Will United suffer a similar slump as Barca?

MANCHESTER United head into a crucial 11-day period which could very well define their quintuple dreams this season, starting with tomorrow morning’s Premiership game against Newcastle.

The English and European champions then face Fulham in the FA Cup, and Inter Milan next week at Old Trafford for the second-leg Champions League knockout round game before hosting Liverpool in a game that could prove vital to United’s Premiership title dreams this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson could not have chosen a better time to sound off a warning to his charges, especially the young ones such as Rafael and Danny Welbeck that complacency would be costly and would not be tolerated in his dressing room.

The Scot pointed to Barcelona’s recent slump in the La Liga after an impressive first half of the season, which led the league by 11 points at the start of the year. That lead is now cut to just four points, no thanks to their recent erratic form, which includes the latest 4-3 loss to Atletico Madrid.

The question now is: with United still challenging on three fronts – the Premiership, the FA Cup and the Champions League – will they crack or start to get complacent, as they once did in 1998, where they threw away a 12-point lead to hand Arsenal the Premiership crown?

Who will partner Rio on Wednesday?

DEFENDING European champions Manchester United travel to the San Siro this Wednesday morning (Singapore time) with just one fit centreback eligible to face Inter Milan, after Jonny Evans limped out in the second half against Blackburn.

Nemanja Vidic is suspended, following his red card at the World Club Cup last December, while club captain Gary Neville is still suffering from a virus and a strained leg. Wes Brown is also out, after breaking his metatarsal in training earlier this month.

John O’Shea is still doubtful, and the United medical staff are working overtime to get the Irishman’s heel in shape for the Inter game.

If that does not fall through, any one of these senior United players should get the job of partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence – Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and the young Rafael.

Who would it be?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: My pick would be Fletcher, if the rest don’t come through by Tuesday. The Scot has faced much criticism for his inconsistent performances over the past few seasons, but the 25-year-old has come through for United this season, shining in the early parts of the season where the champions were struggling to find their feet.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season?

MAN United extended its lead at the summit of the Premiership table early this morning, brushing Fulham aside easily with a 3-0 victory.

In the build-up to this game, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger has declared the Red Devils currently “untouchable”, and Sir Alex Ferguson has also said that the title race is now down to his United team and Liverpool, with Chelsea blowing their chances after sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari.

While some critics are saying that Man United are due for a bad patch soon, after a nine-game winning streak (the last time they failed to collect three points was against Spurs in December) and a 14-game unbeaten run.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season? Let’s play it by the numbers.

Injuries to cost United titles?

ANDERSON and Rafael limped off after Manchester United’s Carling Cup win over Derby this morning, joining the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves on the treatment table, among others.

This may prove crucial in the coming months, especially since they are still in contention for the Premier League title, FA Cup, Carling Cup and the Champions League title, especially since they are only starting to kick into gear right now.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: This does not bode well for United, who are already suffering from Cristiano Ronaldo’s indifferent form and Dimitar Berbatov’s occasional flashes of brilliance.

United fans would pray that the Bulgarian and Carlos Tevez do not injure themselves before Wayne Rooney returns, or before Ronaldo finds his spark again. Otherwise, they may find Liverpool pipping them to the title come May.

What would Chelsea do without Roman?

AND so, common sense has prevailed and Team Football has pulled a goal back against Team Money. But while everyone is going gaga over Kaka over these few days, one piece of Chelsea news has slipped by rather quietly.

It seems that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is trying to auction the London club off to the highest bidder in the Middle East, after his personal fortune took a battering following the global financial meltdown.

The New Paper‘s Iain Macintosh brought up several points in his comment piece today, and doesn’t it make you wonder how Chelsea would be like if the Russian billionaire leaves without a similarly rich (or richer) owner taking over?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: Since his takeover, Abramovich has had Chelsea hanging by his purse strings, and success is bred at the back of his bucks, not via a healthy mixture of player transfers and young players coming through the youth ranks.

With Chelsea’s global scouting network trimmed in response to the global financial crisis, as well as the lack of quality players coming through the academy, coupled by the high average age of the Chelsea first team, it does seem like the Blues will suffer if their Russian owner does decide to ditch the club.