Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)
TT
20

Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)

Manchester United have gone too many years without trophies and need a more determined collective effort to end their drought, goalkeeper David de Gea said after they crashed out of the Champions League following a defeat by Atletico Madrid.

A first-half header from Renan Lodi gave Atletico a 1-0 win on Tuesday for a 2-1 aggregate last-16 victory that extinguished United's hopes of a title this season and extended their trophy drought to five years.

"Of course it's not good enough," De Gea, who was part of the United squad that won the Europa League crown in 2017, said. "There are too many years without any trophies, even without fighting for trophies.

"We need to be clear we want to achieve good things and fight for trophies. We don't just want to play for the top four and get out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

"So we need much more from everyone because this club is too big for where we are now. We are far from the fighting places for the Premier League, for the Champions League, so we need much more from everyone."

United are fifth in the Premier League with 50 points from 29 games and face a daunting task to make the top four and earn a place in next year's Champions League.

"This is where we are at the moment. It's a difficult situation. We have to keep fighting. I feel very sad. But we were not good enough," De Gea said of the Atletico result.

"We are really disappointed with the result. It's difficult to put into words how we feel at the moment. We did not enough in both games to win it. It's a disappointing day for us."



Bayern’s Kompany Cautious of ‘Dangerous’ Club World Cup Rivals Boca 

19 June 2025, US, Miami: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany speaks during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Group C soccer match against Boca Juniors. (dpa) 
19 June 2025, US, Miami: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany speaks during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Group C soccer match against Boca Juniors. (dpa) 
TT
20

Bayern’s Kompany Cautious of ‘Dangerous’ Club World Cup Rivals Boca 

19 June 2025, US, Miami: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany speaks during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Group C soccer match against Boca Juniors. (dpa) 
19 June 2025, US, Miami: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany speaks during a press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Group C soccer match against Boca Juniors. (dpa) 

Bayern Munich strolled to a 10-0 win over Auckland City in their Club World Cup opener but there will be no room for complacency when they face Argentina's Boca Juniors in their second Group C match, the German club's coach Vincent Kompany said on Thursday.

Boca came close to winning their opener against Benfica but let a two-goal lead slip away in a 2-2 draw with the Portuguese side, and Kompany said they presented a real threat on the transition.

"We know the quality of the tournament ... every team taking part here is a winning team," Kompany told reporters ahead of Friday's game, with Bayern looking to win their third Club World Cup title.

"Boca are a very dangerous team in the transition game. They believe in their moments. The team spirit is good. We have respect for Boca. But we're looking at ourselves and want to bring our qualities to the game."

Kompany said they were familiar with the Argentine style of play with many of the country's players plying their trade in Europe.

"We know a lot of Argentinian players from the European leagues. It's a football we understand very well," he added. "It might feel a bit like an away game. But we want to be Bayern Munich. We have to show the right emotion."

Kompany was happy to welcome attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala and center back Dayot Upamecano back into the side after missing over two months with injuries.

Germany's Musiala, who scored 12 goals as Bayern secured their 34th German top-flight title, came off the bench to score a hat-trick against Auckland on Sunday.

"Jamal Musiala and Dayot Upamecano haven't played for a long time. We're very happy that they're back and fit. Integration is an important issue and we have to look at it. Otherwise, everyone's 100% fit," Kompany said.