Manchester United: Wayne Rooney's Teammates Won't Fail Again

The Manchester United Red Devils were lucky to escape their match with Basel with only a 3-3 draw.

Life without Wayne Rooney can be tough as we saw in this match, and the sooner he gets healthy the better it will be for this United team.

They need Rooney in order to be elite. Without him, they are painfully flawed.

The very fact of the matter is that they should have lost the match. They got a good lead, but Basel came storming back and almost won the game.

United looked poor on both sides of the ball and displayed horrible energy. Phil McNulty of BBC Sport writes more about their near collapse:

"Danny Welbeck's double put United in control at half-time before the Swiss side stunned their hosts with a spectacular spell of three goals in 16 minutes after the break to leave Sir Alex Ferguson's side on the brink of their first home defeat in 17 months.

"United's defending was shambolic throughout and Basel looked to have inflicted a serious blow on their Champions League campaign as Fabian Frei pulled one back before Alexander Frei headed the Swiss level, then gave them the lead with a penalty 14 minutes from time.

"The shock to the system woke United from the slumbers—but it was only Young's last-minute header from Nani's cross that spared them only their third loss in 54 Champions League games at Old Trafford in the last decade.

"Ferguson may clutch at the consolation of salvaging a draw but there was little else to satisfy United or their manager as they were run ragged by Basel's lively attackers."

The reality of the situation is that even though United spared themselves from loss, everything about this match was a complete failure. The expectation was that the Red Devils would have no problem with Basel, but instead they were pushed to the edge of disaster.

If there is one consolation though, it's the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson will not allow this to happen again.

At the very least now he is aware of some of the weaknesses that his side possesses, and if he reacts like many expect him to, he is going to crack down on the squad.

The other dose of good news comes with the fact that superstar Wayne Rooney should be returning to the pitch soon enough.

Hopefully his return will be met with a team that has new focus in the chase for the greatness we all know they are capable of.