ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS ROUND-UP: A COMPETITOR such as Wayne Rooney does not forgive the slights of his foes easily, no matter how far removed.
Despite Manchester United’s recent dominance over Arsenal, the striker can see no greater incentive to claim the Premier League title at Old Trafford tomorrow than to right a wrong of seven years ago, before he had even made his debut for Everton. The striker hopes sealing the title will silence the Arsenal fans who still gloat about winning the 2002 title at Old Trafford with a 1-0 win.
“We are six points clear now and hopefully that point we need will come on Saturday,” said Rooney. “It would be great to win it against Arsenal, too, because when they come to Old Trafford we always hear them singing about winning the title at our ground. So it would be nice to do it ourselves against them.”
Alex Ferguson’s side need only a point from Saturday’s lunchtime fixture to secure the title with one game to spare and end Liverpool’s challenge before they kick off at The Hawthorns more than 24 hours later. Rooney is aware the quadruple-chasing side can emulate the treble winners of 1999 and become only the second of Ferguson’s 11 Premier League-winning sides to seal their triumph at Old Trafford.
“It would certainly be great to do it in front of our own fans,” he said. “I think the manager has said it has only happened once in 17 years of the Premier League for this club.” Rooney said it would be a “great achievement” to win three consecutive titles, a feat achieved only once before in the club’s history, between 1999 and 2001. “To do that and then go into the final of the Champions League would make us all proud,” he said. “But let’s get this job done first.”
With that final against Barcelona on May 27th, Rooney admitted United would like to travel to Hull City for their last league game of the season on Sunday week without needing a result, much to the dismay, no doubt, of Hull’s relegation rivals Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.
“It is also important to get it done on Saturday so we can get a rest before the Champions League final. It will give the manager options for that final game,” he said. “We don’t want to be going to Hull needing something so close to that final because we know with the position they are in that would be a difficult game. They are fighting to stay up.”
The attacker paid tribute to Carlos Tevez after his goal from the substitutes’ bench at Wigan on Wednesday night drew United level before Michael Carrick’s late winner. The Argentinian’s future at the club is in doubt but Rooney said he would like to see him stay beyond the end of the season, whatever the language barrier.
“His English isn’t very good but he’s a great lad and it is great to have him in the camp,” said Rooney. “He is a world-class player and you always want to see those sort of players at your club and he is great to play with.”
Ferguson is not a manager to miss a psychological trick. In May 2005, when Chelsea arrived at Old Trafford as the newly-crowned Premier League champions, the Manchester United manager asked his players to form a guard of honour and applaud them on to the field.
Ferguson’s gesture was big-hearted but he also wanted his players to feel chastened. If the expression on the United defender Gary Neville’s face was anything to go by, that end was achieved.
There will be no pre-match guard at Old Trafford tomorrow but the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, is alive to similar motivational possibilities. If his team cannot prevent what many see as the inevitable United result, they would have to endure the spectacle of their rivals lifting the Premier League trophy to a backdrop of pyrotechnics, streamers and partying supporters. Wenger, though, would want his players to suck it all up.
“Of course it can inspire the players,” he said. “These players will win and want to win but you have to accept as well Man United at the moment is the best team. They have watched us lifting the trophy as well. It is part of sport and England is famous in sport for the fair play that they have shown. The rugby teams have created this idea.
“Man United have been better than us without a doubt the whole season. Liverpool win the day before and United come out and they believe that they will win. You have to say, ‘Yes, you are the best’. There is no shame to say that . . . That is the beauty of sport. We have not to be scared to say someone is better.”
Guardian Service
