The words ‘Manchester United’ and ‘Europa League’ just don’t sound right in the same sentence. Unless, of course, you separate them with the phrase ‘have never played in’.

The signs have been there for several weeks that all was not right with United

But last Thursday morning, United fans, their players, manager and everybody associated with Old Trafford woke to the horrible realisation that the club had been demoted to Europe’s second class competition.

The last time United failed to make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League was in 2005. But the real issue here is that this is a club that has played in three of the last four finals of the competition and which were, a couple of months ago at least, widely tipped to make it four out of five.

United left-back Patrice Evra described the club’s elimination as “embarrassing” and a “catastrophe”. And, to be honest, I can’t think of any words more appropriate than those unless you want to chuck in ‘humiliating’.

The strange thing is, I am sure I am not alone in that I think I saw this coming. The signs have been there for several weeks that all was not right with United, both in Europe and at home.

However, like everyone else, I expected them to pull off a result when they needed it most. Just like they always seem to do.

But, needing only a draw in their final match against Basel, they instead conspired to lose a game they should have comfortably won. It was a performance similar to many we have seen from them of late, only this time they didn’t manage to sneak a result.

If nothing else, this match proved one thing – Sir Alex Ferguson was wrong to make do with his midfield at the start of the season. This game, like most of United’s matches over the past couple of months, highlighted how desperately the club needs a world class midfielder.

If the club shied away from signing Wesley Sneijder for financial reasons, that is looking like a poor decision now with elimination estimated to have cost them £20 million.

The fact that in recent weeks we have seen players like Phil Jones and Wayne Rooney in the middle of the park shows Sir Alex is trying to fit square pegs into round holes.

I expect a big move in January, even though that’s not a time when the Scot traditionally likes to spend. But he needs to do something to sort out his midfield mess.

The question now is whether United will take the Europa League seriously. I very much doubt it.

For one, Ferguson’s pride probably won’t let him, and the fans themselves are unlikely to warm to a competition they normally take pleasure in mocking.

Could they go on and win it? Probably at a canter, if they really put their minds to it.

But even if they were to win it, it would hardly be any sort of compensation for the humiliation of their Champions League exit.

If this cloud does have a silver lining for United it is that big-spending city rivals Manchester City also slipped out of the European big time and into the obscurity of also-ran football.

One difference, of course, is that this was City’s first foray into the Champions League world and they can always write it off as a learning experience.

Another difference is that their fate was already out of their hands, so expectations among the blue half of Manchester had already been dampened even before they played Bayern Munich.

Of course, supporters of other English clubs would have afforded themselves a little snigger as the final whistles rang out on Wednesday.

But I fear Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur fans will not be laughing so loud come the end of the season.

Both Manchester clubs now only have one big prize to play for and, if they were determined to win the league before, they will be doubly so now.

While their elimination from proper European competition on one hand was a negative for English football, on the other hand it could make this one of the most epic title fights in history.

Political correctness vs common sense

All this talk about racism in football over the past few weeks has got me thinking.

As a rational human being I obviously agree there is no place in football, or society as a whole for that matter, for racism or racists.

However, is it not just possible that we may be taking things a little too far and over-compensating? Allowing political correctness to get in the way of common sense?

Let’s take the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand case as an example. By now we all know what it is Terry is alleged to have called Anton – a ‘black XXXX’. (For clarification, should you need it, give Google a little tickle).

Now that may very well make Terry rude, ignorant and offensive. It may well suggest he doesn’t have the manners or decorum needed to be captain of the England team. But it does not make him a racist.

Monkey chants are racist. Throwing bananas at players is racist. Questioning someone’s ability because of his or her skin colour is racist.

But using the world black to describe someone who happens to be black, in my opinion, is not.

I mean, by the same definition, me calling Viv Anderson the first black player to play for England is racist. Or does it only count if you follow the word black with something negative.

I’m sorry, but I believe this is political correctness gone mad. And I am not alone in this view: Benfica and Portugal legend Eusebio agrees.

Speaking about a similar incident in Portugal recently, he said: “Alan said that Garcia called him black? So what is he then? If they’d have called him white then he could have been offended.”

And let’s not forget that Eusebio, who played the game when racism was massively more prevalent than it is today, happens to be black himself.

The world is trying hard to eradicate racism and I fully applaud that. It is something that has be stamped out entirely.

I just think, in our desperation to do so, we may be taking things too far in the opposite direction.

That is wrong for many reasons, not least of which because I end up having to write several paragraphs in defence of John Terry…

Your say

“In last Sunday’s ‘Your say’, John Giacchino had good reason to compare Manchester United to a bottle of champagne, for this bubbly beverage is usually linked with celebrations, which is a feeling Mr Giacchino and his fellow Gunners have completely forgotten. A Merry Christmas to all.” Mark Galea, e-mail.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade