I can't get my head around how poor United have been in Europe this season.....Finalists in 3 out of the last 4 Champions League finals, yet they have looked like absolute European novices in most of their games this season.

Bilbao are absolutely schooling them at the moment.....Can any United fans explain what's happened for the wheels to have come off so spectacularly??.....(And I'm not fishing, I'm genuinely baffled).

Firstly, well done to Chelsea, on a great performance and result, last night.

Secondly, I'm a little worried why a bloke who was a failure at WBA, could get a team to beat a side that looked good in previous rounds, when Chelsea's previous manager couldn't beat a paper boys XI with the same players, recently. I'm mystified!

I'd dispute whether Di Matteo was a failure for West Brom. He got them promoted to the Premier League, suffered for a period in the PL, and quickly got fired. I think the PL is such a massive step up from the Championship that any manager will struggle in the top division. Norwich and Swansea have performed magnificently this season, but next season there is a very good chance that both their bubbles will have burst and they'll be relegation candidates. That doesn't mean that their managers will be failures.

I've said this before, but the Chelsea squad can be champions or they can be c****. I think if a manager comes in and rubs them up the wrong way then they simply won't give everything, and the performances disappear. Remove that manager, allow the players to work towards a united goal and they can quickly play like champions again. It happened with Scolari/Hiddink and it seems to be happening again.

I know that Abramovich has taken a lot of stick over getting rid of AVB, but the last three games have shown that the decision was the right one - just like the decision to axe Scolari.

I don't think there's a chance that we will get close to winning the CL. We're a mile off Real and Barca. But that could work to our advantage as I think anything we get this season is a bonus. We were virtually out after the away leg at Napoli so we should be able to play without too much pressure.

Just haven't got a midfield unit - gone 442 a few times in europe and got taken to pieces in midfield, which obvious then exposes the defence and minimises the service the forwards get...

Cleverley & Anderson played well together early in the season, but both have been injured for the bulk of the season since then, a fit and confident Valencia makes a massive difference to United for me, Nani on his day is brilliant, but too inconsistent, Park has many qualities, but quality is not one of them..Giggs and Scholes have a combined age of 100.

It's a pretty young squad other than those two, and I think only a signing or two away from being decent, but as i think i said after the 1st leg, it just makes you wonder what the scouts do, you get ridiculous posturing over offering 35m / 45m for Snjeider (which we probably don't actually have) for the duration of each transfer window, when their are clearly lots of players around who would add to the squad who would in all likelihood go for a fraction of that.

how utd got away with a 2-1 defeat I will never know.

If that right back for Bilbao had scored the goal where he did 3 step overs it would have been one of the best goals I've seen. Never seen Man Utd, the champions of what is supposedly "the best league in the world" get as outplayed and look like a championship team as much as I have tonight!

The reason why he's taking stick is because of the appointment of AVB not the dismissal i.e. it was clear from the outset that AVB was saying this was a three year plan (which sounds perfectly reasonable). RA should not have appointed him in the first instance if he didn't agree to it (which by appointing AVB is surely an authorisation from him). If Chelsea were languishing in the second half of the table I think there's a clearer argument for getting rid. It might have done the club good to not finish in the Champions League for a year. RA can afford it and it might have prompted some of the prima donnas to leave too.

Great free kick there from Sporting but this is boring lol.

You miss the games against Barcelona then?

It's even more boring now.

Would Utd and city even qualify for europe if they were in La Liga?

Would the likes of Liverpool avoid relegation?

Quote: Karlos13 "Would Utd and city even qualify for europe if they were in La Liga? Would the likes of Liverpool avoid relegation?'" they might, as apparently Steve Gerrard is the 2nd best british midfielder of all time www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/31448 ... egends.htm? don't get me wrong , he is a very fine player, who has carried some awful liverpool teams ( much like robson carried some pretty hideous united teams ) but A> how does he rank compared to the other players mentioned B> 'all he has done for england' - which is what exactly? he's has been (other than the odd decent game) as average to poor as everyone else who has played for england in the recent era

Quote: Karlos13 "Would Utd and city even qualify for europe if they were in La Liga? Would the likes of Liverpool avoid relegation?'" they might, as apparently Steve Gerrard is the 2nd best british midfielder of all time www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/31448 ... egends.htm? don't get me wrong , he is a very fine player, who has carried some awful liverpool teams ( much like robson carried some pretty hideous united teams ) but A> how does he rank compared to the other players mentioned B> 'all he has done for england' - which is what exactly? he's has been (other than the odd decent game) as average to poor as everyone else who has played for england in the recent era

The premier league title run in is going to be a doozy.

Whilst you'd have to say 'advantage united', I still think city will ultimatley triumph.

I think it was psychologically damaging for city when united went to chelsea, nal and tottenham and didn't drop the points you think they would, and then they beat norwich in the last minute as well. It's just typical united really, as soon as you enter a title run, they pick up points [irelentlessly[/i.

They draw against chelsea when it looks all ends up a defeat. They win against nal when, with 10 minutes remaining it's level with nal piling on the pressure. Then they go to tottenham who've been rampant this season and win without breaking sweat.

Then they look set for a draw against norwich and nick a last minute winner. That's 7 more points than city would have expected them to have.

You have to admire United's sheer ability to.....well just accumulate a hell of alot of points when the title race reaches it's crucial point.

To get one point ahead of city they'd had to go on a pretty big unbeaten run. When will this come to an end? The sooner it does, the better for city (obviously).

City have the tougher run in, but they need to embrace this. This is where they get the chance to show their mettle, and show why they should be champions.

United went to chelsea, to tottenham and to nal needing to get points. So man city can't feel sorry for themselves, they need to beat chelsea, they need to go to nal and newcastle and win, they need to go to stoke and pick up all three points. This is where champions are made.

For me, it'll be tooth and nail until the final game. Both teams will drop points and whens all said and done, the last game of the season will decide it. IMO.

Man city are at home to qpr, united away at sunderland. For me, that's advantage city.

City to take the title by 1 point, last game of the season.

Utd will drop points at Wolves on Sunday IMO.

They won't.

Wolves have been shot to sh*t in recent weeks and UNited know if they win that they'll go 4 points clear until city play chelsea which will apply tremendous pressure on city.

If wolves play like they did against Blackburn then Utd will run riot.