Sir Alex conquered Europe in 1999 and used 4 strikers.
Two pairs of reliable pros who, if needed, could come off the bench and score.
He did it without Keane and Scholes, who were suspended for the final at the Nou Camp. That obliged him to use Beckham in central midfield.
Not being a historian, I don’t know how often two clubs who qualified from the same Group have met again in the final.
But I do know that United and Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Bayern had played a 2-2 draw and a 1-1 draw in Group D.
In the final, Mario Basler had rocked United with a goal after six minutes and as the end of the second half approached Bayern were still winning 1-0.
UEFA president Lennart Johansson was sent downstairs with the trophy decorated with yellow and blue ribbons.
When the lift door opened he was told, “United have scored. Go back up.”
Teddy Sheringham had equalised in the 91st minute. A scruffy but priceless goal that came after a Beckham corner.
When Lennart went back up to watch extra-time, the lift door opened again and he was told,”Manchester United have won. Put red and white ribbons on it.”
Beckham had taken another corner, Sheringham headed the ball across the goalmouth and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the biggest goal of the season.
A dramatic/historic/dream treble achieved in Barcelona in 1999?
You could say that.
Yes, Manchester United can do dramatic victories. Another English club can do them too.
Six years later in Istanbul, Liverpool came back from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan and claim their fifth European Cup.
Watching the Manchester United highlights last night, I was realised, again, that The Theatre of Dreams needs players who can score from crosses.
Their crowd for a game against Aston Villa was 75,411.
Passing sideways is boring for 75,000 people to watch in a big stadium, so Wayne Rooney opened up the game with a long pass that led to the goal in 32 minutes.
Rooney fired a 60-yard diagonal ball from the half-way line to the corner flag, and the experienced Valencia measured his cutback towards the corner of the six-yard box.
As the ball fizzed across in front of Marcus Rashford, the kid clipped it low past Brad Guzan.
In any season, any league, any decade, that goal is a very good one.
Don’t say: it was scored against a dysfunctional outfit who have just been relegated with 16 points from 34 games. Because West Ham or Leicester or Arsenal might not have been able to defend against those two passes or that finish.
RASHFORD MUST GO TO EURO 2016.
If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.