‘Chelsea have been blamed for many things — intimidating referees, poaching players, perhaps even soaring petrol prices given how Roman Abramovich makes his money — but killing off English football is a charge too far. Squeezing the life out of the title race is not the fault of the pace-setters but those who are failing to keep up with them.
‘And while José Mourinho may be responsible for showing how effective 4-3-3 can be, he can hardly be held to account for everyone else’s poor imitations. Blaming the Chelsea manager for the poverty of Sunday’s goalless bore between Liverpool and Manchester United is as unfair as blaming Kate Moss for an epidemic of cocaine use. Mourinho may be a role model for the 21st-century manager, but how about personal responsibility?
‘Which brings us to Sir Alex Ferguson. In the latest edition of Uefa’s Champions magazine, the United manager describes his club as standard-bearers of cavalier football. “We can’t play defensively,” he said. “The fans and the people here won’t stand for it. United cannot just defend. The club has a kamikaze streak that I rather like. We have to win the hard way.”
‘Their kamikaze approach against Liverpool on Sunday amounted to one shot on target. If they set out with intentions of a suicidal attack — or an attack of any sort — they had lost their nerve by the time the team bus arrived at Anfield.
‘“The fans won’t stand for it.” Had Ferguson been listening to the radio on his way back along the M62, he would have heard as much. The tactical caution that is sweeping the Barclays Premiership may yet prove a passing fashion — and hopefully one as short-lived as Michael Ricketts’s England career — but there was a time when, rather than being in its vanguard, Ferguson would have been its forthright enemy.
‘Fear of defeat, and of allowing Chelsea to strengthen their grip on the championship race, caused the Scot to discard those attacking principles, leaving Ryan Giggs on the bench until the 89th minute of a 0-0 draw. But his conservatism is not new. Ferguson’s use of 4-3-3 predates Mourinho.
‘Accused of tactical naivety during years of repeated European failure, Ferguson started experimenting with a modish 4-2-3-1 pinched from several Spanish clubs. Somewhere along the line — and Carlos Queiroz’s name is frequently mentioned at this point — it became 4-3-3.
‘Ferguson has sought to justify the formation as “making the best use of the players we have because it keeps Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney forward, which is where they do more damage”, but there is another reason: to protect the legs of Roy Keane.
‘Now Keane is out for at least two months with a fractured metatarsal, there is an opportunity, surely, for Ferguson to throw off the shackles. Returning to 4-4-2 would bring Rooney into the middle, where he is at his most potent, and save Ruud van Nistelrooy from having to chase his own flick-ons. There is Park Ji Sung, as well as Giggs, to come in on the left wing.
‘But don’t put any money on it. Ferguson is expected to slip Smith into Keane’s role. It should still be enough to be Chelsea’s closest challengers because Arsenal are suffering and not even Arsène Wenger, the high priest of pretty football, is entirely innocent. For last season’s FA Cup Final, the Frenchman sent out a team to win at all costs. He promised never to do it again, but it is a sign of the times that he considered it.
‘On Sunday, intimidated by the champions’ lead at the top of the table, Ferguson preferred to cling to the draw rather than go for victory. In doing so, United dropped two more points and lost some friends on the way. Failing to win trophies is bad enough but, with Old Trafford expanding to a 76,000 capacity and ticket prices due to rise, Ferguson can least of all afford to cost the Glazers bums on seats.’