Premier League games don’t get any bigger than this. Three games to go. Three points in it and just a few miles between the clubs. Manchester United were lucky enough to appoint a manager, a quarter of a century ago, who was not only a superb coach but also an empire builder. He was never in it for the instant glory – Ferguson was playing the long game from the moment he entered the club. He knew that he could awaken the sleeping mammoth given time. Consequently, he invested in youth and thus built the club from the ground up. Of course there were big signings of established players, but much of his energy went into developing the youth system. The very first harvest saw players such as Russell Beardsmore, Leigh Martin and Lee Sharpe enter the fray. They had a decent stab at the first team and drew the first comparison’s with the Busby Babes after an epic comeback against the then dominant Liverpool at Old Trafford. The second wave of youth brought a group of players who went on to have as much success as any British footballers in the modern game. Improbably, most of the class of 92′ are still playing at a high level today. Two of them, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, are still making vital contributions to the same club twenty years on. Of the group, only Gary Neville has retired and that was due to a serious ankle injury. The continuity that Ferguson has brought has been the platform for unprecedented success at Manchester United. If they win the title this year it will be 13 out of 20 since the Premier League was formed. 5 titles in the last 6 years. A period which has also brought 3 Champions League finals. Many have huge doubts about the motives of the Glazer family, who now own the club, but their ownership has coincided with United’s most prolific period in their history. Whether this is in spite of or due to the new owners is a source of continued and passionate debate. The next 5 years at Old Trafford will surely deliver an emphatic verdict on whether the American owners are doing right by the club. In the shorter term, the question is whether they can put down the latest challenge to their dominance, which has come from the noisy neighbours. If Manchester United have been a team in constant evolution, Manchester City are the epitome of revolution. Until a few years back their Premier League status was regularly under threat but since the massive investment from the Sheikh Mansour, over half a billion ponds and counting, they have suddenly become the powerhouse of English football. 5 years ago City fans could only dream of having players such as Tevez, Aguero, Silva, Balotelli and Nasri amongst their number. But City have ‘done a Chelsea’ and spent about £25 million on every position in the team to bring them up to speed. Their first foray into the Champions League showed that you can’t buy experience but they are now an excellent Premier League side and have only dropped 2 points at home all season. This match really is a winner-takes-all scenario. Victory for City will take them back to the top with just two games to go, while a draw or win for United should seal their 20th title. It really is too close to call and is set up for a nerve jangling 90 minutes of classic football. For my money, if United want to come away with something, they need to be positive from the start. If they sit back and allow City onto them they are asking for trouble and may concede too late to do anything about it. They need to score first and keep playing their game. As for City, they certainly have enough in the tank to beat a less than vintage but ever competitive Manchester United side
