• Champions League

Ferguson demands response after United's exit

ESPN staff
December 7, 2011
Sir Alex Ferguson shows his frustration on the touchlines © Getty Images
Enlarge

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson vowed to use his side's Champions League exit as a motivation for future success.

United have reached three of the last four finals, but a 2-1 defeat at Basel was not enough to reach the last 16 and the Red Devils now drop into the Europa League.

"Of course we're disappointed, there's no other way you can feel," Ferguson said. "It's part of football. You have to deal with the disappointment, and this club has used it as motivation many times.

"These young players will feel disappointed tonight but they'll have to cope with it and go on with their careers. Our results in the last few years have been outstanding. It's a loss because it's the best tournament in the world. It's a marvellous tournament.

"It wasn't a good start to the game. We expected to try and control the game by getting control of possession. They've scored through their first real attack. When you're away from home and you're 1-0 down you have a job to do. The opportunities we had we didn't take them and that was the story of the game."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices