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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
COLOGNE, Germany – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Manchester United will have to prepare for their Europa League semi-final in difficult circumstances, after being told by UEFA to stay in Germany for the duration of the tournament.
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United, who beat FC Copenhagen 1-0 in Cologne on Monday thanks to a penalty from Bruno Fernandes in extra time, had hoped to use their training base at Carrington between matches. But UEFA have admitted that teams remain in a biosecurity bubble in Germany due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but Solskjaer acknowledges that he is worried about training facilities being made available.
“The facilities are not the same as where we are used to, but that is no excuse,” Solskjaer said. “Every team has the same conditions. We are accustomed to having the best facilities around the world for recovery and preparation, we just have to make the most of a difficult situation in conditions that are hot and humid.
“We have six days to prepare for a game. There are not many times we have.”
After their 60th game of a season that began a year ago, Juan Mata, who improved on United when he arrived at the start of extra time, acknowledged that Solskjaer’s team was physically struggling. They now have five days to rest before facing Wolves on Sunday against Sevilla.
“Today is more relief and fatigue,” Mata said. “I think the team is physically tired, but at this stage of the season it’s very important to win games like we did today.
“I think it’s normal for the game to open. The first half was not easy at all and they played some good football, so credit to them.
“I don’t think it was comfortable. We knew they were a good team. We knew we had to have a good game. Now it’s time to recover.”
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