Lippi favours United chances

As Marcello Lippi continues his sabbatical after leading Italy to 2006 FIFA World Cup glory, he has kept a close eye on the UEFA Champions League and the progress of old friend Sir Alex Ferguson in particular. Sir Alex's Manchester United FC saw off FC Barcelona to earn a final meeting with Chelsea FC, and Lippi believes they can go and win the title in Moscow. Lippi, 60, led Juventus to four finals during two spells with Juventus yet prevailed only once. He tells uefa.com that Sir Alex can go one better by lifting the trophy for a second time.

uefa.com: How do you rate this United side?

Marcello Lippi: They have great players like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Wayne] Rooney, [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs and many others but their real strength is having Alex Ferguson, who is able to get the best out of all those talented players. He is very strong at managing a group. He is one game from winning his domestic league and has reached the Champions League final. To have success in every competition you have to be a great manager. United were not going through an easy period before the semi-final against Barcelona because they were not in the best condition, but Alex was very clever to rotate his players. He was criticised because he rested some players ahead of the Barcelona game and his team lost to Chelsea. But this is the only way to handle a group if you want to win every competition.

uefa.com: What are the main differences between this United team and the one you faced during the group stage in 1996/97 and 1998/99 when you were Juventus coach? Which is stronger?

Lippi: It's impossible to say which side is better, comparing different eras. It would be like asking which of my Juventus sides was the best. In every period a team has its own strengths, its own level of confidence, its own qualities. At that time United had several great players and some of them are still there. Now I think there are probably more world-class players in their attack, but the confidence and the mentality is the same. The current team are probably even more convinced they are a great side.

uefa.com: How important is Sir Alex in this sense?

Lippi: Today people say that players make the difference and a coach counts for only 20 per cent of a team's results. I don't think it's like that at all. I think today the coach is very important because when you are managing a number of great players, many of them from different countries with different mentalities and cultures, the personality and the character of the coach becomes crucial. This is the case with Ferguson. You can clearly see that every United player is ready to sacrifice himself to help the team. Nobody thinks for himself, everyone is focused on the team first. In such an environment you can ask players like Ronaldo to cover different roles, you can ask Rooney to work hard in midfield or defence, you can ask Giggs to play almost as a full-back and so on. There are many players who raise their eyebrows when asked to play a different role from their usual one. This is not the case at United as everyone is pushing in the same direction. Everyone defends and then starts again with their impressive pace and technique.

uefa.com: What do you think of Cristiano Ronaldo? Can he improve further?

Lippi: It's difficult to imagine he can improve considering the level he has reached. You mustn't forget that he does everything at supersonic pace so it's natural to make some mistakes when you play at that speed. Maybe if he slows down his way of playing a bit he could reduce his margin of mistakes, but he doesn't have to do it because his major quality is to do great things at great pace.

uefa.com: Do you think United will win the final in Moscow?

Lippi: They have a very good chance. Chelsea beat them in the league but United were not at their best. It was a big boost for Chelsea even if they probably know it will mean nothing because United will win their remaining league game to win the title. Chelsea are in good shape but I think United have a slight advantage.

uefa.com: Are you surprised by what Avram Grant has achieved at Chelsea?

Lippi: I think a special chemistry has helped Chelsea get where they are. When José Mourinho left, the players were disappointed and sad and probably didn't even want Grant. However, he has managed to gain their trust with dialogue, serious work and by not speaking much outside the dressing room. The players probably looked each other in the face, they are among the best in Europe and decided to give everything to go all the way, no matter who was coach. These kinds of factors can drive players to achieve great results.