SOCCER/Manchester Utd v Wigan Athletic:MIND GAMES were employed again yesterday but Alex Ferguson's only target was Manchester United. The Scot has warned his champions they cannot miss the chance to close in on Liverpool tonight against a Wigan team who will pose a greater threat than Chelsea .
Ferguson’s comments could have been taken as a cheap dig at an already floored Luiz Felipe Scolari, following the destruction of Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the aim was purely to guard against complacency in the champions’ ranks ahead of tonight’s visit of Steve Bruce’s in-form side. With both Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand absent through injury, the former with a foot ligament problem that will keep him out for up to four weeks, and given the energy expended against Chelsea, Ferguson admits United will struggle to recapture Sunday’s rarefied heights against a Wigan team on a run of six wins from seven games. The end result, however, must be the same in the first of United’s two games in hand, according to their manager.
“This is the harder game for us now,” Ferguson said. “It is one of our two games in hand and we have to win these games. It is a very important game for us. On the back of the Chelsea game people will expect us to be at that level of performance but that was a very high level.
“I haven’t watched the game again but I’ve looked at the stats and they show that Chelsea worked amazingly hard in the game, which just shows you the level we got to. I will have to freshen things up against Wigan, but freshen things up to win.”
A United victory tonight and at Bolton on Saturday would take the champions above Liverpool at the Premier League summit ahead of Monday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, and Ferguson admitted he is surprised by how swiftly his team have closed the gap at the top. “I didn’t expect it yet, no,” he said. “But the time to judge us is when we have played the two games in hand and our next one is not until 14th February.”
Ferguson’s changes tonight will be enforced as well as dictated by fatigue, with Ferdinand again absent through a back problem and Evra paying a high price for the immaculate cross that created Wayne Rooney’s goal on Sunday.
“Evra is out for three weeks minimum, maybe four. And for such a simple thing,” said the United manager, who confirmed Ferdinand will also miss the trip to Bolton but should be available for the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
“He went over on his foot as he crossed the ball and damaged the ligament in the bottom of his foot. It will take seven or eight days just to clear the blood and the swelling away. But we recently had to cope without him for four games and John O’Shea is a fantastic player so I have no concerns there. Wes Brown should be back in two weeks as well. January is a difficult programme but we have the squad to cope and the versatility of our players is a big help. Once we get Wes Brown back we will be okay.”
United officially unveiled their new Serbian left-winger Zoran Tosic yesterday, signed from Partizan Belgrade as part of a joint €19 million package with Adem Ljajic, who will move to Old Trafford next season.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, believes Manchester United are building a dynasty that will dominate club football for years and can improve on last season’s haul of the Premier League and European Cup by adding the FA and League Cup to claim an unprecedented quadruple.
“I think we can dominate. Manchester has a lot of young players – myself included – and so the future for the club looks good. But we have to make sure we win more trophies. I want to be here, to be a part of the success that I believe lies ahead for this team. It’s great to be a part of this fantastic club.”
A jubilant Ronaldo hailed his achievement as a tribute to Ferguson’s influence since he signed from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. Despite Ronaldo now being the European and world player of the year, the Scot offers no preferential treatment. “It’s the same as he did when I first came as an 18-year-old,” Ronaldo said.
“He’s helped me so much. Last season he helped me in every aspect – passing, shooting, decision-making, everything. And I listen to him always because he has so much experience and taught some of the best players in the world.
“All the time he’s giving me advice to make me better and better. This is what I try to do all the time. There is such a great spirit among the players at United. That is why the club has been so successful. The team comes first, not the individual.”
