Neville Looks To Start Chelsea Blip
Phil Neville has urged Manchester United to give Chelsea a forceful shove into the unknown on Wednesday.
The heavyweight duo meet in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, and Neville believes knocking out Chelsea could affect the Blues' league form.
Jose Mourinho's men are 11 points ahead of United with only 14 games remaining in the Barclays Premiership, and have shown no signs of the blip Ferguson and Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger so confidently predicted they would suffer.
With the Stamford Bridge outfit not due to take on the Red Devils in the league until April 16, by which time the title race could be over, Ferguson's squad know Wednesday night offers them a chance to undermine Chelsea themselves.
And, in an exclusive MUTV phone-in, Neville warned his team-mates it is an opportunity they must not spurn.
"We do not know how Chelsea will react to a defeat," said the long-serving England full-back.
"All we can do is give them an opportunity to find out. Arsenal had gone 49 games unbeaten in the league when we beat them in October but they had a wobble after that. Chelsea are 11 points clear of us and we need them to suffer the same kind of thing.
"We would rather be in their situation than having to chase as we are at the moment. We do not like the title not being in our own hands.
"But we still think it can be done, we just need someone to beat them and even though this is not a league game, if we win you don't know how they will come out of it. It's only when you start losing games that the pressure starts to tell."
In stark contrast to the general antipathy that seems to exist between United and Arsenal, relations between the Red Devils and league leaders is warm and friendly.
Neville has previously echoed his manager's views that the arrival of Mourinho from Porto has been good for English football and the 28-year-old is gracious enough to acknowledge that if there is one side playing better than his own just now, it is the men who stand between United and a second League Cup final berth in three years.
"If you look at the form table, Chelsea are the only team above us," said Neville, who started in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.
"They are a quality side who we always felt were better suited to playing away from home, which is why we don't hold any real advantage going into the second leg."
Neville is hopeful of earning a recall after being in the ironic situation of being rested for Saturday's victory over Aston Villa.
During a season when his sporadic appearances have mystified most observers given the new five-year contract he signed last summer, Neville has gone from famine to feast over the last month, starting seven games in 22 days prior to the weekend win.
It means the Bury-born player has now turned out 21 times for his only professional club and while that figure is only half what he hopes for overall, Neville insists he has never even thought about leaving.
"The thing that has kept me going ever since I got into the first team was the fear of one day having to leave," he said.
"Manchester United is all I know. Playing for them is all I ever wanted to do and I would definitely like to end my career here.
"I signed a five-year contract last season and I am not looking beyond that. Just the prospect of having to walk into another dressing room is quite daunting."
Neville admitted there have been times when he has knocked on Ferguson's door for a chat about his future. But there have never been any tantrums and the player's concerns have always been eased by confirmation that he is an essential part of the Scot's plans.
"I have been to see the manager two or three times over the last 10 years but I have never spoken to him about leaving," he said.
"The first thing he always says is that he wants me to play for Manchester United. After that the talk is always positive. He is the one man we always put our trust in."
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