Sir Alex Ferguson will already have poured over his champions’ new Premier League fixture list like it is the formula for eternal life. There’s a tricky start, with Manchester United kicking off the defence of its record 19th title at the Hawthorns followed, very quickly, by the visit of Arsenal. Mid-September sees the arrival at the Theatre of Dreams of Chelsea and the Special One Mk 2, Andre Villas-Boas.
All three games are difficult, but none of them are likely to shape the season for Ferguson and his reconstructed side because they come so early in the campaign. He will know better than anyone that such encounters are important, but not necessarily crucial. As he looks for the true red letter days that signify make-or-break meetings, the following six dates are sure to be heavily circled on his calendar....
OCTOBER 15: Liverpool (A): Kenny Dalglish already has one Premier League victory over his old adversary Alex Ferguson since his return to Anfield and you can bet your life that no matter how Liverpool will have started their season, he will be doing everything he can to make it two in a row. The side he is currently re-fashioning will have time to settle down, main strike force Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez will have had plenty of games to develop their understanding. Expect fireworks.
OCTOBER 22 : Manchester City (H): Wayne Rooney had to produce the most spectacular goal of his career to quieten the noisy neighbours at Old Trafford last season and the development of City under Roberto Mancini since then, plus another bunch of summer arrivals, will create the scenario for a possibly momentous clash. This will be Manchester muscle-flexing like never before.
JANUARY 21: Arsenal (A): Ferguson said during the last campaign that he and his players had found a way to beat the Gunners and all the evidence suggests that whether it be in Europe or domestically, he is not just playing his usual mind games. Arsene Wenger and Fergie don’t exactly throw pizza at each other these days—principally because the Frenchman has not been the threat of old but this remains one of the juiciest fixtures of any calendar.
FEBRUARY 4: Chelsea (A): Less than a fortnight after a first, crucial clash in London will come the visit to Stamford Bridge, the second chapter of a three-part mini series against rivals that is very likely to start shaping United’s Premier League campaign. Until Ferguson’s men won there in the Champions League last season they had not triumphed at The Bridge since 2002—a statistic that underlines the importance he will attach to the game.
FEBRUARY 11: Liverpool (H): Some have discussed the suggestion that United do not have the easiest of starts to the new season but that is nothing compared to the mid-winter examination which begins at The Emirates, continues in the West End, and finishes with Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford. These games between the rivals from either end of the East Lancs Road remain the most bitter in English football and nothing will change.
APRIL 28 : Manchester City (A) : United’s last eight games of the league season are, on paper, the easiest of any of their potential rivals….except for this one trip to Eastlands as the campaign reaches its climax. No matter the state of play in the table, the City fans will be demanding a show of force from their team. Potentially, a championship decider…or should that be a time bomb?
OCTOBER 15: Liverpool (A): Kenny Dalglish already has one Premier League victory over his old adversary Alex Ferguson since his return to Anfield and you can bet your life that no matter how Liverpool will have started their season, he will be doing everything he can to make it two in a row. The side he is currently re-fashioning will have time to settle down, main strike force Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez will have had plenty of games to develop their understanding. Expect fireworks.
OCTOBER 22 : Manchester City (H): Wayne Rooney had to produce the most spectacular goal of his career to quieten the noisy neighbours at Old Trafford last season and the development of City under Roberto Mancini since then, plus another bunch of summer arrivals, will create the scenario for a possibly momentous clash. This will be Manchester muscle-flexing like never before.
JANUARY 21: Arsenal (A): Ferguson said during the last campaign that he and his players had found a way to beat the Gunners and all the evidence suggests that whether it be in Europe or domestically, he is not just playing his usual mind games. Arsene Wenger and Fergie don’t exactly throw pizza at each other these days—principally because the Frenchman has not been the threat of old but this remains one of the juiciest fixtures of any calendar.
FEBRUARY 4: Chelsea (A): Less than a fortnight after a first, crucial clash in London will come the visit to Stamford Bridge, the second chapter of a three-part mini series against rivals that is very likely to start shaping United’s Premier League campaign. Until Ferguson’s men won there in the Champions League last season they had not triumphed at The Bridge since 2002—a statistic that underlines the importance he will attach to the game.
FEBRUARY 11: Liverpool (H): Some have discussed the suggestion that United do not have the easiest of starts to the new season but that is nothing compared to the mid-winter examination which begins at The Emirates, continues in the West End, and finishes with Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford. These games between the rivals from either end of the East Lancs Road remain the most bitter in English football and nothing will change.
APRIL 28 : Manchester City (A) : United’s last eight games of the league season are, on paper, the easiest of any of their potential rivals….except for this one trip to Eastlands as the campaign reaches its climax. No matter the state of play in the table, the City fans will be demanding a show of force from their team. Potentially, a championship decider…or should that be a time bomb?
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