Moyes sets sights high as United win Group A
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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David Moyes says the expectation is on Manchester United FC to win trophies while FC Shakhtar Donetsk's Mircea Lucescu expects a tricky UEFA Europa League campaign.
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David Moyes, Manchester United manager
We got to the top of the group and that's what we wanted. We didn't play well in the first half, but just before half-time we got better and in the second half we were much better. We gave away too many opportunities in the first period and were fortunate not to be a goal down.
United have to try to win a trophy, that's the job. The teams in this competition are very good and we need to try and get better as the tournament goes on. Last year people were surprised when Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München got to the final, with no Spanish teams left. It is a tough competition, a tough competition for us, but we'll take each game as it comes.
The reception I got from the fans on day one was incredible. I don't think that's going to change. A manager has left after 27 years in charge, it's going to take time to change.
Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
We played very well in the first half – Manchester United only created opportunities after we made mistakes. We had four or five good chances, and I think if we could have opened the scoring, the game would have gone another way. In the second half we weren't so energetic and you could see the difference between the Ukrainian and English leagues, as United play matches like this twice a week. That may explain their dominance after the break.
We should have secured qualification for the round of 16 in our home matches against United and Bayer 04 Leverkusen. We had the advantage, but we were very unlucky. However, I can say once again that I am pleased with our performance in the first half.
It's difficult to talk right now about our prospects in the UEFA Europa League, because there are a lot of strong teams in the competition. The first games after the winter break will have a big impact [on how we do]. The newcomers are yet to reach the level of the players who have been here two or three years. Unfortunately we saw that in the second half today. Bernard and Fred haven't built up their strength yet, they are not yet ready for this level of match.
