Although they were knocked out of the Champions League a week ago by a Milan team which was simply the better one on the day, Manchester United have conquered their domestic league by winning against Manchester City as Chelsea drew with their London rivals, Arsenal.
What United have done this season is nothing short of phenomenal. The pre season predictions installed Chelsea as firm favourites, with United to consider themselves fortunate if they got a spot in Europe. No Ruud Van Nistelrooy, only major signing being Darren Fletcher- considered to be a waste of money by some people, the Roo Ronaldo saga at the World Cup.Chelsea had Ballack and Shevchenko, even Spurs had spent money….things were in turmoil when the season started.
But never discount one man- Sir Alex. Some people wondered whether Fergie should have stepped down at the start of the season. He did no such thing, and with the limited resources at his disposal, created a team which the other teams feared. Teamwork is important for any winning team, and as the season went on, you could see that the players enjoyed each others’ company. Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo and Rooney played key roles in ensuring that the Premier League title came to Old Trafford for the ninth time. Many at Stamford Bridge thought that the Blues would win the title for the third year in succession, but it was not to be.
Bringing in Henrik Larsson was a tactical masterstroke from Fergie. The former Celtic and Barcelona forward impressed one and all during his three month loan stint at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo played the football of his life, in the process becoming the first player since Andy Gray in 1977 to win both the PFA Player of the year and young player of the year awards. Manchester United’s dominance could be easily be demonstrated by the fact that the Red Devils had 8 representatives in the team of the season- the other three being Berbatov, Drogba and Gerrard.
Well done United !!!