UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

[Confidence]

Ferguson defends squad shake-up

15 September 2011

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Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed goalkeeper David de Gea will face Chelsea after missing Manchester United's 1-1 Champions League draw at Benfica. Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard was one of eight changes to United's starting line-up from the 5-0 rout of Bolton over the weekend. However, the United manager said there was no selection dilemma ahead of Sunday's Premier League blockbuster at Old Trafford.

"No, David de Gea will play on Sunday, that was the understanding we had before the game and it doesn't change," Ferguson told ITV Sport. The Scot also said Ashley Young would return on the weekend despite being rested in United's Champions League fixture in Lisbon. "Ashley Young, we just gave him a rest tonight," he added.

"I felt that the two games he had with England, and then Saturday's game with Bolton I think he just needed a little break. He's new to the club. Obviously he just needed a break, he'll be fresh for Sunday." United did well to come from a goal down to secure a point, with Ryan Giggs' 20-yeard strike cancelling out Oscar Cardozo's opener for Benfica.

"We were 1-0 down, and coming back it's a good part of the game," Ferguson said. "I thought the first half-hour of the second half we did very well, we maybe should have finished it, the last 15 minutes I think they came back into it. Anders made two terrific saves but I think a draw was probably fair."

Benfica boss Jorge Jesus felt his side were the better team but lamented their inability to take all three points. "When you play against players of this level, offensively, you notice things - and their goal from Giggs was a great one." "We faced a top team, full of quality and experience and we drew. If there was to be a winner, it was Benfica but a point against United is not bad," he said.

"We did well because we were supportive, because we defended well and because we created problems for their defence." Jesus expected United to win Group C, with his side, Basel and Romanians Otelul Galati to battle for the second qualification spot for the knockout rounds. "Manchester United are the favourites for the group, at home they will be unbeatable but I stress that leaves three teams competing for second place."

 

[Confidence]

Gasperini seeks spark from shock loss

15 September 2011

​

Beleaguered Inter Milan boss Gian Piero Gasperini said his side would bounce back from their shock Champions League loss to Trabzonspor. The Nerazzurri crashed to 1-0 defeat at home against the Turkish minnows, but a steadfast Gasperini said bad luck and a limited amount of time to build his new side had hurt the 2010 European champions.

Ondrej Celustka's late goal was all that separated the two sides but the manager's optimistic words will do little to quell criticism of the new manager after three starts and three defeats as Inter boss. Gasperini said: "Even though this defeat leaves a lot of regret, the team gave a lot and there were some strong performances individually. We're unlucky at the moment. When it rains, it pours."

"The reaction was anger and wanting to fight back, as this is a strong squad and showed what grit it played with. In football these moments can happen and must give us the fire to get back on track." Aside from the Trabzonspor defeat Inter fell to Milan in the Italian Super Cup and were served a 4-3 reverse at home to Palermo in the Serie A.

Gasperini ditched his much-maligned 4-3-3 formation against Trabzonspor, but insisted he had not been pressured to do so by president Massimo Moratti. "This story about President Moratti pressuring me is not true. He has always been very supportive towards me. We discuss things, but don't make it look as if it's something that it's not."

"The Palermo defeat sparked a great deal of criticism that was exaggerated. This was an important lesson tonight, as we improved considerably and can do far better." "We started just two days before the season kicked off, so there are problems in gelling the side, but nobody can doubt our effort."

And despite the inevitable landslide of criticism to come, Gasperini remained upbeat about his side's prospects this season. "Paradoxically, this could prove to be a very important defeat to spark a reaction in the side. This is a very solid, positive and united squad." "On the field we need to find the right balance. There have been steps forward, but we need more," he said.

 

[red amoeba]

Gasperini seeks spark from shock loss

15 September 2011

​

Beleaguered Inter Milan boss Gian Piero Gasperini said his side would bounce back from their shock Champions League loss to Trabzonspor. The Nerazzurri crashed to 1-0 defeat at home against the Turkish minnows, but a steadfast Gasperini said bad luck and a limited amount of time to build his new side had hurt the 2010 European champions.

Ondrej Celustka's late goal was all that separated the two sides but the manager's optimistic words will do little to quell criticism of the new manager after three starts and three defeats as Inter boss. Gasperini said: "Even though this defeat leaves a lot of regret, the team gave a lot and there were some strong performances individually. We're unlucky at the moment. When it rains, it pours."

"The reaction was anger and wanting to fight back, as this is a strong squad and showed what grit it played with. In football these moments can happen and must give us the fire to get back on track." Aside from the Trabzonspor defeat Inter fell to Milan in the Italian Super Cup and were served a 4-3 reverse at home to Palermo in the Serie A.

Gasperini ditched his much-maligned 4-3-3 formation against Trabzonspor, but insisted he had not been pressured to do so by president Massimo Moratti. "This story about President Moratti pressuring me is not true. He has always been very supportive towards me. We discuss things, but don't make it look as if it's something that it's not."

"The Palermo defeat sparked a great deal of criticism that was exaggerated. This was an important lesson tonight, as we improved considerably and can do far better." "We started just two days before the season kicked off, so there are problems in gelling the side, but nobody can doubt our effort."

And despite the inevitable landslide of criticism to come, Gasperini remained upbeat about his side's prospects this season. "Paradoxically, this could prove to be a very important defeat to spark a reaction in the side. This is a very solid, positive and united squad." "On the field we need to find the right balance. There have been steps forward, but we need more," he said.

matter of time before he gets sack...and return of the fat waiter...

 

[Edinson Cavani]

matter of time before he gets sack...and return of the fat waiter...

That fat ass waiter is no better. Mourinho is the best man for the job. Even our manager Walter Mazzarri can do a better job than that fat waiter.

 

[Edinson Cavani]

Thursday 15th September 2011

"A draw at Man City is like a victory"

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis insists his side's 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League felt like a victory.

Group A: Man City 1 - 1 Napoli

The Italian side broke the deadlock at Etihad Stadium in the 69th minute through Edinson Cavani but were denied an opening win in Group A after Aleksandar Kolarov equalized for City five minutes later.

Speaking post-match, De Laurentiis he is happy with a point in their Champions League debut.

"We earned a point and we can be content with that, a point at Manchester City is like a victory," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"People talked about City as the second best team in England, saying the Premier League title race is just a battle with Manchester United, so we came here convinced we would struggle more.

"Our performance had a few errors that cost us the equaliser, [but] was far better than many expected."

City travel to face Bayern in their next Champions League match, while Napoli welcome Villarreal to Stadio San Paolo.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Cech admits Chelsea European obsession
Petr Cech has admitted Chelsea are obsessed by winning the Champions League but insisted that did not mean they would "shoot themselves" if they came up short again.

Silva wants all-out City attack on Bayern
David Silva insists Manchester City can claim an away win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday by sticking to their attacking principles.

Mancini glad at de Jong return
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is preparing to welcome Nigel de Jong back from injury.

AVB: Valencia's Emery will be great
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has tipped Valencia counterpart and fellow thirty-something Unai Emery to become a managerial great.

Wenger: Home form crucial in Europe
Arsene Wenger knows Arsenal's form at the Emirates Stadium will continue to be vital in their quest to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.

City's Dzeko has no fear of Bayern
Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko is full of confidence ahead of his side's trip to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Fletcher careful about Basle threat
Darren Fletcher has warned his Manchester United team-mates not to take Basle lightly in the Champions League this week.

Lukaku: I want Champs League spot
Romelu Lukaku has vowed to do everything possible to force his way into Chelsea's Champions League squad in January after finding himself omitted for the group stages.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Monday 26th September 2011

Double blow for Yellow Submarine
Villarreal have been handed a double dose of bad news ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group A clash with Napoli.

Villarreal forward Giuseppe Rossi is a major doubt for the game after injuring his knee in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao while Marco Ruben has been ruled out for the next three weeks after breaking his toe in the same game at San Mames.

The Yellow Submarine lost its Group A opener 2-0 to Bayern Munich and the club have said they will make a last minute decision on whether to include Rossi in the squad for their crunch game in Naples.

As a result, coach Juan Carlos Garrido could decide to throw Javier Camunas into the attack to partner Nilmar if Rossi fails a late fitness test.

Meanwhile, Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri fielded his strongest available side in their goalless Serie A draw with Fioretina at the weekend - including playing Edison Cavani, Serie A's leading goalscorer last season.

Napoli began their Group A campaign with a credible 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

We aim to beat Inter!

​

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Double blow for United

27 September 2011

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Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez will miss Manchester United's Champions League clash with Basel.

Rooney missed United's 1-1 Premier League draw away to Stoke on Saturday, while Mexican international Hernandez was forced off at the Britannia Stadium after picking up a leg injury.

Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen are expected to start up front in Tuesday's Group C match at Old Trafford, with Danny Welbeck also pushing for a starting 11 berth.

Speaking about Rooney, Ferguson admitted that he could not give a timescale on when the England international would return to first-team action but completely ruled him out for the side's first home game in this season's Champions League.

Ferguson told reporters: "He's not playing tomorrow. It's difficult to assess with hamstrings but we hope we have him back quickly. He did a bit of jogging this morning but that's all."

The Premier League champions have reached the final of the competition three times in the last four years but lost to Barcelona on the last two occasions, going down to Pep Guardiola's men in Rome in 2009, as well as at Wembley last season.

As a result of their defeats to the Camp Nou outfit, Ferguson has quashed talk that is it a golden period for the club in the competition.

"The Champions League is the best competition in the world now, better than the World Cup, better than the European Championships, it's a fantastic tournament," Ferguson said.

"But it's not a golden period for us because we have lost two finals, so I don't think it can be called a golden period."

"We have been consistent in the Champions League, our form away from home has been outstanding and we hope we can do better this year and win it, that's the aim of this club all the time."

The United boss also spoke of his respect for the club's opponents on Tuesday, Swiss champions Basel.

He said: "We played Basel a few years ago and they have always been the premier team in Switzerland."

"Switzerland have started to produce good young players - in fact they got to final of the European Under-21s this year."

"The national team has always been reasonably good and always seemed to represent themselves quite well and of course the Basel team have good experience of being in Europe quite a few times so we will respect that."

 

[ballsathome]

​

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Champions League Group A wrap: Bayern burst City bubble, Napoli win

28 September 2011

​

A Mario Gomez double has seen Bayern Munich brush aside Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League, while Napoli eased past Villarreal.

Gomez pounced twice in the opening half after goalkeeper Joe Hart had parried shots away on both occasions, handing the Bavarian giants command of Group A.

City threatened in the opening stages of the first half through Edin Dzeko and a Micah Richards penalty claim, but when Gomez reacted quickest to Franck Ribery’s saved shot, the tide began to turn for the Bundesliga leaders.

If the opening goal on 38 minutes seemed a little harsh, it was to get worse for English Premier League outfit City when - right on the stroke of half-time - Gomez made their defence pay after a free kick with another poacher's finish.

With Bayern still looking strong, City boss Roberto Mancini removed striker Edin Dzeko for midfielder Nigel de Jong early in the second half in what looked like an attempt to stem the bleeding.

It did little to stop Bayern, however, with Gomez looking for his hat-trick. Philipp Lahm turned provider but Gomez failed to hit the target.

In exposing City’s inexperience, Bayern reaffirmed their credentials with a composed display as they closed out the game well to pick up their second win from two matches.

In Group A's other encounter, Napoli moved into second in the group with two goals in three first-half minutes to defeat Villarreal 2-0 in Italy.

The Champions League newcomers secured their first victory in the competition after a promising opening display against Manchester City on matchday one, with goals from Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani sealing the victory against the visiting La Liga side on Tuesday.

The Slovakian attacker opened the scoring on 15 minutes when he controlled Ezequiel Lavezzi’s cross to fire home for the Serie A club, before Uruguayan Cavani buried a penalty just minutes later following a trip on Lavezzi.

Napoli controlled much of the match, with Villarreal’s best chance falling to Brazilian Nilmar, who glanced wide when clear on goal just before half-time.

Napoli now look favourite to finish second in the group with two impressive performances and City’s slip up, while Villarreal remain rock bottom without a win after two matches.

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Champions League Group B wrap: Inter edge out CSKA

28 September 2011

​

Claudio Ranieri made it two wins in two matches as his Inter side defeated CSKA Moscow 3-2 in Group B of the Champions League.

The new coach continued to wipe out the memory of Gian Piero Gasperini's short tenure, which included a shock defeat against Trabzonspor on matchday one, by following up last weekend's 3-1 victory against Bologna with another win.

Mauro Zarate was the hero for Inter, firing his side back into the lead after Lucio and Giampaolo Pazzini's first-half strikes were cancelled out by goals from Alan Dzagoev and Vagner Love at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Lucio, who had looked distinctly disinterested under Gasperini, picked up where he had left off at Bologna, scoring his second goal in two games to give his side a sixth-minute lead.

Inter kept a relentless pace in the early stages, with Joel Obi forcing Gabulov into a routine save at his near post after meeting Pazzini’s searching cross with a downward header.

And it was Pazzini who fired his side into an important two-goal lead in the 23rd minute when he tapped home from close range after a superb run and cross by Yuto Nagatomo.

The hosts would not lie down though, with Dzagoev creating several good chances.

The goal eventually arrived in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, with Dzagoev nailing a curling free-kick from 25 yards.

After a concerted period of second-half pressure, Vagner Love eventually levelled the scores in the 77th minute after waltzing inside Javier Zanetti and Lucio before rifling past Julio Cesar.

But CSKA were forced behind again less than 60 seconds later when Zarate latched onto an Esteban Cambiasso pass and drilled low into the net to snatch the win.

Turkish outfit Trabzonspor remain top of the group after they fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against French champions Lille.

Senegalese striker Moussa Sow had given Rudi Garcia's side the lead in the 31st minute at the Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium, but as they did against Inter on match day one, Trabzonspor showed plenty of grit to force a result.

They eventually forced an equaliser from the penalty spot, with Argentine Gustavo Colman netting to give the Turks a share of the spoils and keep them top of the group ahead of Lille.

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Champions League Group C wrap: United escape, Benfica earn win

28 September 2011

​

Ashley Young spared Manchester United’s blushes with a late goal to rescue a point in a 3-3 draw with Basel in the Champions League.

Young ghosted to the back post to nod home in the 90th minute and salvage a point for United in a pulsating contest at Old Trafford, after Alexander Frei’s second-half brace had helped give Basel a shock 3-2 lead.

It was an uncharacteristic display from a much-changed United side, whose continuous lapses in defence almost cost them dearly against the Swiss champions.

Danny Welbeck was preferred to Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov in the absence of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, and he validated the decision with a pair of goals in the first half from Ryan Gigg’s passes.

But second-half goals from veteran striker Alexander Frei and one from his namesake Fabian were just reward for a side who are fourth in the Swiss Super League and are unbeaten in their opening two Group C fixtures.

However, just as it looked like they had pulled off what would have been one of the most incredible away wins ever seen at Old Trafford - a win that would have put them five points ahead of last year’s Champions League runners-up - Young popped up to head home Nani’s cross.

In Bucharest, Brazilian Bruno Cesar scored late in the first half to hand Benfica a well-deserved 1-0 win over Romanian side Otelul Galati.

Cesar made Benfica’s dominance pay when he slotted home cooly five minutes before the interval from Argentine Nicolas Gaitan’s pass.

The Portuguese giants were rarely challenged by a meek Otelul attack and - having not lost in 12 matches in all competitions - they confidently searched for a second.

Javier Saviola and in-form Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo saw chances go begging, while Cesar’s fizzing long shot stung the palms of goalkeeper Branko Grahovac.

Benfica go level on four points with Basel courtesy of the win, while Manchester United sit in third following their two draws. Otelul Galati remain bottom without a point.

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Champions League Group D wrap: Wins for Real, Lyon

28 September 2011

​

Real Madrid recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Ajax in their Group D Champions League meeting, while Lyon strolled past Dinamo Zagreb 2-0.

The Santiago Bernabeu side hit the Eredivisie champions on the counter-attack twice before the break, undoing some positive early work from Ajax.

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock halfway through the first half, before Kaka doubled Madrid's lead in the closing stages.

Benzema and Ronaldo missed chances before the opening goal but it mattered little, with the La Liga outfit eventually punishing Ajax on the break.

Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer had no answer to Ronaldo’s low driving shot nor Kaka’s classy finish as the visitors went into the break aggrieved and 2-0 down.

Karim Benzema then put the contest to bed soon after the interval with a sweeping move started by Alvaro Arbeloa down the left, ending with the Frenchman tapping home from Kaka’s fine work.

Despite Ajax’s invention, Real Madrid continued to pose a threat after half-time, although largely on the counter and without dominating possession.

Ajax did not give up, however, and Siem De Jong, Thulani Serero and Christian Eriksen all tried their luck from long range.

But they either failed to trouble Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas or could not hit the target, and the Amsterdam giants were lucky to escape a fourth goal when Kaka placed his shot wide after a quick counter attack.

In France, Lyon swept aside Dinamo Zagreb, with Bafetimbi Gomis and Bakary Kone scoring in a 2-0 win.

After dominating the opening stages, Lyon almost took the lead through Jimmy Briand, whose close-range effort from a Clement Grenier cross was blocked only for Gomis to blast the rebound over.

Maxime Gonalons fired over in the 17th minute before the hosts' early pressure finally told, with Gomis chipping Dinamo goalkeeper Ivan Kaleva from the edge of the box.

Dinamo came close to levelling on 31 minutes through Montenegro striker Fatos Beqiraj, but he was a little too slow to anticipate Luis Ibanez’s low cross.

The hosts then punished some slack defending from Dinamo, with Kone able to ghost past Portuguese defender Tonel to finish from a corner.

Dinamo fought back valiantly in the second half and had Domagoj Vida’s close-range attempt diverted for a corner, but the visitors could never break through a tight Lyon defence.

Real Madrid top the group on six points from their two matches and Lyon sit in second on four. Ajax have just a point, while Dinamo remain bottom with two losses.

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Mancini: Tevez ´finished´ after sub snub

28 September 2011

​

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini revealed Carlos Tevez refused to come on as a substitute during their 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

And the incident could be the final straw for Tevez at City, with the Italian appearing to have finally lost his patience with the Argentine: "He is finished for me," Mancini told Sky Sports after the game.

Tevez, who has only managed one English Premier League start so far this term for City and was understood to be disappointed at not starting the Champions League tie at the Allianz Arena, refused to come on as a substitute when his side were 2-0 down.

Mancini said: "I brought De Jong on for Dzeko because I wanted to calm everything down for five minutes, not concede a third goal and then afterwards put Carlos Tevez on the pitch."

"Then he refused to go in, he refused to come onto the pitch. For me it’s a bad situation because it is impossible for a player to refuse to play and help the team."

"He was disappointed that he didn’t play but we play with 11 players. To do that is just impossible." Mancini’s comments all but spelt the end for Tevez and his time in Manchester: "If I had my way he’d be out of the club."

"Tonight, in this game, we had a problem. Before we never had a problem - we started the season very well - all the players played but I can’t accept that one player refuses to go in."

"I cannot accept this. Can you imagine a Bayern Munich, Milan or Manchester United player doing this?" Mancini has given his entire squad a final warning regarding their attitude after Edin Dzeko reacted angrily to being substituted.

He continued: "Edin Dzeko was disappointed to come off, but I believe the manager can do what he thinks is right."

“I thought it was important to do this - we play every three days - one player cannot play well every time so I thought it would be better to make this change."

"So with Edin (Dzeko), I need to speak with him." "He had a poor game. In terms of being unhappy, it should be me, not him." "This is the last time with me a player will do this."

During the match, Mancini was seen having stern words with full-back Pablo Zabaleta, however the City boss admitted to making a mistake and has cleared the air with the former Espanyol man.

"I did speak with Pablo Zabaleta at the time,” he said. "But I made a mistake - I have cleared that up with him now, it was nothing."

................................................................................


Wednesday 28th September 2011

Tevez saga overshadows Bayern victory

Roberto Mancini says Carlos Tevez is finished at Manchester City after the Argentinian refused to come on as a substitute in the club's 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

Edin Dzeko was replaced by Nigel de Jong in the second half of the Champions League Group A match and soon after the City boss asked Tevez to warm up, but Mancini claims he refused to do as he had been asked.

"He just refused to go on. I don't know why," said Mancini. "I cannot be happy with this situation. Would something like this happen at Bayern Munich, AC Milan or Manchester United?

"I am the manager. I decide everything. "I have helped him every time for two years, he has wanted to leave but I still picked him. "The thing is there were still 30 minutes until the end of the game. We could still change it.

"Carlos didn't play at the start of the season because he has not had a pre-season for three years. He was not ready to play. "If it was another player may be this could happen but for a player to refuse to go on in an important game like this is not right."

This would have been bad enough had it been the only problem Mancini had to deal with. However, there was also the problem of striker Edin Dzeko shaking his head at Mancini as he was replaced by Nigel de Jong 10 minutes into the second half.

It was that change that angered Tevez, who was left on the bench throughout his side's Barclays Premier League win over Everton on Saturday, and it appeared Dzeko was equally annoyed. "He was disappointed but he played a bad game," said Mancini.

"I wanted to keep the score down and not concede a third goal. "It is the last time any player at this club does that." Amid the carnage, City were fortunate their defeat was contained to just two first-half strikes from Mario Gomez.

It could have been far more. But the aftermath will be dominated by Tevez and assistant manager David Platt insists Mancini is the right man to deal with it. "We are not going to lie. What happened happened," said the former England skipper.

"Roberto will sleep on it and look at it and dealt with it in the way he sees fit." The mood contrasted starkly with Bayern who are top of the group with six points from two games thanks to victory courtesy of two goals by Mario Gomez.

After a good opening by City, the Bundesliga leaders took control and were ultimately good value for their victory. Manager Jupp Heynckes said: "We chose the right time to score and then played very confidently.

"At the beginning of the game we were nervous and we did not do ourselves justice. "We changed midway through the first half and came into the game. "Franck Ribery has given a world-class performance, Bastian Schweinsteiger also.

"In the second half we played as a unified team. "At the moment we have not only a great team spirit, but also act in harmony, a good foundation and outstanding individuals."

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge concurred, saying: "This was a very good game from us. Manchester City also played very well in the first 30 minutes to show that they are a strong team.

"We played mainly in the second half, totally in control. It was a great team performance, with Franck Ribery and Jerome Boateng playing really strong."

Goalscorer Gomez said: "Manchester ran the ball well at the beginning. "We were perhaps a little nervous, which is really inexplicable, because we are actually in a good phase.

"As a team we have from the 30th minute done well and ultimately deserved to win. "I have not played outstanding, but scored two goals."

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Wednesday 28th September 2011

Fergie hits out at careless players

Sir Alex Ferguson labelled his players "careless" and "lax" after Basle came close to inflicting a home humiliation on Manchester United.

Group C: Man United 3-3 FC Basle

Ashley Young's last-minute header rescued a point for United but Ferguson was not happy with the 3-3 draw.

He said: "I thought there was a carelessness about us throughout the game. The attacking part was very good at times - we played some very good football, particularly in the first half.

"But there was a carelessness about us and really, they could have scored three goals in the first half. "I suppose in many ways, it is 'welcome to European football' because they were very lax for parts of the game."

He added: "We were careless. It's a wake-up call in many ways. A lack of concentration saw us give the game away really, but we rescued it."

United had appeared to be cruising through two goals in 80 seconds from Danny Welbeck but the Swiss side, who had missed some clear chances in the first half, stunned Old Trafford to go 3-2 up.

Two goals from Alex Frei, one from the penalty spot, and one from his namesake Fabian Frei, saw United come close to their first home defeat for 17 months.

Ferguson insisted Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento had been wrong to award a penalty against Antonia Valencia for a foul on Marco Streller.

He said: "We are disappointed with the penalty decision - I don't think it was ever a penalty kick, and a poor decision I felt. "But it turned out to be a fantastic game with a great end in terms of excitement."

Ferguson said his defence still should have had enough experience to cope with Basle even with 19-year-old Phil Jones in central defence but admitted they are suffering from inconsistency.

"There is still enough quality in the back positions - Evra and Ferdinand are very experienced. But you always like to have a back four playing consistently and we don't have that at the moment.

"It is not a problem for us because of the quality we have in the forward positions guarantees us goals, and we really should have put that to bed tonight in the first half.

"We played with too many forward on the pitch tonight, far too many. I think that is possibly because we were playing a team like Basle, who in the players' minds, although we prepared properly, are a team where they can do that.

"In doing that, they left so many gaps in the back four and really if everybody had concentrated on the defensive part, I don't think we would have had so many problems."

Ferguson did praise Welbeck's contribution, saying the 20-year-old "did very well" in the first half but had tired in the second.

Basle coach Thorsten Fink - who was a player for Bayern Munich when they were beaten by United in the 1999 Champions League final - said: "It was a great result for us - I don't imagine many teams go two goals down here and then turn the game around. It was a great achievement.

"It was a great game for the fans, I think we were rather nervous in the first half but we settled down after the break and were able to take some chances.

"We deserved at least to draw and as a coach it feels good to come to a club like Manchester United and get such a result.

"The final in 1999 was more of a negative experience and I'm glad my team is able to celebrate tonight."

 

[Marek Hamsik]

Mata puts friendships on hold

28 September 2011

​

Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata says he is completely focused on his current team as he prepares to face former club Valencia.

Mata, a World Cup winner with Spain, joined Chelsea from Valencia in the recent transfer window.

But he insists that any friendships he has with the Valencia players will be put on hold come kick-off in Wednesday's Champions League clash.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, Mata said: "I don't know yet if I will find it difficult, tomorrow I will find out, but I am going to focus on helping my team to win."

"I will say hello to all my old teammates before the game but at kick-off, that is when friendship ends."

"After the game it will be different but during it every player must focus on helping his team to win."

When at Valencia, Mata made his Champions League debut against Chelsea in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, but he believes the two situations are very different.

"That was my first game in the Champions League, now four years later I am going to play for Chelsea against Valencia."

"But that happens in football and the feeling is totally different to then."

The 23 year-old is excited about the match, however, believing that the atmosphere and crowd in the Mestalla will make it a night to remember.

"That will make it a special game and I know what the atmosphere is like in the Mestalla when Valencia play a Champions League game."

 

[Marek Hamsik]

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CSKA Moscow 2 - 3 Inter Milan
All Goals and Highlights 27.09.11


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Manchester United 3 - 3 FC Basel
All Goals and Highlights 27.09.11


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[no_faith]

tis tevez is problem child. earlier intend to leave, then stay, then now buay song again.:*:
seems like mancity squad has internal probs.

 

[Char_Azn]

Tevez is an asshole. When you are paid 200K a week, U follow instructions from your superiors and do your job and not constantly complain about this and that. If he was an ordinary employee and not some overpaid footballing asshole, he would have been sacked/discipline a long time ago.