Crerand: Reds Can Still Progress

Manchester United legend Paddy Crerand was understandably upset by his former team’s display in Greece – but he’s still backing the Reds to recover and overcome Olympiacos to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.


Speaking on his weekly phone-in programme on MUTV, the former midfielder agreed with manager David Moyes’ assessment that it was a “really poor” performance during the 2-0 defeat.

"The players would be the first to admit it. They just didn’t perform on the night,” assessed Crerand.

“We’re all a bit dumbfounded – after the win at Crystal Palace, we thought it would lift the players’ confidence for the next game but then all of a sudden, bang, it just didn’t happen for us.

“Playing away from home in Europe is very, very difficult, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, and I’ve got to say Olympiakos played extremely well. I thought their crowd were fantastic and the whole situation was made for them. They lived up to it and we didn’t. There are no excuses really. We just didn’t play well on the night, that was it, and we got what we deserved.”

Crerand felt the performance in Athens was all the more surprising given the Reds had previously played so well on the road in Europe, peaking with the previous trip when Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 5-0 in their own backyard in late November.

“We’ve been fantastic in Europe and our better football has been played away, while we’ve struggled at home,” said the Scot.

“Now we’ve got a big, big match coming up at Old Trafford. It’s the big one because we’re in a situation where qualifying for Europe through the league is looking distant, so it’s important that United do something at home against Olympiacos.”

The Reds legend admitted that the second-leg mission for David Moyes’ men would have been made easier had Robin van Persie converted “that great chance” into a valuable away goal late in the game.

“I don’t think anybody will be more disappointed than Robin,” reflected Crerand. “That could have made all the difference if we’d only lost 2-1 rather than 2-0.

“But even though three goals is a big ask, I still fancy United to get through, particularly if the crowd get behind the team on the night, which they will do.”