In Conversation: Martin Lipton talks to Written Offside

With the Premier League title race reaching a climax in the coming weeks, I caught up with the Daily Mirror's Chief Football Writer Martin Lipton to get his opinion on the destiny of the title, the challengers and United's plans for the summer transfer market. During nearly 20 years as a football reporter he has covered eight major championships.

Martin is a regular on Sky's Sunday Supplement.

After the latest round of matches this week, how do you assess the title race? Are Chelsea now United's biggest challengers? 

Still very much United's to lose and 10 points out of 15 shouldn't be a problem. Chelsea have the momentum, especially now that Drogba has been afforded his rightful position and Torres benched. The two big tests are obvious and two draws might well be enough, although a draw and a defeat could mean it goes all the way to the final weekend. Still can't see beyond United. Danger is them taking their eyes off the ball at Arsenal because it's between the Schalke games and then Chelsea coming to Old Trafford knowing they can break it wide open by winning as they did last year, Even so, United by five in the end.


It has been a strange season in many ways, how would you rate the quality of the league this year? 


You could make a case for saying the league is weaker. Maybe it is but it has also been more competitive, which has to be good thing. One obvious statistic that stands out is the number of draws. United have drawn 10 out of 33, Arsenal nine, Spurs 12. That is unusually high for teams at the top of the table and suggests, too, that there has been a levelling up of standards from the bottom as well as a levelling down from the top. And how can you explain Wolves beating United, Chelsea, City and Liverpool but being bottom of the league with six matches to go? Remember, too, that we had three Premier League teams in the last eight of the Champions League, and Arsenal missed out only because they messed up the group stage and had to play Barcelona. Barca and Real Madrid might be the best two teams in Europe but the next five are all in the Premier League.


What did you make of Wenger's comments that winning trophies is not everything? Have they made progress over last few years? 

First of all, I don't think he meant it. It was juts a defence mechanism. Wenger is a worse loser than Fergie - much worse - and his mantra has always been: "Show me a good loser - and I'll show you a loser!" I don't think anything has changed but he is trying to deflect attention away from his own sense of frustration. You cannot say Arsenal have advanced since 2005. The lack of trophies makes that case and they have been hamstrung by the hidden costs of the move to The Emirates, and Wenger's own unquestioned stubbornness. But I still say that, on their day, the two teams you would pay to watch are United and Arsenal, followed by Spurs. Chelsea remain functional and joyless, but mightily efficient if Drogba, Lampard and Co are playing well. City have no ambition on the pitch. That is due to Mancini's innate caution. But eventually they will get a manager - Mourinho? - who has that extra drive. 
 
Could the signing of Torres ultimately be one that costs Chelsea the title in light of the change of formation and lack of partnership being struck with Drogba? 

If you look at the results in the Premier League, then you'd have to say no. They did lose to Liverpool in Torres' first match but since then it's six wins and a draw, which is better form than United. Chelsea lost the league in Ancelotti's "bad moment" when they picked up only 10 points out of 33 between October and the start of January. Torres did help cost them the Champions League, because he is a square peg in a round hole. Ancelotti had to play him for fear of wrath of Roman but knows the squad is still designed and mind-setted (if that is a word?) to play to Drogba's chest. Had he started Drogba in the second leg, I might have been flying to Germany on Monday with Chelsea, rather than United.


What do you think is the key to the destiny of the title in the remaining five games? 

The normal one at this stage of the season - keeping calm and focused. United know what they have to do. They have done it before. Should they lose at Arsenal to open the door then it could get hairy. We all know what happened when Chelsea went to Old Trafford last season - and before you moan about Drogba's offside goal, you all seem to forget Macheda batted the United goal in with his hands and that should never have counted either - and knowledge of that could play on United minds, especially as Chelsea would feel things might be turning their way and confidence can make such a difference in football. I expect United will get there but professionally I hope it goes to the last day, to keep up the interest.  


How do you explain United's poor away form this season? Could it cost them? 

Fergie can't explain the poor form - if he could, he'd have fixed it - so I'm not sure how I can. Some of the games were thrown away by loss of concentration - Fulham and Everton - the odd one by poor decisions by the officials, such as Birmingham and Chelsea (although United get more calls in their favour than against them) and some because they didn't deserve any more (Wolves, Liverpool, arguably City, who were a disgrace on the day, and certainly Spurs). And maybe because with Rooney not firing until recently and no Ronaldo or Tevez any more, teams are less intimidated by United than they used to be and sense more vulnerability.


Who has been your United player of the season and why? Who has been the biggest disappointment and why? 

For me, purely because nobody has a right to be so good at 40, in his final year, Van der Sar. I think he's made one mistake all season (West Brom at home) and has pulled off so many important saves because he has that priceless ability, that only the very best keepers have and was beyond the likes of Carroll and Foster, of being able to retain his focus and concentration for the one moment in the game that it is required. But I think Giggs has been remarkable, more like 27 than 37 when he plays, Vidic has been excellent, Ferdinand when he played, Smalling has done well. You've missed Fletcher recently and I feel a bit sorry for Berbatov, who is a beautiful technical player but doesn't quite fit into the United framework, despite his goals. Hernandez, of course, has been a brilliant signing. As for let-downs, Rooney knows he should have been better, Carrick too. And I feel so, so sorry for Owen Hargreaves. A cracking guy but sadly crocked for good.


Looking ahead to the summer, do you see United being busy in the transfer market and if so, who do you think is on their radar? Can you see any players leaving and if so who? 

There will be changes, of course. It looks likely to be De Gea in goal (I'd have gone for Neuer) with Kuszczak leaving along with Van Der Sar. Think it's the end of the line for Brown and possibly O'Shea too, while it wouldn't surprise me if Scholes hangs up his boots. Can't see Berbatov wanting to stay, either, now he's dropped down the pecking order. I'd like to see a Llorente-type striker coming in, some real midfield passing quality - Modric would be ideal but the Spurs fan in me is desperate for him to stay at The Lane - and maybe a natural midfield holder, if there is one out there.

Arsenal seem to struggle mentally, what are your thoughts on this and the reasons why United are the opposite in this department?
 
It comes, to a degree, from the manager. Wenger gives his players too many get-outs. Fergie might blast the referee but privately tells his players it was not good enough, that they are playing for United, that the onus is on them to win. As Mark Hughes told me a few years ago, "United never lose; they just sometimes run out of time". It sums the mentality up perfectly. That's why they score so often late-on, because they never accept a cause is lost. Arsenal, by contrast, seem to look for excuses too often.

Finally, what are your predictions for the Premier League and Champions League winners? 

United, by five points (although I'd love it to go to the wire). And, sadly, the winner of Real v Barcelona, although you would always give United a puncher's chance (and more than that) in a one-off game. 


A big thanks to Martin for taking the time to answer my questions. Please make sure you follow him on Twitter where he often tweets from games and gives great insight into life as a journalist.


If you have any comments on the above interview, please leave them below or contact me via Twitter