Fergie: Still work to be done
28 Sep 2008 - 08:32:35
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted there is still work to be done in knitting his Manchester United players together into a team unit despite Saturday's 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers.
United bounced back from a below-par first-half display to take the points and a first home Premier League victory of the season courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and second from substitute Wayne Rooney.
But after the victory, Ferguson admitted he has yet to find the right formula to fit all of his attacking talents together effectively.
"We were careless with our possession at time in the first half and we got caught on the counter-attack," he claimed.
"I felt we played too tightly. There were too many six-yard passes, instead of spreading the game quicker.
"In the second half we had far more width in our game and I'm very satisfied with how the game turned out.
"I think it was a well deserved victory. We played some fantastic football at times - we have the individuals to do that when you consider the skills of Scholes, Anderson, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov.
"There is an array of talent here. We just have to garner it together and get compact teamwork out of it."
Meanwhile, Ferguson conceded that his side had been fortunate to win a 60th-minute penalty when Jlloyd Samuel was adjudged to have fouled Ronaldo.
"I was surprised," he told MUTV. "It looked to me as if the Bolton player got a foot on the ball.
"But Rob Styles turned down four or five for us last season, so maybe we're getting payback now. But he still owes us four!
"It was a little break for us. I still think we would have won the game okay but when the opposition are sitting in front of the penalty box and defending with the determination that Bolton showed, it's difficult to break them down.
"You need little breaks like that."