Real Sociedad boss makes bold Man Utd claim ahead of Europa League clash
Feisty words.
Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil has dismissed the struggles of Manchester United, saying ahead of their Europa League clash: ‘If someone has us as favourites, they don’t know what football is.’
The Red Devils go to Spain for the first leg of the last 16 tie on Thursday night before a return leg at Old Trafford next week.
Sociedad are coming into the game after back-to-back defeats, although they were against Real Madrid and Barcelona, and they sit ninth in La Liga.
Manchester United’s last outing was a penalty shootout defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup, and while they won their previous match in the Premier League they remain 14th in the table in a dismal season for the club.
Despite their ongoing struggles under Ruben Amorim, Alguacil has only but positive things to say about the Red Devils and mocks the idea that his team could go in as favourites.
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‘They are a great team in Europe, with a great history, and that we are able to face them these years is a positive thing,’ Alguacil told a press conference. ‘They have a great team with a great coach.
‘In the league they are not having results but in play they are doing things well, different. Tomorrow I expect a tough opponent – not because of their history, but because of their players. It will be very difficult and we will have to give everything to compete.
‘If someone has us as favourites, they don’t know what football is and what we have in front of us. Despite the injuries they have, they have great players, and I am not going to lack respect for a team like this.’
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt admits that the Red Devils have not been good enough, but downplayed the apparent crisis, saying he would have expected a ‘little better’ this season.
‘We have encountered a lot of pressure and a lot of criticism. For me, it is not something different as I have been at clubs where you are expected to win titles,’ said the Dutchman.
‘You have to keep going, you have to work hard and you have to improve.
‘We would have expected a little bit better than it is at the moment. We know we have not been good enough and we try to improve things. It is also something, in the end, a little bit to do with luck. We know we have to improve.’
Without great prospects in the Premier League and out of the two domestic cup competitions, the Europa League appears Manchester United’s only real chance to salvage something from this season.
Amorim says this is probably the case, but also reckons it is of little importance in his bid to rebuild the club to the position in which it should be.
‘It is not the crucial thing for the future of the club, but I understand that it is a massive difference in our season, especially because we are out of the cups and in a bad position in the league,’ Amorim said.
‘It will change a lot of things, even the way they see the coach. So I know that is a massive pressure. But I will say it again: Manchester United can call the best players even without Champions League in the future.
‘We have to change a lot of things and we are trying to do that. There are more important things than to win cups in this moment, that is my feeling. But I understand that winning the Europa League can change everything.’
