Liam Mackey
CHELTENHAM will be doing alright this week if it provides a three-horse gallop to the line as close and compelling as the one already underway in the Premiership.
So who’s going to crack first? With eight games to go for Manchester United and Arsenal and nine for Chelsea, United’s two-point lead over their nearest rivals is narrow but not negligible: it’s always far better to have a game in the bag than a game in hand.
By common consent, Arsenal may have the more favourable run-in but dealing with supposed lesser lights can’t ever be considered a given for the Gunners. The laboured victory over a now Phil Brown-less Hull was, in its own not so sweet way, as much a signature Arsenal performance as was the comprehensive dismissal of Porto. The bite and bollock of the Premiership still poses problems for the aristocrats and for that reason – and because, let’s face it, Nicklas Bendtner is hardly Mr Reliable – it’s hard to see Arsenal lording it over the rest come May.
There’s also the point that when Alex Ferguson starts hailing the Gunners as United’s biggest threat, then you can be sure it’s Chelsea he’s really worried about. And rightly so. They may have had their wobbles this year but there is a formidable backbone to the West Londoners which, for me, still makes them the ones United have to beat. Indeed literally so, since the two meet at Old Trafford on April 3 in a game which has title decider written all over it.
That’s one of four United still have to play against top six sides, with Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford next Sunday a potential spoiler. If there’s one thing which could offer more than minor consolation to long-suffering Merseysiders, it’s the prospect of wrecking United’s title defence on their home turf.
But I’d still be backing the Newton Heathers to ride out the storm. They have the best manager in Britain, a squad which knows what it takes to get over the line and, of course, in Wayne Rooney the kind of player who can single-handedly make the difference in a tight game – and, yes, in a tight race too.
The inevitable health warning is just that: were Rooney to suddenly go the way of Beckham, all bets would be cancelled. And the impact of the demands of the Champions League on the domestic battle is another imponderable for all concerned. Nor can any bet on the final outcome of the Premiership possibly take account of the unpredictable twists and turns which inevitably interfere with the final run-in, from dodgy refereeing decisions to red cards to goalkeeping howlers.
So I’ll go for United but, for now, let’s all just be grateful that we’re watching a race, not a procession.
