Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t go easy on his players after their devastating Premier League title defeat to Manchester City in 2012
Sir Alex Ferguson issued a ruthless ‘I told you’ message to a devastated Manchester United squad straight after their title defeat to Manchester City.
The 2011/12 title battle has gone down as the greatest of the Premier League era. Another championship was in United’s grasp for most of the final day, which saw them win at Sunderland.
That meant City needed three points against QPR, who led for much of the game at the Etihad. Entering added time, the West London club were still 2-1 in front, with many City fans already giving up and pouring out of the stadium.
But then Edin Dzeko equalised in the 92nd minute before Sergio Aguero – accompanied by Martin Tyler’s iconic commentary – scored the goal that won the title on goal difference. The news soon filtered through to the shellshocked United players and fans at the Stadium of Light.
Despite losing the title in such gut-wrenching fashion, Ferguson didn’t mince his words in the dressing room, lamenting the team’s failure to rack up more convincing victories and, therefore, boost their goal difference. Former United player Tom Cleverly, now Watford’s head coach, will never forget what United’s legendary boss told the players.
He told United’s official website. “The manager said to us all: ‘I told you. That’s why I wanted you to be more ruthless and really kill teams, because you can lose leagues on goal difference’.
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“That’s how much of a winner he was, how ruthless he wanted us to be. If we’d done that, scored more goals, really killed teams, we’d have won the league in 11/12.”
Cleverly admitted he still hadn’t watched that epic finale back. He said: “I wasn’t in the squad at Sunderland that day, but I was on my way down from the directors’ box at the Stadium of Light and as soon as Dzeko scored City’s equaliser, I knew.
“I could see it unfolding and that it was meant to be theirs. It was a terrible, terrible day in my career. I still can’t listen to Martin Tyler’s commentary when the clip comes on Sky Sports. You know the one.”
United bounced back in style by romping to the title in 2012/13, Sir Alex’s final season before retirement. It was United’s last league title, and the next one appears further away than ever, with Ruben Amorim now tasked with the previously unthinkable prospect of staving off a relegation battle.
Ferguson’s retirement was followed by an era of domination, with City winning the league seven times between 2014 and 2024, six under Pep Guardiola. However, that domination has ground to a juddering halt this season, with City in disarray in both the Premier League and Champions League.
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