“I wouldn’t rule out a surprise” – Unai Emery warns Manchester United about Champions League Group F
Manchester United's Champions League campaign started on a poor note as the Red Devils suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to Young Boys on Tuesday. Villareal manager Unai Emery thinks there could be a major surprise in Group F following the result.
The tactician remarked:
"This group gets complicated with Young Boys beating Manchester United. I wouldn’t rule out a surprise because I’ve already experienced them in the Champions League and in the Europa League. Teams in Europe have a touch more motivation."
He added:
"Young Boys are group leaders and Manchester United, who are the favorites, are last. Atalanta and Villarreal are there, fighting for our space. Every game played makes it that little bit harder."
FT: Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United
Manchester United open their Champions League campaign with a loss https://t.co/IvzLyqEO0j
Manchester United are now fourth in Group F behind Young Boys, Atalanta and Villareal. Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he isn't surprised about criticism in the media although he admits his team fell short on Tuesday. Solskjaer said:
"No, it doesn’t surprise me. I've got my job and we do our job, you tend to in the media get judged by behaviors and outcomes rather than intentions. It's black and white. We go into the game with good intentions, we make changes with good intentions, go into a tackle and make a pass with good intentions."
He added:
"The outcome decides which headline we’ll see, very rarely is the game fantastic or really bad, it just hovers about good or not good enough. We know expectations are high and we expect more from ourselves, the performance wasn’t up to our standards."
Manchester United have a rock to lift in the Champions League
Manchester United headed into the Champions League this season as the favorites to finish at the top of their group. However, their poor result against Young Boys has blown things wide open.
Despite entering the tournament as underdogs in Group F, the Belgian club will now fancy their chances of progressing into the knockout phase. With three points secured already, the Bruges are already going in the right direction.
Atalanta and Villareal are also spectacular teams that are capable of shocking Manchester United. The Red Devils surely cannot take any game lightly going forward if they want to progress to the next round.