Manchester United's Lindegaard warns against Champions League errors

Posted Tuesday, September 18, 2012 by theguardian.com

Manchester United's Anders Lindegaard hopes to start against Galatasaray at Old Trafford.

Anders Lindegaard feels that Manchester United being forced out of the Champions League at the group stage for a second successive season is not an option for the three-times European Cup winners.

Lindegaard, who has been preferred to David de Gea by Sir Alex Ferguson as the goalkeeper for the past two games, hopes to start again against Galatasaray at Old Trafford on Wednesday .

He said: "We have to do better. Anything else will be very disappointing as it was last season when we went out after the group stage. I think we got too careless. In a couple of games, especially against Basel at home [drawing 3-3], it was very annoying for us. That was the tendency last season. We had the game in our hands and we threw it away. For whatever reason that was, we cannot afford to do that again this season."

United crashed out of a group that featured Basel, Benfica and Otelul Galati and the 28-year-old Dane ,who has made only 15 appearances for the club, is conscious of the demands of Ferguson. United's group again appears one of the easier challenges with Braga and Cluj the other clubs. But Lindegaard said. "We have to win everything. That is how it is to play for Manchester United. I don't think it is bad for us to have a so-called easier group. But I'm not sure it is very good either.
No matter who you play against in the Champions League, it is a special kind of football, the team you are playing are the champions or among the top three in their respective countries and we have to take every assignment very seriously. We can't afford to make light of anything.

"I don't know if we were complacent last season but the fact is we didn't go through and we were very disappointed, and we have to make it right."

Regarding who may emerge as Ferguson's No1 keeper, Lindegaard said: "Whether I am playing or not is still a very open question. I don't look at it the same way as everyone else. Every time you play for United every time is an exam. It doesn't matter whether it is Champions League, Premier League or a training match. That is how it is.

"At this point I see David's and my roles as co-workers rather than No1 and No2. He has his strengths and I have mine and the gaffer is world-class at picking the right teams and I trust in that and I accept his decision. I am happy to play. It is amazing to play in front of this crowd [at home]. It is so historical so I'm just happy to play whenever I can."

Lindegaard kept United's first clean sheet of the season in the 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford. "It is the first match of the season where we have really shown the potential we have in the team," he said. "It is the first match where we can be really satisfied with what we have delivered."