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Chelsea bank on Bruce
06/05/2008 08:55 - (SA)
England - Chelsea's title hopes rest on former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce doing no favours for his ex-manager Alex Ferguson.
After all, he's helped the Scot once already this season.
Had Bruce's Wigan not grabbed a stoppage-time equalizer at Chelsea last month, Avram Grant's side would be going into Sunday's final round of matches two points clear atop the Premier League.
Instead, United makes the short trip to Wigan pegged level on points with Chelsea, which hosts Bolton. The Red Devils lead owing to their plus-17 goal difference and need only match their rival's score on Sunday to capture a 17th English title.
"They aren't in an easy position, but in the league they are in a better position because of the goal difference," Grant said after Monday's 2-0 victory at Newcastle. "Sometimes I'm too positive and too optimistic ... but it's not easy for them to play at Wigan. I don't believe that Bruce will give the game to Manchester United.
"For more than 30 years I've visited English football, at least five times a year since I was a boy. Even when I didn't have much money I came here. One thing I like that, unlike other countries, you play football until the end."
Justice
Wigan's league status has already been secured, so only pride is at stake for Bruce, a three-time league winner at Old Trafford.
"They will do the Premier League justice and they will go out there wanting to beat Manchester United," Chelsea captain John Terry said. "We have worked our socks off all year, so it will be disappointing if they don't."
Grant won't have much time to celebrate his 53rd birthday on Tuesday, with his sights firmly fixed on wrestling the trophy off Ferguson before renewing their battle in the May 21 Champions League final.
"We will never give up and give Manchester United a good, good battle," said Grant, who fears a contentious refereeing decision could determine the trophy's destination. "I know nobody thought about us as candidates for championships, but now we are on the same points an only separated by goal difference."
It took a furious halftime rebuke by Grant at St. James' Park on Monday to ensure that was the case as Chelsea struggled against Newcastle.
"We didn't play well in the first half and I didn't like it," the Israeli said.
'On the ball'
He could feel the trophy hopes slipping away - and he let the players know it.
"We were a bit slow at times with our touches on the ball in the first half," Terry said. "We had a bit of a rollicking at halftime."
"Sometimes I have a bad temper, when I'm made angry," Grant added. "I'm not so proud when I shout at the players, but you need it sometimes ... all the staff said what they needed to say."
Switching from a 4-4-3 formation to 4-4-2, Chelsea powered in the ascendancy and goals from Ballack and Florent Malouda dispatched the Magpies.
Days after guiding Chelsea to its first Champions League final, chalk that up as another example of Grant outperforming Jose Mourinho, who never won a league match at Newcastle.
"I came here on a mission to take a club that was a good club, but on the way down, to take of them out of this," Grant said. "We are on the right way.
"I said from Day One, our target was to be in the Champions League final and to improve our game. We've done more than I even expected, so we want to believe the season we will end well and we will fight to the last minute."
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