Darren Fletcher urges Manchester United to keep possession in Spain
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has said that his team needs to keep possession in order to have any hope of overcoming Valencia CF in the Champions League.
United travels to face the Spanish side on Wednesday after being held to a 2–2 draw to Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.
Unlike Bolton, Valencia is a team known for playing a strong, physical game. They will seek to overcome United by playing possession-based football. Similar tactics have brought both FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team significant success in recent
years.
Fletcher said that United will have to keep the ball just as well if they want to collect any points on the tricky away trip.
"We know how to cope with the travel and the different styles of play," the Scotsman told the press. "Against Spanish sides, keeping the ball is key. If you give the ball away cheaply, you might not see it for a few minutes, and they will punish you."
Sir Alex Ferguson's team was held to a 0–0 draw against Rangers FC in the first round of the competition, but Fletcher, who joined United's first team in 2001, said he believes in his team's European form. "We have picked up [the] experience of playing in
Europe and we have confidence."
Key duo gone for Valencia
Faced with mounting debt, Valencia was forced to sell several of the club's key players during the summer transfer window. Top scorer David Villa and playmaker David Silva both left the club for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.
Fletcher has been one of the names connected with the club to fill the void left by the Spanish pair, but the Scotland captain did not wish to discuss the speculation.
"It is going to be a difficult match. People might say it is not the same Valencia because they have lost Villa and Silva. But as we have seen at Manchester United, when you lose good players others step up to the mark and take on more responsibility. They
have had a fantastic start."
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