At the press conference before the game, Sir Alex had a few things to say:
Ferguson cited the fall of Sunderland in 1958 as an example of where money can take you in football. "Sunderland spent so much money that they became known as 'The Bank of England club'," he said. "They didn't win anything and in the end they got themselves relegated."I am not saying that Real Madrid will get relegated but they will still have plenty of problems with balance. I do not know how [Madrid coach] Manuel Pellegrini plans to pick his side because it has no balance. I told Ronaldo before he flew out that he will end up playing centre-half because I don't think they have one.
"Barcelona are different because they have grown their squad properly and added one or two players each season. They have a fantastic midfield and they will be once again a threat to everyone taking part in the Champions League."
"I think it will be difficult for Milan and Manchester United to replace players of the standard of Ronaldo and Kaka," he said. "But it is in the nature of our club that we cope. The expectation is still there and the drive and ambition will still be there. It will be difficult but we will cope. Ronaldo was fantastic for Manchester United. He is the best player in the world, in my opinion, but it is difficult to hold on to players from abroad for any length of time and we never expected him to stay for more than six years."Onto our own club and Valencia joins up with the team and Sir Alex has some words on him and Ronaldo:
"I hope we find the answer to losing Ronaldo, because to score 26 goals as a winger, which he did last season, is exceptional," said Fergie.
"But Valencia has great potential and he will start against Boca.
"We watched him for a long time at Wigan last season. He's young, he's athletic, he's got good power and, at 23, he can develop with us.
"Ronaldo was fantastic for us. In my opinion he's the best player in the world and gave us a great six years of service. But it's difficult to hold on to players from other countries for any length of time.
"So we're a different team now and we'll shape things differently. We'll be more compact in midfield because Ronaldo was a bit loose in his defending.
"You could forgive that, though, because he'd give you something back in another way. But we'll be more compact as a team this season."
And from the same report Sir Alex explains how he's watched Boca and says a bit on how pre-season is going:
"I know all about Boca," said Fergie. "If you can't sleep on a Friday night and you turn on the TV you'll always see them around 3am.
"So we expect a very competitive game. After 10 days in the Far East we now feel we are coming into a real football situation.
"We appreciated the challenge of the teams in the Far East, but against teams like Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Boca we're into real football now, which will bring us on.
"Most importantly we've come to Munich with no injuries. We're at the stage where everyone's fit.
"We're delighted to be here and looking forward to both games."
"We hoped he would be joining us here in Munich but we cannot rush him," said Ferguson ... "He will not be rushed back."Sir Alex also has a few words showing confidence in Berba:
"I expected the form we've seen from Berbatov," he said. "Last season was a strange one for him and maybe we didn't use him in the right way. We know exactly how to use him now - further up the pitch, playing as a centre-forward."Finally there's a piece on The Guardian blog showing the other side to pre-season tours - contributing time to charity projects:
This is a story about fame. Last year, three men fronted a video and poster campaign to try to reduce the spread of HIV in Sierra Leone. They told young men to wear a condom, to stop blaming others for not getting themselves tested, and to fight the stigma of the virus. The campaign achieved dramatic increases in the number of young men who knew how to practise safe sex and who were prepared to be tested. However, the people giving the advice were not doctors, politicians or even film stars, but footballers: Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.
"It is weird," said Michael Carrick, who is talking to teenagers in Hangzhou about the stigma of Aids as part of a Unicef project. "You see kids who maybe haven't got long to live, they meet you and they are happy for a while. It is hard for me to get my head round that. Why should they listen to me? I find that so strange."
"Listen," said Berbatov, who, like Giggs, is a Unicef ambassador and supports five care homes in his native Bulgaria. "If David Beckham says something about HIV, then people will remember it. People do listen to the famous and maybe that is a little bit strange. When I was a boy I listened to my parents because what better example can you get than your parents? But many of these kids don't have parents; they need someone else.
"But really, I don't think you should need to talk to a famous person before you can address the problems you face. You need to understand the problems before they hit you. We come here for a reason, that is to train and play football, but there is also this, and I would say it is equally important and when I look back on my life it might be more important."
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