"It's only a fair result for me" - Frank Leboeuf slams Manchester United's performance after Champions League exit
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf criticized Manchester United following the Red Devils' loss to Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
The Premier League giants lost 1-0 in the second leg on Tuesday at Old Trafford. An aggregate score of 2-1 meant that they were eliminated from the competition by the Spanish side.
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Renan Lodi scored the all-important goal for Atletico in the first half of the second leg. While the hosts dominated possession (61%) in the game, they couldn't create enough clear cut chances. They were also left frustrated by multiple decisions made by referee Slavko Vincic.
Speaking on ESPN FC's YouTube channel, Leboeuf felt that United spent a lot of time getting frustrated and complaining to the referee. He said:
"I think Manchester United for the first hour played with only one thing in mind, getting frustrated, showing that up to the referee. Even the fans got frustrated, complaining and the biggest figure of that was Bruno Fernandes who played for an hour only complaining about the referee's decisions."
He believed that it was a "fair result" for him as the Spanish side had better organization and defended well. Leboeuf said:
"They had some chances at the beginning of the game but at the end, nothing. All credit to Atleti players because of the organisation, the stamina and the fact that they were very compact, gave no chances whatsoever to the Mancunians, so it's only a fair result for me."
He added:
"Manchester could have found something at the beginning and opened doors for the game but after like more than an hour I saw more like one big team very well organized and the other trying to find something, well it was impossible to find because there was nobody in the 16-yard box trying to get the crosses or something else."
Manchester United have a big break now before their push for the Premier League Top 4 resumes
The exit from the Champions League would be disappointing for the club and its fans alike. They are almost guaranteed to finish a fifth season without a single trophy.
Manchester United have just the top four in the Premier League to play for now. They were scheduled to play Liverpool in the league on Sunday, March 20th. However, due to the Reds' FA Cup quarter-final against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, the Premier League fixture has been postponed to April 20th.
With this and the international break coming up, United will play their next game on April 2nd against Leicester City.
Manchester United currently sit in fifth position in the league table, one point behind Arsenal who have three games in hand. They will hope to bounce back from the defeat against Atletico Madrid and push to qualify for the Champions League next season.