Premiership: Schmeichel backs Barthez

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel today addressed the Old Trafford goalkeeping crisis and sided with under-fire Fabien Barthez, declaring: ‘‘We all go through bad times.’’

French shot-stopper Barthez has helped derail Alex Ferguson’s final campaign as manager with an astonishing series of blunders that have contributed to the Red Devils’ slump to ninth in the Premiership.

But retired Denmark international Schmeichel, who is impressing on his English comeback with Aston Villa, today spoke out in favour of the former Marseille and Monaco keeper.

Schmeichel drew a parallel between 30-year-old Barthez’s current slump and a trough he endured in United’s amazing 1998-99 treble-winning season.

The Villa number one said: ‘‘I don’t know Fabien as a person, but I speak to him when we meet.

‘‘I’ve met him quite a few times during my career, both at Denmark against France and at Monaco against Manchester United.

‘‘We all have bad times when things don’t work for us. In my last year at United, the October was probably the worst month I’ve ever had in my career. I couldn’t catch anything and every time the other team hit the target, it went in.

‘‘Firstly, I wasn’t playing well, and secondly, when your confidence is low and you’re not playing well, you haven’t got the luck you normally have.

‘‘I didn’t have the luck and I was really poor for the whole month.’’

During eight years as the idol of the Old Trafford faithful, Schmeichel stocked his bulging trophy cabinet with winners’ medals from five championships, three FA Cups and the 1999 European Cup.

However, the Dane admits that during the dark days of October 1998, he could not see the spectacular climax to his United career on the horizon.

He believes the constant demands of top-flight club and international football finally caught up with him - before being alleviated by Ferguson’s willingness to allow him time off.

‘‘There’s always a reason for what happens,’’ said Schmeichel.

‘‘I went straight from winning the 1998 championship into the training camp for the World Cup.

‘‘We made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup at the end of June, and United had to qualify for the Champions League on July 22. You add it up - how much time did I have in between to have a holiday and come back and be fit?

‘‘I was drained and I hadn’t had a holiday with my family for nearly two years.

‘‘But the manager was brilliant and arranged to give me 10 days off, six weeks later. And from the day he said that, I played out of my skin again.

‘‘I went to the West Indies, and after that, I never felt tired. I was just enjoying it and we won the treble that year.’’