Mourinho ‘100% sure’ Real can eliminate United

Madrid: Jose Mourinho has warned that Real Madrid can score the goals to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League at Old Trafford, with the Portuguese claiming Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have not yet faced any team there with ‘our attacking quality’.

United left the Bernabeu on Wednesday night with what may prove to be a vital away goal, having drawn 1-1, after Danny Welbeck’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Cristiano Ronaldo’s header before the interval.

Yet Mourinho is confident. Madrid’s coach, reflecting on a cautious approach from the visiting team, said: “I won’t criticise what they did — they got the result they wanted. We can score at Old Trafford. Many teams have done so at Old Trafford and no team with our attacking quality has played there.”

Ferguson detailed Wayne Rooney to play on the right as he asked the striker to help Rafael da Silva, the full-back on that flank, shackle the threat of Ronaldo. The manager also played Phil Jones in advance of his more usual central-defensive berth as part of a midfield shield.

Of these tactics, Mourinho was mildly critical. “I don’t think, with the British culture, that United will play with all their defenders in their half, as they did here,” he said, speaking of the second leg in three weeks’ time.

“I am expecting a very strong opponent [then] with very good players, but I am confident and 100 per cent sure we can do this. It is 50-50 — it is a draw. They scored an away goal and we can do that as well. I like to play the first game at home because, when you play the first game away, the tendency is to be unhappy with the score.

“When you play the second game away, you know how you need to approach the game. When we get to Old Trafford we are behind and need to score. If we score, we go ahead, so it is very easy and we know what to do.

“We had enough chances to score more than one. We had the initiative all the game and we played against a team with lots of payers covering their own area. United did their job well. They came here not to concede space and goals and they didn’t play to win.”

Mourinho, whose side have all but conceded the Liga title they won last year, is under pressure to claim the Champions League or he could be sacked. Yet asked if his future depended on the result of this last-16 tie, he said: “I have no idea and I am not worried about it. I don’t feel any pressure. I work hard, am very serious and am happy with what I do. I have peace of mind and my head is high, but there is no pressure really.”

— Guardian News and Media 2013