Manchester United: Patrice Evra Proven Right After Red Devils' Draw with Basel

After Manchester United defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Old Trafford 10 days ago, Patrice Evra sent out a word of warning to his team about getting complacent after a fast start. The Red Devils' draw with Basel makes Evra look like a prophet.

Although United was banged up heading into the match, they should have been able to secure all three points against FCB. It all goes back to what the captain said after a big win over the Blues (via ESPNsoccernet).

'Maybe for the first time, we didn't control all the game,' Evra told MUTV. 'Five wins is a good start but I always want more. I'm happy to win but I hope in the next league game, against Stoke, we create more and not try to rush things.

'I think we tried to rush things and gave the ball away too easily. It's why I'm not so happy. I'm happy because there's a lot of positive things and we scored three times against Chelsea but, if we want to win the league and win every game, we have to perform better than on Sunday.'

A lot of people probably rolled their eyes after hearing or reading those quotes, chalking them up as captain speak to keep expectations level. However, he was right. The Red Devils have enough talent to slide by even when they aren't performing at their best and Evra noticed it.

Danny Welbeck scored two quick goals before the 20th minute and it looked like United would cruise to another Champions League victory.

Something happened at halftime, though. Whatever Basel manager Thorsten Fink told his players caused them to come out with a renewed fire, while United struggled to keep up. They played sloppily and FCB took full advantage, taking a 3-2 lead after a 76th-minute penalty-kick goal.

It wasn't until Alexander Frei hit the back of the net for the second time that the Red Devils showed a sense of urgency. Eventually, Ashley Young bailed them out in the match's closing minutes, but it wasn't a performance to be happy about.

Veteran United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said as much after the game.

'To concede three goals at home, the defense and midfield have to be better than that in terms of concentration. If you lapse, the quality of the Champions League can make you suffer.

'We should be finishing games like this, it's not like us. We're very disappointed with the result. They passed the ball well and I think we found it pretty difficult but we should have put the game away. Now we've just got to get back into training and get on with it.'

Hopefully, the young players who might not have heard Evra's warning the first time will be all ears in the future. The 30-year-old French international has been through his fair share of rodeos and knows when something just isn't right with his club.

Getting healthy will do wonders to get the team back on track, but back-to-back draws to start the Champions League was not exactly what the team had in mind. It's better to have a few bumps in the road now if it makes the team better in the long run.

Long story short: Evra knows what he's talking about, so listen up.