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Wednesday's Champions League match reports
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-03 08:43 Ferguson backs players, blames pitch after Lille defeat
PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson backed
his players despite another poor performance in the 1-0 defeat by Lille in the
Champions League on Wednesday.
Ferguson preferred to blame the Stade de
France pitch to explain a loss that adds to United's woes four days after they
were thrashed 4-1 by Middlesbrough in the Premier League.
"It was a difficult game. The pitch was poor," said Ferguson, who declined to
shake hands with his Lille counterpart Claude Puel at the final whistle.
"I don't think we deserved to lose but we did not play well enough to win,"
he added.
United are now level on five points with Lille in Group D, one behind
Villareal who beat Benfica 1-0 to top the group.
"We will certainly have to win the game against Villareal," said Ferguson,
who will welcome back midfielder Paul Scholes from suspension.
"I think my players tried their best. They had a good attitude ahead of the
game. They are young, they are inexperienced. You have to trust your young
players but you can't expect them to change things."
United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy said qualification for the last 16
could hinge on the game against Villareal.
"That's a massive game now," van Nistelrooy told Sky Sports. "It's a hard
period we are going through right now. But it's still in our own hands."
United travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to play runaway Premier League
leaders Chelsea, whom they trail by 13 points.
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