Manchester United have played 61 games this season, but it’s what could have been the 62nd, 63rd and 64th games of 2019/20 that will leave them with a sense of ‘what if’ as they decamp to Dubai, Ibiza and elsewhere for their shortened summer break.
The curtain came down on the longest season in Cologne and for United it was a familiar feeling of dejection. For the third time this season they were beaten in a semi-final.
They've been within touching distance of the finals of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League, only to find themselves sat slumped on the turf of the Etihad, Wembley and Stadion Koln when games have gone wrong at crucial times.
The collapse they suffered against Sevilla was a microcosm of their season. United were sensational for spells against the La Liga side, but they failed to capitalise when on top and then made basic errors to cede the initiative.
United started quickly and deservedly led through Bruno Fernandes' penalty, but they switched off when angered by a poor decision to give Sevilla a throw-in. Within seconds Suso was levelling.
If that was poor defending then the way Aaron Wan-Bissaka and, especially, Victor Lindelof gifted the game to Sevilla was even worse. Luuk de Jong was the only Sevilla player in the United area with 13 minutes to go, while United had five defenders in the box and a further two on the edge of the area, yet somehow the ball fell to the feet of the striker six yards from goal.
But the defence, too prone to individual errors all season, cannot take sole responsibility. The game should have been won by the time Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka lost their bearings.
United had countless chances to put the Spaniards away, just as they had against FC Copenhagen last week. They simply failed to take them. In their two games in Cologne United have had 46 shots, yet the only goals they have to show for those efforts are two Bruno Fernandes' penalties. That level of profligacy is not conducive to long-term success.
The moment United lost control of this game was when they failed to score during what was a devastating attacking burst in the first 10 minutes or so of the second half. They laid siege to the Sevilla goal but somehow failed to find the back of the net, with Anthony Martial particularly wasteful. It was 10 minutes of fast, frenetic attacking football, but when the ball didn't go in the fizz began to go out of United.
A failure to take their chances and then individual mistakes at the back. It's been a recurring theme this season and it's obvious where the fault lines lie ahead of next season. United are looking to strengthen in forward areas, but they need to consider investing in the defence as well, because it's been exposed at key times.
It all means that the bitter taste of disappointment has been on the palate too often for United this season. Somehow they've stretched the season out to 61 games without even contesting a final, never mind winning a trophy. They played 66 in 2008/09 when they won the Premier League and League Cup, reached the Champions League final and made the last four of the FA Cup.
Yet from where they were last summer and at times during this season, it has to be marked as a success, albeit a tentative one. They finished third in the league and have clearly improved as the season has gone on, and on. They didn't play badly against Sevilla.
But investment is clearly required to take United to the next level, which has to involve silverware and getting closer to Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Despite the disappointments and near misses there is more hope around this team than there was before a ball was kicked this season, despite plenty of periods in the intervening 372 days when all hope looked lost. It's been a tumultuous and tragically interrupted season like no other and while it hasn't yielded a trophy for United, there are at least foundations to be built on.
Now United have to make sure they are built on over the next four weeks before we do it all again in 2020/21.
