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Manchester City are 'lucky' to be only 12 points behind, claims Sir Alex Ferguson
Mar 2, 2013 8:15:00 AM
Roberto Mancini recently insisted that Manchester United's late goals were a sign of luck but the Red Devils boss hits back, saying that his side could be even further ahead
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £26.25 | Draw £38.00 | Real Madrid £25.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.20 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £26.00 | Draw £34.00 | Real Madrid £26.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £26.00 | Draw £36.00 | Real Madrid £25.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.20 |
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| GAME, SET & MATCH? |
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| AS IT STANDS... |
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| PD | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
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Man.Utd | 27 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 68 |
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Man.City | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 56 |
Sir Alex retorted to reporters: "He's lucky they are only 12 points behind. Scoring late goals isn't lucky - we've only been doing it for 25 years. It's a terrible habit.”
United welcome La Liga champions Real Madrid and former United favourite Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford on Tuesday but insists that Saturday's clash against Norwich City remains a must-win affair.
"The league games are even more important because we don't want to give our immediate opponents an advantage," Sir Alex continued.
"That accentuates it more for me and that's why I place so much importance on Norwich because it's a game we must win. The similarities to 1999 are that our FA Cup run was a really hard one and our European ties were really hard.
"We were in a group with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, then we got a quarter-final against Inter and a semi-final against Juventus. This year the group stage was okay but we got Real Madrid straight up.
"In the FA Cup we've had Premier League teams all the time, which we also experienced in 1999. I don't think the difficult games will be a problem.
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| 5/2 | Robin van Persie is 5/2 with BetVictor to score the first goal in Man Utd v Norwich City |
Madrid's build-up to the Champions League clash will have included two meetings with Barcelona, and after watching them beat Jordi Roura's side 3-1 at Camp Nou on Tuesday in the Copa del Rey, Sir Alex is hugely impressed with Jose Mourinho's team.
"I was shocked," he revealed. "I thought Real Madrid were magnificent, I really did. They were absolutely brilliant and won well with Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil on the counterattack.
"But we always knew that Madrid are one of the best counterattacking teams in Europe, there's no question about that. That's what we'll be up against on Tuesday and that's why our preparations are centring around making sure their counterattack doesn't kill us."
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Live!
Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
11:08 PM BST
Right, that's just about it from me, folks. Thank you so much for all your contributions. We hyped this one up. We said it was going to showcase everything that is great about German football. And you know what? It delivered. It was an absolutely absorbing final between the continent's top two sides, a fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic tournament. Impossible not to feel so, so sorry for Dortmund but they need only to look at what Bayern have done tonight, lifting the trophy just 12 months after throwing it away, to see that it's possible to bounce back from this kind of devastation.
But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.
But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.
11:00 PM BST
Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has finally faced the press and, judging by his comments, is a tad upset with perhaps something other than the final scoreline.
"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.
"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."
"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.
"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."
10:56 PM BST
Sir Alex Ferguson also has a new job... Well, kind of. The former Manchester United boss was entrusted with the honour of presenting the man of the match award after the game and relished the task: "It's my first job since I retired and it's a pleasure!"
Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.
Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.
10:51 PM BST
Heynckes, class act that he is, was also quick to empathise with a devastated Dortmund.
"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.
"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.
"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."
"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.
"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.
"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."
10:48 PM BST
And finally we get to hear from Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer.
The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!
"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."
The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!
"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."
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