The challenge will be can we improve

[Eugene2114]

Below is a remark of a Great Scot (Sir Alex): "But it is not the kind of thing that makes you think 'let's not bother with European football any more, we are never going to beat Barcelona'. "Manchester United are bigger than that. We have a better philosophy than that. "The challenge will be can we improve enough to get to the final next season - and win."
- The last phrase is an example of 'bending-the-rules' case, as far as I can judge.
Should it be: "The challenge will be whether we can improve enough to get ..."?
And could an ordinary guy, like me, afford it?
Regards.

[Ozzy For President]

You've got me thinking Eugene,

I think grammar-wise it should be as follows:
"The challenge will be improving enough to get to the final next season - and win."

However, spoken English allows grammatical inconsistencies, especially in informal speech.

Regards,

Ozzy
_________________
I have learnt that "sorry" is not enough; sometimes you actually have to change.
Claire London.