ALAN HANSEN HE'S NOT BITTER

Last updated : 07 April 2003 By editor

From The Daily Telegraph:

‘Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United teams have achieved greatness in many different ways over the past decade - but one frontier eludes them. They have never dominated European football in the same way they have reigned supreme in the Premiership, and this month's tie with Real Madrid might indicate whether they ever will.

With the knockout stages of the Champions League comes the real business of the competition. This trophy is the one all the big boys want to win. In the years from 1977 to 1985, only once, in 1983, was there not an English side in the final and Liverpool's defeat to Juventus at Heysel was the only time during those years that an English side lost in the final. It can be done.

Yet United have been to the final and won the trophy only once since they started playing in the competition in 1993. When I played in three Liverpool teams that won the European Cup, we used to accept that the foreigners had the edge over us technically, but we beat them for organisation and commitment. Now there are foreign players in every team and the balance has changed.

Real Madrid are a different proposition. We are told that this team of Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Luis Figo and Ronaldo have not yet gelled together. But, pound for pound, they look a better team than United. For the first time in a long time, Ferguson's team start as the underdogs.’

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