The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: Ferguson not scared of Scolari challenge

( L - R ) Alex Ferguson, Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. - AP

LONDON (AP)

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is confident that not even a World Cup winner will take his Premier League title away.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach who guided Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph six years ago, is now in charge of Chelsea and will be out to stop the Red Devils winning the league three seasons in a row.

The Blues have finished runner-up to United for the last two seasons, having won the title for the previous two under Jose Mourinho. Now they have turned to the colourful, outspoken Brazilian to take the championship back to Stamford Bridge.

Biggest rivals

Scolari, who took Portugal to the final of the 2004 European Championship, is now one of Ferguson's biggest rivals in English football, along with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Liverpool's Rafa Benitez. If Ferguson is worried, the Scot who has been in charge at Old Trafford for 22 seasons doesn't show it.

He has all but written Chelsea off already and doesn't think Scolari's appointment will make them as good as the side under Mourinho.

"I'm not concerned about Chelsea," Ferguson said during the build-up to the season, which kicks off August 16.

"So there's no one who can improve on Mourinho's record really. It would have to go beyond Mourinho's performance to really worry us and that will be a challenge with the players they've got and the players they've added."

While United is relying on the squad that won the domestic league and the Champions League last season, Scolari has recruited talented Portuguese midfielder Deco and countryman Jose Bosingwa.

Ferguson's only real worry is possibly losing striker Wayne Rooney for the start of the season as he regains fitness following a virus, with midfielder Anderson also playing at the Olympics and Nani sidelined by suspension for the beginning of the campaign.

Possible rebound

The decision not to make any big moves in the transfer market may rebound on Ferguson although he still wants to reinforce the strike force.

Without a title for three seasons, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made few big transfer moves either. He hired Samir Nasri from Marseille and teenage Welshman Aaron Ramsey, while losing Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb, Jens Lehmann and Gilberto Silva and will again rely on his youngsters.

"I believe we were very unlucky last season ... we lost the Premier League by four points," said Wenger, whose third place team was also hit by long term injuries to Eduardo da Silva and Thomas Rosicky. "We got 14 more points than the season before so this year we want to make another step forward, challenge even more and win the title. We feel there is no reason why, with a young squad, we should be less good this year than last year."

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, who has hired Robbie Keane to link up with Fernando Torres in attack, hopes for more consistency in the league.

"Clearly we have confidence in ourselves and have the quality to try to win every game but you never know what can happen in any competition," said the Spaniard, whose team finished fourth.

"We started really well and finished really well last season. If we can do the same this time then hopefully we will be better in the middle of the season."