The danger for Manchester United is to look too far ahead.Imagine if they reached the final. Imagine if they won it: could there be a more perfect occasion for the 69-year-old Sir Alex Ferguson to retire?
To win a third Champions League - putting him level with Bob Paisley as the most successful manager in the competition's history - and to do it at Wembley where, 10
years after the tragedy of the Munich air crash, Matt Busby's side won their first European Cup.
And to do it in the season that United won their 19th league title - they are six points clear at the top of the table - and so became the most successful side in English league history; it's hard to imagine a more perfect set of circumstances for Ferguson to say goodbye.
Ferguson himself has insisted that he will carry on until his health fails him, but he would not be human if he did not consider the possible scenes at Wembley on May 28.
What he must do first, though, is to persuade his side that Schalke 04 are a side who pose a credible threat.
Schalke lie only tenth in the Bundesliga and lost 1-0 at home to Kaiserslautern on Saturday. They are the only side left in the competition never to have reached a European Cup or Champions League final.
And yet they hammered the defending champions Internazionale in the quarter-final, and Ferguson will be all too aware that his United has only ever beaten one German side in a knockout game before - the final in 1999 when they trailed Bayern Munich 1-0 with 90 minutes played only to score twice in injury-time.
When he complained about "typical Germans" after losing to Bayern in last season's quarter-final, it wasn't just the diving, play- acting and attempts to influence the referee he was complaining about; he was also acknowledging how often his side has failed against German opposition.
Ferguson showed how seriously he is taking the threat of Schalke by omitting defender Nemanja Vidic and midfielder Park Ji-Sung from Saturday's 1-0 win over Everton, while Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra only made the bench.
All should return refreshed for Tuesday's game in Gelsenkirchen, with Carrick's role particularly key with Darren Fletcher still ruled out through injury.
"I have always said that Michael Carrick is an important player for us," said Vidic.
"He has such a big role for the team. He is that balance between the defence and midfield and the midfield and forwards.
"Over the years he has done that dirty job well. Maybe it is not a great role for the fans and media but we know how important he is for us."
To win a third Champions League - putting him level with Bob Paisley as the most successful manager in the competition's history - and to do it at Wembley where, 10
years after the tragedy of the Munich air crash, Matt Busby's side won their first European Cup.
And to do it in the season that United won their 19th league title - they are six points clear at the top of the table - and so became the most successful side in English league history; it's hard to imagine a more perfect set of circumstances for Ferguson to say goodbye.
Ferguson himself has insisted that he will carry on until his health fails him, but he would not be human if he did not consider the possible scenes at Wembley on May 28.
What he must do first, though, is to persuade his side that Schalke 04 are a side who pose a credible threat.
Schalke lie only tenth in the Bundesliga and lost 1-0 at home to Kaiserslautern on Saturday. They are the only side left in the competition never to have reached a European Cup or Champions League final.
And yet they hammered the defending champions Internazionale in the quarter-final, and Ferguson will be all too aware that his United has only ever beaten one German side in a knockout game before - the final in 1999 when they trailed Bayern Munich 1-0 with 90 minutes played only to score twice in injury-time.
When he complained about "typical Germans" after losing to Bayern in last season's quarter-final, it wasn't just the diving, play- acting and attempts to influence the referee he was complaining about; he was also acknowledging how often his side has failed against German opposition.
Ferguson showed how seriously he is taking the threat of Schalke by omitting defender Nemanja Vidic and midfielder Park Ji-Sung from Saturday's 1-0 win over Everton, while Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra only made the bench.
All should return refreshed for Tuesday's game in Gelsenkirchen, with Carrick's role particularly key with Darren Fletcher still ruled out through injury.
"I have always said that Michael Carrick is an important player for us," said Vidic.
"He has such a big role for the team. He is that balance between the defence and midfield and the midfield and forwards.
"Over the years he has done that dirty job well. Maybe it is not a great role for the fans and media but we know how important he is for us."
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