The Boy done good

PFA nominations and big match previews are ours to ponder today.

Starting with the PFA nominations, the Daily Mail claim a strange exclusive on these quotes from Ronaldo about being the best in the world:

"I am concentrating on the Premier League and Champions League, but my ultimate aim is to be the best in the world. I work every day towards that, but only God knows if, one day, I will eventually get that Ballon d'Or, which is so important to me."

The Guardian have a straighter version of the nominations, quoting Gordan Taylor:

"The debate about whether he's as good as George Best will go on and on," said the PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, "but for him to have broken George's goalscoring record from a wide position is phenomenal - as are those incredible free-kicks he practices tirelessly."

The Times report (which says that the Mail's "exclusive" was from a French magazine) includes comments form Sir Alex on Ronaldo's reaction to all the praise:

“It doesn't affect him,” the United manager said yesterday. “I don't see any signs at all that it affects him. The boy is intelligent enough and sensible enough to realise what football is about. Success can affect people and we see that time and time again. But the great quality is to have humility.

It also makes an interesting point on the lack of other Man Utd players in the nominations:

It is a mark of how much Ronaldo has dominated the United team this season that he was the only one of their players who was named on the PFA's six-man shortlist for the main award yesterday. Arsenal and Liverpool each had two contenders, with David James receiving a well-earned nomination after an excellent campaign for Portsmouth, but Ronaldo was the only nominee from United, despite the claims of Rio Ferdinand. “I could nominate a lot of players,” Ferguson said, “but then I am biased.”

He is as biased for us as everyone else is against us. I mean, Steven Gerrard? Player of the season? Give me a break.

Onto the Arsenal game. The Guardian has a list of six great games between us:

The details of this astonishing game you will know, but it's often forgotten just how dominant Arsenal were in the build-up to Ryan Giggs's 109th-minute goal. United were down to 10 men, and effectively nine with Ronny Johnsen hobbling. They had not put two passes together throughout extra-time - and still they didn't, as Giggs set off on the astonishing slalom that pulled the rug from under Arsenal's feet, before famously revealing his own chest-rug. Perhaps his most remarkable feat was to temporarily silence Sky's Andy Gray, who as the goal went in could only repeat the phrase, "Words fail me". The rest of us would be talking about it for years.

Everyone has pretty much the same quotes from Sir Alex, presented in relatively inoffensive terms, so I'm just going to link to this one from The Telegraph which, almost alone, has this quote:

The only time Ferguson had a dig at his old enemy was when asked if Arsenal received more favourable treatment in the media - if Manchester United went a single season without a trophy, let alone three, the crisis inquests would long ago have begun. "Yes I do," Ferguson replied, adding with a smile. "But that's just the old chip on my shoulder coming out."

And it didn't even take three seasons...

Don Howe "analyses" why Ronaldo is unstoppable in The Telegraph:

It was the case that the really outstanding individuals would be followed all over the pitch by one player, but too often it backfired because that could create holes for attackers to exploit.

For example, if a centre-half took it upon himself to keep tabs on a striker, the back four would be pulled apart and it would be fill-your-boots time for forwards with a bit of nous.

Now coaches rely on good communication and alertness to ensure that Ronaldo is marked by several players, who will swap roles as he wanders around.

But Ronaldo's skill ultimately comes down to luck, apparently:

No matter how many legs the ball has to pass through, it always seems to find him. It seems to be so attracted to the Portuguese player that it's as if he's magnetic.

I sincerely wish I could explain how it does it, but I can't. It's just a natural, individual gift.

We finish with Sir Alex commenting on Chelsea's favourable run in:

"They've got a good rest for Monday and then three days later they've got Everton away and then they've got a five-day break before they play Liverpool," he said. "Then they've got a four-day break before they play us in the league game. Our schedule is a bit more congested.
"But I'm sure Avram will go and complain to the league and make sure there's fairness by changing Chelsea's kick-off on the Saturday to the night time."