Schweinsteiger: Manchester United can win the Champions League
Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger believes the Red Devils can go on to lift the Champions League trophy this season starting with a victory against Wolfsburg tonight.
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The campaign for Europe’s top honors got off to a rough start, as United fell away to PSV Eindhoven 2-1 to begin the group stage. However, Wednesday’s match against Wolfsburg presents the opportunity for redemption, and while it’s not do or die time just yet, the game has serious implications.
Should the Red Devils fail to secure at least a draw at Old Trafford against the Bundesliga side, the chances of moving past the group stages will be bleak. With the remaining road trips to Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow looming as tough tests, it’s crucial for Louis van Gaal’s men to win on home soil.
That being said, Schweinsteiger is optimistic for the team’s Champions League prospects. When asked if he thinks the squad has the quality to win the competition, the German international responded:
"“Yes, I think so, but first of all we have to do our work. We lost the first match. It was a pity against PSV Eindhoven – if we’d scored a second or third goal in the first half, it would have been different score at the end of the day. But we lost the match so, as the manager said, we have to win our games at home first of all, and take it step by step in the group.”"
Granted, the question’s wording made it necessary for Schweini to respond with confidence; the story would have blown up if he’d said United lack quality. Even so, having won the European Cup previously with Bayern Munich, the midfield general has a good understanding of what it takes to succeed. It could be that he sees the same quality in this team as what he saw at his former club.
While the 2012/13 German giants fielded one of the best squads in history, there are some similarities between them and the current United team: both sides feature arguably the world’s best goalkeepers (Neuer vs David de Gea), both teams have defences with players coming into their own (Boateng and Alaba vs Smalling and Darmian), and both managers preached total footballing philosophy.
The difference between the two sides is in the attacking ranks. Bayern consisted of top class wingers in Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, midfield maestros in Toni Kroos and Javi Martinez, and ruthless strikers in Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Muller. In comparison, with Memphis Depay and Juan Mata on the flanks, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera or Wayne Rooney in the midfield, and Martial potentially starting at striker, the Reds have a mixture of pedigree and potential.
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As such, it’s not beyond reason for Schweinsteiger to truly believe that Manchester United can seal victory in the final at the San Siro. As the season wears on and the team further gels as a unit through more and more game time, Van Gaal’s men could be poised to far exceed the expectations set at the beginning of the season.
And, after over a month in Manchester, the Fussballgott has happily settled into a leadership role with his new teammates. Asked about his time with Manchester United thus far, Schweinsteiger shared his delight with how easy it has been to transition:
"“The whole club, the people are very friendly and helpful. And of course my teammates have made it easy for me. I know the manager and staff. OK, nobody really speaks German except the staff, but it was not a problem for me. I’m at an age where I can learn and handle it.”“It was very easy and I feel very comfortable here, especially when we have matches at Old Trafford. It’s a big stadium and a big honour to play here for United, especially in the Champions League.”"
Supporters will also rejoice at the return of European competition to the Theatre of Dreams after a season long wait. Following Schweinsteiger’s comments regarding the 2008 champions, the hope is that the play against Wolfsburg will reinforce his opinion.