Fergie: Bayern Defeat Still Gives Me Sleepless Nights

Manchester United messed up their chances for glory in last season’s Champions League.

Away from home against Bayern Munich we got battered pretty much from start to finish. However, after taking an early lead and holding on to that with less than ten minutes to go, we were in a very healthy position.

But then we conceded two late goals and had it all to do at home.

No fear. With less than ten minutes played we were 2-0 up and in complete control. Five minutes before half time we made it 3-0 and were certainly going to the next round of the competition.

But we conceded a soft goal just before half time, Rafael da Silva stupidly got himself sent off for tugging (in the same manner that saw us concede a penalty weeks earlier against City in the League Cup semi-final) and United couldn’t hold on for 40 minutes with ten men.

Sir Alex Ferguson still has sleepless nights over our crumble.

“We’ve only won it three times, which is not enough for this club, and we’ve been unlucky a lot of times. Other times we’ve just ballsed it up,” Ferguson said. “The reality is we could have won it another two or three years. Last year still plays on my mind, that Bayern Munich game. Christ, I’m still not sleeping after that! I keep thinking about that game and keep getting angry about the way we lost it. We were in complete control until Rafael was sent off and then they came back into it. That result hurt and still does, but against Borussia Dortmund at Old Trafford in 1997 we had about 15 chances and about eight one-on-ones with their keeper. If we’d got past Bayern Munich I think we would have reached the final last year and I’d have fancied us against Inter Milan.”

Let’s put those sleepless nights in to good use though and maybe do more work on stopping the crumble in the league too, eh?