English Premier League: Ferguson cools talk of record title triumph

United manager warns team against complacency.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson warned his team not to get carried away by believing they can romp to a record English Premier League triumph.

United are 15 points clear at the top after their 1-0 home win over Reading on Saturday that followed defending champions Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Everton.

But Ferguson refused to be complacent despite United being in a position to win the title by a record margin.

“They can say what they like,” said Ferguson. “You don’t get points or medals for being complacent and we won’t be.

“We’ve been playing well this season, it’s been a great season for us. We’re 15 points ahead but it’s the previous six months that have done it for us really.”

Victory for United against Sunderland in their next game, coupled with a City defeat would build Ferguson’s side an 18-point advantage ahead of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Loss to Everton changes nothing, says Platt

Manchester City never really stood a chance of catching Manchester United in the title race even before they were beaten at Everton, according to first-team coach David Platt.

City failed to maintain the pressure on their Manchester rivals, with Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Goodison Park leaving them 15 points adrift in the title race.

“Nobody’s been shouting from the rooftops saying we are chasing Manchester United down,” said Platt. “They’ve got a significant points advantage over us, even if we’d won [at Everton].”

Wenger wants revived Arsenal to push on

The positive vibes following Arsenal’s impressive performance against Bayern last week were clear to see on Saturday as Arsenal beat League Cup winners Swansea 2-0.

“I’m a great admirer of the attitude of this team,” said manager Arsene Wenger. “You can’t question the attitude and the solidarity. Now they have to show this until the end of the season.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.