The Holy Grail of Europe, Deja Vu for Manchester United??

May 26 1999.

A day that no true Manc will ever forget, being 1-0 down to a resilient Bayern Munich super subs Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fired two in the last minute to win the game spectacularly at the Camp Nou.

United reached the promised land, the treble was won.

Fast Forward. 2007.

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

United were thrashed 3-0, my heart broke. So close, yet so far.

So has been the story for Manchester United in the Champions league since that miraculous night in Barcelona, after a 7-1 thrashing of Roma and a 3-2 comeback against Milan at Old Trafford it was a night of pain at the San Siro.

After good performances in the preliminary stages of the Champions League, United somehow falter in the last step towards the final and another season goes by, a second Champions League trophy eludes Sir Alex Ferguson.

Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid.

Bayer Leverkusen.

Porto.

AC Milan.

These teams have beaten United in the past seasons and reached the finals of the competiton, except for matches against Bayern Munich and AC Milan, Utd were dominant in the other games and still managed to lose.

The question is what happens to Man Utd in these all important matches and return legs??

Is it a case of nerves??

I don't think so... Last season it was fixture congestion and injuries that helped Milan on the way to the final (I was pretty sure that we would have held them at Milan had we not lost defenders to injuries).

Against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Porto, it was more to do with bad luck... Only in three fixtures in the last nine seasons (except 2005/06... oh the horror) have United been comprehensively outplayed and beaten in Europe... Otherwise they have been pretty competitive.

And once again in Spring 2008 comes that time, when the chips are down... Utd's lead at the top of the Premier League has been cut to three points (tough fixtures ahead)... Whereas Roma will fancy themselves a chance at the Theatre Of Dreams with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic injured.

If Utd go through (which they most probably will) they will face a struggling Barcelona (again, unless Schalke can miraculousy pull it off) and once again Utd will face an off form team like Milan last year...

Deja vu perhaps??

Now this will be the perfect time to assess the true fighting spirit of Man Utd... It is the time for heroes to shine... No doubt that Utd have already done very well in overhauling Arsenal's "invincible" eight point lead and leading by three... A great feat no doubt... But the luck of the draw just doesn't seem to favour United for the past few years... Injuries, bad form, lack in squad depth etc etc have been Utd's chief nemesis in the past seasons in Europe...

While the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool seem to be the luckiest in Europe, United have had to climb mountains...

This will be the perfect time for someone like Ronlado to prove his worth, with a goal-per-game this season he has been brilliant and been Utd's driving force, but it will all be useless if he doesn't deliver now when Utd require it the most...

Also, the likes of Nani, Anderson and Hargreaves, will have to prove that they are worth all that money after all...

Now will be the time for the gaffer (Fergie) to prioritise...

European champions or English champions??

No doubt he would like to be both but he dosent want his season to go horribly wrong like Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 where they where second best in all competitions...

Come Wednesday and millions of fans will be praying for Utd to beat Roma again... Meet Barca/Schalke and beat them too.... But the question remains... Can united do it??

Can someone be what Roy Keane was for United in 1999???

Well that remains to be seen... And like 300 million worldwide I too, will be hoping that United add a third European crown to their trophy cabinet.... It's the time for heroes and for villains... So fasten your seat belts red devils and expect a great end to an already eventful season...

Let's also not forget that this year is the 50th anniversary of the Busby babes crash...

Another incentive for United to do well in Europe... Winning the European Cup will be the perfect tribute to the Babes who lost their lives on a European trip....

2008 European Champions Manchester United??

I wouldn't bet against that... after all United love to do it the hard way!!