Ferguson already dreaming of Barcelona final vengeance
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson is confident last season’s surrender to Barcelona will never be repeated after dissecting every aspect of his side’s preparation for the final – right down to their choice of hotel.
As he prepares to lead his side against Besiktas in Turkey this evening, their first Champions League fixture since that May collapse in Rome, Ferguson is already dreaming of avenging the 2-0 defeat to the Spaniards.
And the United manager is convinced, following a meticulous post mortem that occupied him over the close season, that the result will be different if they meet again in this season’s final at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
“I’d love the chance to redress the situation with Barcelona. Absolutely. I’d love another final with them,” said Ferguson. “We’re now quite clear about where it went wrong. I wouldn’t go into the reasons for the defeat but I did take the DVDs with me on holiday and watched the game again.
“We went through everything – the whole build-up, everything. Was it the right hotel? Was the training right? So we are quite clear about where we are now. What went wrong against Barcelona can be put right.”
Ferguson is set to take the unusual step of starting veteran Paul Scholes for a second consecutive match, as his sending off against Tottenham last weekend means he will miss Sunday’s Manchester derby, although Michael Carrick is also in contention for a return to the midfield.
Besiktas are renowned for having a support that is boisterous even by Turkish standards, but Ferguson insists his team have the know-how to handle a cauldron-like atmosphere.
“The fans have incredible fanaticism,” he said. “I’ve been here four times, twice each to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. It’s going to be volatile, but we hope that the experience we have had in the last couple of years helps us with whatever we face.”