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Here We Go.....; MIND GAMES HAVE STARTED
Topic Started: Jul 22 2008, 11:09 PM (719 Views)
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Sir Alex Ferguson in dig at 'ageing' Chelsea

Manchester United manager believes Luiz Felipe Scolari will struggle to match José Mourinho's achievements

Sir Alex Ferguson has lit the blue touchpaper four weeks before the new season by claiming that Chelsea's squad may have already peaked and that Luiz Felipe Scolari will struggle to exorcise the ghost of José Mourinho.

Although Ferguson believes that Chelsea represent the biggest threat to his team's chances of retaining their Barclays Premier League crown, the Manchester United manager suggested that Scolari, newly installed at Stamford Bridge, will be hard pressed to match, let alone surpass, Mourinho's achievements as he wrestles with an ageing squad. Scolari is less than a month into the job, but already the mind games have begun.

Speaking during United's pre-season tour to South Africa, Ferguson said: “I'm not concerned about Chelsea. Mourinho won the title two years in a row and beat us in the FA Cup Final [in 2007, as well as winning two League Cups], so there's no one who can improve on his record really.

“It would have to go beyond Mourinho's performance to really worry us. It will be a challenge with the players they've got and the players they've added - they've got a lot of experience and that was the one thing I was a bit concerned about - but I don't know how far that team has got to go.”


Ferguson believes the wealth of experience in Chelsea's squad will stand them in good stead in the short term, but he is convinced that, in contrast to his own players, they have already fulfilled their potential.

Although the average age of the Chelsea team sent out by Avram Grant, Scolari's predecessor, in the Champions League final in Moscow in May was only marginally higher than that of the United side fielded by Ferguson - 28.45 compared to 27.45 - United have a noticeably more youthful set-up. The average age of United's recognised first-team squad is 25.43 compared with Chelsea's 27.32. In addition, Chelsea possess nine players aged 30 or over, including Deco, who joined from Barcelona last month, while United have only five players in that category.

“Scolari is fortunate,” Ferguson said. “He is joining a big club and a team of internationals, so in that respect it's not an issue at all, but it's hard to see where there's going to be a big improvement with a team that's really very experienced. Maybe [they've] plateaued in a way. How can they accelerate beyond what they've done up to now when you see the ages they've got?”

Other than John Obi Mikel, 21, and Salomon Kalou, 22, Chelsea have no established first-team players under 25, while United boast Anderson, Nani, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tévez and Darren Fletcher, a factor that Ferguson believes could tell in the coming seasons.

“They've got Kalou and Obi Mikel who are young and Petr Cech [at 26] is a fantastic goalkeeper,” Ferguson said. “I'm not saying necessarily they're [an] old [team] because with the modern-day training methods, you should be playing in your thirties, but I don't see outstanding progress in a team that's in their thirties.”

Ferguson's comments drew an immediate response from Chelsea. Michael Essien, the midfield player who signed a new five-year contract yesterday, said: “For me, only Chelsea will be up there in May. Chelsea will win the title this year. I think we've got a lot of the best players in the world and the boss is going to help us.”

Ferguson believes one of the biggest obstacles to United retaining their title is the fixture list, with Portsmouth, Liverpool, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Everton to play away before November, in addition to the European Super Cup match against Zenit St Petersburg in Monaco on August 29 and the Club World Cup in Japan in December. “We will have to be good,” Ferguson said.
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Chelsea will finish 3rd this season because Arsenal and Man Utd are younger and better simple as that.
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jimmymac
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i can see chelsea potentially winning it this year, more playesr will come in undoubtedly and the exodus some people suggested looks unlikely to happen
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Chelsea have a boss with a weak mentallity but saying that with Chelsea they will always be so dogged and hard to beat and will keep grinding out results and before you know it they are breathing down your neck so my mind is unclear for what will happen ahead.
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Scholes
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The majority of their players are at a prime age.
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Seriously, Frank Lampard is an absolute legend of the game. He needs to be recognised in some way eg. Frank Lampard OBE, Sir Frank Lampard or some kind of lifetime achievement award.

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Greatest ownage machine: Scholes. Absolute animal when he was a regular poster, I always knew I was in the right when he was backing me up, and I couldn't wait to read a topic that he was posting in because I knew he'd be tearing someone apart
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jimmymac
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Jul 22 2008, 11:40 PM
Chelsea have a boss with a weak mentallity but saying that with Chelsea they will always be so dogged and hard to beat and will keep grinding out results and before you know it they are breathing down your neck so my mind is unclear for what will happen ahead.

would you consider avram grant a better manager than scolari? including mentalty?
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DaGunners
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I think there could be huge problems in the Chelsea dressing room with all the egos....
I am soft.
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jimmymac
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Jul 22 2008, 11:44 PM
I think there could be huge problems in the Chelsea dressing room with all the egos....

when has there been? seemed they worked ok last season and so far they have only really added deco and boswinga so far.

I can only see Chelsea being stronger next year at the moment, they have certainly improved on their manager front and brought in two good players thus far.
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jimmymac
Jul 23 2008, 12:42 AM
would you consider avram grant a better manager than scolari? including mentalty?

Avram Grant is a very average tactican but he wanted to win every game and that took me by surprise because I was rubbing my hands thinking this guy is going to fail badly(some might say he did) but he did really well in the end in my opinion. Scolari is a top coach managing a team full of world class players and I just dont know how he will cope with this and the media.
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DaGunners
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Improved on the manager? They had Jose at the start of last season and now they have someone who is a rookie in club football.

Deco is past it and I am not too sure how good a defender Bosingwa is.

They have powerful midfielders, great driving forces, but I dont see anyone who will dictate play...
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All I will say is that Chelsea have more pressure than any other club in world football and anything less than first is a disaster. Bosingwa is a fine RB and one of the best in the world but overall their squad is always one of the best anyway.
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jimmymac
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Jul 22 2008, 11:49 PM
Improved on the manager? They had Jose at the start of last season and now they have someone who is a rookie in club football.

Deco is past it and I am not too sure how good a defender Bosingwa is.

They have powerful midfielders, great driving forces, but I dont see anyone who will dictate play...

yes, improved, unless you missed the massive part of last season that Avram Grant was in charge, are you suggesting that he is better than Scolari? End of the day Avram managed to fight united to the wire with that team, Scolari should be able to get more than that out of them.

They have achieved that with the squad they have now and have since added to it, to suggest the will fall away now would be very short sighted
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Scholes
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DaGunners
Jul 23 2008, 12:49 AM
Improved on the manager? They had Jose at the start of last season and now they have someone who is a rookie in club football.

Deco is past it and I am not too sure how good a defender Bosingwa is.

They have powerful midfielders, great driving forces, but I dont see anyone who will dictate play...

Deco showed at the Euros that he still has magic in his locker, whether he can replicate that in the Prem is another matter.
Scholes
 

Seriously, Frank Lampard is an absolute legend of the game. He needs to be recognised in some way eg. Frank Lampard OBE, Sir Frank Lampard or some kind of lifetime achievement award.

AntMcfc
 
Greatest ownage machine: Scholes. Absolute animal when he was a regular poster, I always knew I was in the right when he was backing me up, and I couldn't wait to read a topic that he was posting in because I knew he'd be tearing someone apart
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jimmymac
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Jul 22 2008, 11:48 PM
Avram Grant is a very average tactican but he wanted to win every game and that took me by surprise because I was rubbing my hands thinking this guy is going to fail badly(some might say he did) but he did really well in the end in my opinion. Scolari is a top coach managing a team full of world class players and I just dont know how he will cope with this and the media.

Scolari will have just as much fight if not more, as for dealing with the press, he's been dealing with them for a long time and I think he has enough experience behind him to continue it.
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Scholes
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Homer
Jul 23 2008, 12:51 AM
All I will say is that Chelsea have more pressure than any other club in world football and anything less than first is a disaster. Bosingwa is a fine RB and one of the best in the world but overall their squad is always one of the best anyway.

How do they have more pressure than anyone? Arsenal and United are younger and BETTER, remember?
Scholes
 

Seriously, Frank Lampard is an absolute legend of the game. He needs to be recognised in some way eg. Frank Lampard OBE, Sir Frank Lampard or some kind of lifetime achievement award.

AntMcfc
 
Greatest ownage machine: Scholes. Absolute animal when he was a regular poster, I always knew I was in the right when he was backing me up, and I couldn't wait to read a topic that he was posting in because I knew he'd be tearing someone apart
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