Ahead of our first Champions League game of the new campaign against Besiktas tonight, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have reflected on the pain defeat in Rome caused.
“Having lost a Champions League final, I know what it feels like,” said Rio. “It was sickening in Rome because we felt we were on the cusp of greatness, so to lose the way we did was really difficult. The worst thing about it was that we didn’t even put up a fight. We never got going. If we had scored in the first 10 minutes, I think we’d have gone on to win the game, but Barcelona got the first goal and it stunned us. We never recovered after that and that was so disappointing.”
Ferdinand believes that there is great expectation put on United’s shoulders which means you have to deal with the stick that follows if they fail.
“You want to win it at all costs and as long as we’re winning, that’s all that matters,” added Ferdinand. “Over the last three seasons, we’ve performed really well. We won the league three times, reached two Champions League finals so people expect a lot of us. If you sometimes don’t deliver the big one, then you get a bit of flak and you have to deal with that.”
Patrice Evra has echoed Rio’s sentiments claiming that the disappointment of the final overshadowed the success we had, but that makes them all the more determined.
“I’m a winner – I like to win – so I still think about what happened in Rome,” said Evra. “Everybody says we did well last season and we won three trophies, but when you lose the final in the manner we did – we didn’t give a true account of ourselves – it’s very frustrating. We didn’t show people the real Manchester United and we were very upset with ourselves. We missed a big opportunity in Rome and that’s a real shame. It killed all my dreams last year. When I think about last season now I don’t think about winning the league or the Club World Cup or the Carling Cup: all I think about is losing in Rome and that’s made me very determined to do well this year and make up for that. But that doesn’t mean my focus is only on the Champions League – my ambition is for the team to do well, no matter what competition we’re in.”
rio is spot on.anyways its time to move on.while i dont think we will get past the last 4 this season i will be happy with a semi place.not only barca but real chelsea inter juventus all look very strong.it will be more difficult this year.hope we can win tonight.
Evra says all the right things all the time. Its refreshing to see a player seemingly commited to a club he wasnt born into. I can respect that a lot.
when you qualify for the nock out stages its the denfence that maters and the holding midfielders which we have two super ones fletcher and hargreves
Goodmorning. I would be lying if i said that i still didn’t hurt over the loss. If we hadn’t turend up for the game at all, it would have been much easier to take. But i still can’t believe how easily we fell apart after Eto’s goal. I hope we get there again.
Fletch was agreat miss, and I dont want to see Park in a big game again.
I feel Fergie plays into the hands of so called bigger clubs with his team selections, never more so than last years final.
Afternoon Costas, agree with you there. I get endless flak about how we played that night in Rome – really have no answer to my mates about that, we were horrible.
Let’s hope that we go into the finals again – and meet Barca ONE MORE TIME!
Evra is class for saying that, I really see him staying at the club long term, unlike a certain Argie!
hi costas.good morning.
hope so but in all seriousness i cant see us getting there this year. i will be happy with the last 4.as i have said in my earlier commentits not just chelsi or barca but 4-5 clubs who are looking really good this year.
I think Evra will be like the new Dennis Irwin. He will play consistently until he is in his mid 30s and then retire at the club.
One more thing about that game. Were Barca looking superior compared to us? Yes, but that’s because we didn’t try to contain them like Chelski did. That’s what happens when you try to play football.
You are right AIG. It’s more wishful thinking i guess. Lets not forget that the main focus is the 19th title.
Another heart warming interview with evra. Rio is going to be at united forever the way he’s conducting himself , any worries you have about a dipper in Owen playing for united look at a former sheep scum player In rio
costas
right there.but when you are at United you cant make any title as your priority.thats why people of rival clubs concentrate on what lost and not what we won.like myanlee said he has no answers when people ask him about rome.same thing happens wid me.why dont people talk about the 18th title last year? its simple.Because we are United and at the top more and more people try to drag us down and talk negative things about us.as for Rome i have said it many times.we conceded against the run of play and never recovered from that.No one looks at the point you are making and that is we tried to play football,not anti football.had we scored i am sure we would have nurdered that shit abrca defence on the break with rooney and ron.anyways hope to do well again this year and hopefully one step better.
A song for Sunday I can’t teach Emily
oh they’d rather fuck an Arab than a yank
cause they’ve got so much money in the bank
but they’ll just be more bitter
when it all goes up the shitter
cause everybody knows they’re fuckin wank
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
money on Owen first scorer to night 50 on that 50 on a suitcase for Emily 1200 on Disney land for Emily thank you united for beating spurs 1-3
Hi Myanlee, like you I get loads of flak from my so-called friends over how poor United were in the Champs Lge Final. My answer to them is to ask what trophies their team won, where did they come in the Prem, how far did they get in the Champs Lge, how many Club World Cups have your team lifted,when did your team win anything and so on. I find that , apart from a weak little riposte from Chelsea fans over their FA Cup win they have nothing more to say.
Gotta’ love little Evra fella’. I sense a United versus Real at their own backyard. Wayne Rooney and Darren Fletcher to score. 2 nowt. Cant help but picture Cristiano sodding. And Madrid belongs to Manchester United….
Truth is Barca were and are simply technically more superior. Simple as that. Tbh if we had not resorted to anti-football in 2008 at the Nou Camp and the fact that half their team was playing under medication we might not have won that year. It’s not that Barca and other teams are just so brilliant we can’t match them. No. It’s because we refuse to. We are the only team in Europe that changes tactics when it comes to the Champions League. Players can’t be consistent and at the 100% level required in a European final. On Sat Wayne Rooney is working on terrorising defences and on Wednesday European night he is trying to discipline himself not to venture outside the centre circle. It won’t work well. That’s why we are the only team in the history of football to have a player known as a “defensive winger” and we’ve afforded him 3 more years. Let’s play our game all the time and we’ll break all teams to pieces. Like in 99. We won playing like fearless warriors. I mean that season we went to Barca in the group stages and were always on the attack in a 3-3 draw. That’s how we played in the League, in the FA Cup and in Europe. Let’s quit this cowardice chopping and changing. At least I was encouraged by Saturday’s game. We went there to win and to attack even with ten men. That’s not champions material. It’s Manchester United genuine material. Fearless.
They shouldn’t be so hard on themselves, they should focus all those emotions into this years competitions.
Awesome quote from Fergie –
“Some guy at the weekend said this was the worst United team in years,” he said. “That was a beauty. Maybe it is. Maybe we’ll only win the league.”
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=676267
i agree redphil, love him to bits,
@ghtt: FUKN LOVE IT!!! GOLD!!
Ronnie was let down by the midfield that day in Rome.
He was the only person in a red shirt on that pitch that day who turned up.
Weren’t we wearing white that night?
@boogeyman
yes, we were.i think red and blue are our lucky colours.i think the ac milan night too we were in white.we should avoid white.
@jay wire
The semi final in 07/08 against barca saf got the tactics spot on. It was’nt great to watch but it was effective, barca’s flair players were marked out of the game. I think in 99 we were destined to win it, that was our year. last season’s final was disapointing, i dont think the real united turned up, plus a few players were carring knock’s, saying all that barca were brillant on the nite and deserved to win.
AIG-Last tim we played Barcelona in a European final in all white,we won.Brucey and Hughes scored.Actually,Hughes stole Bruce’s goal by tapping it in as it was crossing the line.
boogeyman i know that.but of late white has proved unlucky for us.Of course there are exceptions.
Yes we were and we looked silly in it. Cant believe we still have that crappy white kit as a 3rd kit, i imagine we will have to wear it on a few occasions away from home in the CL.
@GHTT: Whats the tune for this song? Isnt the one we use for the song about abramovich and the KGB?
@theboogeyman
You know what I mean.
I know,but I like making stupid comments to wind up people a bit.
I think we’ll be hard pressed to emulate our acheivments over the past seasons. Making the final twice in a row is epic – I think we can only improve on last years effort though, and hopefully we have the squad with players to step up and score the goals where Ronaldo would pop up in seasons gone…
The tune is the same as the if ya want to go to heaven when ya die