Squad rotation the key to United winning treble

MANCHESTER UNITED’S resolve to emulate the heroes of 1999 by winning a second Treble has been strengthened by their progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and — Rafa Benitez will be fascinated to hear — by the use of squad rotation.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 30th goal of a quite astonishing season put United into the last eight in Europe on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Lyon and the focus now shifts immediately to Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Portsmouth at Old Trafford.

With a Premier League match at Derby the following weekend and a total of 17 possible games to go in 71 days before the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 17 there is a hectic schedule ahead for Alex Ferguson’s side.

However, Wayne Rooney believes the pre-season signing of players such as Carlos Tevez, Nani, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson leaves the club far better prepared for the run-in than last season when fatigue and injuries led to a miserable 3-0 defeat in Milan at the last hurdle of the Champions League.

The striker said: “If you look around we have a lot of match-winners. But also the squad is important. If you look at the last game of last season, we had a lot of injuries and a few players playing a lot of games.

“We were tired, but it’s a big squad now and, hopefully, the rotation will help. I think we’ll be a lot fresher if we get there again. A lot of players haven’t played as many games this season so, hopefully, that will help us.”

Rooney may not enjoy spending time on the bench, but it certainly hasn’t affected his form and team-mate Ronaldo, too, has benefited from the occasional rest this season.

Interestingly, manager Ferguson rarely receives the kind of criticism about team selection that has dogged Benitez down the road at Anfield where rotation is blamed for their inability to win the league.

At Old Trafford, despite only a reluctant acceptance from hardcore supporters, the same policy may well be the key to success.

Ferguson said: “I sense there are still supporters who twitch when the team is announced and they see I have made alterations to a starting line-up that has done well.

“That old adage ‘never change a winning team’ still seems rooted in many people’s minds. However, we have moved on from those days and the fact I am in a position to select from such a big pool of top-class players is arguably our greatest strength as we challenge on three fronts.”

Whether United, even with Tevez and Co on board, can match the exploits of 1999 remains to be seen and a lot will depend on the draw for the Champions League on March 14 and on how rivals Arsenal cope with their own Double challenge at home and abroad.

But not all old adages are out of date, because Ronaldo believes the secret to success is rather predicable: ‘taking it one game at a time’.

“It’s great to be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League,” he said. ”But now we need to think about the next games, starting with the FA Cup on Saturday.

“Portsmouth are always a good team and they are playing well. They create chances, but we have a very strong squad and, if we play well, we have a great chance of winning.

“It’s a massive game. We play at home, we want to win. It’s important because we want to take the FA Cup. Of course, we want the Premier League and the Champions League as well.”

At Old Trafford, it seems, greed is good. And maybe, nine years after the heady days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham in the Nou Camp, squad rotation could see it all come round again.