Ferguson vows revenge for Europe defeat

United manager sets sight on ending Barca’s supremacy.

LONDON:

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has urged his players to learn from their defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final to dethrone the Spanish giants as Kings of Europe.

Ferguson said that the next generation of United players would need to rise to the challenge of downing Barcelona while noting that winning the Premier League was equally important. Ferguson suffered one of the most chastening nights in his 25 years at United in May, when Barcelona outclassed his team 3-1 at Wembley to clinch their third Champions League crown since 2006.

However the United manager believes an infusion of youth at Old Trafford, which has included the summer signings of Ashley Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones, will help the club rise.

“I’ve got young players coming in that I hope will take inspiration from what we experienced in the Champions League and challenge Barcelona,” said Ferguson. “They are an exceptionally good team. But that does not mean it can never be achieved. Barcelona is a team of its time and it’s a fantastic cycle for them.

“We will try to move on and get above them, but the target is to be in Munich [for the Champions League final] in May next year. Only then, if it’s Barca, can we assess how we are able to cope with that.”

Ferguson dismissed any suggestion that trying to find a way past Barcelona would become an obsession, insisting United would always attach equal importance to winning the domestic championship.

“You have to combine the two. The Premier League is such a tribal confrontation between different parts of the country that you’re forced into trying to beat them all the time. You can’t get away from that.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2011.