It was a night to forget as Fernandes and Lindelof clashed after United conceded the second goal (Image from The Sun) |
Manchester United ended their season on a crashing note as team lost 2-1 to Sevilla in Europa League semifinals. The defeat ended all hopes of getting a silverware in cabinet, and it’s 31 years now that the Red Devils have gone 3 consecutive seasons without a trophy.
But where did it all go wrong? Did we really play awful? Or it wasn’t just our day? Let’s look at all the goals and factors involved to understand this –
Line-ups:
United started in their usual 4-2-3-1 and this is where the trouble began (Image from YouTube) |
Sevilla started with their classic 4-3-3 with Fernando as anchor (Image from YouTube) |
Moreover, Sevilla’s systems also involves full-backs making overlapping runs, and when a 4-2-3-1 system is placed against that, full-backs have to tackle two players at once. With skilled wingers and strong full-backs of Sevilla, Williams and Wan-Bissaka were set to have a long night, and unfortunately, fears turned out to be correct as both the goals on that dreadful night came with full-back taking assists.
Unfolding the first Sevilla goal:
As Reguilon ran down the channel, Ocampos played him a simple pass that saw defender getting into the box with enough time & space as United defenders were left behind. And then, full-back put a delicious low-cross that that beat everyone except Suso who finished it excellently at near post.
Look at left-flank above: Ocampos up wide, Reguilon inside, and defenders left behind (Image from YouTube) |
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Also have a look at Harry Maguire, who is just above Williams. He first decides to go towards the cross, but then stops knowing that the Sevilla striker is behind him, and if he rushes to stop the cross, Reguilon might get an idea of the same and then simply decide to cut it back to the striker who will get a chance for an easy finish.
All this confusion resulted in this –
While Harry Maguire did the right thing here, he was still laughed upon for this goal (Image from GiveMeSport) |
Killing the comeback:
1. Anthony Martial misses his first chance after a sleek through ball from Bruno (Image from YouTube) |
2. Anthony Martial takes too much time allowing GK to cover the post (Image from YouTube) |
Now, coming to the third and the final aspect – Sevilla’s second goal. The goal that extended our silverware drought for one more season –
An end to forget:
At this moment, Wan-Bissaka should have marked his man, and Lindelof has looked behind his shoulders as well. Embarassingly, both the defenders failed at thier jobs as Navas chipped in a decent cross that de Jong controlled and tapped-in with great ease. Here is how things happened –
Wan-Bissaka and de Jong seem inseperable here. So far, so good by the full-back. (Image from YouTube) |
This is where Wan-Bissaka certainly decides to pull back and just stare at ball (Image from YouTube) |
Look how cross comfortably landed in de Jong’s feet; Lindelof didn’t cut it; Wan-Bissaka didn’t cover (Image from YouTube) |