Another year, another group, another season of high expectation and a longing for more European glory.

They’ve been through it so many times over the years that you might think it’s something of a routine for Manchester United and their fans as the opening shots of the Champions League are exchanged and hopes and fears can be brightened or extinguished over just a couple of games.

United’s trip to Sporting Lisbon tonight conjures up vivid memories of their last encounter with a Portuguese club last season. It took a mighty effort to get rid of a tenacious Benfica side to make the semi-finals, where expectations simply died at the hands of a majestic AC Milan.

'It’s clear from their unimpressive start to the Premier League season that United’s armoury hasn’t been given a proper airing yet'


Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed the opinion that his lack of essential back-up troops was the cause of United’s demise. He let so many players out on loan that he simply did not have the reinforcements available at crunch time. He put it down to a “lack of freshness” and a lack of bodies due to a spate of injuries. He doesn’t intend that to happen this time round.

Happily, his only real problem will be team selection and, Owen Hargreaves apart, he has a relatively full squad to pick from, including the impetuous and highly-motivated Wayne Rooney, who went into a right old grump when Fergie wouldn’t play him against his old club, Everton, on Saturday and insisted the striker have more intensive treatment on his foot injury.

Presumably that was in readiness for tonight, because I expect Ferguson to fire up his big guns for what is essentially a “must not lose” battle. Expect Rooney to start up front alongside Carlos Tevez  with Ryan Giggs and Louis Saha on the bench in case a more refined approach is needed.

It’s clear from their unimpressive start to the Premier League season that United’s armoury hasn’t been given a proper airing yet.  Injury, of course, has put Rooney out of the firing line, Tevez is still looking for his first goal in a red shirt (although Fergie admits it’s only a matter of time) and Cristiano Ronaldo has rarely been able to get a sight of goal in his crosshairs.

Then, of course, there is a question of priorities – Premier League or Champions League? Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been roundly criticised this week for fielding a weakened team at Portsmouth on Saturday, resting key players in readiness for last night’s game at FC Porto.

A ragged performance at Portsmouth (where they were saved from defeat by Pepe Reina’s penalty save) and an equally unimpressive Euro display in Portugal tends to highlight the question of tactical strategy.

It is worth noting that Milan had long given up on the Serie A title when they beat United in last year’s semi-final, and the same applied to both Liverpool and Arsenal the previous two years. Neither were in the running for the Premiership title by then.

Many pundits claim that clubs need to prioritise, but Ferguson is a staunch believer in the maxim: If it’s there to be won, go for it. Contesting the top prizes at home and abroad is what football and, more importantly, success is all about. He reckons he has the experience and youth support system in place to make a fist of it this time.

Let the show begin!

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