Sir Alex desperate for successive titles

By: Stephen | February 17th, 2009

Sir Alex Ferguson lifts the Champions League trophy in Moscow Sir Alex Ferguson has always had a strong affiliation with the UEFA Champions League. Manchester United’s Scottish manager has helped the Red Devils lift the famous trophy on two separate occasions following an unforgettable victory over Bayern Munich in 1999 and then again last season after John Terry’s ill-fated penalty slip.

Despite such unparalleled success, Ferguson is undoubtedly hungry for more and as a result he is now vying to make history by becoming the first manager to defend the Champions League since the competition changed to its current format in 1992.

Conquering Europe for the second consecutive season would certainly be some achievement but it isn’t the only competition on Ferguson’s agenda. Domestically United are fighting on three separate fronts with the FA Cup, Carling Cup and Premier League, where coincidentally the Old Trafford club are chasing their 18th league title, a landmark achievement that would see them equal the benchmark set by Liverpool.

It is fair to say that equalling the record of their fierce Scouse rivals provides a somewhat momentous incentive, although the Champions League clearly has a special place in Ferguson’s heart as he openly admitted in an interview with the Daily Star.

“Is there a priority? The European Cup,” said Ferguson.

“I think there is an opportunity to draw level with Liverpool’s 18 titles. But when you look at our record in Europe, it should have been better.

“Nobody has defended the Champions League since the new format, so that’s a great challenge to us.”

And a challenge it will most certainly prove to be. United may have cruised through the group stages of this season’s competition but an old adversary will be standing firmly in the way of Ferguson’s dream of back-to-back Champions League titles.

Yes, Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan will prove a notably tough nut to crack and the outcome of this round of 16 tie will be extremely difficult to predict. Inter are riding high at the peak of Serie A and their latest victory over city rivals Milan has helped establish a nine point cushion from second placed Juventus at the summit of Italy’s top flight.

Inter possess a formidable squad that boasts the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Dejan Stankovic and Mancini who are all potential match winners on their day. With this in mind it may be vital for United to claim a positive result from the Giuseppe Meazza in the first leg of this scintillating tie or Ferguson’s hopes of a trip to Rome come May could prove to be considerably short-lived.

So do you feel that Manchester United are playing well enough at present to withstand the threat of Inter Milan and who do you believe will be celebrating when the final whistle blows at Old Trafford in 22 days time?