Even if his heirs did not ask for their money back without Abramovich’s largesse they would

Even if his heirs did not ask for their money back, without Abramovich’s largesse they would be saddled with an unmanageable wage bill.There is too great a weight of history, too large a body of achievement, too much cash being generated, for Manchester United and Arsenal to fade from contention, but their immediate destiny depends not on events at Old Trafford or Tampa, Highbury or Ashburton Grove, but at Stamford Bridge.Decline and fall of English footballing empiresAll good things come to an end Are United and Arsenal declining like the giants of the past?Leeds United 1968-1974What they achieved Twice champions (three times runners-up), once FA Cup winners in a six-season period.Then what Did not finish in the top three until 1992 when they won last First Division title before creation of the Premiership.Liverpool 1975-1990What they achieved 10-times champions (four times runners-up); twice FA Cup winners and European champions on four occasions (1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984) in 15-year period.Then what Have not won a championship since 1990, twice FA Cup winners.Everton 1983-87What they achieved Twice champions (once runners-up) and once FA Cup winners in four-year period. A previous benefactor died prematurely in a helicopter crash and Matthew Harding had no need of bodyguards. Or Frank Lampard and his Catalan wife might be lured to Barcelona, where the sun shines and the football glitters.Or, and this would be catastrophic for Chelsea, Roman Abramovich could find other interests – or worse. Even Dynamo Berlin stopped winning the East German championship eventually, though only after the fall of the Berlin wall and collapse of the Stasi, the secret police who backed the club.In Chelsea’s case Jose Mourinho may get bored and go off to test himself in the revolving dug-out of Real Madrid, surely the ultimate challenge for such an egotist. If Thierry Henry is in the mood, Sol Campbell fully fit and Jens Lehmann clear-headed they are capable of beating anyone. Though Henry was quiet on Tuesday, some of his finest performances have come on foreign fields, notably in Rome and Milan.Arsenal’s worry is that next season all his performances will be on foreign fields, mostly Spanish.

Wenger must prove to Henry that the immediate future is bright, as well as the long-term one, otherwise Arsenal’s revival will be significantly put back.Yet Chelsea will not dominate for ever History shows that. Instead they are scrabbling for baubles, such as the Carling Cup and an automatic qualifying place in the Champions’ League. The concern for Ferguson is whether this will be enough to satisfy the Glazers.Arsenal still have Europe to play for this season and while they are not among the favourites, neither were Liverpool last year. Indeed, they have seven more points now than they did at this stage in 2002-03, the last time they won the title. The dominance is cyclical, not terminal.Chelsea’s fiscal might means it is different in England. Pre-Abramovich, United would now be engaged in a titanic duel for the title with Liverpool. Juventus are the form club but Milan can match them financially.

He then returned to Turin, where Juventus are disappearing over the Serie A horizon, eight points clear of Internazionale and nine ahead of Milan.So are Milan regarded as a team in crisis? Obviously they are in the Italian media but the crisis is temporary. The absence of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, and the presence of Pascal Cygan and John O’Shea, illustrated a lack of individual leadership and squad depth.”They miss me,” said Vieira, unhelpfully, on the eve of the game. United are out of the Champions’ League and 13 points adrift in the Premiership. Arsenal are fifth in the Premiership, out of the Champions’ League qualifying places, and a staggering 24 points behind Chelsea. A composite XI would be some team.But a composite squad would barely match Chelsea’s and it shows. United had taken 32 points from 36 prior to Tuesday night, while Arsenal were one of the first teams to reach the Champions’ League knock-out stages.

Wenger is secure in his post, Ferguson less so, but both need immediate evidence of progress, not regress. They can take heart from the knowledge that both teams remain a force. We have a young team.”For these old rivals, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie are the future, followed by Giuseppe Rossi and Arturo Lupoli, once team-mates in Parma’s youth set-up, now the standard bearers for the next generation to emerge from the academies at Carrington and London Colney.But their maturity is some way off Time presses. Hard as it is, both men have to accept the new reality and rise to the challenge.Each talks confidently of rebuilding, of investing in youth. “Eventually we hope to reach Chelsea’s level,” said Ferguson “We have a young team who will get better.