Nobody seriously believed Alex Ferguson yesterday when he said the thought of winning the European Cup at Old Trafford had never crossed his mind. He did not relish the role of onlooker at last season's final in his native Glasgow and the enchanting possibilities that lie in wait this season might yet soothe that disappointment.
Ferguson will not entertain questions over the coming months about contesting the final at the Theatre of Dreams next May because he sees it as an added pressure on his players. The Manchester United manager has enough to contemplate as it is, beginning tonight in their opening Champions League tie against Maccabi Haifa, a match that would normally be regarded as a cinch but will have to be treated with extreme caution given the home team's recent displays.
Bedevilled by injuries and erratic form, the eight points from six games that United have accrued in the Premiership so far constitute their worst opening to a league campaign since 1989-90, a season in which Ferguson came perilously close to the sack.
Compared to the squads of Bayern Munich, for example, and Real Madrid in particular, United are suddenly looking flimsy, a fact Ferguson acknowledged. "It's the money they spend that makes it very difficult for us to catch up or match them," he said.
"When you watch Real these days it comes across that they are not too bothered about their own league and their whole mentality is about winning the European Cup. And they are spending the sort of money that is leaving us all gasping. It was Luis Figo one year, Zinedine Zidane the next and this year it is Ronaldo. What can you do against that?"
An opening group that also includes Olympiakos and Bayer Leverkusen should not create too many difficulties in qualifying, particularly as Maccabi Haifa started their domestic season three weeks late at the weekend because of a dispute over TV rights.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-4-2): Barthez; O'Shea, Blanc, Ferdinand, Silvestre; Beckham, Veron, P Neville, Giggs; Solskjaer, Van Nistelrooy.
MACCABI HAIFA (probable) (4-4-1-1): Awate; Benado, Harazi, Keissy, Ejiafor; Valid, Rosso, Almoshnino, Pralija; Zandberg; Katan.
Referee: P Allaerts (Belgium).
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