Sir Alex Ferguson: We can Overcome Barcelona ..

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Barcelona not to underestimate Manchester United in the Champions League final later this month.

The European heavyweights meet at Wembley on May 28, by which time they should have confirmed their status as the best teams in Spain and England.

Barcelona's qualities have been well known for some considerable time, having beaten United in the 2009 final and supplied, amongst others, Xavi and Andres Iniesta to the Spain side who were crowned world champions last summer, in addition to containing the best player on the planet, Lionel Messi.

In contrast, United have spent the season being derided for lacking star quality.

Barca boss Pep Guardiola has said enough positive things about the Red Devils recently to suggest he is not being drawn into the same thinking.

And, following yesterday's 2-1 win over Chelsea that has taken his side to the brink of a record 19th league championship, Ferguson believes that is a wise course of action.

"Everyone has acknowledged how great a team Barcelona are but Manchester United are in this final," Ferguson told US-based satellite radio station Sirius XM.

"Everyone has said this is not a good Manchester United team, that we are not this or that.

"But we have scored more goals than anyone else. Our home form has been magnificent. We are undefeated in Europe. We are in the Champions League final and we will win the league by getting one more point.

"You have to put all the criticism to one side because I have to be realistic when I look at my team and ask, 'Am I satisfied?'

"Those players have given me everything."

Ferguson recognises they will have to give a little bit more to prevent Messi and company running riot.

But he plans to present Barcelona with at least as many problems as they give United. And on yesterday's evidence, it is certainly possible.

"Obviously, Barcelona is the big one now," he said.

"In the final last time we started off really well, then gave away a bad goal. After that Barcelona kept the ball very well, as they always do.

"What we have to do is find a solution to the Xavi-Messi-Iniesta problem.

"Everyone is searching for that because they are outstanding footballers. We have our share too.

"We have players who can cause any team a lot of bother and hopefully those attacking players will give Barcelona problems that everyone thinks they are going to give us."

First, United have to secure the point required to clinch their record 19th title, a prospect that has so enthused their supporters that a campaign is already under way to push Paul Hardcastle's 19 back to number one in the charts.

It seems impossible the Red Devils will fail to gain the point required from their final two games, with Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti admitting the contest was over after the final whistle.

Ferguson clearly has a soft spot for the Italian and the pair made tentative plans to visit an Italian vineyard at some suitable point in the future during their post-match chat.

It triggered yet another expression of incredulity from Ferguson, who will celebrate 25 years as United boss later this year, about a man seemingly certain to be ditched after less than two, even though he landed the domestic double during his debut campaign.

"It would shock me, not surprise me," said Ferguson.

"This is an industry that baffles me at times.

"Here is a man who has won the European Cup twice, he has won Scudettos. He did the double in England last year.

"Why is that being questioned? Why is it becoming an issue? I don't understand it.

"But the rumour mill is out there that he is going to be leaving. That is sad because he is an outstanding character.

"He is a great man, full of absolute dignity."

Must Watch Video: Barcelona vs Man Utd Promo (Watch in 480px) Amazing

Record TV Revenue For Premier League Football Clubs :Detailed Report

The Premier League will pay out record sums in TV money this season, with the bottom club guaranteed at least £37million and the champions earning more than £57million.

The bumper new overseas television deals will see top-flight clubs earning on average nearly £5million more a year than last season.

Although the Premier League have never confirmed the overall value of the overseas TV rights, it can now be calculated that they have doubled from £625million during 2007-10 to around £1.2billion over the next three seasons.

That sum is about 10 times the amount Germany's Bundesliga receives for foreign TV rights, five times what Italy receives and three times the amount Spain's La Liga earns.

The Premier League also has the most equitable distribution of the major European leagues - it has the smallest difference between the champions and the bottom club in terms of the split of TV money.

England's top club will earn less than double that of the bottom club from TV money, around 1.6 times as much.

By contrast, in Spain where TV rights are negotiated on a club-by-club basis Real Madrid and Barcelona earn 19 times more than the smallest clubs in La Liga.

The Premier League distributes TV rights money based partly on performance, partly via equal shares of TV income, and partly on the number of times a club's matches are screened live on domestic television.

This season, each club will receive £13.8million as the equal share of domestic TV rights and £17.7million as the equal share of overseas TV rights.

On top of that, every place in the Premier League table is worth £752,000 - the bottom club will get that amount and the top club £15.04million.

Facility fees of £485,000 are paid to a club every time they play in a live TV match - with a minimum income of £4.85million even if a club has been involved in fewer than 10 live games.

The top four clubs usually play in at least 20 live TV games a season, meaning they will earn around £10million in facility fees.

The Premier League will also pay out £16million each in parachute payments to the three relegated clubs.

The figures also show why there has been such interest from the Old Firm clubs in joining the Premier League - Celtic and Rangers only earn around £3million each from SPL television rights.

Football finance expert Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business at Coventry University, said the figures showed the need for balance in football competitions.

Chadwick said: "To have balanced competitions you have to have fair and equitable distribution of revenues.

"What the Premier League have done by allocating this extra £5million from overseas TV is say 'we know we can't increase the disparity between top and bottom'.

"In Spain, there is huge unhappiness with all the La Liga clubs, apart from Barcelona and Real Madrid, now petitioning the Government to change how they distribute television money."

Sir Ryan Giggs Praise Praise Praise Chicharito Hernandez

Javier Hernández celebrates scoring the opening goal for Manchester United against Chelsea.

Sir Ryan Giggs believes Javier Hernández deserves all the praise he is getting for a magnificent debut season at Manchester United.

"Twenty goals in his first season is unbelievable," said the Welshman. "You are always in with a chance when you have a goalscorer like Javier in your team. He has made a fantastic impact, on and off the pitch."

"His English is perfect, which has helped," Giggs said, before turning his focus on to the Mexican's crucial opening goal in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea. "His goal just sums up his season. Sometimes those chances can come a bit early for you. You are not quite up to speed. Thirty seconds, he gets a chance, he scores. He deserves everything that has been said about him."

In heaping praise on Hernández, Giggs is deflecting some away from himself. He might have been fortunate to be made the official man-of-the-match prize for Sunday's match ahead of the tireless contribution of Park Ji-sung and another stellar contribution from Antonio Valencia on the right wing, but Giggs brings a calmness and direction to United's performances.

No wonder Ferguson raised the possibility on Sunday of Giggs continuing into the 2012-13 season, having already signed a one-year contract extension to take him beyond his 38th birthday and into his 22nd campaign in the first team.

Should United collect the single point required to clinch the title, it would be a 12th for Giggs, but not one he is willing to celebrate just yet. "We have a great chance haven't we?" he said.

"We have to get a point from two games, one of which is at home, where our form has been brilliant. But mathematically we are not there, so we can't celebrate."

United can seal their 19th title on Saturday at the ground where they felt last season's was lost – Blackburn's Ewood Park.

Ferguson has vowed to maintain focus for the remaining two games, although given his second string were good enough to reach the Champions League final in midweek, the prospect of United taking it easy is not likely to bring much comfort to Blackburn and Blackpool.

"We all concede that we weren't playing brilliantly in the first half of the season. But we were getting results," said Giggs.

"In the second half of the season our performances and results have been excellent. We don't really care what people say. We know the quality that is in the dressing room, so does the manager."

Mike Phelan: We Want 19th Title For Fergie

Manchester United want to grab that prized 19th league title as reward for Sir Alex Ferguson's amazing efforts at Old Trafford.

Sunday's 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford means the Red Devils now require just a single point from their final two games to eclipse Liverpool as England's most successful team in terms of domestic title wins.

If it is achieved, Ferguson will have been responsible for 12 of those triumphs since his arrival at United from Aberdeen in 1986.

The Scot, who celebrates his 70th birthday on New Year's Eve, has already vowed to extend his illustrious reign into next season, and his appetite for the game remains undimmed.

"You set targets all the time," said Phelan.

"The Chelsea result gives the manager an opportunity to get the 19th now.

"It is something we have been striving for and all the players will be very pleased if we can get that for him."

United's win means they will could be celebrating their moment of history just as Manchester City are about to begin a first FA Cup final in 30 years.

The timing is not ideal for anyone, although at least there will be no accompanying trophy celebrations at Blackburn with the Premier League, mindful that it is still mathematically possible for Chelsea to win the title, happy to wait until the final weekend, when United entertain Blackpool.

Knowing a draw would be enough to keep them in pole position, United made the perfect start through Javier Hernandez's 36-second opener at Old Trafford.

It was the best way possible for United to execute their game-plan of putting Chelsea onto the back foot.

The outcome triggered joyous scenes in the stands and a couple of celebratory bows from Ferguson towards the Stretford End.

Even the Scot feels the job is done, although Phelan's more conservative assessment shows a clear intent to keep feet on the ground for another week at least.

"We still have the last little bit to do," he said.

"We are in control of our own situation but we will go to Ewood Park next Saturday knowing we have to perform.

"They are still looking for the odd point because of the way things have gone over the weekend and it is not over yet."

Video: Sir Alex Ferguson After Match Against Chelsea 8 may 2011

Pics: Sir Alex Ferguson and his United stars enjoy a night on the town after crucial win over Chelsea

Manchester United still need one more point to confirm a record 19th league title, but judging by the celebrations everybody at the club believes the job is already done.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his players, including Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen, enjoyed a night out at a top Chinese restaurant in the city centre following United's crucial win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.

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The main man: Sir Alex Ferguson arriving at Wings restuarant in Manchester after the win over Chelsea

The players certainly earned a good night out, after a brilliant performance against the Londoners in the biggest match of the season.

There were some ecstatic celebrations at Old Trafford after the game, with Ferguson bowing to the Stretford End in celebration.

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Night out: Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen leave the restaurant

Ferguson and his squad will quickly be back to work this week. Firstly they need to rubber-stamp their title success, with their next match away at Blackburn on Saturday.

And then there is the small matter of the European Cup final against Barcelona at Wembley.

Simply the best: Sir Alex Ferguson bows to the Manchester United fans after their victory over Chelsea

Does Sneijder Worth £40 million ??? Seriously??

The latest reports surrounding Manchester United's long term target Wesley Sneijder is that the United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will get his man as long as the Glazer family, the owners of Manchester United are willing to fund a big money move. According to an United insider, "Sir Alex wants the player", and will need to convince the unpopular American owners that the investment would be worth their while.

With the figures being quoted, it would take some convincing, as Sneijder, who only recently signed a long term contract with Inter Milan, is valued at £40 million by Inter Milan, and is on wages of £170,000 a week at the San Siro. Due to Britain's high tax rates, United would have to exceed those wages by some way to match his current net wage payment, taking him above Wayne Rooney's wages of £200,000 a week.

The Manchester United insider said: 'It's up to the owners now. Sir Alex wants the player — it's just a matter of agreeing to the wage demands."

Sir Alex Ferguson sees Wesley Sneijder as a Paul Scholes replacement, and there is no doubt the 26 year-old has the quality to add to the United midfield, but the question is, would the huge investment be worth it? Wayne Rooney seems to have discovered his best position just behind the striker who is Javier Hernandez more often than not, so where would Rooney play if Sneijder were to come in and take that position?

Nevertheless, Sneijder would be an excellent addition to the side, with his versatility and ability to work with both feet. His creativity would be welcome in the midfield, and I'm sure that as Sir Alex Ferguson is trying to buy him, then he has a position in mind. The problem however, remains the money. It is a huge amount - an amount that Manchester City, United's rivals would be able to afford with ease.

City seem intent on going for any player that United are reportedly interested in, but this is one that City will not be able to get in on, as the player has made it clear in the past that the only club in England he would want to join would be United:

"The Premier League, in terms of top clubs, is the strongest in the world, and it would be nice to finish my career saying I have played at the very top in Spain, Italy, and England. There is not many who can say they have done that, and if that does happen for me I would only want it to be with Manchester United."

With other reports stating that Sir Alex Ferguson will be given a huge £100 million transfer fund in the summer, the whole issue of the Glazers needing convincing is out of the window. A £40 million fee and then the £200,000 wage every week is a big price to pay, so the question is, is Sneijder worth it?

Video: What The Hell David Luiz Is Doing, Crazy ..

Do Not Forget Its Park Ji-sung's positioning Which puts #ManUtd in control

Ji-Sung Park, centre, pictured battling for the ball with Chelsea's Salomon Kalou of Chelsea, left, helped Manchester United take command in midfield at Old Trafford. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Red joy will lead to gleaming gold and blue is nowhere to be seen.Manchester United – 31 home games unbeaten – played with greater appetite and a superior speed of passing from the start. The early whirlwind shook a laboured Chelsea, who never recovered.

Often the early exchanges shape the pattern of a game and so it was here. Park Ji-sung created the opening goal and his habit of coming off the left, often interchanging with Ryan Giggs, helped his side gain midfield sway. Chelsea, with Michael Essien, Mikel John Obi and Frank Lampard, should have had an advantage in the centre over Giggs and Michael Carrick, but with Park cutting in and Wayne Rooney dropping back they were never comfortable.

United won the key individual battles. Antonio Valencia was too forceful for Ashley Cole; Carrick monitored Lampard's runs and Rooney's movement demoralised Mikel. With Park playing so narrow one would have expected Chelsea to exploit the width on their right, and it was no major surprise when Carlo Ancelotti brought on Ramires at half-time to do that. But United manned the spaces outside the box and defended confidently. Though Lampard touched in Ramires's cross the home side were comfortable, the ball appearing drawn towards the head of Nemanja Vidic. Perhaps if the Football Writers' Association voted for their player of the year by AV, the defender would have got the recognition he deserves.

#Barca Boss Pep Guardiola hails 'extraordinary' #ManUtd

Pep Guardiola shouts instructions during Barcelona's 2-0 win over Espanyol which took the champions to within one point of retaining their La Liga title. Photograph: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

The Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has hailed Manchester United as an "extraordinary" team ahead of the Champions League final. Guardiola watched his team beat Espanyol 2-0 in the Catalan derby at the Camp Nou to move within a point of winning the title, just as Sir Alex Ferguson's side had done earlier in the day with a 2-1 home victory over Chelsea.

Barça now look set to wrap up the Primera Division title at Levante on Wednesday night, giving them more than two weeks to prepare for the showpiece at Wembley on 28 May. But Guardiola, who featured as a player in Barça's first European Cup success at the old Wembley stadium in 1992, admits he is wary of United's quality and strength in depth.

"They played a Champions League semi-final [second leg against Schalke] with a team full of reserves and they won 4-1 – that says everything you need to know about the quality they have," the Barça coach said on Sunday. "They have a great squad with two great teams and extraordinary players. We will try to wrap up the league and then we'll think about the final."

Xavi echoed the sentiments of his coach. "We're almost there and we want to win it [the title] as soon as possible, so we can have our heads focused on Wembley," he said.

The Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol, was deemed unfit to start against Espanyol but Guardiola says he will be ready to play at Wembley.

"He was out for three months [recently] and the doctors decided he wasn't in shape to play today, but he is building up his fitness and will feature more in the next few games," he said.

The left-back Eric Abidal came on for the last 20 minutes and Guardiola revealed the Frenchman, who recently returned from an operation to remove a tumour from his liver, could also be ready to play in the Champions League final.

"Abi had a few minutes the other day [in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid] and played for longer today," he said. "We hope he can gradually play more and more and build up his fitness for the final."

Andrés Iniesta and the former United defender Gerard Piqué scored the goals in Sunday's win which meant Barca stayed eight points clear of Real with just three games left.

Iniesta said: "We have a Champions League final ahead, so I don't think we will relax. We [Barca and United] know each other well – it will be a special final."

And Sergio Busquets added: "I'm confident we can win it, and bring some joy to our fans. The league is great, but it's not as prestigious as the Champions League."

#ManUtd on brink of record 19th title after win over #CFC

Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates the victory which virtually assures Manchester United their 19th league title. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images

It was the day when, to borrow the famous old quote, Sir Alex Ferguson could reflect on knocking Liverpool off their perch. Manchester United's 2-1 victory over Chelsea leaves them on the brink of overtaking their Merseyside rivals with a record 19th league title and, after almost 25 years in charge, Ferguson could finally proclaim them as "the most successful team in the country in terms of championship victories".

They now need only one point from their last two games against Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool to confirm the 12th title of Ferguson's reign. "It's a fantastic feeling," the most successful manager in the business said. "If you had said to me at the start of the season that we would need one point from the last two games to be the champions, I would have snapped your hand off.

"We will give them [Blackburn and Blackpool] respect and we won't under-estimate them because it would be a dangerous thing to do and we've come too far for that. But one point ... I think we'll get that, and it's a fantastic achievement [overtaking Liverpool].

"I would never have believed it could happen, to be honest. But as soon as we got that first one in 1992-93, the door opened to us. Once we got that first title, we have just improved and improved. The club have taken off."

Javier Hernández opened the scoring inside the first minute and, from that moment, United overwhelmed a disappointing Chelsea side. Ryan Giggs crossed for Nemanja Vidic to head in the second goal after 23 minutes and, though Frank Lampard made it 2-1 from close range midway through the second half, the score barely reflected United's dominance.

"I thought we were brilliant," Ferguson continued. "Wayne Rooney could have scored six on his own. I don't know how many chances we had to score. We got a little bit nervous [after Lampard's goal] because we kept missing all those chances and it gave them a lifeline. We should have been out of sight but that's the way of Manchester United. We take it to the wire, leave those poor souls in the stands having heart attacks, sitting on the edge of their seats, biting their nails – and I was one of them."

The defeat leaves Chelsea staring at the near certainty of finishing the season without a trophy and their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, facing an increasingly uncertain future. "It was difficult because we started so badly," Ancelotti said. "It was very difficult to come back after that first half. The second half was much better but United played better than us and deserved to win. We have to accept this.

"The disappointment is when another team plays better than you. That happened, we have to accept it and we have to accept they were better than us over the season and they have deserved to win the league."

Asked whether he would remain as manager, the Italian replied: "I don't know. I hope so but it is not my decision."

Ferguson, in stark contrast, reiterated that he would still be in charge at Old Trafford next season, regardless of what happens in the Champions League final against Barcelona on 28 May. He also said that he felt "vindicated" to have rested so many players for the second leg of the semi-final against Schalke last Wednesday.

"That won us the title," he said, temporarily putting aside any note of caution about the next two games. "Taking the brave decision to play a different team gave the players the energy to put in a real performance [against Chelsea]. We saw the benefits today. The energy and work-rate were excellent."

Ferguson reserved special acclaim for Hernandez, the first player since Ruud van Nistelrooy to score 20 times for the club in his debut season. "When he came to us, at first we thought 'give him a year' but he has taken all the chances. He's been exceptional."

There was, however, one sour note for United, coming in the form of photographs appearing to show Rooney direct a V-sign at the Chelsea supporters during the first half.

Video: Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea Extended Highlights