Sir Alex Ferguson insisted he never contemplated leaving David Beckham out of the Manchester United side that beat Juventus 2-1 in the Champions League.
Beckham set up both United's goals, a header from Wes Brown and a stunning late volley from Ruud van Nistelrooy. The match was preceded by speculation over whether Beckham would play following the boot-kicking incident that followed United's defeat to Arsenal on Saturday. "There was never any doubt about it, why wouldn't I pick him?" Ferguson said when asked if Beckham's place had been under threat. "People have misunderstood the situation - but that's the British way. My best team picks itself." While Ferguson may detest the constant media intrusion into his management methods, there will be few critics waiting to condemn him for this victory. In between Brown's third-minute header and van Nistelrooy's impressive late volley United were forced onto the defensive for long periods but never looked like cracking. "Over the years in Europe we have improved tactically," said Ferguson. "We stay on our feet when we are tackling and we keep our discipline. Juventus probably deserved more than they got but we brought all that experience to bear on the game and that is why they didn't create many chances. "Ruud's goal was fantastic. If you look at it again, he showed great movement off the ball, had to spin round to get there and then the delicate touch to finish it off." *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
