Fergie believes Chelsea pose bigger threat than Liverpool

[zjllee]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/447021/1/.html

LONDON: Sir Alex Ferguson insists Liverpool will struggle to pose a significant threat to Manchester United's bid for a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Ferguson spent much of last season engaged in an increasingly bitter war of words with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and the United chief has wasted no time taking aim at his old rival again.

With the new league season still 10 days away, Ferguson has written off Liverpool's hopes of ending their 19-year wait to win the title.

Although Liverpool defeated United twice last season, including a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford, and finished just four points behind the champions, Ferguson believes Chelsea will be his team's main concern.

"It will be hard for them to match last season, let alone improve on it. Other teams will know more about them," Ferguson told The Sun.

"Liverpool had probably their best season for 20 years and still finished four points adrift.

"It has to be Chelsea as the main threat. Ancelotti will change how they play."

The close-season departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez have led some experts to predict a less successful season for United.

But Ferguson, who has signed Michael Owen and Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, is adamant his squad is strong enough to retain the title and challenge in Europe again.

"People have misread our situation and they have under-estimated our ability to improve players. That is an area where we have proved successful in the past," Ferguson said.


Here comes all the "straight-talking"! :D

What do you guys think? Will ManU get off to a flying start or will they splutter like early last season? Who will be pushing them for the title this season???

Can't wait for the premier league to start!!!

[1920_me]

He is hardly wrong. Arsenal,liverpool and United have all been weakend at the end of this season. Only Chelsea have retained all their players.

And there is a big question mark over how man city will perform as well.

[Jian19]

United seldom got flying start one :o

Mind game starts early :s34: Chelsea i think big threat..Arsenal might be the surprise package and top 4 will be shaken this season :o

[Beefsteak]

I also think that Chelsea will be a big threat under Ancelotti.

[Kennedy]

Sir Alex Ferguson remarks was fair. He obviously think Liverpool have played to their best potential last season, they played above themselves and won't do that again.

If you ask me, I think Man Utd are in for a shocker at the start with a Ronaldo less team. The opposing teams were so terrified of Ronaldo that they accepted defeat when they saw him on the pitch.

Wenger and Arsenal need a good start for the first time in many seasons to have some momentum and stay at the top.

Many are tipping Chelsea. But Ancelotti know nuts about English football, he might face the same problems as Scolari as the season get longer. Scolari had a excellent start as chelsea boss. It was later on, midway though the season when his team start to struggle a bit.

This should be an interesting reasons for the Big 4 + Man City...

[Redarmy10]

Rephrasing what smart alex mention about man city "they are just a lesser club, with a small mentality. All they can talk about is LIVERPOOL FC"

[simiranjiaoranpaji]

Fergie gone fishing. :s13:

[Kennedy]

I love this kind of thread

This type got good potential to become hot fire thread.

Come on guys, don't wait, let the SLAUGHTER began..... :D

[silent_espy]

Sir Alex Ferguson remarks was fair. He obviously think Liverpool have played to their best potential last season, they played above themselves and won't do that again.

If you ask me, I think Man Utd are in for a shocker at the start with a Ronaldo less team. The opposing teams were so terrified of Ronaldo that they accepted defeat when they saw him on the pitch.

Wenger and Arsenal need a good start for the first time in many seasons to have some momentum and stay at the top.

Many are tipping Chelsea. But Ancelotti know nuts about English football, he might face the same problems as Scolari as the season get longer. Scolari had a excellent start as chelsea boss. It was later on, midway though the season when his team start to struggle a bit.

This should be an interesting reasons for the Big 4 + Man City...

as a fan do you think so?

you know fergie can believe in lots of things just like we can believe in many things but it might not be true. doesnt mean when a sir believes God will make it come true.

[Kennedy]

as a fan do you think so?

you know fergie can believe in lots of things just like we can believe in many things but it might not be true. doesnt mean when a sir believes God will make it come true.

The paper report indicates Alex Ferguson saying he doesn't think Liverpool will win the league. He didn't really say clearly why but it was quite clear why he think so. I was just putting the message straight across - He think Liverpool has played above themselves and wouldn't repeat that again.

and why his remarks was fair - because everyone are entitled to their own opinions and nothing to do with God.

Don't be so defensive on your team lah, ABU, NBU..... :)

[Jian19]

take those thing with a pinch of salt lar :s22:

dun so fast crack liao :o

[zjllee]

Rephrasing what smart alex mention about man city "they are just a lesser club, with a small mentality. All they can talk about is LIVERPOOL FC"

Post removed

Lol, so much for friendly discussions.

I love this kind of thread

This type got good potential to become hot fire thread.

Come on guys, don't wait, let the SLAUGHTER began..... :D

I provide the tinder, someone light the flame, and the rest are FANS =:p

[conquerorsutd]

I love this kind of thread

This type got good potential to become hot fire thread.

Come on guys, don't wait, let the SLAUGHTER began..... :D

lol

*stand by and watch bloodbath* :P

but seriously, i din expect sir alex 2 so fast breathe down liverpool, nor i think it wise 2 do so now. mebbe later in the heat of the season?

but objectively, i think it's pretty true tat among all bpl teams, chelsea provide biggest threat cos their core team stay intact. but they hv aging squad, maybe they can't sustain bpl pace but can cheong cl.

can't wait 4 bpl to start too! :s12:

[soldado]

So fast BPL start. :D
More reasons to stay at home during weekends!

May the best team wins! :)

[bwaysaibi]

credit to ol red nose
the wily fox he is.
he'll never run out of ideas to rile up the opposition :D

tat makes the title race more interesting aint it?


hope comes end of may his entire face will be as red as his nose
when he sees liverpool lift the premier league trophy ;)

[Deunamist]

Fergie still phobia over being tactically outclassed by Carlo the last time both men met?

BPL is still Fergie's hunting ground more than it is Carlo's, unlike the CL. meet Carlo in the league, no worries. meet him in CL you're likely a goner!

i still think Carlo will not reuse the old 4-3-2-1 he used at Milan, simply because he doesn't have a Pirlo-type player in Chelsea, a player who forces the entire team to work around him, instead of the players working around a fixed tactical system.

United and Chelsea both have the most complete and least transfer damaged sides in the BPL at the moment (Pool lost a key midfield figure in Xabi, Arsenal lost Adebayor and Toure), so Fergie could be right.

[Devilsire]

no ley... Man utd suffered the heaviest damage among the top 4 in this season transfer ok... 2 world class players gone :(

"This will be our season" will be a common quote for most teams. :o

[faruk55]

SAF has started to roll the ball... it will be an interesting season...

[anfielder]

SAF has every right to state his opinion. And it's a reasonable observation. We'll see whether he's right or wrong as the season progresses. :)

[Kyubi]

yeah man its going to be another exciting season :D

[oohman]

Most of frenz who are Liverpool fans also seem to agree with SAF to a certain extent...

Even though, Liverpool played to their best.. they still lost out... and with Alonso gone... it is indeed gonna be a uphill task or more like Impossible task for them...

[Jian19]

We lost World player of the year :( And also a mad dog striker

how to win title :(

[Kennedy]

Most of frenz who are Liverpool fans also seem to agree with SAF to a certain extent...

Even though, Liverpool played to their best.. they still lost out... and with Alonso gone... it is indeed gonna be a uphill task or more like Impossible task for them...


the more I think about it. Alonso gone is a good thing for Liverpool.

Ever wonder why Rafa had wanted to get rid of Alonso for 2 seasons. basically he and Mascherano only scored 3 league goals the entire season. The two had a almost perfect partnership in CM but they were just not offensive enough. If Liverpool had to progress, they need more attacking bite from CM, they need to gamble. That's where it came down to a choice of Alonso or Mascherano. Rafe chose to keep Mascherano and Aquilani a more offensive player than Alonso come in, The soild defensive shield is sacrificed in favor of a more attacking lineup to win the EPL.

[Jian19]

Mascherano no chip in goals become alonso fault? :s22:

[conquerorsutd]

We lost World player of the year :( And also a mad dog striker

how to win title :(

tsk tsk ... so humble :s13:

[Kennedy]

Mascherano no chip in goals become alonso fault? :s22:

3 from alonso also not enough. I bet the total of 3 from the two is among the lowest among established midfield pairing in the EPL.

read somewhere that Man Utd got 10? from their CM last season. That's the difference - 7 goals, a few draws become Wins and the EPL title.

and that's a risk. Alonso + Mascherano with Gerard in front is almost close to perfection but in life, you have to take your chances to win. Of course Alonso wanted to leave too.


But the key man to Liverpool EPL title hopes this season is Voroninator... :D

[SongLongZi]

the more I think about it. Alonso gone is a good thing for Liverpool.

Ever wonder why Rafa had wanted to get rid of Alonso for 2 seasons. basically he and Mascherano only scored 3 league goals the entire season. The two had a almost perfect partnership in CM but they were just not offensive enough. If Liverpool had to progress, they need more attacking bite from CM, they need to gamble. That's where it came down to a choice of Alonso or Mascherano. Rafe chose to keep Mascherano and Aquilani a more offensive player than Alonso come in, The soild defensive shield is sacrificed in favor of a more attacking lineup to win the EPL.





haha he wanted to sell alonso to buy barry actually...now tell me how many goals beside penalty has barry scored...and when u say auqilani is a more offensive player than alonso..how many goals has auqilani scored? I dunno whats the problem with RB and alonso..



now is alonso requested to go while RB no want him to go...

[SongLongZi]

3 from alonso also not enough. I bet the total of 3 from the two is among the lowest among established midfield pairing in the EPL.

read somewhere that Man Utd got 10? from their CM last season. That's the difference - 7 goals, a few draws become Wins and the EPL title.

and that's a risk. Alonso + Mascherano with Gerard in front is almost close to perfection but in life, you have to take your chances to win. Of course Alonso wanted to leave too.


But the key man to Liverpool EPL title hopes this season is Voroninator... :D




actually u really cant fault alonso for scoring so few goals..he was a deep lying playmaker..straying pass left/right..and sometimes u hv to understand the way RB team tactic work..

[Boi_racer]

My personal opinion is SAF is starting the mind games to put Liverpool down..Maybe he view Pool as a threat....

SAF wont do such things if he doesnt think that they are his potential rivals....

[Boi_racer]

the more I think about it. Alonso gone is a good thing for Liverpool.

Ever wonder why Rafa had wanted to get rid of Alonso for 2 seasons. basically he and Mascherano only scored 3 league goals the entire season. The two had a almost perfect partnership in CM but they were just not offensive enough. If Liverpool had to progress, they need more attacking bite from CM, they need to gamble. That's where it came down to a choice of Alonso or Mascherano. Rafe chose to keep Mascherano and Aquilani a more offensive player than Alonso come in, The soild defensive shield is sacrificed in favor of a more attacking lineup to win the EPL.


Alonso and Masherano are not deployed to score goals.....their main duties are to hold the midfield n distribute...

Anyway Liverpool already scored the most goals last season...So the reason Pool didnt win the title doesnt lies with their CM lack of goals...cos the goals from other sources already more then make up for it :o

[Fabiano]

Alonso brings sooo much to the team. His type of attacking threat is from the deep. And that is exactly the style you can do very little about. Switching from defense to attack with just 1 move.

pin-point distribution. check
spreading of play. check
position. check
spatial awareness.check
work rate. check

i'd take the above qualities over the 7 extra goals anytime.
its not a surprise that Pellegrini insist on signing him.

[MatrixFanatic]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/robkelly/100001046/liverpool-should-be-title-favourites-no-matter-what-sir-alex-ferguson-says/

Somewhat unbelievably, the most cantankerous old man in football, Mr. Ferguson, has already dismissed Liverpool’s hopes of winning the Premier League. Yet if the Overlord of English football feels it necessary to lay into Rafa Benitez’s side without a ball of the new season being kicked, it surely only means one thing: Liverpool are a major threat to Manchester United’s hegemony.

Ferguson’s critical assessment - “Liverpool have just had probably their best season for 20 years, finished up with 86 points and still finished four adrift. It will be hard for them to match that, let alone improve. Other teams will read Liverpool better” - is borne out of fear. For while the Anfield club have just lost a key figure in Xabi Alonso, it does not come close to the impact United will feel without Cristiano Ronaldo.

Liverpool fans have been ridiculed in the past for their regular pre-season refrain of ‘This is our season’, but 2009-10 really could, and should be. Never will they have a better chance of ending their league title drought, never will they be better prepared.

Benitez has improved his already formidable defence with the signing of Glen Johnson, and if he replaces Alonso with the exciting Alberto Aquilani and then uses the rest of his transfer budget to sign a striker and/or an out-and-out winger, then I believe Liverpool will win the Premier League by five or six points.

United, going for a record fourth consecutive title, will badly miss Ronaldo, no matter much they protest otherwise. You cannot take the Portuguese’s goals, assists and general aura out of a team and not weaken it. Replacing Ronaldo with Luis Antonio Valencia is akin to trading in a Ferrari for a BMW. Valencia is very good, but he will not score 20+ goals this season and that will put extra pressure on Ferguson’s strike force.

While United fans are now pretending they were never that bothered about Carlos Tevez, the departure of the Argentine has weakened their front line. An awful lot is resting on Dimitar Berbatov, one of last season’s most underwhelming signings, and Michael Owen, one of last season’s most underwhelming footballers.

United simply do not look the force that Liverpool do, no matter how much Ferguson tries to talk himself, and anyone who’ll listen, into it.

Chelsea will be the team to push Benitez’s men closest, and with a strong, settled side rejuvenated under the command of the now departed Guus Hiddink, they will start the new campaign infused with confidence. But the priority at Stamford Bridge is to win the Champions League, and while Carlo Ancelotti has the squad to compete on all fronts, I feel they will fall short of Liverpool.

Arsenal’s fate is reliant upon their next moves in the transfer market. If Arsene Wenger adds the commanding centre-half and defensive midfielder his team needs, they could launch a sustained title bid. However, with injury concerns over the returning Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo, and major upheaval at boardroom level, the environment at the Emirates does not seem conducive to success at present.

Will Manchester City break up the Big Four cartel? The potential is certainly there, and with their summer outlay, that should be the very least of their ambitions. However, I still feel it is unlikely. Mark Hughes has a massive job on his hands moulding his new-look squad into a cohesive unit, and whether he can handle the rampant egos in his dressing room, coupled with the elevated expectation levels foisted upon him, is highly debateable. I expect Hughes to be gone before Christmas, and replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Predictions are almost designed to make you look foolish, so with a heavy heart here is my top seven for the 2009-10 season:

1. Liverpool
2. Chelsea
3. Manchester United
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Everton
7. Manchester City

By Rob Kelly - Last updated: August 6th, 2009

[NHT]

the old man is scared of chelsea, not liverpool! :s13:

[SpikyOyster]

the old man is scared of chelsea, not liverpool! :s13:

I doubt Sir Alex who is such an experienced manager would tell the media who he is really concern with.

By making this statement, he puts Ancelotti under pressure to deliver result.

[fraven]

I doubt Sir Alex who is such an experienced manager would tell the media who he is really concern with.

By making this statement, he puts Ancelotti under pressure to deliver result.


That was just the first shot to undermine and put pressure on Chelsea. Look out for more bullets aiming at Liverpool after the Community Shield.

:s12::s12::D

[Fabiano]

Fergie is such a mind-teaser...

season havent start only play mindgame

[1920_me]

I doubt Sir Alex who is such an experienced manager would tell the media who he is really concern with.

By making this statement, he puts Ancelotti under pressure to deliver result.

I think you are right, there will alot of pressure on Ancelotti to deliver. But BPL won't be his priority, he is brought in to win their elusive champions league title.