Manchester United has once been the ruling side not only in England but in entire Europe, but that was the time when Alex used to mentor this side. Now, when everything has changed including the manager, they are nowhere in the English top-flight, in fact, they are one of the weakest defenders in the league history. But, other teams, especially those who have tested them during their glorious days, still fear if they can defeat this English giant and one such side is Champions league defender Bayern Munich who has to play with Moyes army in the quarterfinals of UEFA event at the Allianz Arena. Even though, German side is the European champion, their record against Old Trafford side is completely appalling. Even though, United has failed on domestic front, they are still a good performer on European front as they entered into the second stage of Champions league where they would clash with defending champions. If we look at the record book, Munich have had a formidable record at Allianz Arena against English opponents including United; in fact, they have just won one out of five played games with league sides.
Moyes believes this is more a psychological obstruction than an actual situation as they are the champions and whatever they are thinking about home record is just misleading. Replying to Munich remarks about upcoming showdown, 50-year-old Scott said, “I think it would be something which is more in Bayern’s mind that the English teams have come here and got a good record. They will have that doubt in their mind. They are European champions, but they will have the games they have played against English teams in mind. We will try to use it to our advantage.”
Neither he nor his teammates are taking Germans lightly, especially after their shoddy run in the premier league. Wayne Rooney, who has until been doubtful to play the derby, named captain Philipp Lahm as German’s most dangerous man to get rid of, but anyways, he is confident they can handle Pep Guardiola side since they are in good form – fingers crossed! His exaggerated claims are despite the fact that they too are missing some big names for this game, like centre-back Jonny Evans, right-back Rafael da Silva, and midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Moyes is also taking it as toughest clash on European tour and described its significance by saying, “It’s the hardest task [for me] because of the level of opposition and the competition and the stage. Of course it’s the hardest game. I would like to have more possession of the ball than in the first leg and have a bigger effect on the game when we’ve got it.
“My plans would be to do that, though those were my plans in the first leg. It doesn’t alter a lot because if, Bayern score, we have to score as well. We have to go out and win. We have to be better on the ball than in the first leg. But we also need the determination to get the result.”