Sir Alex Ferguson admits Manchester United face a stiff test of their ability in the cauldron of Celtic Park in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Ferguson said to the news media:

“Celtic Park is one of the best atmospheres to experience and their players can be inspired by it. If the game is going Celtic’s way, you have your work cut out to stem the tide of emotion and enthusiasm it generates. Celtic’s record at home is one of the best in Europe, so we accept we are in for a tough game on Tuesday.”

United have a huge Premiership game with Chelsea on Sunday, but Ferguson is wary of making too many changes after losing 1-0 to FC Copenhagen last time around.

He added: “I have not made my mind up about who should be left out. We took a risk in Copenhagen, so we are well aware of the dangers of taking too many chances. There is a temptation to play my strongest side because we still have another five days before the Chelsea game.”

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Ashley Cole admits England will rely on Wayne Rooney’s “magic” to inspire them to World Cup glory after sealing a quarter-final showdown with Portugal.

Manchester United‘s 20-year-old striker displayed his trademark brilliance in the 1-0 knockout victory over Ecuador.

“If we give him the ball he will create chances or score himself – it is simple,” defender Cole told BBC Sport.

“The more we give it to him the more he can produce his magic. He did well against Ecuador and will get better.”

Rooney has figured in England’s last three games after completing a rapid recovery from a broken foot.

Cole said: “Playing up front on his own against Ecuador was going to be tough for him in these conditions but he has produced for us. He did what we know he can, he held the ball up and gave us time to attack with him. Wayne has also got through 90 minutes and he will now only get stronger, which is great news for us. He will be even better in the next game and he will be enjoying the stage now because he is a big game player. He is world-class and we are delighted he is fit again.”

Cole and Rooney earned the highest ratings from fans in the Player Ratings for the match – getting 7.55 and 7.6 out of 10 respectively.

England’s left-back admitted the team had been frustrated by Ecuador’s dour approach but hopes the more positive style of Portugal will suit them in Saturday’s quarter-final.

Cole said: “I think it has been hard for us so far because every team we have played against has just dropped off and put 10 men behind the ball and it is hard to play quick football because the pitches are so dry. Hopefully, they will come out and attack us and it will be a more open game. We will be happy with that. Everyone knows there is more to come from this team. We have not played anywhere near our capability but we are proud and happy to be through to the quarter-final, even though we are not playing well. If we improve then, hopefully, we will do well.”

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Chelsea 3 Man United 0

Chelsea clinched a second successive Premiership title with victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho’s side needed only a point to put the seal on another title triumph, and William Gallas set them on their way with a fifth-minute header. Joe Cole added a brilliant individual goal on the hour and Ricardo Carvalho fired home Chelsea’s third. But the mood of celebration was dampened as England hope Wayne Rooney was stretchered off late on.

Chelsea boss Mourinho restored Cole and Arjen Robben to the side that lost the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. And with only a point needed to secure the title, Chelsea made the perfect start when they went ahead inside five minutes. Frank Lampard’s corner was knocked forward by Drogba and Gallas stole in to head past the stranded Edwin Van der Sar. There was a major scare for Chelsea and England two minutes later when John Terry was felled by a late tackle from international team-mate Rooney. Terry lay motionless for a lengthy period with what looked like a shin injury, but just as a stretcher was being brought out, he recovered and was able to continue after several minutes’ treatment.

Rooney was United’s main threat, and he almost capped a brilliant solo run with an equaliser after 21 minutes. He glided past Terry and Paulo Ferreira using Ji-Sung Park as a dummy runner, but pulled his shot wide with only Petr Cech to beat. And he brought another fine save from the keeper three minutes before half-time, Cech diving low to his right to save Rooney’s instant 20-yard drive. Chelsea almost got a second when Cole curled a finish inches wide after 54 minutes – but he made no mistake with a stunning individual effort six minutes later. Cole took out Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Mikael Silvestre with a single turn before racing on to fire high past Van der Sar. Desperate United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made a change after 64 minutes, sending on Ruud van Nistelrooy for the disappointing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney was then involved in an incident that casts a huge shadow over England’s World Cup plans with 15 minutes left. He stumbled into an innocuous challenge with Ferreira, but collapsed in again clutching the same right foot he broke against Portugal in Euro 2004. Rooney looked in agony as he was strapped on to a stretcher, leaving the field to sympathic applause from anxious fans of both sides.

Chelsea’s title party started in earnest at the final whistle, though the worries over Rooney were a worry for those celebrating as well as the United fans forced to accept their Premiership dreams were over for another season.

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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he is more worried about bird flu than the prospect of Manchester United catching the Blues in the Premiership. Chelsea’s lead at the top of table had stood at 17 points, but Manchester United’s run of eight consecutive wins has narrowed the gap to seven.

Mourinho said to the Evening Standard:

“For me, pressure is bird flu – I’m serious. I’m feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It’s not fun and I’m more scared of it than football. Football is nothing compared with life. For me bird flu is the drama of the last few days. I’ll have to buy a mask. Pressure depends on the individual. If you ask Claude Makelele if he feels pressure he will say ‘no’ because he’s played for Real Madrid and won championships. (But) if you ask a young player who has never been involved in this situation and who has never been a champion before, maybe the answer is different.”

Chelsea have not been at their best in the Premiership in recent weeks, losing to local rivals Fulham and dropping points against relegation-threatened Birmingham.

But Mourinho said his side’s dip in form had not caused him any concern. With all teams having six Premiership games left to play, time is running out if United are to complete one of the most incredible comebacks in history and Mourinho said he is still confident of success.

He said to the Sun:

“Eight consecutive victories is fantastic. And I would prefer to have a 15-point lead than seven. But I would always prefer to have more points more than less. To say I’m concerned is not correct. I’m not happy with the points we dropped – normally we have to beat Fulham and Birmingham. But ‘concerned’ is the correct word for Manchester United. I think they should be very concerned by the gap. I think Sir Alex Ferguson has to be an optimistic person, otherwise he wouldn’t be in his job for so long. I haven’t been in the job for so long but also have reasons to be optimistic because I can win my fourth consecutive title. The difference is United people will watch Chelsea against West Ham with a very high heartbeat. But we can be very calm and cool when we watch United play Arsenal, or even don’t watch it at all, because our future depends on our own results.”

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Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho made a fairly stunning admission this week in an interview posted on the official Man Utd site: ManUtd.com

Mourinho said:

“The Chelsea project is not about winning one championship, it is about gaining a few more over the next few years. Only then can we compare ourselves to what Manchester United have done. At this moment we have just one Premiership. We have to do more to persuade people that Chelsea are the club of the future.”

One would have to agree. Man United are indeed still the greatest club in the world!! Forgetting even the olden days and the famous Munich tragedy and just considering the recent past in terms of the Premiership’s history, the facts concur. Since the Premiership started in 1992, Man United have won it 8 times, finished second three times and finished third , twice. So never out of the top three! That level of consistency is hard to beat. To talk nothing of the many FA Cup, League Cup and Charity Shield trophies. And despite MU‘s early exit from the Champions League this year, they have been the most consistent club in Europe, except for Real Madrid, in terms of quarter final qualification. And no club can claim to be “great” without European success. The crowning glory of the treble in 1999 was also a truly “great” achievement that no other English side is close to emulating.

There is such a sense of history at United, that cannot just be replicated in a short while by a massive injection of cash, as is the case with Abramovich and Chelsea. And these traditions have real meanings in the current behaviour of a club and its employees. There is just no getting away from the fact that Chelsea are perceived as “sleazy” amidst a continuos flow of the behind the scene activities. And just look at how many squad players come through for United, as compared to Chelsea. Greatness in the roots of the club. And at the risk of sounding nationalistic, just compare United in its British representation to the other big English clubs: Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

The great players of United are legendary. Who can Chelsea claim? To look at just the no.7 shirt of United: Bobby Charlton, George Best, Bryan Robson, David Beckham and now Cristiano Ronaldo….of course, Mourinho is a smart fellow- he knows that by praising United‘s past he is both motivating his own players and calling us yesterday’s news…
But the reality is that players like Vidic, Evra and Ji Sung-Park come to United because of its greatness and this ensures continued and future success. United always respond. They have buried Arsenal, the bar having been raised. Next will be Chelsea.

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Welcome to the unofficial blog site of Manchester United, the greatest football club in the world!!

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