“They don’t know football…” – Real Sociedad boss makes extremely bold claim ahead of Man Utd clash

Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil has been a very bold claim ahead of the Europa League clash against Manchester United this week.

Manchester United face a crucial Europa League clash against Real Sociedad this week, with their season hanging in the balance.

On Sunday, they suffered a painful FA Cup exit, losing to Fulham on penalties in the fifth round after missed spot-kicks from Victor Lindelöf and Joshua Zirkzee.

Ruben Amorim’s side sits 14th in the Premier League, well outside the European qualification spots, leaving the Europa League as their only realistic chance at silverware and a route to the Champions League.

A challenging round-of-16 tie awaits, with the first leg in Spain on Thursday before the return fixture at Old Trafford next week.

Sociedad boss makes bold United claim

United are heading into this game with tons of pressure and little confidence. They have often become the underdogs in Premier League games lately and the same could be said for this tie.

However, that is something that Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil has strongly argued against in his pre-match press conference.

Despite the dire form of the Reds this term, Alguacil believes that United’s history and team make them the clear favourites going into the tie.

In fact, the 53-year-old boldly claimed that anybody who thinks United are not the favourites “don’t know what football is”.

“They are a great team in Europe, with a great history, and that we are able to face them these years is a positive thing. They have a great team with a great coach,” said Alguacil.

“In the league they are not having results but in play they are doing things well, different. Tomorrow I expect a tough opponent – not because of their history, but because of their players. It will be very difficult and we will have to give everything to compete.”

“If someone has us as favourites, they don’t know what football is and what we have in front of us.”

“Despite the injuries they have, they have great players, and I am not going to lack respect for a team like this.”

United will not be underestimated by Sociedad

United could certainly do with their opposition underestimating them heading into this clash, but going by Alguacil’s words, that is extremely unlikely.

That seems to be a problem for the Reds. Teams have always seemed to try and up their game against United even without the fear factor of Sir Alex Ferguson’s great teams.

But right now, they don’t have the team to deal with that and there is no question that Sociedad will provide a tough opponent.

Read More: Ruben Amorim could start Manchester United duo vs Real Sociedad for first time since “valuable” pre-season clash

Still, Amorim’s side have a chance of moving forward in the Europa League if they can turn up in these games. They need to want to win and show confidence that hasn’t been around much this season.

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