Sir Alex, the serial champ

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While Robin van Persie (left) was already an accomplished star at Arsenal, Brazilian Rafael de Silva is a ‘Ferguson product.’

The worst nightmare for an incurable Arsenal addict would be to eulogise Manchester United. The pain of saluting your rivals’ achievement is so acute that even the joy of celebrating your team’s success later on can’t alleviate it. Anyway Arsenal fans may well have forgotten the art of celebration because the London club’s last silverware came in 2005.

It’s not surprising that United have won the EPL title. But the ease with which they claimed their 20th league crown is astounding. The bragging rights in Manchester belong to the Red Devils after the agony of the final-day drama last season. United have not only silenced their noisy neighbours, they have also provided plenty of food for thought to the capital clubs.
Alex Ferguson’s trophy cabinet speaks for the Scot. He isn’t avuncular by any stretch of imagination. You can always admire his achievements. But it is never easy to like him unless you are an ardent United fan. He is neither Frank Rijkaard nor Pep Guardiola. The Scottish know-all accent, rolling bubblegum, combativeness, swagger and bullying nature don’t help raise his stakes in popularity contests but his unprecedented success rate wipes out all the perceived negatives in one full swoop. Ferguson’s title count in the English league is equal to Arsenal’s overall tally: 13. The feisty Scot’s teams can be accused of arrogance among many things but the blame of playing negative football can never be laid at their doors.
Ferguson’s ability to replenish the resources after the departure of big names is uncommon. Even though United baiters might have resented the obscene money the Red Devils banked after the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, they would also have rubbed their hands in glee foreseeing a collapse of Ferguson’s team. The catastrophe never materialised as United marched ahead even in the absence of their irreplaceable star. Ferguson is singularly responsible for saving his team from meltdown.
Ferguson waxed lyrical on his team’s resolve and resilience after the job had been done this season with a thumping win over Aston Villa. He spoke of his players buying into the club’s aura. It is in fact he who deserves credit for making United what they are today. Of all his qualities, the most enviable is an uncanny knack to transform ordinary players into winners. How he does it is a mystery that his successor would do well to crack.