It's been a nightmare week for English clubs in Europe and Man Utd fans might have to do something they hate to ease their own worries.
Manchester United celebrate at Old Trafford
Manchester United have their Champions League fate in their own hands after a strong run of form under Michael Carrick
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Well, that well, didn't it? A week that began with talk of Premier League dominance across Europe ended in setback, humiliation and a worrying desire to refresh UEFA's coefficient table.
An unprecedented six Premier League clubs made it to the last-16 in the Champions League, but after the first legs have been played, none of them have won. For Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham, the journey looks to be over, beaten by three goals at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, respectively.
Newcastle have a draw to take to the Nou Camp but will be significant underdogs now against Barcelona, while Liverpool must overturn a 1-0 deficit back at Anfield against Galatasaray. Only Arsenal look well placed to go through, and they produced a sketchy performance to draw with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
HEREHEREHEREHERE.
A wretched week is certainly going to have an impact on the Premier League's healthy lead at the top of the UEFA performance table, which until Tuesday had looked certain to deliver a fifth spot in the Champions League again next season.
That lead will be diminished and if only one or two of those six clubs progress to the quarter-finals, it really will be all up for grabs. There is now pressure on the B string to deliver on Thursday night, with Aston Villa up against Lille and Nottingham Forest playing Midtjylland in the Europa League, while Crystal Palace face AEK Larnaca in the Conference League.
After the Champions League results this week, England still has a strong lead at the top of the UEFA table, and the fact that all nine of its clubs remain active is crucial. But if a bunch of them are dumped out next week, it could certainly get interesting.
It means that while Manchester United aren't in Europe this season, they will be keeping an eye on events on the continent over the next eight days. Willing Manchester City and Liverpool to go through might be a step too far, and given the size of the lead, it is probably unnecessary, but they could with five of the nine progressing, just to ensure that advantage remains intact.
UEFA awards two countries an extra Champions League spot, and as things stand, it looks like a three-horse race between the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga. So results for the Spanish and German clubs will also have an impact.
But while United's executives might be keen to have the insurance of fifth place in the Premier League, for Michael Carrick and his players, there is only one way they can affect their fate for next season, and that is through results on the pitch.
A return of 19 points from a possible 24 under Carrick has moved United into third, although there are only three points to Liverpool down in sixth. United do have advantages, however. They still have to play Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool, with only Chelsea away from home.
They also don't have the distraction of European football. For Chelsea, that might be over soon as well, but Liverpool are favourites to turn the tie around against Galatasaray, and Villa will be confident of going far in the Europa League.
So forget the idea of insurance policies, don't worry about results in Europe, and don't root for Manchester City and Liverpool comebacks. United should be good enough to finish in the top four from here, and whatever else happens, that would guarantee them a return to the Champions League.