Rinus Michels confronted a major tournament for the last time at Euro 92. Holland, steered by him, had won the competition four years earlier, but it was not pride alone that made him defend the title. He was 64 then and, having undergone heart surgery in the 1980s, knew that he should sidestep the stress of the finals.

It wasn’t the quest for second place that made Manchester United giddy with ambition at Highbury on Tuesday. We already knew how they looked when all they have to scrap over is the runners-up position in the Premiership. In May of last year, they could not stir themselves to stop Chelsea from taking that berth and drew 1-1 with them at Old Trafford.

When the disciplinary process grinds into life, it is often the Football Association that gets mangled by the gears. Out of the babble reported by websites, newspapers and broadcasters, it has to pick out the phrases that supposedly require investigation. For the ruling body, this is a dreadful and exasperating misuse of its time.

There is no joviality to the Premiership panto season. Sir Alex Ferguson casts the grimmest of shadows over his rivals. Manchester United have won the Premier League title eight times under his direction and on six of those occasions the side have been lurking a few paces away from the leaders at Christmas.

Even the urbane Arsène Wenger might get a little flustered. Whether he reads the newspapers or, more likely, his club’s statistics, the Arsenal manager must gape at the suddenness with which life has gone astray. The 3-0 win over Birmingham City at the weekend and the 5-1 thrashing of Rosenborg in the Champions League were a relief, but beating such quiescent visitors brings limited reassurance.

The psychological warfare between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is meant to be one of the Premiership’s intriguing features. This time, however, there has been no battle of wits. A stupid conflict has been allowed to go on too long and both men are losers.

A billionaire is hardly ever mistaken for an innocent abroad but you have to wonder if Malcolm Glazer understands just what he is getting into. The septuagenarian seems set to attempt a takeover of Manchester United. He must be one of the few men left who believe there are riches to be had in British football. It might look as if a fortune awaits, but others who mounted a raid discovered that the vault was booby-trapped.

The romance of football is wonderful just so long as you don’t have to watch it too often. While respecting a runty, underfunded and frankly unentertaining team that knocks out an illustrious club, many people have to suppress a sense of regret. It’s bad form to say out loud that you’re going to miss the star players who have just been eliminated.

While a breakneck Arsenal overtake rivals in the record books, let’s hear it for the slowcoach. Even in his youth Dennis Bergkamp did not specialise in outstripping opponents and now that he is 35 the Dutchman is more suited than ever to being the still point in a side of incorrigible sprinters.

Lightning to blast Old Trafford and a flood to sluice the debris away: the electrical storm that cancelled Manchester United’s friendly with Urawa Red Diamonds early this month could have had those who hate the club’s dominance dreaming of a world without them. Sir Alex Ferguson’s team will be back from this weekend.