shares Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted his team’s clashes with Chelsea will never carry as much meaning as those against Arsenal. Just two days before United face Luiz Felipe Scolari’s in-form side at Stamford Bridge in a clash between most people’s Premier League title favourites, Ferguson has stoked the fires by claiming Chelsea cannot match the ‘history and quality’ of their London rivals. Fergie: Arsenal much bigger than Chelsea The United boss’ claim may come as a surprise to the Chelsea hierarchy given it has been them who have fought United for the title for the previous four seasons – winning it for consecutive years in 2005 and 2006. But Ferguson said: ‘If you look back over the last 12 or 13 years, who has it been? – Arsenal v Manchester United, Manchester United v Arsenal. ‘Of course we’ve got Chelsea at the moment, that’s without question, but the history of Arsenal versus Manchester means that you’re not just talking about winning a football match, you’re talking about your own history against the other team’s history. ‘There’s a dominance attached to that. You want to be the dominant team and they want to be the dominant team – and we’ve had some volatile matches because of that. ‘But you can’t beat the history and the quality that both teams believe in, and the way they want to play has never changed.’ Ferguson could have both Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo in his Manchester United starting line-up to face Chelsea on Sunday. Berbatov missed Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Villarreal after suffering a knee injury at Liverpool last weekend, while Ronaldo made his comeback in midweek after two months out following ankle surgery. However, Ferguson confirmed Berbatov is fit again and is also considering whether to hand Ronaldo a place in his side at Stamford Bridge. Ferguson is without suspended defender Nemanja Vidic, while England goalkeeper Ben Foster is out for six to eight weeks with ankle ligament damage suffered in a reserve team match against Blackburn last night. Meanwhile, Ferguson admits he is ‘dead against’ international friendlies. The Scot has frequently been angered by the impact of what he deems to be unnecessary matches on his club, and in particular the injuries that can result from the games at key times of the season. And while Ferguson insists he has no problem with international football on the whole, he would be more than happy to see friendlies scrapped. ‘It’s really important that all my players play for their country. Absolutely, there’s no question about that,’ he said. ‘My only contention is with friendly internationals. I’m dead against friendly internationals. ‘Competitive internationals, I always support the national manager – I always have.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 09:45:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015