When Manchester United, boss Sir Alex Ferguson steps onto the Stamford Bridge pitch on Tuesday he’ll be acutely aware that history beckons because a record breaking title number nineteen is within touching distance.
He can see it, smell it and with three more points in the bag, the most seasoned campaigner in the Premier League will know that the opportunity to knock Liverpool off their perch will have finally arrived. He’ll also know that the outcome of this epic contest rests squarely on the shoulders of the two most important players in his squad, Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic.
Make no mistake, Rooney has endured a season to forget and yet here he is with the opportunity to turn that around and make it truly memorable. Without a shadow of a doubt there have been signs recently that the tribulations that so bedeviled him earlier in the campaign are in the past. He’s looking leaner, sharper and his appetite for the game has returned. Just ask Manchester City, who were on the receiving end of the goal of the season a few weeks ago.
He’ll be facing off against his England teammate, John Terry and it will be a clash to savor as both men will feel that they have plenty to prove. Much like Rooney, Terry has had a fairly miserable campaign but he’ll have to shrug that all aside if he is to get to grips with the United striker. However, I think it’s a battle he will lose.
Right now for my money, Rooney’s movement off the ball is as good as his touch on it and this is where Terry is going to struggle. He’ll be torn between keeping close to the United striker and staying at home in the middle of the pitch, which is his natural habitat. If he stays tight, Rooney will simply create holes for his teammates to exploit and one glance at his assists total for the season (11) will tell you that he’s finding them with stunning regularity.
I also think Rooney’s pace is going to trouble the Chelsea man. Terry has looked ponderous and slow at times this season as he has no doubt missed the stability of a permanent partner since the departure of Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid. Unless Terry has the complete confidence of the man beside him, I believe it leads him to indecision.
The first few minutes of this duel are going to be massive. Look for Rooney to run straight at Terry and for the Chelsea skipper to try and stick a thunderous challenge on the United striker. He’ll fail and Rooney will be rampant from that moment on.
At the other end of the pitch the same type of clash will be playing out but it’s one with much more spice as new Blues striker Fernando Torres has on occasions run United captain, Nemanja Vidic completely ragged.
In back-to-back matches for Liverpool, Torres scored on Vidic and then had the pleasure of seeing him take an early bath as the Serbian received his marching orders. That, however, was when the Spaniard was in his pomp. Now it is Vidic who lords it over all he surveys.
Currently, in the Premiership, there is not a better central defender. His strength, power and presence have nullified the best strikers in the land and with Torres far from being 100% back to his best, Vidic will have him in his pocket from the first whistle.
I’m pretty sure that the first time Torres is on the ball he’s going to test the Serb and I’m also sure like Terry, he’s going to fail. By hook or by crook, Torres will not pass and the torture that Vidic has felt in previous encounters is going to melt away into complete mastery. Please don’t be surprised if Carlo Ancelotti has to pull the plug on his $80 million dollar bauble once again.
The big players always define big matches; Rooney versus Terry and Vidic against Torres are the duels we as fans thrive for. Today at the Bridge, Ferguson will whisper to his big two on the importance of history and what it will mean to take the title away from not only Chelsea but also Liverpool.
Nineteen to some, is just a number. To Sir Alex Ferguson, its everything he's ever dreamed about.
Nick Webster is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the Barclay's Premier League and the English national team.
