he said. ‘We’re not looking as though it’s an end of an era for us. In many ways it’s the start.
‘The challenge is obvious. If we lose the league then we have to try and win it again. We are certainly not going away, that’s for sure.
‘There is a great thing about this club, an in-bred discipline about what is needed to win a league and it has shown itself this season again.’
Ferguson, of course, has endured last-day dramas before, most notably when United failed to win at West Ham in 1995, allowing Blackburn to win the league despite defeat at Liverpool.
‘How many chances did we have that day?’ asked Ferguson, blowing out his cheeks. ‘It was unbelievable. It was agony, because we didn’t expect what happened at Anfield.
‘We thought Liverpool would maybe draw the game, but when we realised they had won. Well, what a chance we had.’
Ferguson and Mancini clashed on the touchline as City beat United at the Etihad recently. Should he ultimately finish second, though, Ferguson will undoubtedly convey his congratulations privately to Mancini. It is very much his style.
Asked about his rival yesterday, he said: ‘To win the league is not easy and a lot of people underestimate how hard it is to win.
‘Of course he (Mancini) has had a big financial advantage over everyone, but you still have to put a team on the pitch and pick the right players and the manager must take the most credit if you win the league in this country.
‘You have squads of players, but trying to orchestrate the harmony of the place is very important. Making everyone feel they have played their part is a massive part of the game today, so to win the league is a massive step forward for Mancini.’
By IAN LADYMAN
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