Ferguson driven by Barca battering

Speaking to journalists ahead of Sunday's Community Shield match with Chelsea at Wembley, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claims that last season's Champions League loss to Barcelona will drive his team to more success in the coming term:

"Adversity is always an important factor in developing and improving."

Previously skirting around the issue, Ferguson now believes that the agony of losing such an important game can be used as a major motivational tool by his team.

"When you lose the last game of the season you have two or three months to reflect on the disappointment. We have not enjoyed that. But we will cope - and we will bounce back."

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Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)

After the manager himself told last week that he was close to joining Barcelona in 1986 (read more here), Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (66) was later on a second time not far away from the Barcelona bench.

When Barcelona president Joan Gaspart was looking for a successor to Llorenç Serra Ferrer in the summer of 2001, Ferguson was one of the main candidates. But in the end the Barcelona board didn't push that option through and preferred to sign caretaker Carles Rexach, former Barcelona player and at that time member of the Barcelona technical staff, as the head coach for the 2001-2002 season.

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Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has told in an interview with British tabloid The Sunday Express that he was close to joining Barcelona back in 1986 when he was coaching Scottish club Aberdeen:

"I was interviewed for the Barcelona job when I was at Aberdeen. Terry Venables was in charge at the time but he was going to leave. He had recommended me and I met the Barcelona president in the Connaught Hotel London. Terry ended up staying and I always wonder what would have happened if he hadn't changed his mind. Barcelona actually kept in touch and even phoned to ask my opinion on Uruguayan playmaker Enzo Francescoli. I have never been tempted since. I have all the fulfillment I need with Manchester United. Anyway, it's difficult to say whether my methods would have worked in another country."


Sir Alex Ferguson (66) was the manager of Aberdeen from 1978 until 1986. He joined Manchester United in November 1986.

Terry Venables (65) arrived in Barcelona from English club Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 1984, replacing the Argentinian César Luis Menotti. Under Venables, Barcelona won one Spanish league title in 1985 and a League cup in 1986. In May of 1986, Barcelona lost the European Cup final to Steaua Bucarest on penalties. Venables was discharged in November 1987 and replaced by Luis Aragonés.


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