• Barcelona 3-1 Man Utd, Champions League final

Fergie admits Berbatov anguish

ESPN staff
May 29, 2011
Manchester United were outclassed by Barcelona at Wembley © Getty Images
Enlarge

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he wrestled with who to name on his substitutes' bench for the Champions League final against Barcelona, before ultimately preferring Michael Owen to Dimitar Berbatov.

United eventually lost the game 3-1, with Owen failing to get onto the pitch despite the English side needing to find goals to get themselves back into the contest. The decision to leave out Berbatov raised many eyebrows before kick-off, and Ferguson admitted that he struggled to decide who would make the substitutes' bench for the game.

''For Berbatov it was a difficult decision tonight,'' said Ferguson. ''Picking my team I found easy, but picking my subs I found very difficult. I tended to overload the midfield positions because I thought that was the position that was most important.

''I gambled with just one defender (on the bench, Chris Smalling) to allow me to get as many options in midfield and wide positions. It was a choice between Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov and if you are looking for someone to nick a goal in the last few minutes you want Owen's experience.''

Reports had suggested that the Bulgarian had left the ground after hearing he would not be in the matchday squad, after he was not sighted throughout the evening. But Ferguson denied any such suggestions.

"He was in the dressing room at the end," the Scot stated.

© 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