As I survey the wreckage of another Champions League campaign which started so promisingly yet ended in miserable failure at the hands of the away goals rule (yet again) I have mixed feelings.

There have been times this season where we have looked fantastic but overall we have looked far from being “the Best Team in Europe”.

We could have sneaked through against Bayern last night but Lyon could have presented us with the same problems all over again and it looks increasingly like Barcelona are going to be awaiting whoever comes through this half of the draw when they get to the final.

The way Barcelona have despatched most of their opponents this season, not least Arsenal the other night, suggests that they are going to be the team to beat yet again in this tournament.

However, there is something about Bayern Munich that reminds me of Liverpool when they won the Champions League a few seasons ago.

Liverpool always seemed to be second best all the way through their Champions League campaign that season but somehow always just seemed to scrape through. The pattern so far is almost identical for Bayern Munich.

As for us, well, we need to pick up the pieces and quickly. Hopefully Rooney will be fit to play at least four of our five remaining Premier League games and it is good to see John O’Shea back because he gives Fergie an option in defence and midfield that has been sorely lacking for the majority of this season due to injuries.