Why Chelsea-Man Utd x3 is great
Three huge games in two weeks will rouse the fans and players of both clubs
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Tuesday, 17, Apr 2007 06:29
The (predictable) FA Cup semi-final results last weekend mean that the prospect of three matches between two teams to decide three separate trophies is a distinct possibility in the coming weeks.
On May 9th, Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in what many are dubbing a Premiership decider, and so it will be if there is just one slip-up from the leaders over the next two-and-a-half weeks of league action.
That will be followed, on May 19th, with the showpiece event of the English domestic calendar - the FA Cup final - on its long-awaited return to its spiritual home of Wembley Stadium. And the game will feature none other than Manchester United and Chelsea.
Then, if the bookies are to be believed (and lets face it, they usually are a pretty good judge of these things), we will have a third game on May 23rd to decide the champions of Europe. No bets on who the favourites to contest that match are. that's right - United and Chelsea, again.
While many pundits have pointed to the fact that having three matches between the same two teams in the space of a fortnight means the competition for trophies has gone stale, I would like to argue the opposite point of view. These are the best two teams in England - by a long, long way. They are consistent in their brilliance, their fighting spirit and their will-to-win attitude. This is exactly what makes them the perfect candidates for a series of matches which could result in a footballing version of a grand slam.
True, it is not exactly in the spirit of the game to have the same two teams fighting it out for every available trophy in a season, but these two have shown clearly, week in, week out, that they are head and shoulders above any team in the UK, and arguably Europe. Arsenal and Liverpool, and even West Ham, have had their moments against the two big-hitters in the Premiership but over the course of the season their superior class has stuck out like a sore thumb.
And I for one, as a neutral in all of this, cannot wait to see how it all pans out at the end of the season between these two heavyweights.
Firstly, it is beyond me how anyone can complain about a match between first and second place in any league in the penultimate match of the season when the title is still on the line. Those are the kind of fixtures the league season relies upon to keep it exciting, especially when the top two are dropping so few points elsewhere. I know there would be far more complaints if all the top teams played each other earlier in the year and were left to play the so-called 'minnows' in their run-ins.
Secondly, my FA Cup final experience will be made all the better by knowing that the two sides involved on the big day at Wembley are the best in the country. It will beat hands down the boring cup final of 2004 when Manchester United eased past a vastly inferior Millwall team in a one-sided 4-0 stroll (interestingly enough, the same scoreline as in the last meeting between United and Chelsea in the FA Cup, at the 1994 final).
Admittedly, I was pleased when the second-tier side reached the final that year. It keeps alive the cup fairytale that all the supporters of smaller clubs, myself included, cling to - in a one off cup-tie any team can beat any other, no matter who they are. But as soon as that final kicked off, the winner was obvious and therefore the afternoon a massive anti-climax.
I don't think anyone will be able to say the same when Chelsea and Manchester United lock horns in a month's time, especially given the added needle between Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson that a good, old-fashioned title battle will have added to the mix.
Finally, in my personal opinion, a Liverpool-Manchester United Champions League final would be a bit more of a spectacle than a third game between Fergie's Reds and Jose's Blues. But I would be more than happy to sit and watch two teams of the calibre of the Premiership's top two - capable of mesmerising skill, grit and determination in equal measure - battle it out for continental supremacy.
If I had to pick two teams to watch play against each other three times in a fortnight this season, I would certainly have picked Chelsea and Manchester United.
This isn't going to be like the 1993 season, when Arsenal played Sheffield Wednesday in both domestic cup finals, and won both - these 'finals' are far less predictable.
I couldn't pick a winner for any one of United and Chelsea's three potential trophy-winning games.
And that, in simple terms, is really what football is all about for any fan.
Alistair Potter