Source: Team_Talk
Fergie admits to Berbatov gaffe
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he made a mistake by not putting Dimitar Berbatov on the bench for Manchester United's 0-0 draw with Rangers.[LNB] Ferguson made 10 changes and gave in-form Berbatov the night off as he tried to assess the standing of some new players in the Champions League opener at Old Trafford.[LNB]But as United struggled to overcome Rangers' blanket defence, Ferguson found himself lacking someone with the guile to find a way through once Antonio Valencia had departed with his horrific injury.[LNB]"We wanted to see how Javier Hernandez would do in a full game," said Ferguson.[LNB]"Because of that we left Berbatov out and his form has been absolutely fantastic.[LNB]"He has been one of our best players this season and his ability to create in tight situations would have made a difference."[LNB]Yet Ferguson insisted he had no alternative as, entering such a congested phase of the season, he needed to know what options he has at his disposal.[LNB]"We wanted to find out about one or two players," he said.[LNB]"But seven or eight of them played against Chelsea in the Community Shield, so we weren't short of players we needed to win the game.[LNB]"There were plenty of good players on the pitch."[LNB]Unfortunately for United, they kept running into a brick wall, as the five Rangers defenders were protected by four midfielders right in front of them.[LNB]Only Darron Gibson came close to breaking the deadlock with a couple of fierce long-range efforts that whistled past the post.[LNB]Wayne Rooney had one half-chance on his return to action but nothing clear cut and a measure of how awkward United found their opponents was shown by the fact they were forced to wait until the 84th minute to force their first corner.[LNB]"It was a frustrating night for us," he said.[LNB]"Rangers' system of play was very difficult to break down.[LNB]"I don't know if playing anyone else would have made any difference.[LNB]"They were well organised and defended so deep, it was difficult to open them up at all.[LNB]"We didn't test their goalkeeper at all, apart from a couple of shots straight at him.[LNB]"It was a really difficult night."[LNB]
