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MANCHESTER, England: Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that Manchester
United cannot afford any more slip-ups between now and the end of
the season if they are to retain the Premier League title.
Ferguson renews his rivalry with Newcastle
manager Kevin Keegan on Saturday at St James’ Park as the race to
be crowned champions enters a critical stage.
Despite booking a place in the quarterfinals of
the FA Cup at Arsenal’s expense and returning from Wednesday’s
Champions League game against Lyon with a hard-earned 1-1 first leg
draw, United are looking to avoid back-to-back league defeats for
the first time in three years.
United trail Arsenal by five points with 12
games remaining going into the weekend program after dropping five
points from the last six available.
And Ferguson’s side will find themselves eight
points behind Arsene Wenger’s leaders by the time they start
against Newcastle, if Arsenal win at struggling Birmingham in
Saturday’s early match.
Ferguson admits that New-castle is one of his
favorite venues in the country. But his team’s title ambitions
will take a major blow on Tyneside if they fail to win on Saturday.
“We’re in a position where we can’t afford
any slip ups,” said the United manager on Friday. “We have to
motor on and get some consistency.
“It’s not easy playing catch-up. We’ve
done it in the past and we’ve failed in the past. At the moment,
Arsenal have the advantage - there’s no doubt about that.
“They are five points clear but teams will
drop points between now and the end of the season - there’s no
doubt about that. It’s unavoidable.”
Keegan is still seeking his first league win
since returning to Newcastle last month.
In his first spell in charge, he took Newcastle
back to the top flight in 1993 and came close to winning the league
title in the 1995-96 season when they famously led Manchester United
by 12 points before finishing as runners up—a collapse that
inspired Keegan’s infamous ‘I’d love it if we beat them’
outburst about Ferguson’s side.
-- AFP
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