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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson: Despite Real Madrid getting better, Barcelona at their best are unstoppable
The Old Trafford manager has taken the time to praise the Catalan giants, and feels they are the number one team in the world when all their stars are in form
Feb 13, 2012 12:50:00 PM
By Stefan Coerts
Getty Images
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has voiced his opinion that Barcelona are still the best team in the continent, and added that they have the ability to 'play a game that's beyond everyone else'.
The Premier League title holders were beaten 3-1 by Pep Guardiola's men in last year's Champions League final, and the Scottish coach has nothing but respect for the Catalans.
"I still think Barcelona are the best team in Europe, although Real Madrid are closing the gap on them. The lead they’ve got in the league shows that," Ferguson was quoted as saying on the official Fifa website.
"They might be on the same level as them soon, but for the moment Barca have still got that magical ability to play a game that’s beyond everyone else. When [Lionel] Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta are on song, they’re just unstoppable."
Ferguson then looked back at last year's Champions League final, and insisted that he does not have any regrets about his tactical choices in the defeat.
"I don’t regret anything we did because they were the better side.
"The first two goals were entirely avoidable and maybe with a bit of luck we could have won the game, but when the other team’s that bit better than you, then there’s not much you can do about it," he concluded.
Manchester United were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages, and are currently preparing for Thursday's Europa League encounter with Ajax.
| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £85.00 | Draw £55.00 | Barcelona £12.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £95.00 | Draw £55.00 | Barcelona £12.90 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £90.00 | Draw £50.00 | Barcelona £13.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £90.00 | Draw £60.00 | Barcelona £12.90 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £87.00 | Draw £53.00 | Barcelona £12.50 |
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The Premier League title holders were beaten 3-1 by Pep Guardiola's men in last year's Champions League final, and the Scottish coach has nothing but respect for the Catalans.
"I still think Barcelona are the best team in Europe, although Real Madrid are closing the gap on them. The lead they’ve got in the league shows that," Ferguson was quoted as saying on the official Fifa website.
"They might be on the same level as them soon, but for the moment Barca have still got that magical ability to play a game that’s beyond everyone else. When [Lionel] Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta are on song, they’re just unstoppable."
Ferguson then looked back at last year's Champions League final, and insisted that he does not have any regrets about his tactical choices in the defeat.
"I don’t regret anything we did because they were the better side.
"The first two goals were entirely avoidable and maybe with a bit of luck we could have won the game, but when the other team’s that bit better than you, then there’s not much you can do about it," he concluded.
Manchester United were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages, and are currently preparing for Thursday's Europa League encounter with Ajax.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The last extract looked at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
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