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Talk about ruffling the feathers of your opponents. Sir Alex Ferguson is in his elements doing just that. Luiz Felipe Scolari has barely banked in his fat paycheck at Chelsea, and Ferguson has already given him a taste of things to come in upcoming campaigns.

Call it a sparring match, if you want, just to test the limits of Scolari’s psychological fortress. Kevin Keegan (an endearing but mentally fragile man), succumbed far too easily under pressure, it wasn’t even fun to watch. For those hoping for a juicy rejoinder, they were disappointed as Scolari brushed off Ferguson’s taunts. Rather than being angry, Scolari may even have felt flattered to invite mental barbs so early in the season.

Does Alex Ferguson’s first salvo warrants any merit? To be sure, Chelsea’s ranks are filled by some over-the-hill superstars and most players are approaching their “prime” of 28-30 years old. It is possible that history repeats itself with multiple injuries plaguing Chelsea again during an arduous campaign.

However, let’s not forget that a creaking Chelsea squad still managed to chase the Premier League title till the final day of the season and had the Champions League crown slipped narrowly out of their grasp due to a miscued John Terry’s penalty kick. Thus, the experience from a few breathless “old men” is not such a bad thing.

Ferguson also raised concerns about Scolari’s command of the English language. This is a rather cheap shot because from the way Scolari conducted his first Chelsea media conference, he looks comfortable speaking in English and will certainly improve before his time in England is up.

I believe Ferguson’s taunts will yield the most damage from his comparison of Scolari to Mourinho. Fergie said: “I’m not concerned about Chelsea. There’s no-one who can improve on Mourinho’s record. He won the title two years in a row and beat us in the FA Cup Final. Scolari would have to go beyond Mourinho’s performance to worry us.”

Even Avram Grant, an untested candidate in European football who did not possess a Uefa pro Coaching license, came close to eclipsing the Special One, so it is hard to fathom Scolari achieving less with his glittering international and club credentials.

Expectations are high and Roman Abramovich will not accept another season of being second best. Results have to go Scolari’s way from day one, and it has to be entertaining, that is the pressure cooker environment which the Brazilian has to contend with.

Scolari responded with a “I will do it my way,” but let’s be frank, there is only one way in Chelsea and that is Roman Abramovich’s way. After Jose Mourinho set the golden benchmarks but was removed after a few unsatisfactory games due to a depleted squad and player politics, I will say the situation at Chelsea is more complex than Scolari imagined.

Alex Ferguson is of course not so kind to sound a timely reminder to his foe. It is more likely that he is nursing a grudge against Scolari for offering “fatherly advice” to Ronaldo. Speculation is rife that Scolari encouraged Ronaldo to seek greener pastures and purse his childhood dreams at Santiago Bernabeu.

These remarks are unsubstantiated but the timing of Scolari’s resignation as Portugal’s coach and replacing Avram Grant at Chelsea implied that he does have a vested interest in weakening Manchester United’s squad.

Ferguson needs no prompting to seek revenge and it is about time he deflects some attention away from the Ronaldo transfer speculation which is not setting the right atmosphere for team building. Morale should be high after winning the Double last season but the camaraderie in the dressing room is fragmented now.

Carlos Tevez, one of the major contributors to last season’s success, has got in with differing views that Ronaldo should be free to make his own career decisions, rather than the current stand-off based on a binding contract as what Ferguson repeatedly stressed.

Apparently, United players have split into opposing camps as to the whereabouts of Ronaldo. Silence is golden when it comes to such sensitive issues and Tevez has overstepped the boundary by questioning the wisdom of his boss. I doubt if Ferguson is in a hurry to wield the axe but he will certainly have clamped down on further public statements from his players.

With dark clouds hanging over Ronaldo’s future, Alex Ferguson is keen to secure the services of Dimitar Berbatov, who will add a different dimension to their vast array of talents.

Despite United’s scoring prowess, the front line is surprisingly thin as most of the firepower is concentrated in attacking midfielders. A substantial portion of goals scored in the 2007/08 season was accounted by Ronaldo’s 42 goals in all competitions.

If Ronaldo is taken out of the equation, Manchester United will be left in a vulnerable position where they struggle to capitalize on goal-scoring opportunities. United only have one lethal outfield striker in Wayne Rooney while Carlos Tevez functions in a deeper role.

The other forwards (Louis Saha, Dong Fangzhuo, Frazier Campbell) are best left unmentioned. I have already discounted Saha due to his frequent injuries and if Rooney join him in the treatment room, the season is in jeopardy. Another established striker is of paramount importance with other top teams beefing up for a fresh challenge on the titles.

So far, Chelsea have reinforced their squad with Deco and Jose Bosingwa’s arrival. Robinho is likely to join them if Real Madrid can secure the services of Cristiano Ronaldo. It is doubtful if Deco can improve Chelsea’s squad immensely as he struggled to break into the first team at Barcelona. However, Deco managed to stamp his class at Euro 2008 and with Scolari backing him wholeheartedly, I expect him to feature prominently.

The jury is still out for Jose Bosingwa but Scolari is likely to go slow on a budding talent. There are also rumors of Chelsea digging deeply into their pockets with a 75 million pounds bid for Kaka. Such an audacious raid on AC Milan’s crown jewel will definitely tilt the odds heavily in Chelsea’s favor and at the same time, hasten the departure of a brooding Frank Lampard.

Alex Ferguson’s words could end up helping Scolari as the latter looks at his team objectively and he has sufficient time to prepare his team and strengthen the deficiencies. The Brazilian will relish the challenge in the Premier League and I am sure he will be up to the task, even if he does not have much of a honeymoon period.

The mental games are not over, Scolari will be busy brushing up his English to trade barbs with Alex Ferguson as the season progresses. Yup, can’t wait till the new season begins..

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