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Edwin van der Sar warns Manchester United not to repeat past mistakes against Milan
No room for complacency in Champions League...
8 Mar 2010 11:29:00
By Zack Wilson
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar insists that Sir Alex Ferguson's side must be 100 per cent focused when they welcome AC Milan to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Champions League tie this week.
The Red Devils lead 3-2 from the first leg in Italy, but Van der Sar points to their 2007 encounter as evidence of the dangers of complacency.
United took a 3-2 lead to the San Siro for the second leg of that season's semi-final and lost 3-0, exiting the tournament 5-3 on aggregate, while Milan went on to beat Liverpool in the final.
"It's not a case of owing Milan one, but we will want to make sure we don't make the same mistakes we did a few years ago when they knocked us out at the semi-final stage," the veteran keeper said, according to The Daily Mail.
"They played particularly well in the home leg here when we won 3-2 and Kaka scored two goals. Then at the San Siro, Clarence Seedorf was fantastic – he was excellent in both games actually.
"But we got a good result in Milan [last month] and now we need to finish it off with a magic night at Old Trafford.
"We're always confident. And I haven't played a lot in the Champions League yet this season, so I've been really looking forward to these games."
United are yet to knock Milan out of a European competition, but Van der Sar still has plenty of memories of beating the Serie A side in the 1995 final.
"It was so long ago! I was still a young boy and the Ajax team had a lot of young players. I think you could compare it with the 1999 Champions League title that United won," he added.
"There were a lot of home-grown players, friends who'd grown up together in the youth team and then progressed into the first-team. We had one or two foreign guys, but it was mainly Dutch players in a team that was brought together by a great manager, Louis van Gaal.
"Everything came together and the players really gelled during that period and it was a great feeling to win the Champions League title.
"It was a lot like United a few years after that, we were a bit unfortunate not to add a second European title to the one in 1995. In those situations you want to stamp your authority on that particular era, but it was only one year.
"It's a difficult trophy to win, so if you win it more than once you've done well."
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The Red Devils lead 3-2 from the first leg in Italy, but Van der Sar points to their 2007 encounter as evidence of the dangers of complacency.
United took a 3-2 lead to the San Siro for the second leg of that season's semi-final and lost 3-0, exiting the tournament 5-3 on aggregate, while Milan went on to beat Liverpool in the final.
"It's not a case of owing Milan one, but we will want to make sure we don't make the same mistakes we did a few years ago when they knocked us out at the semi-final stage," the veteran keeper said, according to The Daily Mail.
"They played particularly well in the home leg here when we won 3-2 and Kaka scored two goals. Then at the San Siro, Clarence Seedorf was fantastic – he was excellent in both games actually.
"But we got a good result in Milan [last month] and now we need to finish it off with a magic night at Old Trafford.
"We're always confident. And I haven't played a lot in the Champions League yet this season, so I've been really looking forward to these games."
United are yet to knock Milan out of a European competition, but Van der Sar still has plenty of memories of beating the Serie A side in the 1995 final.
"It was so long ago! I was still a young boy and the Ajax team had a lot of young players. I think you could compare it with the 1999 Champions League title that United won," he added.
"There were a lot of home-grown players, friends who'd grown up together in the youth team and then progressed into the first-team. We had one or two foreign guys, but it was mainly Dutch players in a team that was brought together by a great manager, Louis van Gaal.
"Everything came together and the players really gelled during that period and it was a great feeling to win the Champions League title.
"It was a lot like United a few years after that, we were a bit unfortunate not to add a second European title to the one in 1995. In those situations you want to stamp your authority on that particular era, but it was only one year.
"It's a difficult trophy to win, so if you win it more than once you've done well."
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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