By Ian Whittell
MANCHESTER, England, Sept 14 - Manchester United
manager Alex Ferguson begins another Champions League campaign
at Besiktas on Tuesday confident his team will not repeat the
mistakes which lost last season's final against Barcelona.
United produced a lacklustre display to lose 2-0 to the
Spanish champions and Ferguson said lessons would be learned.
"You can look at reasons and excuses and it's always better
to look at the reasons," Ferguson told reporters.
"They are quite clear what they are. If there were no
reasons at all then we would be worried but I think there were
valid reasons so we will move on.
"I don't want to go into what those reasons were but I took
the DVD on holiday and watched it and went through everything
and it made me feel more honest about the whole build-up,
everything.
"Did we have the right hotel?, things like this, the
training, everything. So I am quite clear about where we are.
"I think those problems can be put right and they certainly
will be put right."
AWAY TRIP
United could have had an easier away trip than the long
flight to Istanbul where they will take on Besiktas.
"There is something to admire about the fanaticism," said
Ferguson of games in Turkey. "The stadium is full at 12 o'clock
on the day. It's amazing how they can generate that fanaticism
but you have to deal with it."
Ferguson must select a line-up that can help United start
with a victory while casting one eye towards Sunday's Manchester
derby when they face City at Old Trafford.
Ferguson's team selection for Saturday's impressive victory
at Tottenham offered clues to his European line-up with veterans
Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes involved at White Hart Lane and
unlikely to figure in Turkey.
Besiktas lost the first Turkish Super League derby game of
the season against arch-rivals Galatasaray 3-0 on Saturday but
Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli said the defeat would not affect
the team's performance against Manchester.
Denizli was criticised for a surprise line-up with Brazilian
Bobo, who led the team to the Turkish Cup this year, left on the
substitutes' bench.
"From now on we are focusing on Manchester United, and I'll
see how much our work pays off on the playing field," said
Denizli.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Grove in Istanbul)
(Reporting by Ian Whittell, Editing by Ed Osmond; to query
or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)