Manager David Moyes of Everton thanks the home fans after the Barclays Premier League match against West Ham United at Goodison Park on May 12, 2013 in Liverpool, England. (Getty Images)

José Mourinho was never a smart choice to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot who departed Old Trafford as Manchester United manager for the final time on Sunday. Mourinho may be the biggest managerial name in world football, Sir Alex aside, but contrary to popular opinion would never have been a good fit in Manchester – the Portuguese would have significantly clashed with the system set in place by Ferguson over two decades.

Built and moulded in the outgoing manager’s image,  United’s top-down structure would have inhibited Mourinho. One needs only to look at examples from two of Mourinho’s old flames - Chelsea and Inter – for examples of how the system can limit a coach’s success. Mourinho achieved great things in west London and Milan by creating a coaching set up to his exacting specifications. Those managers who followed the 50-year-old to Inter and Chelsea crashed and burned, haunted by Mourinho’s spectre.

There will be a presence at Old Trafford too of course. Mourinho has proven to be an outstanding manager over the past decade, but Ferguson is simply greater. Ferguson’s legacy, especially with the former Aberdeen manager remaining at the club in an ambassadorial role, would have doomed Mourinho to the same fate as his successors.

This may not be true of David Moyes, whose lack of ego means that he is more willing to work with the system in place. If anything the Scot may deal with Ferguson’s heritage better than Mourinho. Arriving from a smaller, less sophisticated club, Moyes is already familiar with working within the confines set by others, financial or otherwise.

Meanwhile, Moyes’ limitations should be no barrier to future success. True, the 50-year-old’s European experience is limited, but that is not as concerning as it may first appear. After all, United should be too good and experienced not to qualify from Champions League group stages next season, whomever the coach.

United’s 2011/12 European campaign was a disaster, and Manchester City, with arguably a better squad, failed to qualify beyond the group stage two years in the row. Yet, United’s players are well seasoned in Europe, unlike the Blues.

Beyond the group stage matches fall victim to the vagaries of chance more than most, which has haunted Ferguson over the years. Paul Scholes’ goal against Porto in 2004 springs to mind, incongruously ruled offside in the game against Porto that made Mourinho’s career.

Certainly, a tactician of Mourinho’s quality can prove the edge in key matches, but it may behoove United supporters not to write off Moyes too quickly. After all, caution is key in European matches – a trait in which the Scot is well-versed.

Moreover, it is highly advantageous that Moyes has been managing in the Premier League for more than a decade. Europe holds the glamour, but domestic superiority is always United’s priority. Not least because the financial rewards are now greater than in the Champions League. Moyes knows how to navigate difficult domestic ties; one of his main rivals for the top job, Jürgen Klopp, doesn’t.

And if Moyes’ tactical approach is cautious, so too is United’s executive branch. In 1986 United’s board could afford to gamble on Sir Alex taking to life in England. This is no longer the case. With millions of fans worldwide, and more than £300 million in debt, the club must continue to be successful to maintain its current station in world football. The club could not have appointed a coach with limited Premier League experience.

Ferguson, whether by design or disposition – his diligence and desire for control are well documented – is a manager in its truest sense. The 71-year-old secured a hand in everything from the first team to the Megastore. Over the years Fergie has delegated some of responsibilities, but has always remained United’s ‘manager.’

This system is a British tradition. Meanwhile, continental clubs have long abandoned the practice of an omnipotent head, stripping managers of all duties bar first team training and matches. It would have been foolish at this stage to bring in a new coach from continental Europe with a retinue and little understanding of the United way. Moyes probably won’t fulfil all of Ferguson’s extensive responsibilities, but he’ll be receptive to doing most.

In this sense Ferguson’s retirement is an opportunity for the club too. There may never again be a true manager running United in Sir Alex’s mould, partly because  the club has become more complex, but mostly because managers are simply being trained to be ‘head coaches.’

But the club also needs prepare for the future. United will have to adapt by gently introducing more people into the back room. This may inevitably culminate in the club hiring a director of football down the line. After all, the benefits of specialisation and division of labour had long been obvious before Adam Smith’s pin factory.

Part of Ferguson’s genius lies in his adaptability – the Scot survived 26 years in his job because he continued to adjust. Moyes will not last that long, because he is already 50. But as football evolves there is no guarantee that Moyes will keep up as well as Ferguson has previously done.

Conceivably United will have to hire Moyes’ replacement within the next decade. Without a continental style system place, the club will find very limited room to manoeuvre vis-à-vis hiring the new man.

For now though, United has appointed a manager very much in Ferguson’s hue.

All eyes on Fergie tonight

There is a match at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, but few in the crowd will care for the action – not on Sir Alex Ferguson’s final appearance at Old Trafford in charge of United. Retiring after almost 27 years at the helm, Ferguson will say a last goodbye to the supporters who have cried his name for more than two decades. Emotions are sure to run high in the stands, even though the dead rubber on the pitch is of little consequence.

Ferguson has overseen the most successful period in United’s history, securing 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups among more than 30 major trophies. It is a record without peer; one that will be fully celebrated as the Reds take on Swansea City in Manchester.

Indeed, Sunday’s result is of little matter, although United’s limp end to the season has brought just two victories in six matches, including last weekend’s home defeat to Chelsea. The Reds’ complacent performances in recent weeks are surely the result of a remarkably effortless march to this year’s title.

However, it is the big picture in focus on Sunday; United’s 20th league title honoured with the Premier League trophy presentation on the final whistle and Sir Alex’s farewell. The Scot will addresses the Old Trafford faithful for the final time at the close, while the occasion is set be marked with a ‘Champions 2013′ mosaic along the Stretford End as the teams enter the field. It is a celebration that United’s captain Nemanja Vidić is set to lead.

“I had the opportunity to lift the trophy after we won the 19th title and it is a great feeling,” said the Serbian defender.

“As a captain it is special. It is nice when you play for a club like Manchester United and you win a trophy. But it is the same feeling, whether you are captain or not. No-one has given any more or any less. We are a team and we all played a part.”

On the pitch Paul Scholes will play his final game for the club before retiring for a second time. The 38-year-old midfielder hasn’t featured since January with a knee injury, but will return to the team before taking up a coaching role under new manager David Moyes next season. The flame-haired veteran has appeared 716 times for the club, scoring 155 goals.

“I am finally hanging up my boots for good,” said Scholes, who could start against the Swans.

“Playing football is all I have ever wanted to do, and so to have had such a long and successful career at Manchester United, under the greatest manager of all time, has been an honour.”

Ferguson could recall veteran Rio Ferdinand for the final home game of the season, while midfielder Shinji Kagawa also likely to feature. Rafael is suspended, but Danny Welbeck could return from injury.

Wayne Rooney, who reportedly asked for a transfer for the second time in his United career three weeks ago, will remain on the bench. He may never start a match for the club again.

Meanwhile, the visitors arrive in mixed form having won just once in the past six. However, Michael Laudrup’s side has secured 46 points this year, guaranteeing the Welsh club Premier League football next season. Indeed, the Dane’s side needs just two more to improve on a fine 2011/12 campaign.

The visitors are without Angel Rangel and goalkeeper Michel Vorm, but top-scorer Michu, defender Chico Flores and Ki Sung-Yueng should all feature at Old Trafford.

Still, Sunday has little to do with the game. Not with two greats of the game moving on. Scholes and Ferguson have each enjoyed one ‘retirement’ a decade apart – neither is likely to return this time around. And while Scholes’ presence will be missed, it is Ferguson’s departure that threatens to fundamentally shake up the club this summer.

Questions of the future can wait though. After all, the mood will be celebratory rather than one of trepidation at Old Trafford on Sunday.

“I don’t think anyone thought the day would come when Sir Alex retired,” said new United manager David Moyes.

“We all thought he was superhuman. He will be sorely missed, particularly by a lot of managers because he always spoke to them. He would always have a quiet word for anybody who was out of work or going into a job. His respect is beyond any real words. Everyone has great admiration for him. Any words I say won’t do it justice because of what the man has done.”

But if words can’t do Ferguson justice, then the emotion of more than 70,000 at Old Trafford surely will. It should be quite a send off.

Match details
Manchester United v Swansea City- Premier League, Old Trafford – 4pm, 12 May 2013

Possible teams
United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Jones, Vidić, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Scholes; Valencia, Kagawa, Welbeck; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Evans, Powell, Cleverley, Anderson, Rooney, Nani, Hernández

Swansea (4-3-3): Tremmel; Tiendalli, Williams, Chico, Davies; De Guzman, Britton, Routledge, Pablo, Michu, Shechter. Subs from: Cornell, Bartley, Taylor, Dyer, Agustien, Moore, Donnelly, Monk, Lamah, Situ

Match officials
Referee: Jon Moss
Assistants: A Halliday, P Bankes
Fourth Official: M Clattenburg

Form
United: LWDWDL
Swansea: LDDLDW

Head-to-Head
Last 10: United 6, Swansea 1, Draw 3
Overall: United 8, Swansea 6, Draw 5

Stats

• Sir Alex takes charge of United at Old Trafford for the final time on Sunday; his 1499th game in charge of the club;
• Ferguson’s captain, Nemanja Vidić, made 24 interceptions last weekend in United’s loss to Chelsea at Old Trafford – the highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index during the last round of games;
• One of Ferguson’s key demands is his players’ work either – striker Robin van Persie is not only leading the Premier League’s goal scoring charts this season, but has made more clearances than any other forward in the league with 31;
• Patrice Evra has enjoyed a fine season, winning 64.1 per cent of 82 tackles, completing 624 passes in the opposition half, and delivering 42 crosses, notching up six assists and four goals;
• On the opposite flank, Rafael has made 111 defensive contributions including 52 interceptions, while winning 49 of 82 attempted tackles, and has also completed 531 passes in the opposition half;
• Swansea face United shortly after holding Manchester City to a scoreless draw and then beating Wigan Athletic 3-2 with goals from Angel Rangel, Itay Schechter and Dwight Tendalli;
• Ashley Williams garnered Sir Alex’ criticism earlier this season, but showed his value last weekend by making four crucial blocks – the joint highest by a player in the Index;
• Williams has made 388 defensive contributions this season – tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances – 50 more than his nearest rival, Fulham’s Brede Hangeland;
• Williams’ defensive partner Chico attempted his 100th tackle of the season in the last round of games – one of 22 players in the Index to have done so, and while being one of only five to have maintained a winning tackle percentage of over 60 per cent.

Prediction
Manchester United 3-2 Swansea City

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson takes a bow after securing United’s record 19th title in 2011. (Getty Images)

Football serves an odd function – and if you are reading this there’s a good chance that you really care about it. I am endlessly fascinated by what football represents to those of us who become so invested in the outcome of a few men kicking a ball around that it is transformed into drama, beauty, frustration, sadness, joy, love, hate (more’s the pity), escape, togetherness. Family.

Manchester United are often called a family club – a massive global enterprise, at the centre of which, administratively at least, are a bunch of the same people that have been around long enough to remember the first Sir Alex Ferguson title win.

Like all football clubs, United are also something families share, passed down from mother or father to son or daughter, from your uncle who cares about football when your dad doesn’t, or your best friend’s dad’s wife, since this is the modern age. Football has long been regarded as a place where it is acceptable for men to show emotion, letting out the tears that are borne of a deeper loss, but that manifest in the delight or devastation you experience because of the good or not-so-good kicking of a ball.

Somewhere in this mix, where the human unconscious is given an escape valve for emotions that can’t be expressed elsewhere, profound attachments form. And there can’t be many sporting attachments greater than that between United fans and Alex.

Forget the Sir, not just because it’s a weird relic of the feudal age, but also because it’s a latter day addition, it’s a millennial thing, arriving in time to make a handy three letter acronym for the internet age. Before he was Sir Alex, he was Fergie or Alec, and he represented something to me, to us. He was our family club’s dad.

It started straight away. Alex came in and replaced ‘Big Ron’, an avuncular, friendly figure, and he was quite scary. I was nine, so I didn’t have a drinking culture, but United did and Ferguson put a stop to it, making the club professional, hitting some stumbling blocks, but building, always building.

I never lost faith in him, but I was only 12 when there were “three years of excuses” and living exiled in Zimbabwe, climbing rocks and preoccupied with working out if I could design a hoverboard. By the time I really really cared about football, he became the best dad ever, buying Eric Cantona and winning the league in the year I started sixth form college.

Immortal: General View of the statue of Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson. (Getty Images)

Ferguson brought through a whole generation of kids, and the surrogate father bit was given a whole new dimension. Those of the class of 1992 who became the heart of Ferguson’s team must surely be the players with the deepest relationship with him – David Beckham became the black sheep, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville stayed loyal. Little brother Philip was sent to live up the road with Uncle David (Moyes) so he could come back a few years later and tell us it would all be okay.

Then came the knighthood, and with it the passage to grand-parenthood. Cristiano Ronaldo certainly needed a father figure, and another generation removed, Sir Alex became one. We all watched on, as Fergie became an elder statesman, this great manager becoming the greatest of all time in front of our grateful eyes.

Like all families, there was betrayal and tragedy. He sided with the Glazers rather than the supporters, perhaps because he felt it was in the fans’ best interests to act as a buffer between them and us. Perhaps for less noble reasons. Fergie said that if we didn’t like it we could go and support Chelsea. (Or – we could go to our rooms without any supper, as it were).

Like all dads he embarrassed us, not with his bad dancing – the fist pumped goal celebrations were joyous, not cringeworthy – but his ruthlessness could grate on those with a more sensitive bearing. Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, the weird goalkeeping blind spot. But as you grow up you learn that your parents aren’t perfect, and nor is your football manager.

I’m in my 30s now, and I try to keep the level of emotional investment in men, with a certain colour top, who kick a football, to a manageable level. But Fergie pre-dates my attempts to do that.

I’m so sad that he’s not United’s manager any more, even though I’m happy he gets to retire. I didn’t cry at the montages or the announcement, but I did cry when I recorded Rant Cast and I tried to list all his positive qualities as a human being. A day later, I realise why that was the trigger for me

It’s because it’s complicated. Fergie has been ruthless, and leaves our club registered in the Cayman Islands. He hurt a lot of people. But that’s not the full story.

Sir Alex Ferguson is presented with a photo to commemerate his 25th year as manager, as the North Stand was renamed the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson Stand’ in 2011. (Getty Images)

There has been so much human goodness – the generosity to those in need, the support to other managers in hard times. He is a trade union man, after all. The thousands of letters of condolence and congratulations, done without fanfare.

And whilst there have been times of apparent obstinacy, and masses of footballing frustration, Sir Alex has brought joy to those of us lucky enough to be United fans that no other club anywhere in the land has been even nearly slightly close to experiencing.

I love my dad, even though he is not perfect, and I love Ferguson, even though he is not either. So, thank you, Alex, for dedicating your life to doing something which has made the fans so happy, so often. It’s been absolutely amazing and I honestly cannot believe that it is over.

I understand that impermanence is the fundamental nature of the universe, but I sort of thought you’d be the exception. I am going to remember the joy you brought for the rest of my life, and the pain will fade.

Most of all I will try to remember a mantra I try to live by, something which gives perspective when that inevitable impermanence shows itself: don’t be sad that it is over, be glad that it happened.

“I certainly don’t have any plans at the moment to walk away from what I believe will be something special,” said Sir Alex Ferguson in his programme notes accompanying Manchester United’s fixture with Chelsea last weekend. Forget the Italians, if Ferguson says it’s pasta, check under the sauce. For less than three days later, United’s modern-day patriarch has gone. Retired and replaced. The king is dead. Long live the king.

Ferguson’s has been a remarkable journey these past 27 years. From a club on its knees, without a league trophy since 1968, to the global monolith that oozes silverware from every pore. Ferguson has overseen it all.

Along the way there has come more than 30 major trophies, countless rows and the unsavoury support for the Glazer family.

Yet, strangely almost, by the time United’s official announcement came on Thursday, there was no surprise in Ferguson’s passing. Perhaps it is the numbness that comes with shock. Or, in truth, that the expectation of the unexpected was so ingrained that Sir Alex’s news, coming out of left field, was at least from clear blue skies.

Victory over Manchester City, such comprehensive victory at that, has proffered a send off better than any could have hoped. Not for this manager did it all end in failure.

And in the passing of time and glory, it is so easy to forget just how decrepit the club that Ferguson found in 1986; unstable financially, a squad bent more on drinking than winning, and an opponent in Liverpool that conquered all before it. The perch wasn’t even in sight.

The legacy is complete now. By any measure, Ferguson’s reign is without peer. Not at United, nor in England, or globally. And he will leave a club far stronger than he found it.

“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about,” said Ferguson on Wednesday.

“It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so. The quality of this league-winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one.”

There is so much that has already been written; Fergie strolls into retirement having created a surfeit of memories. It is an end none could have foreseen on 6 November 1986 – the day Ron Atkinson was sacked, and Ferguson hired as his replacement.

Indeed, there was little hope that Ferguson would last five years at a club that had sought glory, but failed to deliver in more than a generation. It has been one of the most remarkable tenures in the history of the game.

Then Ferguson is one of the most remarkable men to have graced the sport. A force majeure of control freakery, with an uncanny ability to cajole, bully and inspire. Each has contributed to Ferguson’s success.

As has luck. Barrel loads of it. But then, as Lefty Gomez, the post-war pitcher famously said, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Ferguson is both and modern United owes him all for it.

But Ferguson’s appointment was a gamble, whatever the manager’s success in Scotland. As it turns out, ending the Auld Firm duopoly and taking provincial outpost Aberdeen to European glory was just the beginning of Ferguson’s iconoclasm.

Yet, United, as Fergie was to learn, is nothing like Aberdeen, and the expectation of success has always been different, even if it was rarely achieved between Sir Matt Busby’s heyday and the late 1980s.

It has long been said that Ferguson’s mission on joining United was to “knock Liverpool off their perch.” In truth, that came much later. United, on its knees after Atkinson’s dismissal, had far more modest ambitions.

The club’s final position of second in the old First Division at the end of the Scot’s first full season in charge was entirely false. Simply becoming competitive with Liverpool was the imperative. After all, at Liverpool they said ‘winning is winning and second is nowhere’.

United was nowhere at best.

Most destructively, Ferguson inherited a deleterious culture of alcohol among a clique of senior pros. That Ferguson set about systematically re-engineering the club, and ultimately succeeded, is testament to the enduring influence the Scot has brought on what is now a multi-billion pound institution. And he did it all in Busby’s shadow.

Ferguson ripped apart United’s youth system – a decision that would prove fruitful nearly a decade later – laying the foundations for squad changes ahead.

By the end of the 1988 campaign Ferguson had released, sold or accepted the retirements of seven players. Within two years Ferguson had overseen the departures of more terrace heroes, including Gordon Strachan, Norman Whiteside, and Paul McGrath.

This, however, is United and progressive change, no matter the club’s state in the mid to late 1980s, was never so copacetic. By the turn of the decade, Ferguson was under pressure from within, many calling for or anticipating the manager’s departure.

“Three years of excuses and it’s still crap…ta-ra Fergie,” read the now infamous banner following a run of six defeats in eight games during late 1989. Ferguson would later describe the period as “the darkest” he had ever suffered.

If there was a turning point in Ferguson’s tenure, then United’s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in January 1990 is often the illustration. It has become a Fergusonian cliché, but the pressure to dismiss the Scot had United not secured the 1990 FA cup may well have become insurmountable.

The Cup win was never enough for the Scot though. Ferguson’s assessment that United had become a ‘cup team club’ was always on the money.

Success in Europe came in 1991 with a remarkable, and thoroughly unexpected, run in the Cup Winners’ Cup, triumphing 2-1 in the final against Barcelona. It would not be the last time Ferguson would meet the Catalans in European competition. Once again, however, United failed to put up a genuine challenge for the First Division title.

Not until narrow failure a year later, with Paul Parker and Peter Schmeichel adding to the growing influence of youngsters Lee Sharpe and Ryan Giggs, did United genuinely challenge for English supremacy. It was the first time in 25 years that the club had done so.

The Holy Grail was found a year on amid the late drama of Steve Bruce’s unforgettable headed double against Sheffield Wednesday. Champions of England at last, with Brian Kidd’s praise sent to the heavens.

The deluge started then. The double came in 1994, with the most combative team modern United has known. “So many of them, real tough bastards,” Ferguson would later note. The ‘double double’ came two years later under the magnificent influence of Ferguson’s finest signing, Eric Cantona.

By 1999 United conquered Europe’s best, driven not through expensive acquisitions alone, but by the youthful evolution Ferguson had instigated 13 years earlier.

United may have been lucky that remarkable night at Camp Nou, but it was Ferguson’s due having revived the club root and branch from a generation-long malaise.

In that Ferguson has never been a coach alone. Whether United’s board truly understood this in 1986 is moot; it was a decision that transformed a football club.

The Scot’s chameleon-like ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment has ensured that the club has continually met new challenges. He has personally evolved for the modern era by entrusting an ever-increasing sphere of influence to an army of coaching, fitness, health and science professionals.

There are failures though. Ferguson’s ability to succeed in the market has often been mixed. Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Denis Irwin – all bought for a song. The Scot also wasted money on a plethora of the average, particularly as the 1990s gave way to a new millennium. The scattergun policy still unearths rare gems, but mediocrity is often a by-product.

Then there are the personality failings: Ferguson’s requirement for total control has seen Paul Ince, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jaap Stam leave in acrimony, each before their peak.

Too often, with embarrassing results, Fergie picked fights with the Football Association, media, referees, fellow managers, coaches and, eventually, United’s supporters. Much of it was counter-productive.

“Sometimes I lose my temper,” he once noted. “If someone argues with me I have to win the argument. I can’t lose an argument.”

And no mention of Ferguson’s failings can come without an assessment of his role since 2005. The Scot’s acquiescence to the Glazer takeover, the decision to ‘look after his staff’, and to repeatedly, vocally, support a regime at the height of supporter protest was unnecessarily divisive.

Ferguson’s refusal to acknowledge even the basis for supporter concern was an error. Fans cannot, as Ferguson once urged a travelling supporter, simply “f*ck off and support Chelsea.”

Yet, the bitter after-taste of Ferguson’s loyalty to the Glazer family will fade before memories of the glory will. There is a generation of United supporters that know nothing else but Ferguson, good and bad. Those supporters have experienced little else but unbridled success.

The new journey begins with David Moyes in the dugout, and Fergie in the directors box. Sir Alex’s shadow will surely be long and dark. But that is for the future. In focus for now, the goodbye.

“To the fans, thank you,” concluded Ferguson on Wednesday.

“The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an honour and an enormous privilege to have had the opportunity to lead your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United.”

It is mutual. It has been a drama, a pleasure, and, frankly, an absolute honour.

There was a moment, somewhere around 15 minutes into Manchester United’s insipid performance against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, when Brazilian midfielder Anderson lofted a 50 yard pass forward. With space to turn on to his favoured left foot, and under no discernible pressure, the player had time to assess the situation before striking the ball a full 30 yards beyond the nearest United forward. After six years at Old Trafford, the only surprise in the moment was Anderson’s fitness to play yet another wasteful pass.

Deployed against Chelsea as the most forward of United’s curious midfield triumvirate, Anderson received the ball 46 times, made 36 passes – 32 successful – and lost possession on eight other occasions. He created no chances, took no shots and scored no goals. Plus ça change.

Impudence aside, Sunday’s wasn’t Anderson’s most slipshod performance in a United shirt. There have been plenty of those. On the day others – notably Ryan Giggs, Antonio Valencia, Tom Cleverley – were just as injurious, but after six years of increasing mediocrity, few can remember when Anderson reached his current low.

This season is the player’s career in a microcosm: just seven starts in the Premier League, 15 in all competitions. Sir Alex Ferguson is increasingly loathe to trust the former international, even on the sporadic occasions when the player is fit.

There have been two goals and five assists – three in a single Carling Cup match against Chelsea – and he has taken just seven shots all season. The numbers have rarely stacked up. In 168 appearances in all competitions, Anderson has produced just nine goals and 21 assists – eight of those in the Carling Cup.

That Anderson has never started more than 30 games for United in a campaign says much about how little Ferguson can or does reply on the midfielder. That the player has started and finished just 18 matches in those 168 appearances for the club affirms the observation. In keeping with history, Anderson was substituted after 69 minutes of United’s defeat to Chelsea at the weekend.

Now aged 25, it is impossible to argue that Anderson is a better than the player United acquired for €30 million (£20.3 million) in June 2007. He has certainly regressed from the exciting attacking talent that secured the Golden Ball as best player at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship.

And whatever the blame for Anderson’s misadventure – the player’s bankrupt attitude to professionalism, Sir Alex’ tactical misuse, and rank bad luck – failure it most certainly is. In the years of waiting, the only wonder left is Sir Alex’ enduring patience.

Indeed, the player will surely be shipped out in the summer should United find a suitable buyer, although the club will have to write off a substantial percentage of the player’s original purchase price. Rumours of a return to Porto may represent the best bet for both player and United.

In fact, there is no guarantee that a more suitable buyer will come forward to claim the player at a price that United is willing to accept, although with two years left on the midfielder’s contract the coming summer represents the best return the club will ever achieve.

And the player has little argument to brook when United move him on; not after claiming that the campaign now drawing to a close was a defining moment in his career. It should be.

Anderson’s probable exit represents a significant about face, especially for Sir Alex who has been unswerving in his public support for the former Grêmio player. After all, here is a manager with a peerless reputation for developing youth who has, through some significant fault of his own, failed to get the best out of an expensive youthful acquisition.

“We are delighted,” said Ferguson when Anderson signed a new five-year £80,000-per-week contract in summer 2010. “Anderson has developed tremendously since joining us; he is going to be a really top player.”

Similar plaudits have followed each return from injury and every subsequent false start. Ferguson’s support was buttressed each time by any morsel of evidence that Anderson might one day become the player that United’s management and massed support always wanted.

But there have been just 49 starts since that lucrative new contract was inked. Almost £12 million committed in wages since 2010 at around £250,000 per start. By the time Anderson leaves this summer, United will have paid out around £50 million in transfer fee, bonuses and wages for the player. As Ferguson was once so fond of saying, there really is no value in the market.

Should the player move on, it will surely benefit all parties; a return to Portugal or Brazil, where economic growth now enables local clubs to finance players on European wages, will proffer the player game-time in a lower profile environment. And while Anderson will almost certainly never become the player that Golden Ball once promised, the talent remains to forge a career elsewhere.

Moreover, removing Anderson from Ferguson’s roster will create the space and incentive for the Scot to acquire a new central midfielder for the first time since the Brazilian’s capture six years ago.

The strategy comes at a risk of course: Darren Fletcher’s chronic illness, and Paul Scholes’ retirement will leave United two further central midfielders down, while Ryan Giggs will turn 40 shortly into the new season. But United’s goals have moved on too. Returning the Premier League trophy to Old Trafford this season affords the club a new incentive next year – Europe, where the genuine benchmark of quality surely lies.

Indeed, United’s ability to dismiss domestic mediocrity has masked weaknesses in Ferguson’s first team – a fact recorded in the Reds’ mixed record of 11 points from 24 against other members of the ‘top five’: City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The team hasn’t beaten a European opponent of genuine note since a 1-0 victory in Valencia, September 2010.

That record is unlikely to change before Ferguson’s strengthens at United’s point of greatest fragility in central midfield. Anderson’s departure is now central to that goal.

The season may be winding down, but Sir Alex Ferguson appears in no mood to for his team to let up just yet. Manchester United’s creditable draw at Arsenal last weekend followed a slow start at the Emirates, but a strong second half performance left Ferguson’s men disappointed to leave the north London with just a point.

What then of United’s fixture with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday? With little on the line for the Reds, but everything for Rafa Benitez’ visitors, it is another match of contrasting motivations.

The title secured, Ferguson’s men have little but a modicum of revenge at stake. And pride in the integrity of competition, of course, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur each chasing Champions League places.

After all, while United secured victory at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League earlier this season, Chelsea knocked Ferguson’s side out of two cup competitions during the campaign.

Meanwhile, Benitez has just a handful of games to secure Champions League football next season, with Chelsea in a three-way race for third and fourth spots in the Premier League.

United, in relaxed mood, will surely lack the a certain edge on the biggest occasion, of course. But if the Reds’ second-half performance against Arsenal is any evidence, Ferguson is unlikely to being in charitable mood. Not, of course, given the personal animosity between the Scot and Benitez, which has rarely been kept below the surface since the Spaniard’s “facts” rant in January 2009.

This is a relationship built on anything but trust and mutual respect. Indeed, Benitez is one of the few managers to eschew the norms of managerial conduct, says Ferguson. The Spaniard accused Ferguson of refusing to shake his hand after the 2-2 FA Cup draw  earlier this season.

“At the end of a game I always shake hands and we always have a meeting in my office afterwards with both sets of staff,” said the 71-year-old United manager this week.

“It is the right thing to do. It is an opportunity to get away from the game itself. You maybe see managers twice a year, so that opportunity to spend half an hour with them after a match is vital. You can discuss your jobs and a lot of issues.

“It is not easy if you have lost a game to go in. It is our chance to show we are Manchester United. No matter the result, go in. He (Benitez) came in once when he was at Liverpool. I don’t think he has come in again.”

Benitez says he will not share a glass with Sir Alex on Sunday either, whatever the result.

Chelsea beat FC Basel on Thursday to reach the Europa League final, one goal of the three handed to Benitez when he took the reigns earlier in the campaign.

The west London outfit lost an FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City, while the Blues slipped to fourth in the Premier League after victories for both Arsenal and Spurs on Saturday. Next Wednesday’s clash against Spurs could prove decisive in the race for fourth.

But it has also been a period of upheaval at Stamford Bridge, with Benitez not only facing protests from the terraces, but standing accused of prioritising cup competitions over Chelsea’s greater need for Champions League football next season.

“He is very concerned about his CV,” jibed Ferguson. “He refers to it quite a lot.”

Meanwhile, Benitez this week accused Ferguson of buying years of success – and suggested that the relationship between the two managers has been strained only because of the Spaniard’s challenge to the older man.

“When you are with a top side, and you have had more money than anyone for years, then you can keep winning and you can keep talking,” said Benitez, who will again be out of a job come 19 May.

“He doesn’t (like me), he doesn’t, but it depends on the moment. You have to do what you have to do for your team. At the time (2009), he knew that Liverpool were very close. That was the situation. Now it is very different because they have won the title. But are they better than Manchester City? I am not sure. Are they better than Chelsea? I am not sure.”

While United’s points lead over City stands at 13, it is 20 greater than Chelsea’s. Still, Sunday offers another opportunity for bragging rights in a techy relationship between the two men.

Ferguson’s team heads into the clash fresher, but without a clutch of players. Ashley Young remains out, while Danny Welbeck is unlikely to return before next week’s fixture with Swansea City. However, veteran Paul Scholes should return to the squad for Sunday’s match.

“Welbeck is out of Sunday,” Sir Alex confirmed. “The rest are all fit. Scholes and Vidic are training and I’ll probably put Scholes on the bench on Sunday to get him back into the fray. I’d love him to play in the Swansea game.

“Chelsea have done fantastically well over the last few weeks and they are in the final of the Europa League. Chelsea are chasing a Champions League place as well and we’ll be playing the strongest team we can. We need to play with good enthusiasm and enjoy it. We should express ourselves and try to finish off a good season.”

Meanwhile, Benitez’ team heads north with rumours of José Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge resonating throughout the travelling support. It will do little but undermine the Spaniard’s position.

Still, with the Blues reaching the Europa League final, the mood in the camp is buoyant. The side also receives a double boost, with left-back Ashley Cole returning after missing Thursday’s Europa League win over Basel through suspension, and striker Demba Ba is also available again.

Oscar, John Terry and Eden Hazard could all return after being rotated out of the side for the clash with Basel. However, Benitez must balance his line-up against United against the one that played against the Swiss, and Wednesday’s crucial fixture with Spurs.

Match details
Manchester United v Chelsea – Premier League, Old Trafford – 4pm, 5 May 2013

Possible teams
United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Rafael, Vidić, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Giggs; Valencia, Rooney, Kagawa, van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Jones, Evans, Powell, Scholes, Cleverley, Anderson, Nani, Welbeck, Hernández

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cole; Lampard, Mikel; Oscar, Hazard, Mata; Torres. Subs from: Turnbull, Hilario, Bertrand, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Moses, Benayoun, Marin, Ake, Ferreira, Ba.

Match officials
Referee: Howard Webb
Assistants: M Mullarkey, S Massey
Fourth Official: A Marriner

Form
United: LLWDWD
Chelsea: LWDWWW

Head-to-Head
Last 10: United 5, Chelsea 3, Draw 2
Overall: United 72, Chelsea 46, Draw 49

Stats

• Wayne Rooney’s future may be uncertain, but his numbers remain positive, with 123 attacking contributions this season, as well as a pass in the opponent’s half once every 3.1 minutes on average;
• French international Patrice Evra currently lies third in the United squad for crosses delivered with 42 – he is the second oldest full-back in the league to have broken the 30-cross barrier, behind Reading’s Nicky Shorey;
• Danny Welbeck has been deployed up-front and on the flank this season, but boasts just a 56.3 per cent shot accuracy rate in front of goal despite managing an attempt on goal once every 42.2 minutes he’s been on the pitch;
• Frank Lampard scored last week, edging the midfielder towards a club record goals tally – Lampard has achieved a shot accuracy rate of 63.5 per cent from 63 attempts this season, one shot every 44.3 minutes on the pitch;
• David Luiz has made more interceptions than any other Blues player this season with 122, as well as averaging at a squad-best rate of defensive contributions – one every 13.1 minutes according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index;
• Eden Hazard lies second to Juan Mata as Chelsea’s main creative force, making an attacking contribution (dribble, cross, shot on target or assist) on average once every 16.5 minutes, as well as joining an elite group of players to have made a pass in the opponent’s half  once every 3 minutes or less on average.

Prediction
1-1

The United States naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team Six, became famous for killing Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan on 2 May 2011. SEAL Team Six, along with its brother unit DELTA, is responsible for eliminating some 3000 alleged terrorists and capturing 9000 more during its deployment in Iraq.

During the war, the elite counter-terrorism unit operated under the mantra of “surprise, speed and violence of action” and it is staggering to think just how violent they must have been – 3000 killed by a few scores of soldiers. Despite the ‘success’, SEAL Team Six has since adopted a new code as its modus operandi – “silence, stealth and decisiveness of action.”

It is beyond the scope of this post, nor is United Rant a proper place, to discuss exactly why, but the SEALs’ change of direction should be rather familiar to Manchester United fans.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson’s stewardship, United have won two European Cups. Yet, the change in tactical approach between successes has been stark.

Take, for example, the 1998/99 season in which the Reds scored 29 and conceded 16 over the Champions League campaign. By contrast, Ferguson’s 2007/08 side scored 20 and conceded six. The reigning English champions scored nine more, despite playing two games less in ’99, and conceded 10 more in the treble-winning season compared to nearly a decade later.

The explanation for the switch from profligacy to parsimony comes in Ferguson’s change of approach.

The tactics deployed by Ferguson in ‘99 were fairly basic – a classic 4-4-2, although some, including Sky pundit Gary Neville, argue that with Dwight Yorke deployed in the hole Ferguson’s formation was closer to 4-4-1-1.

Whatever the formation, it was also a phenomenally tough side. The second leg of the semi-final against Juventus encapsulates the spirit of the side perfectly. While the game is, of course, remembered for Roy Keane’s heroics, to “modern” eyes it is also absolutely astounding just how violent the game was.

Watching the game one again it is noticeable how basic the vertical ‘box-to-box’ runs of Ferguson’s players were. There are no fancy false nines, nor an inverted winger. And while there was little choice with the Scot’s team two goals down, United’s sheer attacking verve is breathtaking – the ball just keeps going forward.

Contrast United’s performance at Stadio Della Alpi to the away game against AS Roma in ‘07/08. Right off the bat the side was infinitely more complex. Cristiano Ronaldo featured upfront as a false nine. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park were deployed as defensive wingers. And the midfield three of Anderson, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes did not include an old-fashioned defensive midfielder in Keane’s considerable mould at all.

The game was far more measured. Players didn’t just run in straight lines – instead, they covered each other and tried to progress carefully, with advanced players offering much subtler runs than Yorke or Andy Cole ever did. The game, notwithstanding Ronaldo’s great header, was won mainly on the chalkboard. In fact, Zonal Marking’s Michael Cox declares that “[the game against Roma] will go down as one of the great away performances in Europe by an English club.”

Correctly or otherwise, Ferguson considered the gung-ho style of football United played in Europe as a hindrance to further success in the continent’s premier competition. Or in other words, “surprise, speed and violence of action” could no longer be the order of the day when the manager wanted far more “decisiveness.”

Ferguson was proven right in his conviction when United defeated Chelsea in 2008. Had it not been for the emergence of Lionel Messi-led Barcelona – possibly the greatest team ever assembled – the Scot might have even added one or two more Champions League wins in the past five years.

United’s stark evolution in that decade owes much to the modern media era. Television brings almost any match on the planet to the viewer. Indeed, television has taken geography out of scouting and analysis.

And with so many eyes and brains, with so much money on the line, football is evolving quicker than ever. For example, the blistering pressing game buttressed by careful possession of the ball, championed by Barcelona and used so effectively by Spain, is already in decline.

The modern way has evolved again. Instead, “hip” teams now press hard when the opposition goalkeeper has the ball. The concept is to stop opposition from building from the back, forcing the ‘keeper to launch the ball long, with defenders dropping back and picking up opposition players. After all, why waste energy chasing the ball when one can prevent the ball from ever reaching an opposition player?

Bayern Munich showed how effective the idea is by hammering Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League semi-final last week and repeating the trick at Camp Nou.

While Ferguson evolved his side in the decade from the ’99 victory, the game as a whole has changed from being “violent” to being “decisive.” It seems that in his final years as United manager, Ferguson, now 71, has another challenge to meet.

April 2012: Manchester City’s Joe Hart was named in the Premier League Team of the Year, while Manchester United’s David De Gea faced a summer of seemingly endless debate about his future as the club’s number one keeper. There were plenty of suggestions that the Spaniard could be replaced permanently, either by Anders Lindegaard, or by a new acquisition.

Fast forward 12 months and few United supporters were surprised to see the 22-year old named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year after a series of terrific performances that underpinned the club’s march towards a 20th league title.

De Gea has been an ever-present in the team in 2013, starting all but one fixture – United’s FA Cup replay versus West Ham United – since Lindegaard’s calamitous performance in the 4-3 win against Reading in December. In the period, De Gea amassed an unbroken sequence of 678 minutes without conceding a Premier League goal until James Milner beat the Spaniard with a deflected shot in the recent Manchester derby.

It hasn’t always been rosy though. Early criticism of de Gea’s lack of physical presence and the youngster’s weakness in dealing with crosses seemed warranted as he struggled to acclimatise to the physical rigours of the Premier League, as a 20-year old in his first season at United. The improvement has been tremendous, with the Spaniard benefiting from a customised strength-building programme, which has aided his confidence in dealing with crosses and some of the more robust aspects of the English game.

Still, it has not been an easy season for de Gea in the media. In January, there was a universally brutal press assessment after the ‘keeper’s weak punch led to a late Tottenham Hotspur equaliser at White Hart Lane. That many commentators failed to mention de Gea’s heroics throughout the match smacked of a pre-meditated agenda to savage the young ‘keeper.

More surprising, perhaps, was ex-Red Gary Neville’s assessment, who used his platform as a Sky pundit to lambast de Gea for his gaffe against Spurs.

The lone voice of support, it seemed, was ex-United goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel, who offered a robust defence of a stopper who has dealt with a constantly changing back-four this season. While the finger of blame was squarely pointed at the player, many commentators draw parallels between de Gea’s acquisition and Sir Alex Ferguson’s “disastrous” attempt to replace Schmeichel with Massimo Taibi and Mark Bosnich, among others.

Indeed, though Ferguson stood firm in his support for de Gea during a difficult period, many pundits had already begun writing the obituary on the younger ‘keeper’s time at United.

“Sir Alex Ferguson has become exasperated by De Gea’s inability to iron out the flaws in his game,” said The Telegraph’s Mark Ogden in January.

“Senior players at the club are understood to have lost faith in the 22-year-old even before his costly injury-time mistake against Tottenham on Sunday which led to the home side claiming a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.”

Meanwhile, Alan Nixon in the Mirror claimed that “United chief has asked supremo David Gill and the club’s American owners to fund a buy for a genuine number one.”

The Daily Mail, widely recognised for a hyperbolic approach to reporting on United, preposterously suggested that United could move for Liverpool’s Pepe Reina or Barcelona stopper Victor Valdes, ignoring the very real truth that the two ‘keepers’ position in the Spanish squad were in fact under threat from de Gea. When Real Madrid number one Iker Casillas suffered injury recently, it was de Gea that received the call-up for World Cup qualifiers against Finland and France.

In contradiction to the reporting in England, it is widely accepted in Spain that it is now a matter of time before de Gea replaces the aforementioned trio to become Spain’s numero uno.

In the meantime, de Gea has continued to improve. Confident performances against physical teams such as Stoke City and West Ham in recent weeks seemingly underscored the benefits of a stringent gym routine. And while accusations of physical frailty are common, few can now doubt de Gea’s mental strength after coming through a sustained media witch-hunt. Perhaps the player’s apparent poor command of English helped.

de Gea should remain at the club for the long-term too, with the 22-year-old refuting suggestions that he is homesick. Re-affirmation of the player’s commitment to remain at Old Trafford was welcome in the face of the player’s stunning performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu earlier this season. De Gea made a number of crucial saves – one shot tipped on to the post with his finger-tips and another saved brilliantly with the right foot.

Credit for the player’s performances is seemingly shared between Sir Alex and United’s goalkeeping coach Eric Steele, who remained undeterred in a conviction that the player’s is potential world-class. Ferguson has since then credited de Gea for United’s significant defensive improvement during the second half of the season.

“David de Gea has developed and matured as the season has gone on,” said Ferguson. “We’ve seen a very progressive and developing young goalkeeper and next season he’ll be even better.”

With an inaugural Premier League title secure, and a consistent season under his belt, de Gea’s campaign has culminated in the Spaniard being chosen ahead of City’s much-lauded Hart as the PFA’s choice for the Premier League goalkeeper of the season.

Replacing one of the game’s great, Edwin van der Sar, was never an easy task, especially at a club of United’s stature. The job isn’t complete, yet de Gea has shown the mental fortitude at a young age to withstand the pressure directed at him. It is surely good preparation for a long United career.

David de Gea’s Season
Premier League Games: 27
Minutes: 2430
Goals Against: 25
Goals Allowed Average: 0.93
Saves: 90
Shots faced: 300
Shots on Goal faced: 112
Saves Percentage: 78.3%
Clean Sheets: 11
Yellow Cards: 0

The Premier League may have been sealed with four games to go, but it hasn’t been a universally productive season for Ferguson’s players, some of which may well be on their way out of the club this summer.

Poor performances are one thing, but losing Ferguson’s trust is quite another. It is the former that normally guarantees an exit. And while the political machinations of the transfer market are plenty, so predictions almost impossible, here’s Rant’s top five potential exits this summer.

Nani

It would take a brave punter to place any money on the Portuguese winger remaining at United beyond this summer. That Ferguson was happy to sanction a sale of the 26-year-old former Sporting player over the winter says much – Nani’s time at Old Trafford is surely up.

Having arrived for a little over €25 million – £17 million in 2007 prices – it is unlikely United will realise a profit on the winger, who has only intermittently fulfilled his undoubted potential. Indeed, for around 18 months or so after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, there was genuine belief that Nani could replace his fellow Portuguese’s star turn.

The output had normally been productive though. The 12 goals and 13 assists produced last season was matched by few in Nani’s position across the major European leagues. And by the end of the 2010/11 campaign, many were shocked that Nani was left out of the nominations for Player of the Year.

But with the player having appeared in just 20 games all season – 14 starts – he has done little  to command a substantial fee, or indeed the hefty wages the player has reportedly sought.

Injury had played a part, but in truth the player is no longer first choice even when fit. That players with less natural talent – Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, for example – are ahead in the pecking order is a measure of just how many of his six years at Old Trafford Nani had wasted.

Expect to see Nani sold to a continental club this summer. Juventus, Paris Saint German, and mid-tier Spanish clubs might be in the bidding at around £12-15 million.

Premier League 2012/2013
Starts: 6
Sub: 4
Minutes Played: 546
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Passing accuracy: 80%
Chances created: 10

« « » »

Anderson

There has rarely been more disappointment with a player that has graced Old Trafford. Not that there has ever really been any doubt about Anderson’s talent, even if the Brazilian has only recently improved on a history of shockingly wasteful passing. Instead, the anticlimax comes in a talent completely unfulfilled; a €30 million fee that will never be recovered and has seldom brought value.

Injuries have stolen much of Anderson’s lustre over six seasons, but that is only a partial truth. The player, a most un-Brazilian Brazilian, has let himself down far too often. Those late nights, the partying when injured, a body not maintained at its optimum, and a casual attitude to training that has so often frustrated; United’s investment has rarely been match by Anderson’s professionalism.

In that. Anderson had damaged his most precious asset: the burst of pace and athleticism that brought the player to international recognition as a 17-year-old trequartista in Brazil.

True, Ferguson has rarely deployed the player in an attacking role, where his supporters maintain the former Gremio midfielder performs best. There is scant evidence of that, but in truth little to support Anderson’s involvement as more orthodox midfielder either.

Ferguson has been steadfast in his support. Yet, there is an inescapable sense that Anderson is a regret whose closure will only come with a departure this summer. Expect the midfielder’s return to Portugal for somewhere south of £10 million.

Premier League 2012/2013
Starts: 7
Sub: 6
Minutes Played: 624
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Passing accuracy: 88%
Chances created: 10

« « » »

Wayne Rooney

The former Evertonian is no longer a boy – not with more than 400 appearances now on the clock for United. Yet, there is an inescapable feeling that Rooney is on the down-slope of a career that perhaps hasn’t hit the stratospheric heights once expected.

Make no mistake, Rooney’s is an exceptional talent. Here is a player equally comfortable at ‘nine’, ’10′ or in a conventional midfield role, as recently witnessed.

But this flexibility has damaged Rooney’s output this season, with the Scouser rarely deployed as United’s striking focal point. Instead, in a slightly withdrawn role, Rooney has intermittently excelled. It has been a season of highs, lows and a little too much mediocrity.

Yet, the question isn’t really about Rooney’s value to United, nor his natural talent, but whether the 26-year-old still has the hunger and physical capability to perform with the elite. That burst of searing pace has gone, while the player is no longer in finest shape.

No longer first choice striker, Rooney could soon be usurped in the ‘shadow’ role by Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa. It is an uncomfortable time for a player who has scored 197 goals for the club.

Could United cash in this summer, with PSG reportedly interested? Certainly, there are few clubs that could afford the England-international’s astronomical wages, although the transfer fee might be lower than £25 million.

Premier League 2012/2013
Starts: 21
Sub: 4
Minutes Played: 1910
Goals: 12
Assists: 10
Passing accuracy: 83%
Chances created: 37

« « » »

Javier Hernández

Few will celebrate if the effervescent Mexican departs Old Trafford this summer. But with the striker afforded so few opportunities, a fresh start away from Manchester might suit the 24-year-old. Real Madrid’s long-standing interest has not been solidified with an official bid, but there is sure to be heavy interest from Spain should United seek to cash in on a player who has scored 16 goals this season.

Hernández still has plenty to offer, but Robin van Persie’s arrival means there are unlikely to be any more opportunities for the Mexican next season. Hernández moves on or settles for a long-term squad role.

After all, while Rooney, Danny Welbeck, and to some extent van Persie, offer flexibility, Hernández is really only effective in one role. And even if Rooney leaves the club this summer, the Scouser’s departure will surely only come if Ferguson’s brings in a top-class replacement.

Premier League 2012/2013
Starts: 7
Sub: 11
Minutes Played: 779
Goals: 8
Assists: 2
Passing accuracy: 82%
Chances created: 11

« « » »

Anders Lindegaard

The season began with Sir Alex lauding the benefits of rotating his two main goalkeepers – David de Gea and Lindegaard. The campaign draws to a close with David de Gea not only established as United’s first choice stopper, but one of the top two performers in the Premier League. Indeed, Lindegaard’s fall from grace has been so stark since a calamitous performance against Reading at the Madejski in December that it will surprise few if the Danish international moves on in the summer. After all, Ben Amos has patiently waited in the wings for an opportunity, while England under-19 ‘keeper Sam Johnstone is thought of highly by United’s coaching staff.

Just eight starts in the Premier League this season means that Lindegaard is also likely to miss out on a winners’ medal unless Ferguson takes pity on the 29-year-old former Aalesund player. The Dane is likely to be available for around £2 million.

Premier League 2012/2013
Starts: 8
Minutes Played: 720
Goals conceded: 11
Errors: 1
Saves: 18

Robin van Persie will command the headlines Sunday afternoon, although the former Arsenal striker is unlikely to receive a welcoming entrance at the Emirates. Manchester United’s visit to north London less than a week after claiming the Premier League title ensures that the Dutchman garners a much discussed ‘Guard of Honour’ from his former colleagues; a customary recognition that will do little for the home supporters’ mood.

It is in keeping with modern football of course, but the abuse meted out to van Persie at his old stomping ground is likely to both be severe and personal. Little of it will bother the remarkably mature Dutchman, who has scored 27 goals in his début season for the club.

That van Persie has secured the prize he sought when leaving the Emirates last summer is only likely to heighten the hate generated on the terraces though.

Still, with Arsenal finishing the season strongly in the hunt for fourth place, the home side has much to play for away from the focus on a former player. Meanwhile United, driven by the goal of reaching a record 96 points but potentially attenuated by the recent triumph, is a beast unknown.

Indeed, with the title won, Sir Alex Ferguson has already ditched the bravado of victory to focus on the next challenge. No matter the season’s stage, winning is all says the 71-year-old Scot. United must secure 12 points from  four remaining games to beat Chelsea’s record top flight tally of 95 achieved under José Mourinho in 2005.

“At a club like Manchester United there’s an expectation to live up to,” Ferguson said.

“You really need to win all the time and that’s all there is to it. I’ve said to the players it’s one thing being champions of the Premier League but another thing to set a record. We have an opportunity to set the record and, hopefully, we can do that. If we can do that, 96 points would be phenomenal. I don’t know if that could ever be beaten but nonetheless it’s a marvellous achievement by us.”

United host Chelsea at Old Trafford next weekend, followed by matches against Swansea City and then West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season. With little to play for, achieving a points record is likely to be a tough ask, with Chelsea and Arsenal competing with Tottenham Hotspur for two Champions League places.

“Well, there are four different types of challenge,” Ferguson told MUTV.

“We’ve got Arsenal who are chasing a Champions League position and then it’s Chelsea, who are in exactly the same position as Arsenal. I think we’ve got a duty to other clubs who are chasing Champions League places.

“Also, the rivalry we’ve had with Arsenal and then Chelsea over the years does put an edge to these games anyway so hopefully we’ll represent ourselves in the right way.

Ferguson is likely to field a changed side at the Emirates, with defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić available for recall. The veteran pair missed United’s title-clinching victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans suffered injury against Villa, although neither misses the trip altogether, while Paul Scholes is still unavailable with a sore knee. The 38-year-old has less than a month before an inevitable second retirement this summer. Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck could come back into the team, with Phil Jones deployed in midfield.

“We have a few bumps and bruises from the other night but it is hopefully nothing serious and I expect to have a strong side on Sunday,” Ferguson confirmed.

“Two of the players played with an injury throughout the [Villa] game – Jonny Evans and Michael Carrick. Next week, I should have Vida and Rio back. I can put Jones into the middle of the pitch and play Vida and Rio together and we’ll get the experience going to Arsenal.

“A lot of the younger players have been on the fringes for the last few weeks, and I desperately want them to feel their contribution has been big. Chicharito, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Nani – I think it’s important to get them involved in the last few weeks.”

Meanwhile, Arsène Wenger’s side holds a single point advantage over Chelsea and Spurs in the hunt for fourth place. Tottenham’s draw with Wigan Athletic on Saturday hands an advantage to their north London rivals – with matches against Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United to come, qualification is surely the Gunners’ to lose.

Still, the question of whether United’s intensity will drop is a potent one, especially with the Premier League secure. Ferguson’s call for focus chimes poorly with a sense of complacency that has crept into United’s play at times this season, particularly during the second half of matches. It is an understandable conceit with 27 victories achieved in the Premier League.

“It’s easy to ease off, yes,” said Wenger, who has never finished outside the top four in a more than a decade with Arsenal.

“I do not hope too much. It is a special game, always, a little bit because naturally the stress is not there any more. Your tendency is to relax a little bit. You are still on the high for the next game. It would be a big mistake for us to think they will ease off straight away on Sunday.”

Yet, if Ferguson’s side does drop its intensity level at the Emirates, it is unlikely to be the returning hero that does so. The striker has found a rich vein of form at just the right time. Nine matches without a goal ended with five scored in the last three, including the stunning hat-trick against Villa.

That United has tasted defeat just once in the past 11 meetings with Arsenal bodes well for van Persie. And while the Dutchman celebrated in muted fashion after scoring in the fixture between these sides at Old Trafford, none of the visiting supporters will begrudge the Dutchman his moment on Sunday. Especially in the face of mass vitriol.

Match details

Arsenal v Manchester United – Premier League, Emirates – 4pm, 28 April 2013

Possible teams

Arsenal (4-3-3): Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere; Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski. Subs from: Mannone, Coquelin, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Rosicky, Gervinho, Arshavin,  Oxlade-Chamberlain

United (4-4-2): de Gea; Rafael, Vidić, Ferdinand, Evra; Jones; Cleverley, Carrick, Rooney; Kagawa; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Jones, Evans, Powell, Carrick, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Welbeck, Hernández

Match officials
Referee: P Dowd
Assistants: A Garratt and S Ledger
Fourth official: M Oliver

Form
Arsenal:
United: WWLLWDW

Head-to-Head
Last 10: Arsenal 1, United 8, Draw 1
Overall: Arsenal 78, United 91, Draw 46

Stats

• Per Mertesacker’s goal against Fulham last weekend helped Arsenal climb into third place in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage;
• Midfielder Jack Wilshere started that game on the bench, but is likely to feature against United – the youngster boasts a pass in his opponent’s half once every 2 and half minutes this season;
• Kieran Gibbs boasts a tackle success rate of 71.2 per cent from 66 attempted challenges this season,
• Striker Olivier Giroud’s red card last weekend ensures the Frenchman is suspended for United’s visit, proffering Theo Walcott an opportunity through the middle – Walcott boasts the best minutes-per-shot rate of any player in the Gunners squad at one every 30.2 minutes;
• Robin van Persie’s hat-trick against Villa secured a 20th league title for United last Monday – they were the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Premier League goals of the Dutchman’s season;
• van Persie’s goals have come amid an attempt on goal once every 24.7 minutes on average this season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index;
• Michael Carrick has finally garnered the recognition his consistent performances have long deserved – the midfielder has achieved more than 1000 successful passes in the opponent’s half this season and is the only United player to do so;
• Jonny Evans may not play at the Emirates, but the Northern Irishman has again blossomed this season, achieving the best tackle success rate in the United squad of 73.5 per cent from 34 attempted challenges.

Prediction
1-1

Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United celebrates as they claimed their record 20th title after the final whistle of the Premier League match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on April 22, 2013. (Getty Images)

It really never gets boring, this lark of winning Premier League titles. Some 13 have now come during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign; the latest after his side beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Perhaps none will be quite as giddily received as that in 1993, not after Steve Bruce’s late late double. Nor will there be as much euphoria as that generated in 1999, when the Premier League was achieved as the first leg of the treble. But make no mistake, this year is special. Special for every reason that last season’s loss was so traumatic.

Manchester City’s last-gasp victory in May 2012 hurt. And despite supporters’ bravado of the past week there was no genuine sense that the Blues had become but temporary custodians of United’s trophy. Not last summer at least.

Yet, Sir Alex’s side responded to last season’s defeat with a campaign of consistent performances. At times the genuine determination required to drag points out of nothing has also shone.

“Focus,” as Sir Alex calls it – not least his side’s ability to come back from opening-day defeat at Everton and win 25 Premier League matches in the next 29.

By stark contrast Roberto Mancini’s is a side that capitulated amid a flurry of infighting, complacency and rank poor man management. In that there is certainly a sense of smug satisfaction among the Old Trafford faithful, with City breaking down into bitter recrimination that may still result in Mancini departing this summer.

In fact, while the data says that in most key areas United hasn’t truly improved on last season – goals scored, passing statistics, attacking numbers and the rest – Mancini’s side has gone backwards. The Italian might end the campaign with another FA Cup, but there are some serious questions to be answered about his stewardship.

Abnormally, there has been scarcity of drama over the past eight months. No pivotal moment, no great clash between rivals to seal the title, nor a last gasp winner that has proven decisive. In truth there’s been little doubt about the Premier League’s destination since February.

United’s consistency ensured that.

“You can go on and on about losing the title,” Ferguson said in the aftermath of Monday’s victory.

“At the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years has been unbelievable. This club never gives in. From Sir Matt Busby, the Munich Disaster, to rebuilding and to win the European Cup, that tells you the history of United..”

“I think the focus of the team was good. The focus on the challenge from City. It’s amazing, 13th championship in the Premier League. Our consistency has won us the league.”

Still, it is a triumph that falls short of Ferguson’s very best: those of 1993, 1999 and 2008. Each redefined the club’s history. This year’ will do nothing of the sort, with a fair suspicion that the side is far from Ferguson’s finest.

That a certain stardust is missing is in no doubt. Since Christmas Ferguson’s side has retrenched into it’s shell – a  functional unit bent on claiming points. It is questionable whether this side will be revered in 20 years.

It is an assertion rejected by the Reds’ 71-year-old coach, who maintains that his current vintage compares favourably with any of United’s past.

“Nostalgia plays tricks in people’s minds,” adds Ferguson.

“The amount of times you’ve said ‘when I was a boy, things weren’t the same’. It’s nostalgia. Put it in context, we’ve got 84 points from 34 games, we’ve never done that.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United celebrates victory and winning the Premier League title after the match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on April 22, 2013. (Getty Images)

If there is an absence of magic, then at least one player has made a real difference during the campaign. Robin van Persie’s 28 goals in all competitions has shaped a season, although it is the Dutchman’s charisma that has added most – a calming influence spawning a belief that a goal will come when required.

There will also be words for Michael Carrick come the campaign’s end. The Geordie has once again held United’s midfield together with performances that now draw long past due eulogies.

Mention in dispatches is also reserved for the fast maturing Rafael da Silva and United’s outstanding young goalkeeper David de Gea. And with Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones also enjoying Ferguson’s enduring support, the Scot retains a strong base from which to build.

But the hangover of glory will be short-lived. It is the Fergusonian way. By May’s end thoughts will already have turned to retaining United’s Premier League title next season, and mapping out a route to one final night of European glory.

The latter depends on how United strengthens over the summer, with the Reds’ midfield in no shape to take on Europe’s finest. United might have been unlucky to exit at Real Madrid’s hands, but it is a fool’s errand to argue that Ferguson’s side is the continent’s best.

Potential summer moves for Borussia Dortmund’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Benfica’s Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay will do little to enforce United’s soft underbelly.

But will Ferguson break a six-year streak and sign a midfielder? With Anderson’s time done, Darren Fletcher unlikely to return, and Paul Scholes surely on his way to a second retirement, it would be negligent not to.

Moreover, the domestic challenge will surely be stronger next season. In Abu Dhabi, City’s owners will unleash the state’s sovereign wealth once again. It is, after all, not much use owning a vanity football club if the team is beaten by such a distance. Clear blue water, Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan might call it.

Chelsea may be a different beast, but owner Roman Abramovich, having spent not far off £200 million over the past two seasons, may have the taste for glory again. This will certainly be true if José Mourinho returns from six years in the continental wilderness.

On the continent, Bayern Munich this week announced the arrival of German wunderkind Mario Götze, while Barcelona and Real Madrid are sure to invest heavily once again.

It is a challenge at home and abroad that will fuel Ferguson into a 27th campaign in charge at Old Trafford.

“The manager has great desire and a winning mentality,” said Wayne Rooney, whose own future is as yet unresolved.

“We all buy into that and want to do well for the club. When you lose the title, it’s hard to take. The way we did it wasn’t a nice feeling last time so we’ve all dug in deep and all worked together.”

But in football, Rooney also argued, it is foolish to take anything for granted – a good message for the summer. Ferguson now has an opportunity to build from the front. Once again England’s finest, the side everybody else must chase. Ferguson wouldn’t have it any other way.

Two bruising encounters inside four days held the propensity to leave their mark on Manchester United; the concern being more of the abstract than physical, despite the aggressive approach displayed by Stoke City and West Ham United. Yet, with four points secured in the past week against anything but passive opponents, Sir Alex Ferguson has every reason to feel pleased with his team’s work. Pretty United’s form is not, but it is championship-winning stuff.

Ferguson’s side should take another step towards Premier League glory with victory over Aston Villa on Monday night, although United’s inclination for ‘doing it the hard way’ ensures that there could yet be more drama to come this season. This shouldn’t be the case against relegation-threatened Villa, but in hubris there is always danger.

Still, while United’s performance at West Ham was, in keeping with a recent theme, somewhat underwhelming, Ferguson had little but praise for his players. Little wonder the encomium; in a brutal encounter, the Scot’s team stood up to the physical challenge, and twice came from behind to earn a crucial point.

“The team were fantastic the other night in terms of standing,” said Ferguson, whose team could yet seal the title against Villa on Monday.

“It’s the type of game you get with Big Sam’s teams. We had to deal with it and I think a point was well deserved. We maybe could have won it in the last 20 minutes when we had all the play and one or two chances.

“Nonetheless you have to be satisfied coming back after being down twice and getting a point. The last two away games have shown how determined we are to win the league. I’ve admired my team in these games. We’ve done very well.”

Villa pose a different challenge again, with Paul Lambert’s young side finding some form at just the right time. Three victories in the past five Premier League matches has proffered the Birmingham side hope, although the draw with Fulham last weekend could yet prove damaging.

Yet, Lambert’s side has won four times on the road this season, scoring 20 goals in the process. That’s as many wins as Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea, and just three goals short of Arsenal’s record away from the Emirates. Villa pose a genuine threat to United’s short-term ambitions.

Still, United boasts a healthy range of options for Villa’s trip north, with only Ashley Young and Paul Scholes definitely out of the game. Meanwhile, Nemanja Vidić has recovered from his encounter with Geordie forward Andy Carroll.

Tom Cleverley could earn a recall in midfield, while Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie should start in attack despite recently speculation about the Scouser’s future.

“Every game now seems to be more important than the last one, when you get nearer to that line that’s the way it is,” adds Ferguson.

“I have the same squad for Monday and hopefully we’ll pick the right team. We’ve got a few bumps and bruises from Wednesday. Vidić had got a beautiful bruise on his cheekbone and after coming out of that war zone, we’re quite happy no-one was seriously injured.

“Ashley is out for the season. It’s unfortunate and it’s a bad blow. We thought it’d be maybe two or three weeks but now he’s been down to the specialist. The prognosis was not very good at all. We’re going to lose him for the rest of the season.”

Meanwhile, the visitors arrive on the cusp, with just a three point cushion ahead of Wigan Athletic and the bottom three. The Latics’ back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and West Ham offers Villa hope, although Lambert will look at a fixture list that includes matches against United, Sunderland, Chelsea and Norwich City with some trepidation. The final day clash with Wigan at the DW Stadium could yet be pivotal.

Injuries to Craig Gardner, Chris Herd, Mark Albrighton, and Richard Dunne do little to help Villa’s cause.

The midlanders’ trouble – and potential salvation – stems from a more realistic assessment of the club’s financial situation by owner Randy Learner. Far from splashing out millions on star names such as Darren Bent, the American has underwritten a refocused investment in Villa’s youth academy in the past two years. It is a policy that Ferguson, unsurprisingly, supports.

“Young people give you a future by creating a strong blend that can last for a few years,” said Sir Alex.

“Young players will always remember the manager who gave them their first start. The team will improve because of that, I am sure of it. Paul had the courage to do it and even if they were to go down, Villa have a structure that should bring them right back up. But on the evidence of what we’ve seen recently they’ve every chance of staying up anyway.”

United’s focus is at the other end of the table, of course. Four United victories in succession against the Villans suggests that the points, and title 20, are not far away.

Possible teams

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Rafael, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra; Cleverley, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Nani; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Evans, Powell, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs, Kagawa, Hernández, Welbeck

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan;  Lowton, Vlaar, Bennett, Baker; N’Zogbia, Westwood, Delph; Agbonlahor, Benteke, Weimann. Subs from: Given, Clark, El Ahmadi, Holman, Sylla, Dawkins, Bent, Bowery

Match officials

Referee: A Taylor
Assistants: S Long and D England
Fourth official: N Swarbrick

Form

United: DWWLLWD
Villa: LWWLDW

Head to Head

Last 10: United 6, Villa 1, Draw 3
Overall: United 92, Villa 49, Draw 38

Stats

• Manchester United came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with West Ham in midweek, thanks to goals from Antonio Valencia and Robin van Persie;
• After a period of drought van Persie has now scored in two Premier League games running, breathing life into the race for the Golden Boot race – the Dutchman has 21 compared to Luis Suarez’ 22 goals;
• van Persie has been the more efficient of the pair, taking just 5.52 shots per goal compared to Suarez’s 7.4;
• Despite van Persie’s recent drought, United boasts three of the top five players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for minutes per goal or assists this season;
• Hernández leads the rankings, averaging a goal or assist every 71 minutes this season, while van Persie is ranked third with one every 84 minutes, and Rooney fifth with a goal or assit every 93 minutes;
• At the other end Patrice Evra won eight tackles against West Ham, more than any other player in the matches taking place last week – Evra’s has won more tackles than any other United player this season;
• Villa defender Ron Vlaar has caught the eye this season, with 51 attempted tackles, giving away just six fouls, at a rate of 8.5 tackles per foul conceded, the best in the Index;
• Charles N’Zogbia scored for Villa against Fulham, just his second of the season, although he’s been more prolific at creating chances, clocking up six assists – one every 170 minutes;
• Fabien Delph attempted 12 tackles against Fulham, more than any other player in the last round of games and just one short of the Index record for tackles attempted in a game this season;
• Nathan Baker made 27 defensive contributions last weekend, including a tackles, clearance, interception or block, every 3 minutes 20 seconds.

Prediction

Mancheter United 2 – 0 Aston Villa

There should be no doubting Shinji Kagawa’s class. During the 2011/2012 season, he was a genuine contender for the best player in the Bundesliga – a title that went to Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Marco Reus, the player who would replace Kagawa at Borussia Dortmund. The campaign marked the pinnacle of the Japanese player’s career to date.

Kagawa, who started his career as a defensive midfielder in the second tier of Japanese football, was initially deployed as a goal-scoring attacking midfielder at Dortmund. That changed with the absence of Nuri Sahin and Mario Gotze in Kagawa’s second season at the German club, which forced the Japanese to share the playmaking duty as well.

​Kagawa excelled in the role.

The Japan international is quick, agile, technically sound and intelligent. Combined with his excellent work ethic, these traits made him a highly effective playmaker. In fact, towards the end of Kagawa’s two year tenure at Dortmund, BVB manager Jürgen Klopp relieved him of all defensive duties and had him just prowl the field.

The former Cerezo Osaka player took up good positions, waited for the ball to find him and launched devastating counterattacks with the sort of quick, incisive passing Manchester United fans have seen just glimpses of to date.

​Sir Alex Ferguson clearly intended to use Kagawa as a number 10. The midfielder was deployed in the position throughout United’s pre-season programme. The trend continued when the Premier League started, Kagawa impressing many in United’s defeat at Everton on the opening day.

But he was soon back on the bench even as Wayne Rooney, the incumbent number 10, struggled to regain fitness. As it turns out, the Japanese failed to make an impact and ended up injured himself.

​Since returning from injury, Kagawa has been primarily used on the left. The form, or rather lack of it, of United’s wide players might have prompted Ferguson’s thinking, but given the Japanese has been used in such a specific way by the United manager, there might actually be a genuine, tactical aim behind the move.

​Kagawa nominally starts on the left flank, but rarely hits the byline as a traditional winger might. Nor does he attack the box as ‘inverted’ wingers are wont to do. Instead, Kagawa almost invariably quickly drifts infield, offering a passing option in the middle. In United’s recent game against Stoke City, for example, the former Dortmund player often dropped back into United’s half in search of space and the ball.

​Deploying a nominal winger to retain the ball in the middle is not new. Andreas Iniesta performs the same role for both Barcelona and Spain. David Silva and Samir Nasri play the same role at Manchester City. Sir Alex has used Ryan Giggs in the role many times in the recent era. In fact, a modern history of ‘ball retaining wingers’ at United goes all the way back to the early noughties when Paul Scholes occasionally found himself on the left flank.

​Kagawa hasn’t yet convinced the fans that he can do a good job on the left. More enlightened United supporters argue that he can’t show his true worth as a left winger, citing Kagawa’s indifferent form on the left for Japan.

The key to this argument is that playmakers do their best work when the play is directed through them – the more time on the ball, the better the playmaker’s influence on the game. In fact, it is an argument that Kagawa made himself, shortly after joining the club.

“We seem to pass the ball sideways a lot,” said the 24-year-old. “I want team-mates to start giving me the ball from all areas and angles. I need to speak to them about this, because I want them to have the trust in me to play the ball forward. ”

Adding more recently: “I have the most experience from my time at Dortmund in playing behind the striker. However, I just want to be part of the team, I will play wherever the manager wants to me to play”

​The argument is true, but United’s players are more accustomed to channeling attacks through the flanks than through a central playmaker. Kagawa might even see more of the ball on the left than in the middle.

After all, while ​Kagawa starts on the left his movement into the middle can allow United a moment of dominance in central midfield. And there are few players in the world better than Robin Van Persie at making something of the inevitable through pass or quick one-two that takes the ball into the box.

​If Kagawa’s deployment on the left is indeed purposeful rather than temporary, the United manager must look at options during the summer to better take advantage of it.

​Key is a central midfielder who can break through the lines, adding further dominance in the attacking midfield area. Tom Cleverley certainly makes clever runs, but he is physically unimposing and lacks finishing skills. A midfielder who can strongly challenge for 50-50 balls and shoot from distance might also be welcome.

​Priority, however, lies on the other flank. If United play through Kagawa, and only Kagawa, it will be easy for opponents to stop. On the opposite flank, United’s right-winger must do his share of attacking to provide variety and unpredictability. The classic winger vis-à-vis Antonio Valencia at his peak would certainly do.

With Rafael da Silva more than capable of attacking the byline and providing crosses, a right-winger who looks to cut in and attack the box would also fit in well. It remains to be seen whether Wilfried Zaha, who primarily plays on the right, but cuts inside, can be groomed into a United quality winger of this variety.

Robin van Persie (L) celebrates with Wayne Rooney as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on November 28, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

It wasn’t pretty, although little of Manchester United’s season can be categorised as such, but the Reds’ victory over Stoke City on Sunday surely ends any lingering doubts about the Premier League’s destination. United should now seal the title within the next three fixtures.

Defeat to rivals Manchester City last Monday came within an established pattern; United’s performances have dipped markedly since Real Madrid’s controversial Champions League victory last month. And while the Reds did little in the 2-0 win over the Potters on Sunday to break the paradigm, victory leaves Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to find just seven points in six games to secure league title number 20.

Indeed, Ferguson’s outfit will draw to within two results of the title should the Reds overcome West Ham United at Upton Park on Wednesday night. Less if City slip up against Wigan Athletic on the same night.

Upton Park is a ground that has not always held happy memories, of course, but with the Hammers just about safe, and United having righted a potentially listing ship, the opportunity will not be lost on those in red to profit from the trip to London’s east end.

Defeat to City, Chelsea in the FA Cup, together with underwhelming Premier League performances against Reading and Norwich City in the past month, proffered a strong impression that United’s was a season stumbling to a close. Victory at Stoke came not so much at a sprint, but at least with some comfort.

“Character,” said Ferguson, brought victory in the midlands, although critics might point to the palpable lack of that quality post-Madrid. Still, with Wayne Rooney dropping back into midfield, and United prepared to graft for victory, Ferguson’s team secured points that were always of more value than any praise for style. At least at this stage of the campaign.

“I always say you don’t leave your character in the dressing room and I think we saw that against Stoke,” said the 71-year old United manager.

“The Britannia Stadium is not an easy place to go to and we had this swirling wind in the first half in particular, which was difficult, but nonetheless we had to find a way through it and we kept our composure. We weren’t over-anxious about the game – we kept playing the ball, passing it around.

“We didn’t make a lot of chances, but we’ve done that at Stoke over the last six years and made very few chances but usually won the games. The performance and the character the players showed was terrific.”

Sunday’s was United’s fourth victory in five visits to Stoke’s ‘new’ home ground, exposing the disingenuous claim that the Potters’ home turf is anything but a soft touch – at least for Sir Alex’ side. Still, with poor results having haunted Ferguson’s team of late, Sunday’s points will likely prove invaluable come the season’s denouement.

After all, momentum matters, which is why United’s visit to east London is certainly no time to regress into complacency, despite the Reds’ renewed 15-point Premier League lead.

“Now it’s West Ham and we have to play well again,” adds club captain Nemanja Vidić

“They play in a similar style to Stoke – we’re going to have long balls and set-pieces to deal with. Yes, you think you’re almost there but you have to win the games. It helps us build up the confidence and a few players had a great game – people like Antonio, Wayne and Robin. It’s important for players like this to be in good form for the games to come.”

Even so, Ferguson is likely to refresh his side for the trip south, with Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck in line for a recall. Meanwhile, Rooney could revert to a more attacking role should Cleverley come back into the side, with Shinji Kagawa most at risk of dropping to the bench.

Amid much speculation about the striker’s future this week – and role within the side – Rooney will surely welcome a striking berth in east London. After all, with a new contract to negotiate this summer, the former Evertonian’s hand is hardly strengthened each time he is deployed as a part-time midfielder.

Jonny Evans could return to Ferguson’s line-up, but Paul Scholes is unlikely to be selected after missing the past three months of United’s campaign.

Meanwhile, West Ham welcome the Reds with Premier League safety almost certainly secured. Sam Allardyce’s side boasts a six point advantage over the bottom three, with a healthy goal difference advantage to boot. However, the 58-year-old manager is likely to be without a clutch of defenders for United’s visit, including James Tomkins, Winston Reid and George McCartney. Mark Noble and Joe Cole remain on the sidelines.

Still, with United’s prize firmly in sight few will bet against the visitors turning in the first strong performance since Madrid’s unlikely win at Old Trafford.

“I think you have to say they are as good as they have ever been because nobody normally wins the title so easily and by so big a margin, or has this much of a margin at this stage of the season,” adds Allardyce.

“It’s pretty scary what total they might actually finish with.”

That United has won the last eight league meetings against West Ham, scoring 22 goals and conceding just three in the process says much.

Match details
West Ham United v Manchester United – Premier League, Upton Park – 7.45pm, 17 April 2013 March 2013

Possible teams
West Ham (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen; Pogatetz, O’Brien, Collins, Demel; Jarvis, Nolan, Diame, O’Neil; Carroll, Vaz Te. Subs from: Henderson, Potts, Collison, Taylor, C Cole, Wellington, Maiga, Chamakh

United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Jones,  Evans, Vidić,  Evra; Cleverley, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Rafael, Ferdinand, Powell, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Kagawa, Hernández

Match officials
Referee: Lee Probert
Assistants: R Ganfield, H Lennard
Fourth official: A Marriner.

Form
West Ham: LWLWDD
United: DWWLLW

Head to Head
Last 10: West Ham 1, United 8, Draw 1
Overall: West Ham 42, United 58, Draw 25

Stats

• The Hammers’ 1-1 draw at Southampton brought the Londoners a point closer to safety last weekend;
• Mark Noble has been a key player earning West Ham’s safety this season, boasting one of highest defensive contribution totals in the Hammers squad with 96;
• In a similar vein, defender James Collins has racked up an impressive 30 blocks this season.
• Meanwhile, Matt Jarvis has supplied 71 crosses this season – but claims just two assists;
• Speculation surrounding Wayne Rooney’s future may be rife this week, but only three strikers have bettered the Scouser’s 599 successful passes in the opponent’s half this season – Luis Suarez, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez – while none surpasses his average rate of 3.13 minutes per successful pass;
• Shinji Kagawa’s five goals is the highest of any United midfielder this season, the result of a solid 75 per cent shot accuracy rate;
• Michael Carrick has amassed 944 successful passes in the opponent’s half and is rated as the second most successful tackler in the United squad behind Rio Ferdinand, having successfully completed 61.2 per cent of his 67 attempted challenges this season.

Prediction
0-1

Robin van Persie of manchester United celebrates scoring to make it 2-1 with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck during the Barclays Premier League match against Stoke City at Old Trafford on October 20, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Still, the midlands club represents a significant hurdle in United’s faltering season. Victory will ease any palpitations Red hearts now suffer after last week’s reverse against Manchester City. Defeat, unthinkable given the hosts’ dire form, brings City squarely back into the title race with half-a-dozen matches to go.

City’s victory on Monday hurt United, although it has little to do with the Blues’ bizarre claim to the Champions of Manchester tag, but for the potential to derail United’s seemingly inextricable march towards the Premier League title. With a 12-point lead, and just seven matches to go, Ferguson’s team will surely still claim the title, but there is now at least a question mark. Not least because United blew an eight point lead with a similar number of fixtures remaining last season.

Still, if the derby loss does anything it should re-focus minds at Old Trafford, with Sunday’s visit to Stoke followed rapidly by a trip to West Ham United on Wednesday – surely a decisive week in the title race.

“The incentives are there for ourselves in the sense that we’ve only got seven games left,” said Sir Alex Ferguson.

“The challenge is there for Stoke as well. I don’t think they will go down but, nonetheless, they’re in a precarious situation because, down the bottom of that league, you don’t pick up a lot of points. I think they’ll get enough to get out.

“I don’t think we should look at our position in terms of being 12 points clear. What matters is winning on Sunday and we need to do that. As we always do, we should just try to do our best. We have a job to do on Sunday and we need to do it.”

Certainly, defeat is nowhere near as catastrophic as that in last April’s derby – a truly pivotal game. But United’s current funk may say much about the Reds’ state-of-mind. Real Madrid’s controversial victory in the Champions League at Old Trafford has sucked the wind out of United’s sails. It is Ferguson’s job to turn the tide.

But if Ferguson’s ship is listing it is still some way from the sinking below the waterline, even if defeat to City may feel a little deleterious. That Ferguson has sought to play down defeat as one born in the details says much. There must be no sense of panic at Old Trafford.

“It’s always disappointing to lose a derby,” adds Ferguson.

“There was nothing in it between the two teams. Possession-wise, they were better in the first half and we were better in the second half but lost two bad goals and you can’t do that in derby games. Both teams went for it. There was only one save in the whole match between the two goalkeepers. That gives you an idea about how close the game was.

“You don’t want to lose derby games. Nonetheless, we’ve got to dust ourselves down. We know we can recover from disappointments and we’ll do it again.”

That statement may be a little oblique in the circumstances, but Ferguson will at least have plenty of options for the short trip south. He takes a largely fit squad, with only winger Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and captain Nemanja Vidić absent.

Vidić and Smalling should be available next weekend, although Jonny Evans returns against Stoke. Meanwhile, Phil Jones – outstanding against City on Monday night – should retain his place in the United line-up. Paul Scholes could return to the squad.

“We are hoping Nemanja can start training today but he’s maybe a bit short for Sunday,” Sir Alex told MUTV.

“At least Jonny should be back and that’s the good news we’ve got on that front. Chris Smalling has started training running-wise and is not far away. Phil was fantastic and that was only his fourth game at centre-back this season.”

However, the squad’s rut of poor form poses plenty of questions. That none of his wingers claim any semblance of form is a challenge, while the balance between attack and defence is one that United has not always found during the campaign.

Still, Ferguson will field a strong side at the Britannia – a ground at which United has secured three wins from four visits despite Stoke’s reputation for an intimidating atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the hosts are in dire trouble at the foot of the Premier League, with just three points separating third-from-bottom Wigan Athletic and the Potters. Indeed, five defeats in the past six matches leaves Stoke bottom of the form table, with just five points secured in 2013. Even relegation-threatened Aston Villa won comfortably at the Britannia last weekend.

Under fire manager Tony Pullis welcomes back Matthew Etherington, defender Marc Wilson and midfielder Glenn Whelan to the hosts’ squad. The trio’s fitness proffers a boost in what has been an increasingly difficult season for the midlands outfit. After six season’s in the Premier League, the club is genuinely on the precipice.

And there is little comfort for Stoke in the side’s record against United; one that reads eight losses in nine meetings. Stoke has scored just two goals against United in four Premier League meetings at the Britannia, while the Potters must look back to Boxing Day in 1984 – and a 2-1 victory – for the last win over United.

Few will count on a repeat. Least of all Sir Alex.

Match details

Stoke City v Manchester United – Premier League, Britannia Stadium – 2.05pm, 14 April 2013 March 2013

Possible teams

Stoke (4-4-2): Begovic; Whelan, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson; Kightly, Nzonzi, Whitehead, Etherington; Jones, Walters. Subs from: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Adam, Cameron, Shotton, Owen, Crouch, Jerome

United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Rafael, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra; Cleverley, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Nani; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Evans, Smalling, Powell, Young, Scholes, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Kagawa, Hernández, Welbeck

Match officials

Referee: Jon Moss

Assistants: M McDonough, J Flynn

Fourth official: M Jones

Form

Stoke: LLLDLL

United: WLDWWLL

Head to Head

Last 10: Stoke 26, United 38, Draw 32

Overall: Stoke 6, United 3, Draw 1

Stats

• Michael Kightly’s second half goal did not prevent Stoke falling to a 1-3 at the hands of Aston Villa last weekend
• If the home side is to get anything from United’s visit then Ryan Shawcross is key – the Stoke captain lies second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for blocks with 38 this season
• Glenn Whelan boasts the best tackle success rate of any Potters midfielder, completing 55.5 per cent of his 63 challenges;
• Jonathan Walters has scored a number of late winners this season, but his shot accuracy is just 45.2 per cent from 42 attempts
• Meanwhile, Antonio Valencia admitted this week that United’s players are “worried” following defeat to City on Monday evening – the Ecuadorian winger has been much criticised for his own performances this season despite leading the squad for crosses completed (49) and dribbles (18)
• Defender Jonny Evans continues to improve – highlighted by an excellent 71.8 per cent tackle success rate from 32 challenges this season
• By his high standards Robin van Persie has been enduring something of a dry spell in recent weeks, although with the Dutchman having a shot once every 24.8 minutes on average a goal is surely around the corner.

Prediction

0-1

Dear Tatiana,

There are many positives from the season as it draws to a close, which will presumably include securing the Premier League in the coming weeks. Yet, it is an open question whether United has actually progressed this year. Silverware is silverware, and nothing is more important than regaining the Premier League, but  United has still failed in three competitions.

Moreover, the statistics do not paint a pretty picture of United’s campaign – in too many areas, the side has actually regressed this season. There is, in fact, a strong argument to say that City’s failure, more than United’s improvement, is the primary cause behind the Reds’ romp to the Premier League.

True, Ferguson’s side leads the title race by a healthy 12 points, even counting for City’s victory at Old Trafford on Monday night. Then there are the 25 league wins in 31 games – an outstanding record – and a campaign that, at times, has included some exciting, vibrant football.

City has been left in United’s wake, despite becoming “Champions of Manchester” on Monday.

Yet, the narrative of the season, presuming United doesn’t completely blow the title of course, may still not be as positive as Ferguson has sought to make out in recent weeks. The Reds’ oft-mentioned determination to regain the Premier League crown is admirable, but there is also ample evidence that it is the others’ failure that really counts.

After all, 31 league games into the campaign and United is just a single point ahead of the total gained at the same time last season – 77 to 76 points.  Given United’s shaky form, the side will do well to beat last season’s tally of 89, let alone smash Chelsea’s Premier League record of 95.

Much has been made of the ‘record’ 25 wins in the league this season. So what? Last year’s less-than-vintage breed secured 24 at the same point.

Worse still, Ferguson’s side has actually scored less – 71 to 76 – and conceded more 33 to 27 – than at the comparable point last year. Despite Robin van Persie’s hugely expensive acquisition, the Dutchman’s principal contribution has seemingly been to shift Wayne Rooney into a deeper, far less productive role.

Goals have been reasonably spread between four forwards this year – van Persie, Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernández. Just as they were last season: van Persie an upgrade on Dimitar Berbatov, but Welbeck and Rooney are now far less productive.

In fact, many of the key statistics don’t look healthy.

Defensively, Ferguson’s outfit concedes more per game, wins less 50-50 challenges, and makes less interceptions on average in each fixture than last season. On average, United is making a defensive error every 148 minutes this year, compared to every 224 minutes last season.

United has lost possession less this season, with open play pass success a percentage point greater than in the previous campaign. But where 40 per cent of passes were forwards last season, that number has dropped to just 27 per cent in the current campaign.

United is keeping the ball marginally better, but it is hard to argue that the side is being more effective with it. In fact, pass accuracy in the final third is down season-on-season.

Creatively, United is far less potent, perhaps reflecting the troubling campaign suffered by Ashley Young, Nani and Antonio Valencia. That Shinji Kagawa has rarely played in his ‘natural’ trequartista role even when fit says much about United’s confused approach.

Indeed, the side is making almost 35 per cent fewer successful dribbles per match than last year, and succeeding with far fewer crosses too. Clear cut chances created are up over the campaign, but the data tells us that this is largely a factor of superior set piece delivery.

Despite van Persie’s addition, shooting accuracy is down, as is chance conversion over the season.

And if the statistics don’t paint a compelling tale, then perhaps the soft evidence does. After all, while United is streaking away with the Premier League, exit at an early stage in three cup competitions wasn’t exactly in the plan.

Unfortunate against Real Madrid perhaps, but at no stage over two legs was progression guaranteed either. Meanwhile, exit to Chelsea in two cup competitions certainly stings.

Moreover, the aforementioned exciting football has certainly dried up post-Christmas, with United’s focus shifting to running a tighter ship as the season progressed towards its dénouement. No longer prevalent is the free-flowing ethos that the Reds will ‘always score one more’ than the opposition.

Most tellingly, the wind has been taken completely out of the team’s sails post that Madrid quarter-final. If the response to unfortunate defeat says one thing, it’s that the character of Ferguson’s side is not as robust as he claims.

Perhaps, then, the true narrative of the campaign is not that United has been universally brilliant – 12 points worth of brilliance – but that others have failed?

Certainly, Roberto Mancini’s outfit is nowhere near as potent, with City scoring 18 goals less than at a compatible stage this season to last. The goal drought has translated into points too, with City six points down after 31 games. Goals, or lack of them, are the major contributory factor in City’s demise.

Indeed, City’s stats are down year-on-year in almost every key category: defensive errors, pass competition, final third balls, chances created per match, shots, and most importantly chances taken. It is a completely damning tale of failure, driven not by injury, but something more fundamental.

Sir Alex deserves credit  for driving United relentlessly on until the past month. It will be a successful season. By contrast, it is Mancini that must surely look over his shoulder for the coming reaper: his failure is brutally conspicuous.

- Ed

***

***

Dear Ed,

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. While this side isn’t as great as the 1999 or even the 2008 versions, despite what Sir Alex says, United have absolutely improved since last season. The stats do not tell the whole story.

There can be no doubt the last five United games have been immensely disappointing, going from potential treble winners to feeble and insincere performances. Still, nearly every major weakness United displayed last season has been, in some way, improved in 2012/13.

The most significant improvement is that, after failing to win a match from one down last season, United has claimed 13 comeback victories this year. This doesn’t include dramatic victories over Chelsea and City away. Euphoric wins against Southampton, Newcastle United, Reading, and Aston Villa are the defining characteristic of this United side.

Another major improvement is United’s creativity. There have been more clear-cut chances created per minute, more passes per minute, and better pass completion. United’s counter attacks, which used to be a major source of frustration, have been effectively utilised as a strategy against tougher opposition.

Unlike last season, United look dangerous at set pieces. “I think I’ll have a shot,” anyone?

And speaking of van Persie, he has easily been the biggest influence on the Reds this season with his first touch, sublime passes, and season defining goals. Yes, the striker is in the midst of a goal drought, but van Persie has quickly become United’s most vital player. Even during the dry spell, van Persie forced the own goal versus Sunderland and the assist against City.

The other big signing, Kagawa, has not thrived in England yet, but adds major creative options which United lacked last season. More importantly, Kagawa’s arrival has helped Sir Alex shift his tactics this season to a flexible 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-1-1. While Ferguson’s tactics have been experimental, due to out of form wingers and few central midfield options, United boasts much more depth than the prosaic 4-4-2 last year.

Moreover, with Kagawa, Rooney, Welbeck, van Persie, and Chicharito competing for similar positions, United has attacking options on and off the bench, which are capable of changing a game.

Chicharito, specifically, has improved, rectifying the issue with a poor first touch and frequency with which he was caught offside. The Mexican’s shots on target and goals per minute have nearly doubled, and his shooting accuracy has increased.

Others have improved too. Rafael has been a revelation this season, adding much needed stability to United’s defence and a brilliant counter-attacking option from the right side. The Brazilian has been one of the best full-backs in England with three goals, as many assists, and he has created over three times the amount of clear-cut chances per minute as last season.

And another player who has improved since last season is Phil Jones. The youngster was immense against Everton and Real Madrid, where he shut down players such as Marouanne Fellaini, Mesut Özil, and Angel di Maria from midfield. Against City, he proved that he can be trusted to play as a central defender as well.

Meanwhile, Tom Cleverley has become an important asset in midfield, especially with Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, and Anderson unfit. Cleverley’s ability to win and hold possession has increased in particular, and his time spent on the pitch is three times more than last season.

The weaknesses in this side have also been exaggerated. United’s chaotic defence earlier this season was less to do with the strength of Ferguson’s players and more to do with injuries, and an experimental formation that created gaps in midfield.

Defensively, Ferguson’s options are stronger. Both Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling have improved individually, and Patrice Evra has been solid. Evra’s challenge in balancing his attacking and defensive duties has been rectified. The Frenchman has increased his tackle success rate and has improved in the air. Going forward, Evra has improved his crossing accuracy, scored four and made five assists this season.

Despite improvements all over the pitch, this United squad is not yet the finished product. The team has scored less, conceded more, and is only a point better off than this time last season. Perhaps the side only plays at the level necessary to beat the opponent at hand; complacency showing against weaker sides?

Up until Madrid, United had beaten every top team faced, except for Tottenham Hotspur. And generally this strategy has worked, except for ties against Norwich City, Swansea City, and Spurs. The consequence is less intensity, more mistakes, and more goals scored out of necessity. It does not make United’s a worse squad than last year, but simply exposes a character flaw.

Perhaps it is this squad’s mental strength that needs most improvement; a statement open to ridicule considering the glorious comebacks and last minute goals of the campaign.

However, the biggest disappointment has been the side’s response since Madrid. One match flipped United from a team capable of conquering Europe to a lacklustre outfit going through the motions. It is for this reason that fans can conclude the squad is still in transition, despite the huge Premier League lead.

Changes need to be made on the wing, with Valencia, Young, and Nani each out of form or perennially injured. And a central midfielder would certainly be welcome.

The truth the team is probably only a couple signings away from being the next great United side. That’s something to be excited about.

- Tatiana

What a difference a year makes. Last April, with Manchester United leading the Premier League by four points at the 30th game the title looked, if not sealed, to be heading towards Old Trafford. Yet, by the month’s end, Manchester City had beaten a limp United at the City of Manchester stadium and Sir Alex Ferguson’s goose was well and truly cooked. The rest needs no further repeat.

The story is different now of course, with Ferguson’s side leading the Premier League by 15 points and coasting towards a 20th domestic league title. No last-minute Sergio Agüero winner can save City now, with only local reputation and Roberto Mancini’s job left to play for. Mancini’s side is playing to become “Champions of Manchester,” as Vincent Kompany put it this week. Massive.

In reality, each side now has just the single trophy to play for. United, the Premier League. City, the FA Cup, with Mancini’s men facing Wigan Athletic at Wembley next weekend. It leaves the derby unusually flaccid; a result either way will make little difference to the season’s outcome.

Still, while United has crashed out of two cup competitions in recent weeks, with defeats against Real Madrid and Chelsea curtailing any thoughts of another treble, Ferguson says the campaign has been successful.

“I was asked about only winning one trophy,” said Ferguson.

“I think that’s a strange question in the context of the kind of competition we have as we’re up against teams from London – Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea – plus Liverpool and Everton. They’re massive challenges every year. For every one of those teams, the supporters want to win one trophy. I think we can win the one that really does matter to the fans.

“Yes, I’d love to win the Champions League again but I’d say that we were knocked out in circumstances everyone is still talking about. The disappointment at being knocked out by Chelsea is obvious but the league form has been fantastically consistent.”

That consistency has seen United gain four points additional points after 30 games compared to last season. Mancini’s side, meanwhile, is nine points and 20 goals down.

Any campaign that ends with the Premier League title is success of course. Although behind the headlines, United’s season is a little more muted despite the huge points advantage. Ferguson’s side is likely to finish the campaign having scored fewer goals and conceded more than last season.

It will take a huge effort from here to match Chelsea’s 2005 record points tally of 95, although beating last season’s total of 89 should be within sights if Ferguson’s side extracts itself from its current short-term funk.

On the pitch, the 71-year-old manager must do without captain Nemanja Vidić for City’s visit, although elsewhere the Scot boasts an almost fully-fit squad. Wayne Rooney will return alongside Robin van Persie in attack, while Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans will play in the back-four, with Rafael da Silva also returning after injury.

“Vida got injured at Sunderland,” confirmed Sir Alex.

“Early on, he had a clash and had a bit of treatment and then he had a clash with David De Gea near the end of the game. It’s not serious, just a nerve in his calf, so he should be maybe back in training over the weekend. I’ve got Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones so I’ve got the right cover, I think.”

Meanwhile, City arrive without Jack Rodwell who is injured, although the former Evertonian has appeared in just four Premier League matches all season in any case. Micah Richards and Maicon are definitely out, although David Silva and Samir Nasri should both overcome minor knocks.

Still, it is not form or players that has won United the league, says Mancini, but a fear spread throughout England. Conversely, City has been hit by fierce domestic competition, according to the Italian.

“No one plays well against United because they only play with fear,” said Mancini.

“United are strong now because of their importance as a team, their importance as a club. Every team that plays against United plays very soft because they think the game is difficult, that they can’t beat them.

“If they play strong against United, they can beat them like they can beat us. This is normal, this is football, because United have been a strong team for a long time. For the other teams they play against it is difficult. I’m not saying they don’t play 100% but their mentality is poor in that game.”

Ferguson can challenge Mancini’s remarks as the sour grapes of a man now fighting for his job after one of the weakest title defences in recent memory.

Indeed, the Scot has warned City that his side intends to build on the coming success. Whether that ambition is matched in the transfer market is another matter. Not least with strong rumours circulating that Ferguson’s summer budget could be severely curtailed after pressing home Robin van Persie’s acquisition last July.

“The record over the last 20 years tells you we’re not going away,” adds Ferguson.

“So I’d expect us without doubt to have a real good challenge next year. Plus we’ll have players who are maturing nicely. Rafa has proved how much he’s developed this season; the goalkeeper David de Gea’s progress right through the season is absolutely superb and he’ll get better next year. Kagawa will be a far better player next year, I’m certain about that.

“We have to deal with the fact that one or two players are getting older, but I think we’re not so bad in terms of protecting most positions. So we’re not going to go away, no doubt about that.”

Neither will City, of course, with Mancini or whomever replaces the Italian likely to be handed a substantial transfer fund. The club’s failure to land van Persie or a number of other targets last summer is to blame for the club’s failure, claims City.

There’s some truth in that. But more in Ferguson’s assertion that United’s has been a fantastic response to last season’s narrow failure.

“The way we lost it resonates with a lot of people in the club,” said United manager. “The players focused, their team spirit was terrific and there was a definite purpose in terms of getting the title back.”

Match details

Manchester United v Manchester City – Premier League, Old Trafford – 7 April 2013 March 2013, 8pm

Possible teams

United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Cleverley, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Kagawa; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Jones, Smalling, Powell, Young, Scholes, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Hernández, Welbeck

City (4-4-2): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy; Barry, Touré, Milner, Silva; Tevez, Agüero. Subs from: Pantilimon, Lescott, Nasri, Kolarov, Razak, García, Guidetti, Džeko

Match officials

Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant Referees: S Child and J Brooks
Fourth Official: H Webb

Form
United: WLDWWL
City: WWWWLW

Head to Head

Last 10: United 6, City 3, Draw 1
Overall: United 69, City 45, Draw 50

Stats

• Joe Hart has made 85 saves this season, with 13 clean sheets, and conceded 26 goals at an average of 3.26 saves per goal;
• David de Gea last conceded in the Premier League against Southampton on January 30th, keeping six clean sheets in a row in the league, which is two-thirds of his total for the season;
• De Gea has only conceded three goals in the Premier League 2013, compared to 17 through the end of December – he averages 4.65 saves per goal conceded;
• Rio Ferdinand has contributed more defensively than any other player for either City or United, with 137 defensive contributions, including 64 interceptions;
• Pablo Zabaleta is just one tackle, interception, block or clearance away from matching Rio, having notched up 136 defensive contributions this season, including 64 tackles, 59.8 per cent of those attempted
• Vincent Kompany has made 126 defensive contributions this season, including 28 clearances and 54 interceptions;
• In midfield Carrick is ranked sixth in the EA Sports Premier League Performance Index for passes completed in the opposition half at 889, exactly 150 behind Yaya Touré;
• Carrick has also played 201 more minutes that Touré this season, while David Silva also ranks above Carrick in number of passes completed with 970, having played around 400 minutes less than the United man;
• Robin van Persie’s shot against Sunderland may have gone down as a Titus Bramble own goal but he remains the second top goalscorer in the Premier League;
• The Dutchman is one of only four players in the Index to have taken 100 efforts at goal this season, unleashing 103 shots with 60.1 per cent on target;
• Strike partner Wayne Rooney has hit 12 goals this season –  the same tally as City’s top goalscorer Edin Dzeko;
• Rooney has played 1691 minutes and attempted 68 shots, while Dzeko has played 1556 minutes and taken 62 shots;
• City’s goal threat comes from three players – Dzeko, Aguero and Tevez, with the Argentinian achieving 65 per cent shot accuracy rate.

Prediction
1-1

But that’s a digression. Over at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson also has a problem with his right-wing. And his left. The one-time socialist, whose team has struggled in wide areas all campaign.

Nani and Valencia have struggled to recapture their from of last season. (Getty Images)

The season-long patchy form and fitness of Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young poses plenty of questions as the season draws to a close.

Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat to Chelsea on Monday night emphasised the problem once again, with those of a more charitable nature describing Nani’s performance as ‘rusty’. Fair enough, the Portuguese has spent the past fortnight on the sidelines.

Indeed, injury and questionable form has restricted the former Sporting player to just 14 starts in all competitions this season. Hardly the progression expected of the 25-year-old after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in the summer of 2009.

Such has been the winger’s fall that Nani’s is a career on hold; at least until a summer transfer to whomever bids the highest. That Ferguson was prepared to sanction the winger’s departure in the winter window, to Zenit St Petersburg of all places, should leave the player in little doubt that his future lies away from Old Trafford.

United will take far less than the £25 million Zenit reportedly bid in the winter simply to see Nani leave after a frustrating six-year period in Manchester. With him will go a huge talent, too often unfulfilled.

There is a similar story, of injury and poor form, to be told about Valencia and Young this year. While Valencia’s confidence seems unswervingly shot, Young has featured far too little this season due to persistent spells on the sidelines.

Valencia, such a powerhouse during United’s unsuccessful title challenge last season, has dropped off the boil so acutely that questions about the player’s true fitness will surely be asked during the summer. Rumours that the Ecuadorian regularly plays through a mystery injury appear more prescient with each tentative performance.

There is surely far more to come from a player who contributed 15 assists last season.

Meanwhile, Young has rarely garnered positive reviews from the Stretford End masses, and can do little to change the widespread belief that his is a talent born of mediocrity. Especially if he is rarely fit enough to play – the former Aston Villa man has started just 17 games in all competitions this season. Few of them with any genuine impact, cynics might add.

Tough though the assessment, Young was hardly destined to be more than squad filler at Old Trafford, although Ferguson’s shortage in wide areas has certainly focussed the manager’s thoughts on the limited Englishman.

None of this is news, of course, although Nani’s fall from grace is all the more disappointing following a productive campaign in 2011/12. While the player’s performances have always been inconsistent, the 62-cap international contributed 12 goals and 13 assists to United’s cause as the Reds fell just short of claiming a 20th league title.

Those numbers are hard to ignore, and hugely expensive to replicate.

No wonder the manager has deployed a plethora of stars to the wings this year – many out of position. While Valencia and Nani have shared right-wing duties, Young, Ryan Giggs, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa have each played on the left. It is not a stretch to say that few have shone.

Ferguson’s difficulty is both in finding the right blend of players for the new season, given that exciting youngster Wilfried Zaha joins from Crystal Palace on 1 July, and how to extract more from those that remain at Old Trafford. After all, Zaha is completely untested at the highest level, leaving Nani’s departure to effectively weaken United’s squad.

It should come as no surprise if the Scot bolsters his wide options with another signing, although Robin van Persie’s large acquisition fee and heftier wages may restrict Ferguson’s wiggle room during the summer window.

Getting the balance right – personnel and tactics – is a lesson Ferguson may take from the season, despite United’s huge Premier League lead.

The Scot, fired up by City’s last-gasp title winning foray last May, has constructed a team that will surely reclaim domestic hegemony with something to spare. But there has also been a compromise between defensive solidity and attacking prowess; balance, and squeezing his best players into an idiosyncratic tactical construct.

Indeed, it is two new signings that have seemingly disrupted United’s wingers as much as any injury.

Kagawa, so brilliant at ’10′ behind Robert Levendowski for Borussia Dortmund, started the campaign for United in a similar position. He will almost certainly finish the campaign having been deployed wide more often than through the middle.

Meanwhile, Robin van Persie’s form and quality ensures that Ferguson’s default formation includes both the Dutchman and Rooney, even if the former Evertonian is deployed in a shadow role.

Yet, even this simple tactical compromise – deploying two strikers and not three central midfielders - caused severe knock-on effects during the early part of the campaign, where United struggled to retain clean sheets or defensive composure. That would come as the season wore on and the Scot increasingly sought to compromise width by tucking one or more winger infield.

van Persie may have won United the Premier League, but his acquisition constrained Rooney, Nani, Valencia, Kagawa, and to a lesser extent, Young.

Sir Alex has struggled to bring the best out of Kagawa, van Persie and Rooney when they have all started together. (Getty Images)

All of which says nothing of the choices that Ferguson needs to make in central midfield, where perhaps only Michael Carrick will emerge from the season with reputation fully enhanced.

Tom Cleverley has progressed, but must surely add goals and creativity to his neat and energetic approach, if he is to fully embody Paul Scholes’ central midfield berth. Anderson, and for different reasons, Darren Fletcher, may not be seen in a United shirt beyond the summer. Scholes will certainly retire.

An acquisition – of the rampant physical central midfield type – will do Ferguson’s hopes of adding a third European triumph before retirement a significant boost.

Yet, it is on the wings where Ferguson’s deepest concern will surely lie  this summer after a  season or poor reliability and much reduced productivity. Injury has of course played a part, but it has always been a risky approach to leave one’s hopes and dreams to the music of chance.

The strategist in Mussolini might agree. Having been caught unaware of the coming media storm, Di Canio certainly will.

Brazilian Anderson has been struck down with a secret long-term illness according to sources close to United Rant, provoking new questions over the midfielder’s future at Old Trafford. Suffering another disappointing campaign, Anderson has been earmarked for a summer exit from Manchester United according to newspaper speculation in recent weeks, with Sir Alex Ferguson planning to freshen up his squad next season.

However, new concerns over the player’s health, together with patchy fitness and form over the campaign, could solidify Ferguson’s tentative decision to let the former Porto star leave this summer. The 71-year-old Scot has repeatedly denied that Anderson will exit Old Trafford.

Anderson joined United from Porto for €30 million in 2007, but has rarely fulfilled an exciting potential over six seasons with the club. Dogged by injuries and concerns over his weight, the Brazilian has made just 121 starts for the club in a period of immense frustration for player, club and supporters.

However, sources revealed this morning that the midfielder is suffering from an acute bout of adenovirus gastroenteritis that has been treated for up to six months at the Bridgewater Hospital, Manchester. Anderson’s illness has been kept secret by Old Trafford’s management, although sources revealed the extent of Ferguson’s genuine anguish over the player’s long-term future.

But the story, which was accidentally revealed on official website ManUtd.com this morning, is set to force United’s hand this summer, with Anderson reportedly seeking a move back to Brazil ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Adenovirus gastroenteritis, which is typically spread by the faecal-oral route, is a icosahedral virus composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded linear DNA genome. Infected patients display a wide range of responses, from no symptoms at all to the severe infection. Aside from gastroenteritis, presentations of adenovirus include respiratory disease, conjunctivitis, cystitis and rash.

Patients with compromised immune systems, such as those significantly overweight, are especially susceptible to severe complications of adenovirus infection.

Although the source of Anderson’s infection is unknown, club officials are targeting the Wythenshawe branch of KFC for scrutiny. The fast-food restaurant is reportedly a favourite late night destination for the 24-year-old midfielder.

However, branch management denied that poor sanitary conditions at the restaurant are to blame for Anderson’s problems this season.

“It’s no secret that Anderson is a frequent visitor to our store, but it is not KFC’s fault that he is ill,” store manager Olaf Priol said.

“Our sanitary engineers wipe down the cooking surfaces once, sometimes even twice a month, and the toilets are of exceptional standards.”

No United spokesperson was readily available to comment on this story,

Ramires of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Oscar (l) during the FA Cup Sixth Round match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on March 10, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Just 48 hours on from a laboured victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side hits the road once again. The Scot flew his Manchester United team home from the north east on Saturday, seeking every possible advantage ahead of United’s FA Cup quarterfinal replay with Chelsea on Easter Monday. It’s another road trip for United’s weary players, but one with a significant carrot for victory: a semi against rivals Manchester City at Wembley.

United took another huge step towards reclaiming the Premier League title on Saturday by securing full points against relegation threatened Sunderland. Ferguson can hardly have been impressed with his side’s efforts though – the third match in succession that the Reds did just enough, but little more.

That run includes the opening cup match between these sides – a 2-2 draw in which Ferguson’s side was left hanging on for a draw just days after defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Indeed, United’s fortune at Old Trafford came amid a strong Chelsea showing in the second half, while Ferguson’s players appeared spent by the tie’s end.

“I thought we were lucky to be honest with you,” said Sir Alex of the first quarter-final between the sides.

“I thought that tiredness had got into the team and, from a comfortable position for the first 20 minutes, you could see the signs when we started to give the ball away just before half-time. That is a definite sign of tiredness.”

“The tiredness came, possibly, from the emotional intensity of the Real Madrid game and also the way we lost it. In the second half in particular there was no doubt that Tom Cleverley’s and our two full-backs’ legs had gone. That made it a long game against Chelsea and they had the advantage of extra players in midfield.”

Two days after each side played in the Premier League, the respective stamina of these squads will once again be tested, with Ferguson likely to make wholesale changes at Stamford Bridge. He has little choice.

Ferguson is likely to make at least eight changes, with Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nani, Javier Hernández and Tom Cleverley coming back into the side against Rafa Benitez’ outfit. Defenders Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand should return after being rested against Sunderland.

Meanwhile, the Spaniard will make changes to the side that lost at Southampton having rotated his squad heavily at St. Mary’s. Indeed, accusations that Benitez put his own vanity – a potential Cup win – over the club’s need for Champions League football next season weigh heavily on the temporary manager. After all, Benitez has no chance of taking the role full time.

Juan Mata will return after recovering from illness, although Gary Cahill is rated doubtful.

Still, the home side has looked fresher in recent weeks, with third place seemingly secure and the Europa League offering none of its bigger brother’s intensity. Defeat to Southampton may change that picture, although in the short term, United must also overcome both fatigue and injuries.

“We picked up two or three injuries, which doesn’t help,” said Ferguson after the Reds’ weekend victory.

“It was all down to the courage of the players that they got through it. Rafael got injured and Jonny Evans got a bit of a knock but carried on. That was great because we couldn’t afford to take him off. He said he’d last as long as he could but he got through it.

“I thought we’d lost David De Gea for a moment. He was out for a few minutes but recovered and played a really great part for us. Generally, we have a few bumps and bruises but we handled it well.”

With a double to chase, this is no time for United’s season to wind down of course, although Ferguson’s hope of securing a record Premier League points total looks unrealistic on recent form. Still, with the Scot’s squad broad, if not truly deep, the Scot will exploit the full resources on offer.

And should United win, the side will face City twice in a week. First, at Old Trafford in the Premier League next Monday, and then a Cup semi at Wembley on 14 April. Two games that will go a long way to deciding the Reds’ fate this season.

“We want to win the Double and we took a big step in the league,” van Persie told MUTV on Saturday.

“But we want to go for both. Now we have to look ahead to the FA Cup tie against Chelsea. It’s going to be a big test but I’m quite confident we can play well at Stamford Bridge and get a good result.”

“It’s been nine years since United have won the FA Cup. It’s important to us. We have a big chance of reaching the semi-final against City. I don’t want to look too far ahead but we have a massive chance of winning the competition.”

With the Cup will surely come a first double since 1999, the moment of Ferguson’s greatest hour. There are three tough matches in the competition before that, although with the Reds 15 points clear in the Premier League, Ferguson can afford to refocus.

First, however, United must achieve a rare first: victory at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup.

Match details
Chelsea v Manchester United – FA Cup, Stamford Bridge – 1 April 2013 March 2013, 12.30pm

Possible teams
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cole; Mikel, Ramires; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres. Subs from: Turnbull, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Benayoun, Marin, Moses, Ba.

United (4-3-3): de Gea; Smalling, Vidić, Ferdinand, Evra; Cleverley, Carrick, Giggs; Nani, Hernández, Rooney. Subs from: Lindegaard, Büttner, Evans, Powell, Young, Scholes, Valencia, Anderson, Kagawa, Welbeck, van Persie.

Match officials
Referee: Philip Dowd.
Assistant Referees: Peter Kirkup and Andy Garratt.
Fourth Official: Neil Swarbrick.

Form
Chelsea: WLDWWL
United: WWLDWW

Head to Head
Last 10: Chelsea 2, United 6, Draw 2
Overall: Chelsea 45, United 72, Draw 49

Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United.