Yet again Manchester United enter ‘squeaky bum time’ or ‘the business end of the season’ - or whatever you want to call it - leading the chasing pack at the top of the Premier League table. But with the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals approaching, United fans will be reflecting on poor performances and premature exits in both competitions.
A dismal European campaign saw them knocked out of a straightforward group containing Benfica, FC Basle and a Romanian side nobody had ever heard of. Just two wins and a disappointing third position handed them an obligatory place in UEFA’s glorified wooden spoon competition (aka the Europa League) where they were outplayed and dispatched by Athletic Bilbao… a team currently forty points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid. The Basque side may have played out of their skins over the two legs, but United should be competing with sides like Real and not teams with half their points total.
The FA Cup draw may have been unkind with United having to overcome Manchester City away before facing Liverpool at Anfield. But their limp performance without Wayne Rooney led to an early fourth round exit to a side with which their bitter rivalry has soured even further this season.
Home defeat in the League Cup to Crystal Palace may not have concerned too many people, but it seemed to highlight a lack of quality amongst the fringe players. Darron Gibson was hastily shipped out in January. Expect the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda to follow in the summer.
United obviously cannot win everything every season, especially with the emergence of Manchester City, Tottenham adding substance to their stylish play and Liverpool having new owners prepared to spend large sums of money on their squad.
But it is clear that United are lacking in key positions. They have lacked a consistent right back all season. Neither da Silva twin looks capable of staying on the pitch for a full ninety minutes, let alone string thirty games together. While Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have clearly been signed as a long-term centre-back partnership and not as makeshift full-backs.
They have quality on the flanks with Antonio Valencia earning himself a reputation as one of the most feared wingers in the world, and Ashley Young and Nani providing strong competition. On the other hand the centre of midfield has become a real worry. Michael Carrick has had perhaps his best season in a red shirt, but his lack of pace has been exposed numerous times on the biggest stage. Tom Cleverley has struggled to impose himself after a long injury lay-off while Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are nearing forty and surely cannot withstand the ageing process for much longer. Fans will be hoping Darren Fletcher can make a full recovery from illness but even if he does he is hardly likely to stand out on the European stage.
Ferguson badly needs to spend big so he can add quality to his lightweight midfield but costly flops like Juan Veron, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson may have put him off doing this. Nevertheless expect Wesley Sneijder to be linked with a move to United again after a woeful season with Inter Milan and Luka Modric is a likely target if Tottenham fail to finish in the top four again.
Ok, United are five points clear and look well placed to secure a record twentieth league title. That is a remarkable achievement and should be celebrated, but this should not be allowed to cover up their failure to succeed in other competitions, particularly in Europe.
The gap in class between United and Barcelona was mercilessly exposed in last season’s Champions League final. And if these key issues are not addressed, United could begin to lose grip on their domestic dominance as well.