Football: Barthez Blunders to Prove Test of Ferguson's Faith ; CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE United Goalkeeper's Mistakes May Prove Costly for the English Champions While Scottish Contenders Face an Uphill Struggle

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THERE IS supposedly the thinnest line between genius and madness and it is one that Fabien Barthez is prone to cross too often for Sir Alex Ferguson's comfort.

When he embarked upon his final Champions' League campaign, Ferguson was far more preoccupied with how his attack should be reshaped. Ditching Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, the men whose goals took him to the European Cup final, in favour of using the relatively untried Ruud van Nistelrooy as a lone striker was far more of a gamble than putting his back four in the hands of a man who has won World and European medals with France.

The irony was that just as Van Nistelrooy was displaying his credentials with …