Well, well, well, so there we are. The dream of winning five trophies in a season seems just that, a dream.

After the shambles of a Champions League performance against FC Porto at the Theatre of Dreams, doubts have been creeping into the minds of fans and players alike.

European quarter-final night, at home, is an event where one expects the team to rise to the occasion and display their sublime skills. However, Manchester United were woefully medicore throughout the 90 minutes. The team that has dominated the Premier League for most of the season with an absolutely impregnable defence, has leaked 10 goals in their last four matches. Crazy, when you consider that United didn't concede a single goal for almost 15 matches. 

What is ailing Sir Alex Ferguson's troops all of a sudden? Where have they lost their mojo? Did the Liverpool defeat affect them so deeply? Is the pressure beginning to stretch the nerves of what Sir Alex describes as the best United team ever?

Who shoulders the blame for the Porto debacle? If one away goal is worth its weight in gold, then two away goals are almost equivalent to a gold mine. And just remember that no English team has ever won at the Estadio do Dragao, home for Porto. United certrainly have a battle on their hands to defend their European crown. 

It is clear they are sorely missing their ideal defensive combination of Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra. Confidence has obviously taken a serious beating after the four-goal hammering by Liverpool.

John O'Shea has done exceedingly well to survive as long as he has, but quite frankly his level of play is going downhill. Jonny Evans lacks experience at the highest level and playing Michael Carrick as a makeshift defensive midfielder was not using his skills to the best.

What saddens me most is to write that Gary Neville is now past it. A spate of injuries have left him with a mountain of climb and unfortunately, he is unable to age as gracefully as Ryan Giggs has. 

United are missing Owen Hargreaves terribly, and I think he is the driving force who could hold United together right now. The problem ailing United, primarily, is that they are losing possession far too easily because of trying to play a cheeky game. When it comes off, it makes for breathtaking football but  when it doesn't, like right now, it causes a massive breakdown. This problem has been afflicting United since their second leg against Inter Milan at home. 

Instead of going back to basics they are trying be all fancy, and the results are there for us all to see. They are lacking rhythm and they need to revert to playing simple football immediately, without being over-elaborate. Match stats show United dominate possession, but they also show that there were no clear, silky smooth moves from owning the ball. 

Wayne Rooney did his part as best as he could and Carlos Tevez produced a goal when it seemed he was chasing around like a bulldog but unable to hunt anything down. I really like Tevez and what he has done, but this season, maybe because of the uncertainty over of his contract issue, the Argentinian hasn't been able to make enough impact. 

Nani is totally short on confidence right now and gives the ball away too easily. The same can be said of the World Footballer of the Year, Cristiano 'Real-rumour-won't-go-away' Ronaldo, who has surprisingly managed 20 goals this season despite being a few notches below his own high standards. 

Last season everything Ronaldo touched turned to gold, but this time round internal and external factors have taken away the edge from his game. It reminds me of his early days when, as a teenager, he was busier with flips and oversteps rather than simply making a short pass or sending over accurate crosses. He needs to re-galvanise himself.

United have a huge, huge week coming up now with their Premier League lead so precarious. Liverpool are in deadly form and Lady Luck seems to have  befriended Rafa Benitez.

United face a tricky game at Sunderland on Saturday and three days later travel to Lisbon for the second quarter-final leg against Porto. Sir Alex needs Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov back by that time for sure if he wants his team to achieve the dream.

 
 

Over the past couple of months I have been drawn back several times to the Australian Open and a developing tennis phenomenon.

I refer, of course, to the great duels between Roger Federer, arguably the finest player of all time, and his personal nemesis, Rafael Nadal, who finally claimed his place in the pantheon of tennis greats by winning his first Australian Open title.

We have had chance to dissect in minute detail what went wrong for the man who has ruled the men’s tennis world longer than any other being, and what makes his younger opponent so dangerous when they meet.

This particularly pertinent right now as the two great combatants are seeded to meet in the final of the Paribas ATP tournament currently under way at Indian Wells, California. It is Federer's first appearance after taking time out to recover from a troublesome back problem.

Over the course of the last four years, since their great rivalry began, they have thrilled millions around the world with some of the greatest matches ever played, on different surfaces, it has to be said.

Time and again we read about how weak Federer is against Nadal; how the Spaniard has his number right now; how, whenever he sees those bulging, muscular arms across the net his brain slips out of gear.
 
We tend to focus more on Roger's mental state and its fragility rather than giving Nadal his due credit. In my opinion, Nadal's mental capabilities are the most unique that one can ever come across as a sportsman.

The fire in his belly, the thirst for success, the greed for glory, the hunger for survival, and above all, putting aside all the compassion for a friend on the verge of history, the ultimate will to excel against his opponent is Nadal's greatest strength.

He simply wants it MORE every time he faces Federer. We all talk about how the man with 13 Grand Slam singles titles to his credit needs to reignite himself and push him against Nadal.

The fact remains that we seem to overlook the desire of Nadal, who truly believes that Federer is the greatest of all and yet he wants to prove himself against the Gold standard - and come out on top again and again.

Don’t blame the Swiss master for this. He plays the better “tennis”, he is easy on the eye, and he is the purists' favourite. It’s really just his bad luck, in the twilight of his astonishing career, to come up against a player willing and capable of running roughshod over him at every opportunity.

I still find it painful to watch what Federer had to endure, and the way he exposed his emotions to the 15,000 fans in the Rod Laver arena.

This Australian Open might just have been the critical juncture in the careers of two men. Nadal will start to get his long overdue acknowledgement for being a valid contender for “Greatest Of All Time” and a candidate for the calendar Grand Slam.

Federer will see the coming months as an opportunity to surpass Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam collection. We are undoubtedly assured of more great matches as their great rivalry rolls on around the world.

Federer will see the coming months as an opportunity to surpass Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam collection. We are undoubtedly assured of more great matches as their great rivalry rolls on around the world.

 
 

As the tragic incident in Lahore unfolded in front of our eyes last week, the question lurked in the minds of most Pakistanis: “Where do we go from here?”

Cricket remains the most popular sport in the country and it has often been cited as the one factor which can unite our nation. Now with such an horrific incident to our credit and a history of security-related concerns that have plagued our nation since 9/11, the future looks rather bleak for the sport.

While former cricket greats have condemned the incident, they have also predicted a dark future for the game in Pakistan. “Something like this should never have happened. We talk about foreign teams being provided top security but after what happened I don’t see any team coming to Pakistan for a while,” Waqar Younis, the former Pakistan captain said.

Imran Khan, the country's top all-rounder, has been quoted in the past as saying: “Countries should come to Pakistan to play cricket as terrorists have never targeted sportsmen.”

After what happened in Lahore, however, the great Khan had no option but to express doubts about the future of cricket in the country. “Foreign teams have already been refusing to tour us and this will hurt Pakistan cricket badly. I don’t know what will happen to the World Cup 2011. It is tough to say anything right now,” he said.

Unfortunately, the biggest stakeholders, the fans, have been left high and dry. Just when cricket was being revived in the country with immense help from the Sri Lankan cricket team and performances on the field, fans have had to endure yet another tragedy.

“In the space of three years, we have hit rock bottom. After the Oval 2006 incident Pakistan cricket has been in a free fall. Now this incident has sealed our fate for the next decade at least,” said Raheel, a disgruntled cricket fan.

Commentators on the leading cricket website www.cricinfo.com also shared their grief. “A very sad event. No one in their right mind would tour Pakistan now. The PCB have no choice now. If Pakistan wants to play cricket, sadly it will not be at home for a long, long time,” a reader, Hashaam, commented on the website.

A large number foreign cricket fans also commented and expressed support and solidarity with Pakistan and the policemen who lost their lives.

“It was a sad thing to happen. Pakistani security men who gave their lives should not be forgotten. It may look like the end, but it is not. Cricket should move ahead. The Pakistani team should carry on playing. Neutral venues first but slowly and surely bring cricket back home, however long it takes,” PS Sidhu remarked.

Another blogger in Australia predicted: “This is possibly the end of cricket being played in Pakistan for a foreseeable future unless the political and security situation stabilises.”