The recent Clasico — soon to be replayed as a Copa del Rey final — was so exciting that, with due respect to Chelsea and Manchester United, the ideal Champions League summit would probably involve either Barcelona or Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
It’s been a while since any club was as strongly fancied to keep the European title as Bayern, who, having spectacularly celebrated their Bundesliga retention, will hope to demonstrate a full recovery at Old Trafford tonight.
Yet so ragged has been Manchester United’s form since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down that it is something of a surprise even to find them in the quarter-finals.
More eyebrow-raising still is Ryan Giggs’s assertion that he and his colleagues go into the first leg “confident” on the basis of a club history of defiance that was never more vividly demonstrated than when, having trailed Bayern after 90 minutes of the 1999 final, they won in stoppage time.
Now Ferguson, we are told, has passed on to David Moyes a squad of dubious capability. It may, however, cheer United’s supporters to examine this claim in the light of the midfield that did duty in Barcelona 15 years ago.
Unwanted Manchester United records set by David Moyes
In the absence of the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, it featured Giggs on the right wing and Jesper Blomqvist on the left. David Beckham and Nicky Butt were the central section.
What would Ferguson have given for Michael Carrick and Adnan Januzaj, both of whom are available to Moyes?
This is not to say Moyes has resources remotely adequate to meet expectations, or even that United will avoid the fate of Manchester City and Arsenal when Bayern came calling. But Ferguson hardly left the cupboard bare. With David de Gea and the underrated Danny Welbeck, not to mention Wayne Rooney and the potential superstar Januzaj, Moyes has enough to build on. The hand- wringing should cease.
Read More
MORE ABOUT