United’s form could question Blues’ bottle come May

THE Reds go marching on. United returned from the Riverside — scene of last season’s most humiliating low — with all three points, and in doing so extended the gap with Chelsea in our favour to its greatest since Mourinho turned up at Stamford Bridge.

Heady times indeed, and with the running start to the season which Fergie demanded of his men having well and truly been made, for once we are in a position to ask what Chelsea are truly made of.

Certainly United’s victory — and the source of the winning goal — may suggest we could yet be in a position to still be questioning Chelsea’s bottle come May. Whilst various doomlords legitimately continue to question the depth of United’s squad, striking back just a minute after Boro’s equaliser was as impressive as it was well timed. And following on from Fletcher storming through to puncture Boro’s bubble there’s even been an outbreak of suggestions that perhaps he’s not quite the waste of space many Stretford Enders have long suspected.

Unsurprisingly, such magnanimity hasn’t yet extended to Mr O’Pie — that other oft-lambasted squad member who made it onto the scoresheet in the last week, but on hard-fought away victories such as Saturday’s are title bids created, and our squad is yet to be found wanting.

Still, calamity is never more than a game away. Whilst European progression is already assured this week, in which competition United will compete come the New Year will of course be decided in another showdown with Benfica. Quite how United have arrived at this point for the second year running is perplexing following the opening three group victories, and is surely a more reliable indicator of the quality of United’s reserves, the revised opinion of The Scottish Player notwithstanding. You sense that the six points we stand in front of Chelsea will count for little should the Portuguese repeat last December’s triumph; quite who will be more unforgiving — the supporters or the Glazers — should United fail to progress to the lucrative latter stages of the European Cup isn’t clear.

What is becoming ever more apparent is the frugality imposed by United’s owners. The arrival on loan of Henrik Larsson has been heralded in many quarters as an astute move, but on closer inspection the details of the 10-week signing seem incredibly bizarre. Available for only 13 games (at the most), it takes the definition of a stop-gap signing to a new extreme, and will undoubtedly cause introspection in the likes of Alan Smith and Ole Solskjaer for whom the signing clearly signals a vote of little confidence.

Indeed, both have been linked to January moves (sources suggest the latter will soon be playing his trade at Ewood Park) which would only serve to further deplete United’s squad come the season’s crunch.

That is of course, presuming this season will have a crunch. With Manchester City turning up at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime, United’s next two matches will probably dictate the course of our season. Victory in both will take United well clear at the top of the league and through to the knockout phase in the European Cup, the worries of a paper-thin squad and horrendous away record in Europe can be postponed for the morrow. Defeat in either would envelop Old Trafford in a heavy gloom, and seriously undermine the impressive season to date. (Of course, failure in both is too hideous a prospect to even contemplate.) However, negative thoughts have little place at Old Trafford of late, and few would expect Benfica or City to prove much obstacle given our form. Hopefully that’ll prove the case, and then maybe thoughts can turn to sorting out that ludicrous goal celebration certain players have taken to recently.

*Richard Kurt is author of The Red Army Years