Trying to make sense of United yesterday’s performance at Basaksehir Faith Terim Stadium will leave you asking more questions than answers, a complete horror show. Coming from back to back wins against top opponents in RB Leipzig and PSG, to United, Basaksehir F.K should have been a walk in the park. It was the last hurdle to overcome to guarantee a place in the Round of 16, but that was not the case. So let’s take a look at the five things we learned from yesterday’s game
1. Ole’s tactical ineptness
Manchester United looks genuinely frightening when playing top teams, willing to let them have the ball and hit them in the counter, but when facing opponents who play the low block, Solskjaer cannot always break their defensive resolve. One way of beating United is to do nothing completely. Ole has to find a way of solving this problem if he hopes to keep his job.
2. Dreadful defending
The defence Ole picked for the game looked to get the job done with minimum fuss . Axel Tuanzebe had stamped his name as the top contender to partner Maguire at the back after a brilliant performance at PSG. The first 10 minutes of the game brought hope seeing Maguire as a ball-playing centre-half, confident of leaving Axel at the back to shore things up. The first goal came about when a ball over the top found Demba Ba, in his half, after United had committed both fullbacks to an offensive setpiece leaving the slouch, Matic, to chase back. This, in turn, left Dean Henderson exposed on the other end. The second goal was just awful, Shaw was out of position, leaving the defenders outnumbered at the back post, for Visca to slot home. Somehow, the United defenders always find a way of letting the team down.
3. Ole lacks authoritative voice
Ole is not a manager to make unpopular decisions. United on paper has the best squad money can afford, but you can’t please every player. Encouraging competition among the players will bring the best out of them. It’s time to bench some players, at the top of the list is Pogba and Maguire. It’s time for the players to earn a spot for the upcoming games.
4. Mental fortitude
The drop in form after conceding a goal is always huge; it always looks like the players have downed their tools. Ole needs to find a way of motivating his players. He could learn a thing or two from his former boss Sir Alex; the only time teams could celebrate when facing United was after the last whistle.
5.Inconsistency
If United ever hope to be considered as title contenders, there has to be a form of consistency and will give the players the much confidence boost. There has to be no excuse when United lose a match. It’s a sorry state to see united loosing to much smaller teams and get good results against top sides. Even on a bad day, the quality players at the club should be able to grind out results against anyone
