Treble achievement standing test of time

And, what’s more, we did it the hard way.

Drawn in a European group of death containing Barcelona and Bayern Munich, we racked up 20 goals and provided some glorious entertainment in order to reach the knock-out stages. Two-legged ties with Inter Milan and Juventus, both at home first, were true tests of our mettle. Bayern, themselves going for a Treble, in the final. And we were deprived of Keane and Paul Scholes in midfield, prompting the boss to name a unique XI that was only ever fielded once.

In the FA Cup, we faced Middlesbrough, who had beaten us a couple of weeks earlier and finished ninth in the standings, Liverpool (seventh), Fulham (won the Second Division with 101 points), Chelsea (3rd) and Arsenal (2nd) before seeing off Newcastle (13th) at Wembley. I reckon that will compare favourably with most victors’ runs in the competition if you are talking about difficulty of opponents.

So, for me, the Treble cannot ever be disrespected. Other teams will, no doubt, get close to it (let’s not forget we had to beat Liverpool in 1977 to stop them pulling it off). Will anybody ever repeat it, though? Let’s just say it is not as easy as people seem to think it is when the trophies start getting handed out and the pressure is truly on with glory or failure in the balance.

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