BPL is the best - Sir Alex Ferguson

BPL is the best - Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson is adamant the Barclays Premier League is still the best domestic competition in the world as Manchester United begin their quest for a record fourth successive title on Sunday.

A combination of Barcelona's comprehensive Champions League final victory over United last May, plus the unprecedented levels of spending by Real Madrid, have led some to claim La Liga has edged ahead of its English counterpart.

But Ferguson, whose side tackle newly-promoted Birmingham at Old Trafford on Sunday, does not feel the argument is valid, with old rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal remaining at the forefront of the European game.

"Some people have said the power has gone back to Barcelona and Real Madrid. I don't know how they can say that. There is no evidence," said Ferguson.

"Over the years the Premier League has become the most competitive in Europe. I have no doubt in my mind about that.

"Barcelona deservedly won the European Cup last season but if you look over the last four or five years, the English teams have shared the real glory of Europe.

"I still feel the Premier League is the toughest in Europe."

Yet for once, there is an element of doubt over all the leading contenders.

With Cristiano Ronaldo heading the list of talent recruited by Madrid, big question marks hang over United.

Liverpool have also let Xabi Alonso leave for the Bernabeu and once again appear over-reliant on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, two exceptionally gifted players whose fitness records are not great.

Chelsea's greatest piece of summer business has been persuading John Terry to snub Manchester City and remain at Stamford Bridge, while Arsenal have not replaced Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor, let alone addressed the concerns so many supporters expressed about them last term.

"I don't believe there is a doubt about the top four. Not in my mind," countered Ferguson.

"The top four is well established and have all the criteria; experience, quality, good stadia, good squads. That top four will still be hard to beat."

Nevertheless, Manchester City's millions do bring an element of the unknown to proceedings, with Ferguson as intrigued as anyone to see how it works out.

"That is where all the interest lies," he admitted.

"Manchester City have taken us off the back pages. I am quite happy about that because sometimes you get fed up reading about yourself.

"They have spent a lot of money and we are all thinking where is it going to go? What is going to happen?

"But the only real thing that matters are results."

The same could also be said of United.

Ferguson can praise his players as much as he likes and express the utmost confidence in them, yet, much as in 1995 when he released Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis in the same summer, the loss of Ronaldo leaves the Red Devils needing to make a leap of faith in the men left behind.

No-one has been silly enough to run polls calling for Ferguson's head, as they did 14 years ago, yet, in bowing to Ronaldo's wish to fulfil a boyhood dream, United must now begin life without the world's best player.

"Most of our players expected Cristiano to leave at some point, so it was not such a great shock," reflected Ferguson.

"That is not the problem. The problem is how we progress as a team.

"We will be a different shape and play in a different way to when Cristiano was here.

"That is something I am looking forward to. I am interested in that kind of progress, to see what a different team can do.

"It will be different without Cristiano."

Ferguson does have a few injury problems to contend with.

Jonny Evans looks set to join Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar on the sidelines after aggravating an ankle problem on Northern Ireland duty.

It means Wes Brown will have to be pressed straight back into service, unless Ferguson goes with the youth of Ritchie De Laet or Fabio Da Silva at right-back and move John O'Shea into the centre alongside Rio Ferdinand.

However, Ben Foster has recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss England's draw in Holland and he is expected to nudge out Tomasz Kuszczak in the battle to replace Van der Sar in goal.