United's alarm at sleeping sickness

'It was a day when everything came right for Michael Owen and England while we were extraordinarily unlucky,' he said.

Meanwhile, United's under-pressure squad were preparing for a match that could shape their season. And defender Denis Irwin spoke remarkably frankly of the defensive problems that have undermined the team.

Irwin admitted: 'We have conceded goals that have been down to schoolboy errors. When we start cutting those out then we will be a lot more solid. Our form has been up and down. There have been games when we have played well but we need to find the consistency. Schoolboy errors don't help. We must be strong in defence. Without that platform it's difficult.'

Such candour from the experienced Republic of Ireland defender is striking, given that his manager has taken his usual levels of paranoia to new heights this week. In the wake of his threat at the weekend to suspend all media work, Ferguson predictably refused to carry out his usual Press briefing before the United party left for Germany yesterday morning.

Forced by UEFA rules to attend a Press conference late in the afternoon, the United manager was brief and often curt, leaving Irwin to explain the effect that Ferguson's public criticism of his players had in the wake of the recent 3-1 Premiership defeat at Liverpool.

Ferguson accused his team of having a poor attitude, appetite and work-rate that day and Irwin revealed that United faces have peered into a few mirrors since then.

Irwin said: 'Of course what he said hurt us. We did not perform anywhere near our normal standards. He was right to say what he did.

'Our inconsistency is not down to the fact that we have new players. Ruud van Nistelrooy has already scored goals and Juan Sebastian Veron has fitted in well. The managerquestioned our work-rate and rightly so. All we can do is work hard in training and the commitment over the last two weeks has been massive. There were signs of improvement in beating Leicester on Saturday, but it wasn't a great performance. There's an incredible desire at this club and I think people will find that out over the next six or seven months.'

Amid the debate on the state of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad, the fact that three-quarters of the season remains has often been overlooked.

Saturday's showing, however, contained few signs of defensive cohesion and Ferguson must hope the opportunity to renew acquaintances with the European champions stirs something in his players that will lift their efforts above the level of the mundane.

Last season, Ottmar Hitzfeld's team atoned for their 1999 Champions League Final loss to United by beating them home and away in the last eight. It was a sobering defeat for United but Ferguson is very much aware of the opportunity that stands before his squad.

Ferguson said: 'I hope this will be a kick- start point for us. We all know that the players are capable of slipping into gear. Bayern are the strongest team in Europe and I think they have improved since winning the trophy. But my players are capable of raising their game. The test is a good one for them.'

With a home game against Boavista next week, United ideally need four points from the two matches if they are to head for Champions League hibernation with realistic hopes of progress when they resume against Nantes in February. They face a Bayern side smarting from a German league defeat at Werder Bremen on Saturday which dislodged them from the top of the table.

Bayern will be without the injured Mehmet Scholl and Jens Jeremies but have captain Steffen Effenberg available after a twomonth absence.