Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been working and planning towards a record breaking title since equaling Liverpools total in May 2009. He narrowly failed in his mission by a single point last season and the success or otherwise of his obsessive goal may all come down to a mere eight days two years later. That word “may” has to be emphasised because every one of the eight remaining fixtures is a potential banana skin but the title will surely be won or lost in the trip to the Emirates on May first and the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford the following weekend.
Make no mistake, unexpected slip ups are always possible especially when Champions League and FA Cup fixtures are included into the mix but it must be remembered that rival challengers also have some tricky clashes ahead.
No matter how it’s calculated, a marathon 38 match season looks likely to come down to a mere 180 minutes in the space of a week. Avoiding defeat in both of those top of the table clashes will almost certainly achieve the target Ferguson set for the club two years ago.
Should Sir Alex succeed, there will remain one dark cloud on the horizon. Despite his many denials, completing a 25 year obsession could be the incentive Ferguson needs to finally sit back and relax with a glass of wine thinking to himself that ‘United is now sitting on that f*****g perch all by itself. Mission accomplished’ and walk away into the sunset!
Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Time will tell
Will avoiding defeat by Arsenal and Chelsea be enough to secure the title?
