Wenger & Ancelotti Support United

The countdown to the Champions League Final is well and truly under way, with the 28th May fast approaching for football fans all over the world. Two of the best clubs in Europe will fight it out to see who proves to be the best on the night, and Manchester United and Barcelona are sure to put on a fantastic show.

Both sides have massive fan bases, and just for this special occasion, United can add both the Arsenal and Chelsea bosses to the list of supporters. Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger believes that Barcelona are looking tired and United will face them at the best time, with Ferguson's side looking as sharp as ever.

The only final Arsenal reached this season was the Carling Cup Final against Birmingham which they lost through a miserable defensive mix up. Wenger said that this is a Champions League Final - the team is entirely different, as is the manager, and the result will be improved from the last time United faced Barcelona in a European Cup Final two years ago.
The Arsenal manager spoke in depth about the occasion:

"I believe against Barcelona, on what I have seen in the last three weeks, there will never be a better moment maybe to win it against them. They look quite exhausted and Manchester United look quite sharp physically in the last three or four games. 

"For me it takes three weeks to recover physically, I'm not sure Barcelona will have had enough time. They looked on their knees so I would give United a good chance.

"It will be an advantage playing at Wembley. But you know Barcelona will have the ball for 70% of the time and United will have to be very efficient in the 30% of the time they will have the ball, no matter what kind of tactics they decide. 

"I have an instinctive feeling United will change completely their style against them this time and go for a rougher midfield, a more direct display than they did in Rome. 

"That can mean playing [Javier] Hernández still, but using him as a runner to go very direct. I don't know what they will decide, but that is basically the only uncertainty you have. You know how Barcelona will play." 

"You don't know yet how United will play. But Ferguson is my manager of the season. They are in the Champions League final, they have won the championship. It can only be Ferguson."

The Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti went into less detail, but was likewise very supportive of Sir Alex. Asked who he thought would win the game, the Italian said: 

"I am not a magician. I think that for a lot of people the favourite team is Barcelona." 

"But as I have seen Manchester United play their last games, they have very efficient team. They are very strong, they have confidence in this moment, I think that the game will be in balance.

"I hope that Manchester United will win. I hope, for Ferguson." 

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Wenger: Arsenal Have 5% Chance of Winning

Arsenal travel to Stoke on Sunday looking for a win. They will look for a win which is not just to uphold some pride this season on the back of a win against Manchester United, but to stay in with a chance of winning the Premier League title. Many think it is already over for Arsenal, who are 6 points behind United and 3 behind Chelsea with 3 games to play, but Arsene Wenger remains positive, insisting that Arsenal are still in the race - even if he only gives his side a 5% chance of winning it.

Arsenal will face Stoke - a side who could possibly win more trophies than Arsenal this season, as they proudly claim an FA Cup Final spot against Manchester City. It is something that Wenger will be a little bitter about, when you consider that at one stage this season, his side were fighting for all four possible trophies, and yet now sit third in the League and still trophy-less.

Wenger said, in a typically competitive manner that his side will fight until the end of this campaign - until it is mathematically impossible for Arsenal to overtake both Manchester United and Chelsea and win the League.

"Let's say objectively that we are in the title race, but with a 5% chance. However, a top-level competitor takes 5%, and fights for it - that is what we have to show.

"It is in the hands of Manchester United, but we have a little, little, little chance only if we win our games. However, for Chelsea to win at Manchester United will be very difficult. 

"No matter how small the chance is, I believe what makes the pride and the quality of Arsenal is to fight with any chance we have until the end.''

The game between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, which will be played after Arsenal's game against Stoke will most likely be the title decider. Arsenal may be hoping for a draw or a Chelsea win to enhance their own low chances of a trophy win, but the United manager was clear how important this game is for his side, and believes that if United come out victorious, the title should be theirs:

“Everyone is aware of the magnitude of this game. If we win we should win the league.”

After Sunday's game, United will have two games to play, one against Blackburn, and the final one against Blackpool - both of which are struggling to stay in the top division as they fight at the bottom. After United's loss to Arsenal last week, a win against Chelsea has become even more important, but at home, United are favourites. Unbeaten at Old Trafford having only dropped two points this season at home in the League is an impressive statistic for United, and they will be hoping to keep up that unbeaten record on Sunday.

A loss for Chelsea however, may not only spell the end for their title challenge, but ridiculously, it may even see the end of Carlo Ancelotti's reign as Chelsea manager. In fact, there is talk of him being sacked even if they win the League. The Italian himself is quite accepting of the possibility of Chelsea looking for a new manager:

 “It’s not crazy to think that the club can change. Every club has this possibility to change the manager at the end of the season if they want to."

“I’ve said I don’t have a problem. I’ve tried to do my best. But the club has to check my job. If they consider my job is good, I’ll stay. If they don’t consider it good, they can change. 

“Every club has this possibility to change the manager at the end of the season if they want to. I’ve said I don’t have a problem. I’ve tried to do my best. But the club has to check my job. 

“If they consider my job is good, I’ll stay. If they don’t consider it good, they can change.

So that is what the manager's say in the build up to the possibly title deciding day on Sunday. Wenger is defiant, Sir Alex is hopeful, and Ancelotti is calm and unafraid of both United and the sack.

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Title Race Over for Chelsea

Chelsea's sixth draw this season will be seen as another two points dropped as they struggle to keep up with the top two, Manchester United and Arsenal. As they will continue to emphasise, they are still mathematically in the race, with there still being a possibility - although a slim one, of Ancelotti's side gaining twelve points on the leaders without reply. It is one hell of a tall order, especially when the leaders United seem to become a stronger force later on in the season, and seeing as they have only lost one game up until now, Chelsea would be forgiven for setting their sights on fourth spot and not the top one.

After spending a colossal amount of money in January, you would at least expect the results to improve for the Blues. Torres, who cost £50 million, has made little impact in both his debut against his former club Liverpool, and against Fulham today. Perhaps understandably, Fulham fans were heard chanting 'What a waste of money', directing it the Spaniard.

Meanwhile, David Luiz, who had a strong full debut for his new club - apparently worth around £21 million - conceded a late penalty which, if converted, could have made a draw look like a good result. Clint Dempsey missed the spot-kick and saved Chelsea's blushes away at Craven Cottage.

Chelsea ultimately escaped with a point. That is not something anyone was familiar with saying about them last season or early this season when they trampled teams scoring goals for fun. Fulham are a tough side to beat, granted, and as Chelsea's narrow 1 - 0 home victory against them earlier this season proves, Mark Hughes' side are not to be rolled over all to easily. But this is the kind of fixture that Chelsea would be expecting to win, especially when they are already so far behind United and Arsenal.

Petr Cech, who saved the penalty to secure the point admitted:

"For the title, this point is too little."

"Mathematically it is not over, but obviously we are quite far [off] now because they [Chelsea's rivals] won their games and we dropped another two points."

However, the goalkeeper assured fans that this is not the end of them this season. While it still a possibility, Chelsea will continue to fight, in the hope of big slip ups from their rivals:

"But there is still a long way to go and we are going to fight to the end."

Ancelotti said after the game:

"Now [12 points adrift] is too much"

"Obviously it's very difficult to come back to fight for the title, but we have a very important aim to reach until the end with the FA Cup."

Chelsea do however have two games to play against the Manchester United, and therefore six points to gain without reply. After snowy conditions earlier in the season, the scheduled match was postponed, and was re-scheduled for later in the season. The two fixtures will be played on the 1st March at Stamford Bridge, and the 7th May at Old Tafford.

 Have no doubts, those two games will be pivotal in which way this years title swings - whether Chelsea are up there challenging or not. 2 wins for Chelsea aginst United may not win them the title, but it would surely guarantee a top four finish, while perhaps giving way for Arsenal to sneak ahead of United and snatch their first title in however many years its been.

They face a tough, arduous uphill battle, but Chelsea could still defend their title. It is more likely however, that they will have a bigger say in who gets it instead of them - United, Arsenal... or City, while in the meantime, they will have to concentrate on securing a Champions League place for next season, or their £50 million Fernando won't be happy.

Chelsea should pass their Arsenal Test

Last Saturday, Chelsea played Manchester City in there first real test of the season. Ancelotti's team mustn't have revised, because they failed their test - losing 1 - 0 thanks to a Carlos Tevez strike. But Mr Premier League Fixture List isn't the nicest of teachers, because he's only gone and thrown another test in front of Chelsea. The subject? Arsenal. However, this test may not be as hard as the Manchester City one, you can't really tell with the unpredictable Arsenal.

They were very big favourites last week, with what should have been an A-Grade pass for the Gunners against the newly promoted West Brom. Alas, they went 3 - 0 down, and only managed to claw back two goals and a little bit of dignity in front of their home fans to finish the match at 2 - 3.

Fabregas: Out of the Chelsea Game

On Sunday, when Chelsea and Arsenal lock horns, Fabregas will be absent in the Arsenal side, and the problematic position of the goalkeeper will be filled by Lukas Fabianski with Manuel Almunia still sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Ancelotti, the Chelsea manger has had a hard week, after discovering his father Giuseppe had died, and so has gone back to his homeland to attend his funeral - leaving his assistant and staff to work with the players during the week and prepare for the week-end. Ancelotti will be back for the game, but he will be without Frank Lampard, who is still recovering from his hernia operation and will be absent, as well as Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun who both picked up injuries in their recent Carling Cup game.

This should be the game of the week-end, with both teams challenging for the Premier League title. If Manchester United lose against Sunderland on Saturday, then Arsenal could move a point behind leaders Chelsea with a win.
Arsenal must work very very hard for a win though, because nowadays, Chelsea don't often lose two Premier League games in a row - it may well be a harder test for Arsenal than it will be for Chelsea.

Team           P   W   D    L   GD     Pts
1. Chelsea     6    5    0    1    +19    15
2. Man Utd   6    3    3    0    +7      12
3. Arsenal     6    3    2    1    +9      11