Goal Post!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Its all about winning now……

Man U boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho had a 200 pounds bottle of wine after the 1-1 draw at old Trafford this Sunday. Irony is that only one of them will be opening champagne bottles at the end of the season.

Why will it again be Chelsea? Because simply put Man U blew their best chance of the season to gain a 6 point advantage over the defending champions. You are 1-0 up on your turf and letting that slip away was the big mistake. But was it really a mistake or it just had to happen. After all its only Chelsea that can go down by a goal and come back in the second half and swamp the midfield. So much so that the Blues’ possession in the second half was a staggering 70 percent which contributed to an overall 61% match possession. Yes only Chelsea is capable of such a thing in world football at the moment.

Why it won’t be Manchester United? Simply because they have to play away at Arsenal, Liverpool, and of course Chelsea. Arsenal might be a dicey game to predict, because that is what the Gunners have become ever since they left Highbury. Unpredictable on even their home turf. Liverpool is another sad story at the moment. True they can’t seem to win away from Anfield but against United and at home would be a different story altogether. Plus their home form has been not that bad. Last but the most important is the trip to Chelsea. The mere fact that they haven’t lost at Stamford Bridge in the premier league under Mourinho is scary enough if you are a Reds’ fan but add to it the pressure of season ending games and one will understand why Sir Alex’s young team is going to struggle.

So what many may say? That’s just three matches, nine points. But one can be forgiven to think so. These are nine big points. Who can today bet that Man U will get nine out of nine, or six out of nine or even three out of these nine at stake. And that’s what puts the title race in to perspective this year. The Christmas period is right on the doorstep and this is un-chartered territory for this Chelsea side which has never trailed before. Sort of a challenge for Jose one would say and believe me they will go all out.

Chelsea has had their share of bad luck this season. One of their key strikers is not firing, there is even talk of sending Shevchenko back to Italy. Ballack hasn’t settled down either and only God knows when Cech is going to return to the Chelsea defense. Plus they have already lost two games this season and I am pretty sure this number will not rise again.

Manchester United has just lost the one game against Arsenal at home and frankly speaking this is what worries me. Imagine a Tottenham or Bolton side going ahead against them and then just laying down their lives to defend it. These sort of games happen in the league almost every year and there is no telling when it might not be your day. Plus their defense is as solid as only Van de Saar, with no knowing when Ferdinand and others might just fowl up. And they have been known to foul up, especially Ferdinand.

Of course the scenario could happen to Chelsea too but I think it has already happened to them twice this season. The chances of lightning striking a third time at the same place are quite rare as compared to say, striking down United for the first time. Plus how many times do Terry, Carvalho and co. leak goals as compared to the United defense and you will get your answer. Compare the attacking options, and Chelsea is ahead still. Ferguson may go gaga over Saha and co. but deep inside he knows his only reliable bet is Rooney. With Chelsea goals have come from Geremi, Terry and Carvalho. Add Drogba who simply can’t stop scoring plus Joe Cole, Robben and Lampard with a touch more form. Scary isn’t it and I haven’t even mentioned, what if Shevchenko finds his touch.

All is not lost though. The best part is that they still lead Chelsea by three points and with the transfer window opening up soon, Manchester united can reinforce their squad by adding Fernando Torres and Owen Hargreaves, although these might just end up as rumours.

But one thing is for sure. By drawing that game, Jose has played his move and is setting up Ferguson for a check mate. The onus, nay pressure, to respond and prevent it, is on Manchester United.