Last Updated: Tuesday 08 June 1999 14:05
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| Features > The Patrick Barclay Column |
'Sophistication Is As Vital As Perspiration For United'
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AS MUCH as anything else, Manchester United face a test of sophistication in Turin on Wednesday. As Ryan Giggs admits later in this edition of F365, the days of excuses, of claiming inexperience in Europe, are over. If United fail to reach the European Cup Final, it will be because England's finest are still inferior to the best of Serie A.
For Alex Ferguson's team, it is their sixth attempt to beat Juventus in recent years. They have succeeded just once, achieving a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford that led Angelo di Livio to remark that, in all their campaigns under former boss Marcello Lippi, United were the only side who ever made Juve feel second-best.
The facts show, however, that the Turin club are cleverer when it comes to qualifying for finals - they are bidding for their fourth in a row.
One thing that would help United considerably is the breaking of a habit. In each of their five previous encounters with the men in stripes, Juventus have been the first to score. Should United do so tonight, the away goal advantage the Italians obtained through Antonio Conte would be cancelled out and a psychological blow struck.
I certainly don't think there is as much between the teams as the first half at Old Trafford suggested. Was it, as Fergie argued, that his team showed the visitors too much respect? Or was it that Juve, as their journalistic entourage opined, came up with their best 45 minutes for a couple of years? The second leg will tell us.
Whatever happens, it's likely that United will have to call on every bit of knowledge their manager insists they have been picking up on their European sojourns. This is vital, as their most experienced campaigner, Peter Schmeichel, pointed out at the weekend.
The big keeper, written off by too many critics before Christmas, has bounced back from his winter break in Barbados to play a crucial role in United's progress towards a unique treble. But, when I asked him about his saves in Europe (he was brilliant, home and away, against Inter), he said: "I'm really quite cynical about saves. They are my job. I like to think my contribution is more than that. For example, when we took a 2-0 lead to San Siro and suddenly they scored, I had a big responsibility. What I had to do was calm the situation down, draw its sting - and waste any seconds I could. The game could have gone either way. But we came through the storm. I thought I did really well there. I was particularly proud of that."
You could call it gamesmanship, or you could call it the craft of a European sophisticate. Either way, that sort of stuff is what United will need in the Stadio Delle Alpi. |
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