Broken and Bruised But Beyond the Barricade…

Does the lack of a winter break affect the English clubs in spring? Is it still humanly possible for the top English clubs to remain competitive on four fronts at around same time? Do the English top clubs play more games than their European counterparts? Or they just burn out faster at the business end of things? Is the English League more competitive than the other top leagues? Or are the players just not fit enough to execute the 'big push'? Is Mourinho a career rabble-rouser? Is Roy Keane a bitter jerk? Are you happy about Paul Pogba’s ‘enforced rest’? Did you derive as much fun as I did watch Ander Herrara trying not to tackle? What say ye about the Zlatan for another year? Questions…questions…questions…

Whatever the answers are, fatigue is real and it has a valid State ID and recognisable address. It is quite clear that some of the players are on their last legs but amusingly still, there are also some players who have not gotten enough games e.g. Luke Shaw. (I also don’t understand why a Schweinsteiger could not get look in in at least one leg of the Rostov tie. He may be over the hill but I don’t think he’s that derelict…or is he?)

A weary Manchester United huffed and puffed to a 1-0 victory over FC Rostov in the 2nd Leg of the Round Of 16 Europa League Cup tie, Mata, the goalscorer in the 70th minute. Romero with 2 crucial saves including a last minute free kick that was arrowing into the top corner. 2-1 aggregate. The Reds consequently earned themselves a Quarter-final tie against Belgian power-house, Anderlecht. Other quarter-final pairings are:

Ajax v Schalke                                               

Lyon v Besiktas

Celta Vigo v Genk

The 1st legs are on the 13th of April with the return fixtures on the 20th. Looking at the remaining contenders, regardless of any internal or local fixture challenges, this is probably the best opportunity for United to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season and also win the only major club title missing from our impressive trophy cabinet.

The gaffer would get special brownie points for that one. It is not an opportunity that should be wasted. 

The injuries have started to mount and the fixtures are getting more vital with each passing week day. Martial and Rooney are definitely out of the Middlesborough clash on Sunday. The aforementioned Pogba too. Blind is a doubt. Both Zlatan and Herrara are suspended for the next two league games. Squeaky bum time. Fortunately, the international friendly break, which I still have no love for, could not come at a much better time even if for the sole purpose of rejuvenation.

The manager-less Middlesborough would pose its own unique problems on Sunday. Middlesborough, while currently occupying the 19th place, do not concede much. 'Only' 30 goals so far. Liverpool and Arsenal have conceded more. United, on the other hand do not score enough and cannot be described as clinical. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored a blue whale's share of our league goals, is unavoidably absent. Rashford finally has his chance to play top striker in a league match but of what use is blinding pace when the opposition refuses to even compete in a race? Ultra-conservative and primarily defensive minded, 'Borough are in a relegation dogfight. Would a 'mere' point at home be a point gained or 2 lost against the 'mighty' Manchester United who they have failed to beat in the last 14(?) fixtures or so? You don't need to be a brain surgeon to figure that out. Mourinho has his work cut out for him. I may be wrong but a further loss of points on Sunday will be tantamount to that Boys II Men 'Boomerang' soundtrack song to our UCL ambitions through the EPL. There would just be too much work to do (not like there isn't already). The teams above us, the noisy neighbours the latest, have no further European obligations. I would ideally like us to have butter on one side of the bread and just a bit of jam on the other. Just...in...case.

An ugly 3 points would be just fine on Sunday and Mourinho, who one must confess, has done a fair-to-fine job so far, has to really muster all of his technical acumen to navigate through these final months. All the remaining targets and pursuits are still achievable. On to the Riverside we go...

Next Up: League match v Middlesborough on Sunday at the Riverside Stadium. 12 p.m. (GMT).

Signing Out,

B.L...

In Other News:

* I have had to re-evaluate Pep Guardiola's position in the pantheon of great coaches. It's not for the singular reason that his team was eliminated in the 2nd round of the UCL against a boisterous and youthful Monaco side but rather because of his dogged consistent inflexibility in tweaking his formations and tactics to adapt to game situations particularly in the knock out rounds of the UCL. While I've always known that Messi & Co. hide a multitude of sins for many (Luis Enrique won a treble for goodness sake), Guardiola has so far shown himself incapable of traversing key knock out games with his other teams, Manchester City, the current. With Bayern Munich, he was coaching a side in the country that was both the client and player president and he promptly delivered 3 league titles in three years. In the UCL however, he choose to adopt the same attacking approach even against the elite clubs in the latter stages of the competition. Knocked out handily each and every time.

City has been the first team he doesn't have an overwhelming advantage of attacking players. 5-3 up against a largely inexperienced but high scoring Monaco side, I expected this tie to be over. (Don't forget that the same naive Monaco gave up 2-goal lead in the first leg.) Sterilise the game like Atletico Madrid did and ensure a boring but progressive ride into the next round. It should have been that simple. But his team was, as usual, set up to attack. 2-0 down in 30 minutes. God gives second chances. Leroy Sane equalises. Advantage City. They concede again minutes later. Bakayoko header. City out. 

Until he learns, he will continue to slide further down the echelon of the greats. That said, I hope he doesn't learn all through his duration in England. Cheers to that!

* The UCL Quarters are set - Barcelona v Juventus (Grrr!), Real Madrid v Bayern Munich (Woof!), Atletico Madrid v Leicester (tricky) and Dortmund v Monaco (Goals galore). 

* Jidenna's 'Bambi' is a really really good song...