Fergie is the special won
SO the title is back at Old Trafford after an absence of three seasons. It has been a victory not just for Manchester United’s relative prudence over Chelsea’s halfbillion pound budget, but in Alex Ferguson’s belief that the beautiful game can still triumph over raw power and aggression. It also confirmed Ferguson’s dominance in his personal duel with Jose Mourinho. Over the 10 months, Ferguson had both the man-management skills and self-control that slowly deserted his closest rival. Like his team, he had class and style when it counted. Crucially, he had a belief in his team Mourinho clearly never did. Even before a ball had been kicked, the Manchester United boss had to iron out the ill-feeling between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.It seemed at one stage Ronaldo would be on his way out of Old Trafford after his controversial run-in with his United team-mate at the World Cup. Ferguson got the pair in, appealed to their better nature, reaffirmed his belief they were the two essential pillars of the new United — and let them get on with it. From the moment the pair set each other up for goals in an opening-day 5-1 thrashing of Fulham, whatever problems there may have been were firmly in the past. If there was one key to the success that would follow, it was this. Between them, Rooney and Ronaldo have so far scored 31 Premiership goals between them — and created countless more. Compare this to Mourinho’s failure to come to grips with the challenge of assimilating Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack into his side.
While Ferguson had bought well — Nemanja Vidic in defence and Michael Carrick in midfield — Chelsea failed to fill basic holes in the squad. For one reason or another, they were unable to provide Didier Drogba with a goalscoring partner while, at the back, Mourinho quickly bemoaned a lack of cover for John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. Even when Khalid Boulahrouz arrived, Mourinho let it be known the player wasn’t his choice.
But, surely, the Chelsea manager must have been responsible for something in the transfer market? Paulo Ferreira or Shaun WrightPhillips, perhaps? Mourinho, though, never referred to their shortcomings. Arjen Robben didn’t escape, either, with Mourinho questioning his ability to string more than a handful of appearances together. All this squabbling added to behind-the-scenes friction and the already strained relationship between Mourinho and Abramovich. Ferguson, typically, never once questioned the players under his command. Even when they struggled for results at times, he provided reassurance rather than pointing the finger. He showed loyalty to all his players — and got it back in return.
A few days earlier, he had held his hands up and admitted United were very much second-best after their 3-0 whipping by AC Milan. Here was another field in which Ferguson heavily outscored Mourinho. Class in adversity. Mourinho, on the other hand, came up with the preposterous nonsense that the best side had lost the other Champions League semi-final. He should listen to his own fans sometimes. Yet, by this time, Mourinho was heading off the rails. He saw conspiracies everywhere and responded with a scatter-gun attack on anyone who caught his eye. Worst of all was his highly-personalised criticism of fellow countryman Ronaldo. A man who himself was brought up amid wealth and a certain opulence, had the temerity to refer to RonaldoÂ’s lack of intelligence and poor upbringing.
Ferguson, ever the Govan-raised Socialist, nailed Mourinho with the words: “There are people from very poor backgrounds who have principles. “Whereas there are others who are educated but have no principles at all. That, without question, is the case here.”
Finally, Ferguson was again the winner when it came to the football produced by the two sides.
John Terry and Jose Mourinho embrace after losing the title.