In a parallel universe, Manchester United should be facing Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich with Jose Mourinho claiming he is not thinking about the upcoming Manchester derby carrying more weight.
The reality, of course, is sadly all apparent after that unforgivable defeat to Sevilla last month, which led to the Portuguese’s infamous ‘football heritage’ monologue, and United have had the luxury of a full week in the run-up to the derby.
In that 12-minute rant to bemused reporters in March, Mourinho talked about his opposite number from across the city, Pep Guardiola , and the riches he inherited at the Etihad.
“(Nicolás) Otamendi, Kevin de Bruyne , Fernandinho, ( David) Silva , ( Raheem) Sterling , ( Sergio) Aguero - they are investments from the past, not from the last two years. From the past.
“Do you know how many of United players that left the club last season? See where they play. Where they play, how they play, if they play. That’s football heritage.”
Mourinho has yet to beat Guardiola in a league fixture since the pair rocked up in Manchester in June, 2016 and the truth is he may never get a better opportunity.
The Catalan has already vowed to ring the changes, prioritising Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool , and Danilo, John Stones , Ilkay Gundogan and Fabian Delph could all come into the team. That puts the ball firmly in Mourinho’s court when it comes to his approach to this game.
Forget milkgate, revenge or even just delaying City’s title celebrations; this derby should be viewed as a chance for United to send out a statement and start laying the foundations for next season’s title challenge with a positive display.
Just as the painful memory of that defeat to Sevilla could prove an unlikely source of inspiration for the players going forward, a win at the Etihad would give the dressing room something to build on. However small.
To their credit, United’s players have never given up - countless mixed zone interviews tell you that since December’s derby defeat - and as long as it is mathematically possible, they have kept believing.
Memories of the club’s title collapse in 2012, when Sir Alex Ferguson ’s side famously threw away an eight-point lead with just six matches to go, still loom large.
With that in mind, how could Mourinho approach the derby?
It would be a surprise if the United boss did not bring an extra man into midfield, with both Scott McTominay or Ander Herrera in the running to play alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in a 4-3-3.
United’s two-man midfield was overrun in the reverse fixture last year so no-one would necessarily blame Mourinho for calling on an extra body - as long as his side did not park the bus against a weakened City team report the MEN .
To be fair to Mourinho, he has slowly moved away from that philosophy in recent games against title rivals and even claimed his side played attacking football against both Chelsea and Liverpool last month.
That may be a stretch but it seems the Portuguese has learnt from that 0-0 draw at Anfield in October, which proved a turning point in United’s season and halted their momentum after Mourinho ‘let the horses run freely’.
It is time to open the stable door again.
