Win at Tottenham and United will know the title is within their grasp

By Gary Neville
Last updated at 12:00 AM on 4th March 2012

Today is the most significant day in the Premier League title race up to now. I know everyone, including Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini, is talking about the potential title shoot-out, when Manchester United travel to play Manchester City on April 30, as title D-Day. That may be the case but my gut feeling is that D-Day comes today and April 30 will be Coronation Day.
I drew attention to this in my column on New Year’s Day and nothing has led me to change my opinion. If United win today at Tottenham, coming off a run of league games against Arsenal, Chelsea, and Norwich away and Liverpool at home, the title odds switch in their favour. And they will know that in the United dressing room.
But if City can be five points clear by the end of today, they clearly remain favourites. So they will be watching the Tottenham game today thinking: ‘Please, just give us a break!’ Because, though both clubs will be approaching each match as it comes, they will have taken a look ahead and know the fixtures now dramatically turn in United’s favour. United’s run-in, other than that game at City, is as gentle as could be expected in the Premier League.

The title run-in: Manchester City and United

When you look at City and United’s fixtures that might be marked red for danger, amber for beware and green for an expected victory, it shows why the balance is tipping in United’s favour. There are the obvious games against top sides that are dangerous and City have more of those, against Chelsea, Arsenal and United. But we used to say in the dressing room those games would take care of themselves. They are so clearly significant there never is any need to remind players to be motivated.
But any away game is a potential hazard and matches at Norwich and Swansea, both of whom have passionate support, tight grounds, great home records and good managers with players in form, are dangers.

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We used to say in the dressing room: ‘We have to be at it, today.’ A match like Wolves away, against a side who are struggling but fighting for their lives, is one where, if you are ‘at it’, you’ll win. But any complacency and you’ll get a shock and be punished. And so City’s run of away games at Swansea, Stoke, Norwich, Wolves and Newcastle is hazardous.
The remaining games, the green ones, are matches which United and City should win if they concentrate. And you can see that United have many more green games than City.
In fact, United’s greatest enemy is themselves. They have had very good spells this season that have been punctuated by occasional and extreme aberrations: the 6-1 defeat by City at Old Trafford; the defeat at Basel; the defeats and poor performances in quick succession at home to Blackburn and at Newcastle. Those displays have clouded the season, though now their form does seem to be better and the concentration level will be higher.
But City will also know United’s momentum is growing. The effort United put into the last six weeks, in which they have a hard run of fixtures, just to stay in touch with City has been significant. Last Sunday’s last-minute winner against Norwich was a big moment. When you end up winning games like that, rather than taking one point, with Ryan Giggs scoring in his 900th game, you start to think: ‘Something’s happening here’. That’s a phrase that’s been used time and time again down the years in the United dressing room. You get a feeling the mood is swinging your way. You can just feel an excitement. You could see it in the intensity of the celebration at the end of the game in both fans and players.
So City will be hoping to see a Tottenham side playing the way they have been for the majority of the season, rather than the side they saw in the 50 minutes against Arsenal last week. Because that Tottenham side — the good one — can cause United difficulties. Against Tottenham will be the statistics. They haven’t beaten United for 25 games and though their home record is good, United have the best away record in the top flight with an especially good record at White Hart Lane.

Last time out: Wayne Rooney completes the scoring as Manchester United romp to a 3-0 win over Spurs last August

Despite all that, given the way Tottenham have been playing, you have to say last Sunday was a blip. It was a real surprise to see them fall apart after leading 2-0. You could never have imagined that because Tottenham were unrecognisable from the side they have become: compact, hard to break down and resilient.
They will need to put that right today if a blip isn’t to turn into a habit. In the second half, players seemed to be wandering where they wanted and they lost the discipline in attack we’ve seen from Tottenham this season. They need to get back to a good, solid shape in midfield, the back four being tough and their great counter attacking. Because while they have been one of three best sides this season, and remain favourites to finish third, if they were to lose today, or lose badly, they might start to think that the inconceivable could happen: that they might lose their points cushion and end up scrabbling for the top four, especially now that Arsenal are just four points behind them after yesterday’s win.

On target: Mario Balotelli helped City extend their 100 per cent home record with victory over Bolton

One slight concern I’d have for Tottenham is over Ledley King, who has been amazing for them given he can’t train. But at some point that lack of training will catch up with a player and it’s usually in the big games that it tells. In the last two, against Manchester City and Arsenal, I have seen signs he wasn’t moving as comfortably as in the past.
Today is a big day for him and his team to get back on track and show the fight they have demonstrated before and show they are not the Tottenham of old. For United, though, there is just as big an incentive. Win today and they can seize control of the title race and will believe they are a huge step closer to winning the league.

Wembley still sad in February

I went back last week to watch England for the first time at Wembley since I finished playing for the national team. It reminded me what a lonely place the stadium can be for an England player or manager.
There wasn’t much atmosphere, there’s a weight of expectation and when things go wrong the crowd are so much quicker to get on your back than they would at your club. Tolerance for England is so much less. At 2-0 down, I was looking at our young team thinking: ‘I’ve been there. And I wouldn’t want to be there now.’ At your club you can feel a sense of togetherness. With England, that is rarely the case.

So lonely: Scott Parker reflects on defeat in a subdued Wembley

That said, you have to commend the fact that those young players stuck in there and came back to 2-2, even if their naivety ended up losing them the game. And this was a February friendly, shoved in between big Champions League and massive Premier League matches. Like the August friendly matches, it has always been a non-event.
Let’s not over-analyse the game or Stuart Pearce. You could have put anyone in to manage them and you would still have ended up with that February friendly mentality. Pearce doesn’t need to feel down on himself, nor do the players. Let’s stay to the course with these young players and wait until May when we have a manager — be it Pearce or someone else — and the players are fully focused, before we start making judgments.