There is no joviality to the Premiership panto season. When the audience cries, ‘He’s behind you,†the person in question is generally Sir Alex Ferguson. This manager casts the grimmest of shadows over his rivals.
Manchester United have won the Premier League title eight times under his direction and on six of those occasions the side have been lurking a few paces away from the leaders at Christmas.
The Old Trafford club do not drop points by design but the players are at least sure of their own powers of recovery. Ryan Giggs is still around to bear witness to United’s first Premiership honour when they clawed back Norwich City’s advantage around this juncture in the 1992/93 season. Overhauling Newcastle United in 1996, and Arsenal early last year, made a deeper impression.
United must have as much faith as ever in their capacity to last the pace. Even though they drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, they are closer to Arsenal than they were in October when they beat Arsène Wenger’s side.
Fighting spirit has been marked in Ferguson’s United, but as economic advantages grow it has been the weight of the Old Trafford payroll that makes the deepest impression.
Few others can afford to keep so much proven talent at their disposal. United do not even seem particularly interested in farming out youngsters on the outskirts of the manager’s thinking or out-of-favour senior players.
‘The kind of players you would take are the likes of Chris Eagles and Kieran Richardson, but they just won’t let them go,†Walsall manager Paul Merson said, bemused to find that loan deals were impossible.
Arsenal have also clung to fledglings, but only out of desperation. It was no intention of Wenger’s to test the 17-year-old Cesc Fabregas’s resilience, and the fear of burn-out takes the edge off the satisfaction in his vivacious display against Chelsea last Sunday.
There is no depth of mature performers in the Highbury pool and while Patrick Vieira, with his suspension completed, can take over from the Spanish teenager, the manager has another topic to bedevil him.
A migraine stopped Freddie Ljungberg from meeting Rosenborg in the Champions League and there was a recurrence last Saturday evening.
‘The doctor said we have to keep him out of training for at least four or five days,†explained Wenger, who does not expect to have the midfielder available for the game with Ports-mouth on Sunday. The most important date in the Swede’s diary is for a scan by a neurologist.
Even when no one is indisposed or banned, Arsenal are chafed by limitations. Wenger did seem to have hit the wrong buttons on his calculator when he announced that his club has ’30 times less investment capacity†than Chelsea, but the reasons for anxiety are sound enough.
The Highbury heroics in worldwide youth recruitment are essential when funds do not allow them to sign sufficient examples of the finished article.
If all had gone perfectly to plan, for example, Arsenal’s weakness at set pieces would have been alleviated by the introduction of the Swiss goliath Philippe Senderos at centre-back. The teenager’s progress, though, was hindered by the fact that his debut season at Highbury became a write-off because of injuries.
Unless Wenger’s preferred line-up becomes fit, avoids yellow or red cards and stays fresh, Arsenal will have taxing times in the defence of their title. United, too, have concerns, particularly as the unique Roy Keane wanes, but in general Ferguson’s task is pondering how best to deploy his players while achieving consistency.
Now, though, United’s means are being matched and even surpassed.
Chelsea captain John Terry this week reiterated his manager Jose Mourinho’s statement that there was no need for Roman Abramovich to add to the squad in next month’s transfer window. Such a self-imposed restriction is not a hardship.
As matters stand, some players are still in danger of becoming superfluous. Mourinho, for the time being, appears to regard the dainty Joe Cole’s contribution as purely decorative and the midfielder has not started a Premiership game since October.
At present, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is likelier to give him an outing.
Other international players also stare at high barriers. Wes Brown, injured for now, has no obvious opportunity to get first-team action at United now that Mikael Silvestre has settled beside Rio Ferdinand at centre-back.
If the competition for places at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge restricts careers, it may one day hamper England. —