United aim to be party poopers
When Manchester United arrive at Stamford Bridge a week on Saturday with Chelsea needing just a point to retain the Premiership title, Alex Ferguson’s men will need no prompting to give every last drop of sweat.
United’s players are driven by the memory of last season when Ferguson ordered his players to form a guard of honour to applaud the newly-crowned champions on to the Old Trafford pitch.
It stuck in their throats then and they are determined they will not be part of any more Chelsea celebrations.
“The feeling in the camp is that they cannot be celebrating after the game against us,” said United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar. “We do not want to be part of that.
“We are playing well, especially away from home and there is a lot of spirit. We are positive about what we are doing and we can use it to give us a good feeling for next season.”
United’s 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Easter Monday prolonged the Premiership race as well as relieving the pressure on the Red Devils in their determination to finish second above Liverpool in an automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League if the big prize eludes them.
They are now six points ahead of their Merseyside rivals with just three matches remaining and already they are learning the lessons of a season in which they started so poorly.
In September and October they managed just eight points from seven league games, allowing Chelsea to race away. Contrast that with their recent form; their win over Tottenham was their 10th victory in 11 matches.
“The key to it is starting better and not dropping as many points at home as we have done,” said Van der Sar. “This season we have dropped too many.
“We are happy with the result against Tottenham. It was very important to win, more because of the result Liverpool got against Blackburn than the title. We have put six points between us and Liverpool.”
For Tottenham, however, the anxiety has only increased as they see the prospect of that coveted fourth place being wrenched from their grasp in the final run-in.
The stress fracture suffered by central defender Ledley King, which has put paid to his season and threatens his World Cup dreams, does not help their chances when they visit closest rivals Arsenal in what promises to be the feistiest of north London derbies next Saturday.
It has left manager Martin Jol, who watched his side commit naïve defensive mistakes to allow Wayne Rooney to score twice on Monday, having to rely on Calum Davenport, who had played just seven minutes as a substitute for the club before being thrown in against United.
It is not the best preparation to deal with strikers such as Thierry Henry, especially as Tottenham have lost on their last seven visits to Arsenal.
“They are very strong at home,” admitted Jol. “It will be very difficult and ideally we would have had a bigger gap. Every game between now and the end of the season is going to be a battle. We cannot afford to be found wanting in meeting that challenge head on and nor will we be.
“Everybody here is up for it. Each player knows that they are not the star; it is not about individuals, it is about the club.”
