Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger - Source: Getty
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger - Source: Getty
Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that winning the league unbeaten, like Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, is one record he wanted to achieve in his career. He said it was the one accomplishment that has bugged him, and he still thinks about it.
Writing in his new book, Games of My Life, Sir Alex said he has high praise for going invincible in the league and believes it will be one of the hardest achievements for any manager. The former Manchester United manager envies his Arsenal counterpart for it and wrote:
"The one accomplishment that Arsene managed that I never achieved was his unbeaten record in the Premier League during the 2003–04 season. This still gnaws at me, because I understand the depth of the achievement." (via Football London)
Sir Alex went on to talk about his rivalry with Wenger, joking that his Scottish accent was harder for the media and fans to understand than the Frenchman's. He recalled their battle on the pitch and said:
"If there's one thing Arsene and I would probably have agreed on throughout our long and well-publicised rivalry, it's that despite us both having strong accents, I'm the one who's harder to understand. We clashed constantly, and the persistent friction between us was littered with tense games, explosive outbursts, brawls in the tunnel, pizza fusillades and red cards. It was biblical - all fire and brimstone."
"We were the bitterest of rivals and, for me, a victory over Arsenal always had a particularly sweet taste. And I'm sure the feelings were mutual. Arsene and I were of the same generation, arriving during or shortly after the Second World War. Though I enjoyed more success as a footballer, he speaks more languages."
Arsenal won the 2003/04 season unbeaten, winning 26 games and drawing the other 12. Manchester United came third that season with 75 points, while Chelsea were second with 79. Sir Alex Ferguson lost at least three league matches in his career at Old Trafford.
Manchester United legend on his and Arsenal manager's start
Sir Alex Ferguson also wrote about his and Arsene Wenger's start to their managerial careers, recalling that they began in their early 30s. He added they handled everything themselves and had no data analysts or nutrition experts. He wrote:
"He and I began managing - he with Nancy in France and me with East Stirlingshire in Scotland - when we were in our early thirties. It was just us, the players and muddy pitches - no data analysts, nutrition experts, sports scientists, sporting directors or technical directors. There were also no television cameras and hours of punditry. It was football in the raw."
Manchester United and Arsenal met 49 times while the two managers led their clubs. Sir Alex Ferguson won 23 times, while Arsene Wenger won 16.