Keane the key to Man U's Champions League hopes
Manchester United will evoke the spirit of 1999 and hope talisman Roy Keane can exorcise his personal demons as they aim to keep their Champions League dream alive.
United, who were held to a 2-2 home draw in the semifinal first leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, need to win in Germany or force a higher-scoring draw in next Tuesday's return to reach the final.
Manager Alex Ferguson was quick to remind everyone, including Bayer, of his team's monumental performance on the way to the Champions League crown three years ago.
Then, after drawing 1-1 with Juventus at Old Trafford in the semifinal first leg, they found themselves 2-0 down after 11 minutes in the second leg -- only to stage a dramatic comeback and win the match 3-2.
"We did it against Juventus three years ago when they had the advantage of the away goal and we can do it again," Ferguson said.
The architect of the heroics in Turin was Keane, who scored United's first goal and drove the team forward in a brilliant display of captaincy remarkable by even his lofty standards.
But his efforts that night were tainted by a yellow card that ruled him out of the final in Barcelona. Paul Scholes suffered a similar fate and both had to watch from the stands as United beat Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Nou Camp.
The Ireland international again carries the threat of a suspension into Tuesday's clash with Bayer, along with team mates Nicky Butt, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Frenchman Laurent Blanc, who missed the 1998 World Cup final because of a ban.
Keane, therefore, will have to bear the weight of United expectation at the BayArena while treading a fine line between aggression and discipline to avoid another booking that would rule him out of the final at Hampden Park on May 15.
Keane made a surprise return to action for the last 10 minutes on Wednesday, his first appearance since tearing a hamstring in the first leg of the quarter-final against Deportivo Coruna three weeks ago.
PROMINENT ROLE
It seemed a high-risk gamble but such is the Keane's status among his team mates and opponents that Ferguson thought it worthwhile.
"At 2-2 I was hoping Roy could come on and inspire something," he said. "There were 10 minutes to go and I thought it was worth it."
Ferguson said Keane would definitely play in Saturday's English premier league game at Ipswich Town to regain sharpness before next Tuesday's showdown.
The importance of the midfielder's return was, unsurprisingly, not lost on Leverkusen coach Klaus Toppmoeller.
"Roy Keane will play a more prominent role in the second leg," he said quietly, fully aware of what a difference he makes both personally and in the way he can lift those around him.
Ferguson has played down the absence of his captain and David Beckham, who has broken a bone in his left foot.
After two impressive displays against Deportivo, Ferguson's confidence was understandable.
Juan Sebastian Veron was man-of-the-match in the 3-2 second leg victory against the Spaniards but on Wednesday he again seemed lost.
Ferguson opted to pair England duo Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in the centre of midfield with Veron out wide and the Argentine looked a forlorn figure by the final whistle.
Although he could have turned the whole tie in the 75th minute when his stinging shot was brilliantly saved by Hans-Joerg Butt, he was reduced to walking pace at the end with the 28.1 million pounds ($40.82 million) buy from Lazio again the target of United fans' frustration.
Keane, on the other hand, remains their hero. The huge roar that greeted the news that he was among the substitutes was indicative of the esteem in which he is held.
But while United would celebrate the sort of result which stunned Juventus three weeks ago, they would curse if victory over Leverkusen was achieved at the expense of Keane's presence in Glasgow.
