SIR ALEX FERGUSON had quite a tussle with the Champions League. He won it twice – in 1999 and 2008 – but there were lost finals in 2009 and 2011 and missed opportunities in 1997 and 2002.
United, for the most part, underachieved and were never on the front foot, with Ferguson relentlessly chasing to keep up with what was happening around him.
Nowhere was this more evident than in 2000 when his side were schooled in two successive away group assignments against PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht. It left a deep impact on Ferguson regarding how United were approaching European fixtures and directly influenced his decision to sign Juan Sebastian Veron in the summer of 2001 and change formation.
In the Netherlands, United took the lead after three minutes against Eindhoven when Paul Scholes rifled home from the penalty spot. But, they were absolutely destroyed on the counter attack – the pace of the hosts leaving them bewildered. PSV scored three times and left Ferguson reeling.
Still, he absolved his players and onwards they went. Until Anderlecht.
Advertisement
Mike Egerton
Mike Egerton
In Belgium, it was 4-4-2 once again. The tried and tested method that had worked so well just 18 months earlier.
But Anderlecht started superbly and with Jan Koller attracting the bulk of the attention, his more diminutive and mobile strike partner Tomasz Radzinski was left to his own devices.
Like in Eindhoven, United appeared vulnerable to runs from deep – clumsily stepping up to try and play offside. And Radzinski was grateful for such an approach.
He tucked his first one away after 15 minutes, racing clear of Mikael Silvestre before finishing superbly. He popped up again shortly after the half-hour, sweeping a low right-side cross to the far corner.
It was relentless and United were left punch-drunk. A penalty from Denis Irwin gave them some hope but it was a dismal display. Ferguson fumed and hauled Silvestre off after an hour.
Mike Egerton
Mike Egerton
The result left them in third place in the group with one game to play but a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford was enough to rescue the runners-up spot.
In the second group-stage, Ferguson was understandably more cagey. He played the percentages and from their three away fixtures, United registered one win and two draws – counting on their home form to get them through.
It worked but they exited tamely in the quarter-finals, beaten in Manchester and Munich by eventual champions Bayern.
Ferguson learned his lesson and the club should’ve qualified for the final in 2002 but suffered an away goals defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the semis.
And European football would again irritate him and his side by forcing a rethink immediately afterwards. Between 2003 and 2006, United failed to reach the last-eight, by which time the personnel had become radically different – just in time for the golden era in the club’s recent European past.
Man Utd team that faced Anderlecht – 24 October 2000
Tortured by Tomasz Radzinski: the last time Manchester United faced Anderlecht in Europe
Originally published on 17 March
SIR ALEX FERGUSON had quite a tussle with the Champions League. He won it twice – in 1999 and 2008 – but there were lost finals in 2009 and 2011 and missed opportunities in 1997 and 2002.
United, for the most part, underachieved and were never on the front foot, with Ferguson relentlessly chasing to keep up with what was happening around him.
Nowhere was this more evident than in 2000 when his side were schooled in two successive away group assignments against PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht. It left a deep impact on Ferguson regarding how United were approaching European fixtures and directly influenced his decision to sign Juan Sebastian Veron in the summer of 2001 and change formation.
In the Netherlands, United took the lead after three minutes against Eindhoven when Paul Scholes rifled home from the penalty spot. But, they were absolutely destroyed on the counter attack – the pace of the hosts leaving them bewildered. PSV scored three times and left Ferguson reeling.
Still, he absolved his players and onwards they went. Until Anderlecht.
In Belgium, it was 4-4-2 once again. The tried and tested method that had worked so well just 18 months earlier.
But Anderlecht started superbly and with Jan Koller attracting the bulk of the attention, his more diminutive and mobile strike partner Tomasz Radzinski was left to his own devices.
Like in Eindhoven, United appeared vulnerable to runs from deep – clumsily stepping up to try and play offside. And Radzinski was grateful for such an approach.
He tucked his first one away after 15 minutes, racing clear of Mikael Silvestre before finishing superbly. He popped up again shortly after the half-hour, sweeping a low right-side cross to the far corner.
It was relentless and United were left punch-drunk. A penalty from Denis Irwin gave them some hope but it was a dismal display. Ferguson fumed and hauled Silvestre off after an hour.
The result left them in third place in the group with one game to play but a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford was enough to rescue the runners-up spot.
In the second group-stage, Ferguson was understandably more cagey. He played the percentages and from their three away fixtures, United registered one win and two draws – counting on their home form to get them through.
It worked but they exited tamely in the quarter-finals, beaten in Manchester and Munich by eventual champions Bayern.
Ferguson learned his lesson and the club should’ve qualified for the final in 2002 but suffered an away goals defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the semis.
And European football would again irritate him and his side by forcing a rethink immediately afterwards. Between 2003 and 2006, United failed to reach the last-eight, by which time the personnel had become radically different – just in time for the golden era in the club’s recent European past.
Man Utd team that faced Anderlecht – 24 October 2000
Barthez, G. Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Silvestre, Beckham, Butt, Giggs, Scholes, Cole, Yorke.
Subs: Van Der Gouw, P. Neville, Solskjaer, Wallwork, Brown, Fortune,
Manchester United draw Anderlecht in Europa League quarter-finals
Manchester United punished after Herrera controversy in FA Cup defeat
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
belgian waffle Denis Irwin Fabien Barthez Anderlecht Manchester United tomasz radzinski