Why Sir Alex is Smiling

Until a couple of weeks ago, Manchester United fans were regularly exposed to press and television coverage comparing their squad unfavourably with Chelsea. The gist of it was that Chelsea have world class players throughout the team and plenty of world class players to replace any of them sidelined by injury or suspension.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? And it is, in theory. Then John Terry is injured and there are rumours of a long term absence, or possibly surgery. And although Carvalho continues to perform consistently, Boulahrouz looks considerably more disappointing at centre back than he did at full back. By this time, the situation is so serious that even the versatile Michael Essien, one of very few real successes this season, is pressed into service at the back and there are whispers of converting Didier Drogba, who has been outstanding up front, into a centre back, if only he could be replaced by Shevchenko, who hasn’t.

You need to dwell on that a bit, because what it indicates is this - the situation is evidently so desperate at Chelsea that the only thing preventing the man who has performed miracles up front being pressed into service at the back is that the manager feels that Shevchenko, the striker who cost a reported £30 million, has been such a flop he is incapable of adequately replacing him.

And in the meantime the team which was held to be virtually impregnable continues to ship goals (including pantomime own goals), to concede valuable home points, to rely upon Drogba to rescue them with spectacular eleventh hour strikes and to fall further and further behind Manchester United.

Yes, Manchester United. The club with the flimsier squad.