Soccer:Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is expecting a tight contest against Chelsea on Sunday after an open encounter between the sides at Old Trafford in September. Ferguson cannot afford for United's concentration to waver against the Blues after they hauled themselves back level with leaders Manchester City in midweek.
Stamford Bridge is the next stop in an arduous sequence of fixtures which will determine the shape United will be in for the title run-in. Ferguson realised when he met the Londoners in September that Andre Villas-Boas had introduced a new method of playing.
“That was a crazy game,” said Ferguson as he reflected on the 3-1 win. “It could have been 20-18. I don’t think it will be like that on Sunday. It will be much tighter.”
Five months on, Chelsea still lack consistency. Yet they retain a formidable home record against the Red Devils, against whom they have not lost in Premier League action since 2002.
“It’s not going to be an easy game,” said Ferguson. “In the last seven years there have been many terrific battles with Chelsea. The manager has brought in two or three different players and I noticed when we played them earlier in the season there was a change in the style from previous Chelsea teams.
“When a new manager comes in on the back of someone as successful as Carlo Ancelotti, changes maybe take time. Everyone has their different philosophy and different ways of doing things. That is what we are seeing with Chelsea at the moment.”
Ferguson is ready to thrust David de Gea back into the spotlight atfter he came in for a huge amount of criticism for his performance in last weekend’s FA Cup fourth round defeat at Liverpool. It seemed certain Anders Lindegaard would return for the midweek encounter with Stoke, only for the Denmark international to suffer ankle ligament damage in training that could rule him out for six weeks.
Within 60 “nightmare” minutes for Ferguson on Monday, De Gea had also been ruled out of the Stoke game after taking a knock, meaning 21-year-old Ben Amos had to make his Premier League debut. Amos kept a clean sheet too, although in fairness, he had little to do other than one second half save to deny Cameron Jerome.
However, with De Gea now ready to return, it seems certain United will rely on their summer arrival from Atletico Madrid. “It looks like Lindegaard will be out for at least four weeks, maybe even six with ankle ligament damage,” confirmed Ferguson. “De Gea should be fit and whilst Ben Amos has had a little bit of experience, it is not the kind of experience you’d expect going into a game at Stamford Bridge.”
