Despite failing to meet up to expectations this season, Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal says his system is working because the club is still in three competitions.
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“If we can create an atmosphere like the one at Liverpool anything is possible”, Van Gaal said, surely clutching at an unattainable straw. Thanks to his heroics, United have the second best defensive record in the league with only 27 goals conceded from their 29 matches played.
The result has left them with an uphill battle ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford next week but Mata, who was handed the captain’s armband for the match, insisted that his side aren’t out of the tie yet.
The odds are stacked against Manchester United progressing to the quarter-finals of the competition, but Van Gaal is continuing to believe his men can knock rivals Liverpool out.
West Ham head into the clash on the back of three straight league wins against Sunderland, Tottenham and Everton, while their opponents, by contrast, come into the match after the 2-0 loss against Liverpool.
The result was another blow for the travelling support, who have had to put up with poor performances and uninspiring results this season both domestically and in Europe.
“There are many of my colleagues who are not in three competitions any more”. We have played a lot of games in it already.
They got bullied. Mata looked like a 10-year-old at times. “They had difficulties, but we did not create too many chances”. We have to keep going like in the first game.
Therefore the Red Devils will undoubtedly prioritise that game over the FA Cup, which only offers a route back into next season’s Europa League, an achievement United are likely to cement through league position anyway. But after their bitterly disappointing League Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Can wants to press on the advantage at Old Trafford. “But we need to move on, we need to win on Sunday”.
But with United failing to win anything since the last of Alex Ferguson’s Premier League title successes in 2013, and having enjoyed the last of their 11 FA Cup successes way back in 2004, going on to lift the trophy would provide some solace and salvation to a troubled campaign. We just have to focus on reaching the levels we did in the first leg. Momentum is a big thing in football and we feel that we have got it’.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refused to get carried away by the victory.
