We were frivolous in possession - Ferguson reflects on Manchester United's victory over Galatasaray
The Red Devils boss criticised his side's performance after they edged to a slender win over the Turkish champions at Old Trafford, thanks to Michael Carrick's goal
Sep 19, 2012 10:40:00 PM
By Nicholas McGee
Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned Manchester United's lack of composure after they scraped past Galatasaray in the opening game of their Champions League campaign.
A seventh-minute strike from Michael Carrick was enough to take all three points, but the Turkish champions had a number of chances to get back into the contest and Ferguson believes that the Red Devils were slightly fortunate to have come away from the game with the victory.
He told Sky Sports: "I think we expected a tough game, Galatasaray have got a lot of experience in their team and the first-half we kept giving the ball away and they counterattacked very well from that.
"It was a lack of concentration at times. It's unusual for us, it's unusual for us to be as frivolous on the ball as that. In the second-half we did much better in that respect.
"I was happy with the second-half, we were more solid, had better concentration and sorted out things really well."
Despite the slightly disappointing performance, the Scot was pleased to have witnessed his side take maximum points following a dismal campaign in the competition last term.
He added: "In the second-half they never made any chances and all the chances fell to us, we could have scored four or five in the second-half.
"We missed the chances we did in the second-half, we kept ourselves on the edge really. I think to get the three points in the first game is a bonus really. If you go back to last season, we got a point at Benfica, so three points are really important."
