Neville wastes little time rubbing salt in Liverpool's Euro wounds
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Friday November 27 2009
Gary Neville has wasted little time in mocking Liverpool for their Champions League elimination by claiming that the five-times European champions "got what they deserved" with their early exit from the competition.
While Rafael Benitez's players must now prepare for the Europa League in the New Year after finishing third in Group E, Neville and Manchester United travel to Wolfsburg next month aiming to secure the draw that will guarantee top spot in Group B, plus a seeding in the last-16 draw.
United's 1-0 home defeat against Besiktas on Wednesday denied them the opportunity to confirm top spot prior to the trip to the Wolfsburg Arena on December 8.
But with United's progression to the knockout stages already assured, Neville's antipathy towards Liverpool has resurfaced, with the United captain admitting he has little sympathy for the Anfield club's fall from grace.
Neville (below) said: "You get what you deserve as a team, don't you? We are where we are because we deserve to be there and it is the same with Liverpool.
"We went out of the competition ourselves after the group stage a few years back (2005) and they haven't performed well enough in the Champions League this season to get the results. Simple as that."
Although United remain favourites to win their group, the advantages of claiming top spot appear less obvious than in previous campaigns.
With European heavyweights such as Real Madrid and AC Milan paired in Group C and Barcelona and Inter Milan likely to emerge from Group F, United could still be paired with a serious contender for the Champions League title whether they finish first or second.
Neville claims that United will travel to Germany determined to qualify as group winners.
"Is top spot important? It depends," he said. "You can finish second and get a favourable draw or you can finish top and get a disastrous draw. It will be difficult whoever we get drawn against in the next round, but for our pride and the way we like to do things, we want to finish top." (© Daily Telegraph, London)
- Mark Ogden
Irish Independent
