After last season’s disappointing and shocking UEFA Champions League outing which saw Manchester United finish third in the group stages, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed to not let that happen again this season.
United lost to FC Basel in their final group game, who advanced at the English giants’ expense, only to be thrashed by German side Bayern Munich in the next round. The Red Devils ended a disappointing third place in the group, which saw them enter the second-tier of European football – the UEFA Europa League, in which they crashed too by the hands of Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.
Last season was a disastrous European campaign for United, who are used to reaching atleast the semi-finals of the Champions League year after year. Sir Alex has promised that the dismal show by United will not be repeated this time around. Speaking to the local media, he said, ”That definitely won’t happen next season – there is no chance of that.
“Over the last few years we have used the group stage as an opportunity to play the youngsters. But last season we changed the team too much and it backfired.
“Basel were just an ordinary team and they showed that when they played Bayern.”