Bruno Fernandes has warned that Manchester United has to learn from the disappointing draw on Sunday against Bournemouth and fight “more anger” for the ball when it comes to the semi -finals of the Europa League against Athletic Club on Thursday.
For the second game in the Premier League in a row, United created more chances than her opponent and still didn’t get to win. Where wolves had claimed three points in Old Trafford on Easter Sunday from a lonely Pablo Sarabia free kick, Ruben Amorim’s side at least won a draw on the south coast when Rasmus Hojlund achieved an interference balance.
But Fernandes admitted that “still not good enough” in San Mames – also the last event location of the competition – is the most important game of the season.
“Both teams are very intense with very fast wings, which are very good in one-V-out,” he said to Sky Sport Before the sporty game. “We now have time to concentrate on what athletes will do, but we have to concentrate on what we will do.
“It was very important not to lose [against Bournemouth]. We are not at the best level in the Premier League, so we had to get something. It is not the result we wanted, but we had to push a little to get something. We did enough to score at least one goal. We have created enough opportunities to score more than one goal, but it is still not enough of us.
“We have to have more trouble than the defenders to get the ball. To get [the ball] First you have to concentrate on everything you do in training. We have to do that from now on. We should have done it and we did it in training, but you have to do it in games.
“Sometimes you get a chance and you scored a goal, and sometimes you don’t have 10 or 15 chances and points. With the team we have, we have to get more bodies in the box, create more danger, be more active in the box and be much more braver outside of the box to take our risk.”
The success in the Europa League this season is of crucial importance for United. It would not only deliver a large trophy and soften the blow of a historically bad Premier League campaign, the price is also the automatic qualification for the Champions League of the next season with the superior wealth and the appeal to potential new players on the transfer market.
Without winning the Europa League, United would have no European football in 2025/26 and no additional incomes at a time when the club has to bring every cent that it can.