celts look forward to facing european champions

Gregor Kyle
TRADITION dictates that tomorrow night’s UEFA Champions League meeting of the reigning Scottish and English champions should make for an entertaining and eventful evening.

But despite the proud custom of attacking football embraced by both Celtic and Manchester United, Gordon Strachan is well aware of the pitfalls that this Group E encounter at Old Trafford will hold.

Speaking at this afternoon’s pre-match press conference in Manchester, the Celtic manager was fulsome in his praise of the UEFA Champions League holders, explaining that they were an improved outfit from the one that his team met two years ago in the same competition.

Those encounters turned out to be classics, with United winning 3-2 at home and Shunsuke Nakamura scoring the only goal of the game in an unforgettable tie at Celtic Park.

“The traditions of the clubs say that we have to try and entertain and attack,” Gordon Strachan said. “We will do our best, but a lot of teams come here and say that and the traffic always seems to go the one way.

“You come with great intentions when you come here and I’ve seen people say that teams sit in when they come here. No they don’t, they just can’t get out, there’s a big difference.

“We are going to play the best team in Europe, they are the champions of England, the champions of Europe and that tells you that they are the best team in Europe, with some of the best players in the world.

“The players know what’s coming and we are looking forward to the challenge. A lot of them were here two years ago, so they know what to expect. They enjoyed the experience two years ago and you can only enjoy the experience if you perform well and are happy with your contribution.”

The United squad list reads like a current ‘who’s who’ of world football, with the prodigiously gifted Cristiano Ronaldo expected to start alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

There will, Gordon Strachan explained, be little need to be in too in-depth in his team talks and assessments and as always, the focus will instead be on what his players have to do to get the result.

“The younger players in their side have matured,” he said. “They have two years more experience and the more we think about it, the scarier it gets, so we’ll try and keep things to a minimum.

“It’s self-explanatory,” he continued. “Ten years ago you’d be in meeting after meeting discussing their strengths, but with the players Man United have got, you see them so much that the players know what’s coming.

“We really have to say ‘this is the shape when we defend, this is the shape when we attack’ and we get on with it.”

Much of the pre-match focus in England has centred on Gordon Strachan’s own association with United and his relationship with former manager, Alex Ferguson and when asked how he felt about his return to Old Trafford he commented: “It’ll be nice to see a few old friends, but I am one of these guys that when I am finished somewhere, I just pack my bags, go somewhere else and enjoy myself there.”

When then asked if he would take any personal satisfaction in beating Ferguson, he smiled: “No, if we were playing one versus one in the middle of the park I think I’d beat him, there’s no doubt about that.

“He wasn’t a good defender, I was quite good attacking and he just used to hang about, waiting for the ball in the box, so I’d be far better than him at a one-for-one at Old Trafford. If me and him were playing tomorrow I’d be delighted, bring it on!

“Unfortunately, behind him, he’s got a lot of world class players. Fortunately for me I have a lot of players who want to get better and it should be a good challenge.

“When you play against a side, it’s not for you,” he added. “I’ve had reasonable success as a footballer and now I want to see my players have success and enjoy it. It’s nothing to do with me.”