Cisse can save our title! Newcastle striker is flying high... now Fergie hopes he will slay City
Everything was black and white for Sir Alex Ferguson on Thursday, from the simple scenario remaining in this season's title race to the colours of the only team he believes can stop Manchester City becoming Barclays Premier League champions.
It was an honest answer to the question haunting all Manchester United fans. If City win at Newcastle on Sunday, are they home and dry, considering their last game is against struggling Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad?
'Yes,' said the United boss, resting his chin on his hands with an air of resignation. 'Yes, it looks like it.' Fortunately for Ferguson, a City victory at St James' Park is far from guaranteed. Not against a Newcastle side fighting their own battle for a top-four finish. Not against a striker in such sensational form as Papiss Cisse.
'That's a tough game, there's no question about it,' added Ferguson, who will watch the match on television before United play Swansea at Old Trafford later in the day.
'They've got to win at Newcastle, that's the challenge for them. Newcastle, as we know, is a very difficult place to go and they're playing well. They lost incredibly to Wigan by four goals and then galvanised themselves to go and win 2-0 at Chelsea.
'We'll know before we even start our game exactly what we need to do. The only advantage we've got is that City are playing first.
'Everyone will be watching it from a United perspective hoping it works for us, you cannot avoid it. But we've still got to prepare for our own game. We're not going to be neglecting that part.'
Ferguson dismissed Roberto Mancini's claims that United's remaining two games, against Swansea and Sunderland, are 'easy', and ruled out any possibility of making up a goal difference deficit of eight.
And what about the City manager's peculiar insistence that United are still favourites? 'What do you think?' came the reply. 'If they win the two games they've won the league.' To Ferguson's dismay,
New boy in Toon: Cisse has illuminated the Premeir League since joining in January
United's defeat in Monday's
Manchester derby has left them needing favours from elsewhere. The last
time that happened it did not work out too well. On the last day of the
2009-10 season, United needed Wigan to avoid defeat at Chelsea to have a
chance of retaining the title. They lost 8-0.
Newcastle's win and Cisse's stunning double strike at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday emphasised that they represent an all together better bet. Indeed, it was at St James' Park in January that United were handed a chastening 3-0 defeat. Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul has promised the champions they will make it as hard as possible for Mancini's men as well.
'I know United fans will be rooting for us, and I wouldn't feel any guilt if we stopped City from winning the title,' said Krul. It's so close now. We couldn't have dreamed of being in contention for the Champions League at this stage of the season.
City slayer? Newcastle stand in the way of Manchester City and their title aspirations
'What a feeling to walk away with a
2-0 win at Chelsea. The confidence is back - bring on City! It's going
to be electric on Sunday at St James'. We've had Man United and
Sunderland and I'm sure the fans will generate the same atmosphere as
they did in those two games. That will make teams crumble, hopefully.
'If you have a striker like Cisse in your team you'll win games.'
The
Senegal striker had already scored with a superb half-volley at
Stamford Bridge when Shola Ameobi chested Ryan Taylor's throw-in into
his path in added time. Cisse unleashed a swerving shot with the outside
of his right foot that flew beyond Petr Cech and into the top
right-hand corner.
Hammer blow: United's title hopes took a massive dent at the Etihad Stadium
'When the ball came to me, I was only thinking about scoring,' said Cisse. 'It was a wonderful goal, the best of my career. I was so happy to score it.'
It was his 13th goal in his first 12
games since joining Newcastle from Freiburg for £9million in January,
surpassing Alan Shearer's 12 in 12 for Blackburn. It also went a long
way to cementing Cisse's reputation as a worthy successor as Newcastle
No 9 to the hero of Tyneside.
'I thought his first goal was special but his second was out of this world,' said Shearer at the BBC's Euro 2012 launch yesterday. 'He had no right to shoot from there. Brilliant.
'Usually a player takes time to settle but he's taken no time whatsoever. He looks at ease, which is great. It will be a fantastic game on Sunday. I'd love Newcastle to do it because it would be a great way to end a magnificent season. Nobody expected them to be where they are now.'
Ever the perfectionist, Ferguson actually preferred the first goal because of Cisse's technique. 'Incredible,' said the United manager. 'He had to get a touch on it and, from the angle he was, to put it into the top corner was fantastic.
'The second was an incredible hit but it could have gone anywhere.' Safe to say, Ferguson would take a Newcastle goal from anywhere, and anyone, against City on Sunday.
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