Man United ready for new year title charge: Fergie

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson applauds the fans as he walks off with Nani at the end of the Barclays Premier League match against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford on Monday in Manchester, England. (GETTY)

Published Tuesday, December 27, 2011

By AFP

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United will be ideally placed to retain their Premier League title if they reach New Year's Day alongside Manchester City at the top of the table.

Ferguson, who turns 70 on New Year's Eve when his team entertain struggling Blackburn, saw United draw level with City on points after an emphatic 5-0 victory over Wigan at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

It marked a remarkable recovery from United who, as recently as December 10, trailed City by five points and 17 goals prior to a 4-1 victory over Wolves.

Now, following consecutive 5-0 victories, all that separates United from the current league leaders are five goals in the goal difference column - the margin of defeat which United suffered at the hands of City in their historic 6-1 home loss to Roberto Mancini's side in October.

"As I say, it's a long season," said Ferguson. "If we get to New Year's Day top, or joint top with City, then I will be happy.

"I've been saying for a few weeks that somebody was going to suffer against us and we've really hit good form now and got a goal threat from all departments.

"The clean sheet was a good part of the game for us and the consistency of the team is very good now.

"But the injuries are mounting up for us now - Phil Jones was down ill, Chris Smalling was ill, Rio Ferdinand called off with a back injury and Jonny Evans came off injured at half-time. We're getting our fair share."

Those injuries will severely test United with Ferguson confirming that a calf strain will keep Evans on the sidelines for two weeks.

"We will just have to wait and see," added Ferguson, with an eye on his team selection for the Blackburn game. "I'm hoping Smalling and Jones will recover. That will make a difference."

A single point against Blackburn will take United to solitary ownership of first place at the top of the table and place intense pressure on City, who visit Sunderland 24 hours later on New Year's Day.

However, for all their defensive injury concerns, there is no doubt that United seem to have found the answer to their goalscoring problems with Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov, starting just his second league game of the season, claiming a hat-trick against Wigan.

Berbatov, joint leading scorer in the Premier League last season with City's Carlos Tevez, now has four goals to his name this term and Ferguson said: "It was the right game for him.

"We needed his height to defence against set pieces. It helps his confidence. He has not had the best of starts to the season in terms of selection, with the options I have - in (Danny) Welbeck, (Wayne) Rooney and Chicharito (Javier Hernandez)."

United were also aided, in small part, by referee Phil Dowd who harshly dismissed the Wigan forward Conor Sammon after 38 minutes, with the score 1-0, when he caught defender Carrick in the face with a flailing arm, and even Ferguson leaped to his opponent's defence.

"I didn't think it was intentional," he said. "He is a big, aggressive lad, he throws his body around a lot. He caught Michael across the face, it is not intentional.

"Michael has not made a meal of it, which was good, and the referee was left to make a decision."

Wigan, who also conceded goals to Park Ji-Sung and Antonio Valencia, were justifiably furious with the performance of referee Dowd, who also handed Berbatov his hat-trick goal from the penalty spot after awarding a spot kick for Antolin Alcaraz's trip on Park even though the offence appeared to take place outside the area.

"The red card was just a shocking decision," said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez.
"Football is a contact sport and you need to measure really well what is a red card and what's not.

"You know what Conor Sammon and Michael Carrick did today is a normal action that happens time and time again. I was surprised when he gave a free-kick. To see a red card, I was gobsmacked."

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