Opinion More than words
Shreya Chakravertty<br> After more than 20 years in charge of Manchester United already,manager Alex Ferguson could easily fill books with football formations,smart transfers,and how best to impart the 'hair-dryer' treatment.
After more than 20 years in charge of Manchester United already,manager Alex Ferguson could easily fill books with football formations,smart transfers,and how best to impart the ‘hair-dryer’ treatment. But the one most likely to be a best-seller is sure to have ‘mind games’ somewhere in the title.
The Scotsman seems to have done it again this season,forcing the normally placid Rafael Benitez to lose his marbles. A subtle questioning of Liverpool’s — League leaders at the time — nerves as the club were dreaming of the title,gripped the Spaniard’s imagination like nothing else,and he responded with his own tirade.
But while Ferguson and his trademark,gum-chewing,cool-as-a-cucumber voicing of opinion seemed like a casual observation,Benitez’s was exactly the opposite — hot,bothered,furious,and planned. If Fergie had been watching that particular lecture,he would definitely have let out a few chuckles at a job well done.
Since then,the path to the Premier League trophy has started to look hazy for the men from Merseyside. Drawing seven out of 10 games is nowhere close to the kind of form title hopefuls would aspire for,and the moment the carefully placed threads first began to unravel can be traced back to Benitez’s rant.
The sheaf of paper in front of the Liverpool manager as he let loose his thoughts betrayed painstaking research on his Manchester United counterpart,and perhaps that time could have been better spent on football-related matters.
Ferguson’s mind games have been well documented in the past,and former Newcastle United gaffer Kevin Keegan could have a few heart to heart discussions with Benitez on the caustic Scot. The Englishman’s famous implosion during the 1995-96 season and his impassioned cry of ‘I’d love it if we beat them — love it!’ left no doubt about the fact that Ferguson had succeeded in getting under his skin as well. A lead of 12 points on the Red Devils was soon dismissed as a mere number at the end of the league,as the Mancunians finished on top for another Premiership title.
Arsene Wenger and Luiz Felipe Scolari could share their experiences of being the loser in the kind of play Ferguson excels at,too. While the Frenchman’s area of expertise was dismissed as solely centred on Japanese football — referring to the ‘world famous Arsene Wenger’s’ earlier coaching assignment — Chelsea’s challenge under Scolari wasn’t even deemed a threat by Ferguson.
Shortly after Scolari took charge at Stamford Bridge,Ferguson let his personal opinion — that Jose Mourinho’s shoes would be hard to fill and it would be impossible for the Blues to achieve success similar to what they had managed under the Portuguese coach’s reign. Just a few months into the season,Scolari broadcast his own pessimism at Chelsea’s chances,and gave up a long time before it was necessary.
Crunching tackles,persistently annoying elbows and sometimes even full-blown punches may cause players to cringe during a game,but off the field,Furguson proves that words can prove to be a pretty effective weapon.
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