In The Red Corner – We Almost Had A Title Race There

David Fox is the new writer of In The Red Corner, our Manchester United guest column

Well, well, for a moment there we had a title race didn?t we? For a few brief days we were allowed to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could win the title. After all, we were in great form, Chelsea weren?t playing that well and our first fixture of the Easter program was against all-but-relegated Sunderland at home. We were bound to win that, right? Right? Wrong. Somehow we scraped a point against one of the worst sides in Premiership history, and that signalled the end. The players knew it when the ref blew his whistle in that game, and we?ve no one to blame but ourselves. Of course, as I write this, the title is still not Chelsea?s, but now it is merely a matter of when and not if.

So now, with little left to play for but 2nd place, I find myself thinking that maybe its better in the long run that we fell short again. Had we somehow sneaked a title win it would have served only to mask our many deficiencies and maybe persuaded Fergie not to make any big changes for next year, when anyone can see some are needed. I mean, can we seriously expect to win the title with John O?Shea ? a player who makes otherwise sane men long for the halcyon days of Phil Neville ? as our midfield lynchpin?

As good a job as Ryan Giggs has done in the middle, we need to be able to compete with Chelsea, who will have Makelele, Essien, Lampard and very probably Michael Ballack to call on in central midfield next year. By comparison, whom do we have? An ageing Paul Scholes, an out-of-position Ryan Giggs, John O?Shea and Darren Fletcher?its not a list that exactly strikes fear into opposing managers hearts, is it? This position seems to be the only one where we seem particularly weak, yet it?s hugely important. Van der Sar is a safe enough pair of hands, we have a bevy of solid defenders these days (Mikael Silvestre excepted), Ronaldo and Park Ji-Sung are always busy and threatening, and our strikers look as if they?ll score plenty of goals?and yet, against the better sides in the Premiership we?ll end up falling short because we?ll lose the vital midfield battle.

Do we have a Fabregas, a Lampard, a Gerrard or a Carrick? The other sides in the top four all have one or more central midfielders who you feel can change a game and produce something from nothing, whereas we have John O?Shea. Likewise, the other sides have a midfield enforcer of the highest calibre, like Makelele or Sissoko, whereas we have John O?Shea (can you sense a pattern emerging here?).

All the signs are that Ferguson will have a decent amount of cash to play with this summer, and I just hope he spends it wisely. We?re being linked with Argentinean hard man Aldo Duscher, a player who I?ve not seen enough of to comment on, but at least it shows Fergie is going after the right type of player. Personally, I?d like to see us get Lyon?s Mohammadou Diarra or, for a cheaper option, Fulham?s Papa Bouba Diop (a very underrated player, in my opinion).

As for that other midfield berth, we?ve been linked with Villareal?s excellent Juan Roman Riquelme, and you won?t hear me complaining if we get him, expensive though he?ll doubtless be. Though regardless of whom we do or do not buy, I?d like to think that we?ll be challenging for the title again next year, along with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and who knows, maybe even Spurs. It?ll be nice to have a really exciting title race as opposed to the procession behind Chelsea we have now ? even Mourinho agrees.