The Champions League theme music will boom out over Old Trafford again on Tuesday when
Manchester United return to the competition against Belgian side Club Brugge in the play-off
round.
After a first season out of the competition in 19
years, United have been led back by Louis van Gaal,
who won the Champions League with a brilliant,
young Ajax team in 1995 and took Bayern Munich to
the final in 2010.
Fourth in the Premier League last season, United
have opened the new campaign with 1-0 wins over
Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and Juan Mata
believes Friday’s victory at Villa Park showed the
team’s readiness.
“I think we can improve, but six points from six
points is a very good start for us and now we have a
lot of confidence ahead of the Champions League
play-off,” the Spanish midfielder told MUTV.
“The clean sheet is a very positive factor. We’re
talking about having new players at the back and
they’re doing great as well.”
It is a year and four months since United last played
in the Champions League, losing to Bayern in the
quarter-finals in April 2014, and it says much about
the profound change the club has undergone since
then that only four of the players who played in the
3-1 second-leg defeat in Munich are likely to line up
against Club Brugge.
Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Shinji
Kagawa and Danny Welbeck have left the club, while
David Moyes is no longer in the dug-out, having been
sacked 13 days later.
Of those who made it onto the pitch against Bayern
that remain, Phil Jones is currently sidelined with
thrombosis, Antonio Valencia and Javier Hernandez
are out of favour and goalkeeper David de Gea has
been removed from the team after becoming
unsettled by Real Madrid’s interest.
That leaves Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Michael
Carrick and Adnan Januzaj, a late substitute at the
Allianz Arena, who came in from the cold to score
the winner at Villa after disappearing from view in
Van Gaal’s first season.
Januzaj is one of two Belgian players in Van Gaal’s
squad alongside Marouane Fellaini, who is serving a
three-match domestic suspension but could feature
on Tuesday.
– De Sutter swansong –
Having marked his return with a goal, Januzaj will
hope to hold onto his place at number 10 in support
of Rooney, although Van Gaal expressed reservations
about his use of the ball against Tim Sherwood’s side.
Memphis Depay, the £25 million ($39.1 million, 35.2
million euros) signing from PSV Eindhoven, was also
singled out for criticism by the manager, but Mata
has backed the Dutch international, who squandered
an excellent late chance against Villa, to come good.
“The good thing is that he is having the chances,” said
Mata, a European champion with Chelsea in 2012.
“He’s getting in the position to have the chances, but
the goals will come for him. I think he will score for
us very soon.”
While United contested three Champions League
finals between 2008 and 2011, winning one, Club
Brugge are the only Belgian club to have reached the
final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.
Michel Preud’homme’s side finished top of the table
in Belgium last season, but lost out to Gent in the
ensuing championship play-off.
For former Belgium striker Tom De Sutter, the tie
against United, which concludes on August 26, will
serve as a swansong prior to his departure for
Turkish side Bursaspor.
Club Brugge, who last played in the group phase in
2005, have made a modest start to the season,
winning twice, drawing once and losing once, and
Preud’homme is concerned that his team have been
playing too much sideways football.
“There’s not enough tempo or depth,” said the
former Belgium goalkeeper, whose team beat
Panathinaikos 4-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying
round.
“Playing like this, it will be impossible to trouble
Manchester.”
Manchester United return to the competition against Belgian side Club Brugge in the play-off
round.
After a first season out of the competition in 19
years, United have been led back by Louis van Gaal,
who won the Champions League with a brilliant,
young Ajax team in 1995 and took Bayern Munich to
the final in 2010.
Fourth in the Premier League last season, United
have opened the new campaign with 1-0 wins over
Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and Juan Mata
believes Friday’s victory at Villa Park showed the
team’s readiness.
“I think we can improve, but six points from six
points is a very good start for us and now we have a
lot of confidence ahead of the Champions League
play-off,” the Spanish midfielder told MUTV.
“The clean sheet is a very positive factor. We’re
talking about having new players at the back and
they’re doing great as well.”
It is a year and four months since United last played
in the Champions League, losing to Bayern in the
quarter-finals in April 2014, and it says much about
the profound change the club has undergone since
then that only four of the players who played in the
3-1 second-leg defeat in Munich are likely to line up
against Club Brugge.
Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Shinji
Kagawa and Danny Welbeck have left the club, while
David Moyes is no longer in the dug-out, having been
sacked 13 days later.
Of those who made it onto the pitch against Bayern
that remain, Phil Jones is currently sidelined with
thrombosis, Antonio Valencia and Javier Hernandez
are out of favour and goalkeeper David de Gea has
been removed from the team after becoming
unsettled by Real Madrid’s interest.
That leaves Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Michael
Carrick and Adnan Januzaj, a late substitute at the
Allianz Arena, who came in from the cold to score
the winner at Villa after disappearing from view in
Van Gaal’s first season.
Januzaj is one of two Belgian players in Van Gaal’s
squad alongside Marouane Fellaini, who is serving a
three-match domestic suspension but could feature
on Tuesday.
– De Sutter swansong –
Having marked his return with a goal, Januzaj will
hope to hold onto his place at number 10 in support
of Rooney, although Van Gaal expressed reservations
about his use of the ball against Tim Sherwood’s side.
Memphis Depay, the £25 million ($39.1 million, 35.2
million euros) signing from PSV Eindhoven, was also
singled out for criticism by the manager, but Mata
has backed the Dutch international, who squandered
an excellent late chance against Villa, to come good.
“The good thing is that he is having the chances,” said
Mata, a European champion with Chelsea in 2012.
“He’s getting in the position to have the chances, but
the goals will come for him. I think he will score for
us very soon.”
While United contested three Champions League
finals between 2008 and 2011, winning one, Club
Brugge are the only Belgian club to have reached the
final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.
Michel Preud’homme’s side finished top of the table
in Belgium last season, but lost out to Gent in the
ensuing championship play-off.
For former Belgium striker Tom De Sutter, the tie
against United, which concludes on August 26, will
serve as a swansong prior to his departure for
Turkish side Bursaspor.
Club Brugge, who last played in the group phase in
2005, have made a modest start to the season,
winning twice, drawing once and losing once, and
Preud’homme is concerned that his team have been
playing too much sideways football.
“There’s not enough tempo or depth,” said the
former Belgium goalkeeper, whose team beat
Panathinaikos 4-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying
round.
“Playing like this, it will be impossible to trouble
Manchester.”
No comments:
Post a Comment