KOMPAS.com – Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is disappointed with UEFA regulations that prohibit teams participating in the Europa League from returning to their home countries while still competing.
Most recently, Man United managed to step into the semifinals of the Europa League after defeating FC Copenhagen 1-0 at the Rhein Energie Stadium, Tuesday (11/8/2020) in the morning WIB.
Man United was frustrated by Copenhagen before Bruno Fernandes finally scored the winner in the fifth minute of extra time.
The Red Devils, nicknamed Man United, now have six days to prepare for the semifinals.
Despite having a long time, Solskjaer assessed that Man United’s preparations would not be optimal because UEFA prohibited returning to England.
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UEFA issued this regulation due to changes in format and schedule in the continuation of the Europa League this season.
The continuation of the Europa League this season is different from usual because some of the last 16 matches until the final were held in Germany as the host country.
Not only that, UEFA also decided to cut the Europa League schedule by changing the format of the quarter-finals and semifinals to just one match.
The decision was taken by UEFA so that the Europa League, which had been postponed due to the corona virus pandemic, could continue without disrupting the competition next season.
Quoted from the site ESPN, UEFA also prohibits teams that are still competing in the Europa League from returning to their home countries.
UEFA asked participating teams who still have scheduled matches to remain in Germany to avoid transmission of the corona virus.
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The regulation disappointed Solskjaer because the facilities available in Germany were not as good as at Carrington, Man United’s training complex.
“The facilities in Germany are not what we normally use. We are used to using the best facilities in the world for recovery and match preparation,” Solskjaer was quoted as saying on the website. ESPN.
“We now have to face a difficult situation because the temperature here is very hot and humid,” added Solskjaer.
“We now have six days to prepare for the semifinals. It is not a long time for us,” said Solskjaer.
“We don’t want to use UEFA’s rules as an excuse to complain because every team has experienced the same thing,” added Solskjaer.
Man United is very ambitious to win the Europa League title to treat failures in three domestic competitions.
Also read: Bruno Fernandes’ Penalty Leap Technique in the Eyes of Solskjaer
The opportunities for Man United are quite open because the last time they qualified for the semifinals of the Europa League, they immediately won.
That moment occurred in the 2016-2017 season when Man United was still being coached by Jose Mourinho.
In this season’s semifinals, Man United will face the winners of the Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Sevilla match.
The Wolves vs Sevilla match will take place at the MSV-Arena Stadium, Wednesday (12/8/2020) in the morning WIB.
Man United will have a semi-final match at the Koln Stadium, Sunday (16/8/2020).
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