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With all the off-field distractions at Old Trafford as John Magnier and JP MacManus square off against Malcom Glazer, with a takeover bid seemingly getting closer, Sir Alex Ferguson could be forgiven for taking his eye off the ball for a moment or too, but when his defenders start doing it then Manchester United have real problems.
In his programme notes before last night's game against Middlesbrough, Ferguson insisted that he was fully focused on his job: "After all the off-field nonsense that seems to be coming my way at the moment, the response of the fans has been fantastic," he said. "It has emphasised for me that Manchester United are a great club and I would like to assure all the supporters that I am determined nothing will interfere with my focus on my work as manager of Manchester United."
Unfortunately his team did not seem quite so alert, as they fell 2-0 behind at home to Boro, and though they pulled it back to 2-2, another defensive lapse allowed Joseph-Desire Job score a dramatic winner with ten minutes to go. That leaves United five points behind leaders Arsenal and just one point ahead of Chelsea, giving Ferguson another headache.
"We can't keep conceding soft goals like we did tonight," he admitted. "There was a slackness about our defending and sometimes we are trying to run the ball out of defence or pass our way out when we should be putting our foot through the ball to clear it. We have been in this situation before but it is not a healthy one to be in and we have to do something about it."
That fact that tiny Brazilian Juninho was able to score two headers and United always looked vulnerable from set-pieces is worrying the United boss: "You have to be concerned about that," said Ferguson. "It is not a quirk of fate to be conceding so many goals from situations like that. We are giving the opposition too much room and that is very disappointing."
Wes Brown was taken off at half-time after a torrid 45 minutes, though Ferguson defended his young centre-half: "Wes has to catch his breath a little," said the United boss. "We need to give him time between games. He's been out for a long time but he'll be back again."
Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren said that he still expected United to challenge for the title, despite last night's defeat: "There is still a long way to go and there will be a few slip-ups yet," said McClaren. "Manchester United have the experience to handle the pressure when it really counts. There is no-one better in that situation and I wouldn't write them off just yet.
"That's twice we've beaten United in three trips to Old Trafford so we have to be pleased with that," said McClaren. "I love winning any football game but of course it is extra-special to come here and do well. We showed tremendous resolve to come back again at 2-2 after we had been two goals in front.
"At times we rode our luck and we had to survive a lot of pressure but you need to do that every time you play against one of the big clubs. Before the game I told my team they needed to play with attitude, they had to pass the ball well and they needed to defend well. We did all three brilliantly."
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