$25 Million Down The Drain?

That’s how much revenue Man United will lose if they don’t qualify for the next round of the Champions League.

What can you say about their game yesterday against Villarreal? The game was definitely more entertaining than the nil-nil scoreline suggests. The first 20 minutes, especially, were riveting as Man Utd delivered onslaught after onslaught of attacks at the Villarreal goal, only for the Spaniards to escape punishment.

Towards the end of the game, manager Alex Ferguson resorted to desperate measures by throwing Gary Neville and Louis Saha on in hopes of making something happen. But the spark was missing and despite numerous free kick opportunities in perfect scoring positions, Manchester United failed. And failed again and again.

Sometimes the difference between teams these days is a penalty or free kick. Look back to the Arsenal and Wigan match from the weekend, and see how Henry’s free kick was the deciding factor. The sad thing is that United had that player, who would have won the game last night. His name is David Beckham.