© EuroFootball.com
"Manchester United" head coach Sir Alex Ferguson says that a victory in Sunday's Manchester derby would be one of the best results he has ever achieved in his 26-year career at the helm of the "Red Devils".
"United" are traveling to the opponents' "Etihad" stadium with a three-point lead in the league table against the English champions. Although "City" has not yet lost in the Premier League this season, they have drawn twice in their last three matches.
"These will be very important matches and if we defend the way we did against 'Reading', then we will have problems," said Ferguson. "If we manage to win on Sunday, it will be one of our biggest achievements, because 'City' is a strong team, with good players. It won't be easy."
"At least on paper, this will be a match between two of the best teams in the country. Looking at the table, there is not much difference between us, but 'Man City' are last year's champions.
Due to the importance of the match, I think both teams will try to play cautiously. Roberto Mancini and I will deeply analyze the lineups and tactics, so there may be an element of cautious play."
"However, one cannot be certain, as this is a derby where anything can happen, as it often does. The enthusiasm of the fans can easily reach and affect the players themselves, so tactics are sometimes pushed aside and emotions take over.
An early goal can also affect the teams, so we may see high-quality attacking football from both sides. In that case, hold on and enjoy."
Both Manchester clubs have already pulled away from their closest pursuers. "Man Utd" have escaped ten points ahead of London's third-placed "Chelsea", but Ferguson says it is too early to write off other teams.
"At this stage of the season, we cannot yet say that it is only a race between two clubs," continued the longtime "United" manager. "At one point, we were 12 points behind 'Chelsea', and going back to 1998 before 'Arsenal', we were leading by 11 points, but they overtook us.
Our main priority is to learn from these mistakes. We need to find solutions to the problem."
