FC Basel vs Manchester United; 5 Key Talking Points

Score: FC Basel 1-0 Manchester United

Scorer(s): Michael Lang 89'

Basel pulled off an upset in Group A as they pipped United with a late, late, goal that saw them gain the upper hand against CSKA Moscow in the battle for 2nd place - and continued participation in the world's premier football tournament.

Manchester United, though, are as good as through to the next stage, and they are almost certain to top the group. In fact, it would take a Basel victory and a 4-0 thrashing by CSKA, at Old Trafford may I add, to stop United topping the group.... a 6-0 loss, and United could, still, end up in the Europa League.

While this borders on the impossible, if there's one thing we learned tonight it was that...

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#5 You can never take it easy, not at this level

Michael Lang scores the winner for Basel against Manchester United

United walked into this game assuming they'd already qualified and every part of their game signaled it - the passing was lazy, the finishing lackadaisical, the crossing atrocious - and it would hurt that they were overwhelmed by Basel in the second half after completely running the show in the first.. as Rio Ferdinand put it, "Nobody likes losing and the manner of how they lost will hurt. When you have had a first-half as convincing as that, to come out in the second-half and let the game become so open, is not professional on their part."

Jose Mourinho will be furious with his players for letting this happen on his watch, but Raphael Wicky and his men deserve all the credit in the world for taking the game by the scruff of the neck, swarming midfield to prevent United from controlling the game, and targetting United's most vulnerable areas... their fullbacks.

Basel, on their part, continue their extremely impressive record against English teams at home

14 - No English side has ever managed to keep a clean sheet on the road against Basel in European competition (14 such fixtures). Curse.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 22, 2017

#4 Manchester United could do worse than learn from Manchester City

Daley Blind was particularly poor on the night

Everyone laughed at Pep Guardiola when he spent half of Ireland's GDP on buying himself three full-backs. Nobody is laughing now.

City look a completely different team with some quality down the flanks and it's evident that United seriously lack in this department... both Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind were abysmal, both defensively and moving forward, and no team aspiring to be champions of England - and Europe, as it were - should be content to have full-backs of this nature amongst their ranks.

Blind, especially, was targetted by the Basel forward line and on multiple occasions was made to look pedestrian by Messrs. Steffen, Elyounoussi, and Lang... No wonder Ashley Young is the first-choice left-back, eh?

Meanwhile, Gary Neville in his £1000 designer three-piece suit, £350 shoes, and current stamina of a beached whale would in all probability still put in better crosses into the box than Matteo Darmian.

#3 Michael Lang caps fine performance with goal

Michael Lang had a terrific outing against Manchester United

Basel, on the other hand, are blessed with an extremely fine wing-back in the shape of Michael Lang.

Le the Swiss did have moments of concern against Anthony Martial - there really is no shame in being sucked in by one of the Frenchman's trademark soft-shoe shuffles - he handled Daley Blind's offensive forays well enough, and importantly moved forward with great intent and purpose.

It was no accident that he was available in the far post for the tap-in when Raoul Petretta (the left wing-back, by the by) crossed the ball into the box. Both wing-backs had pressed United's flank deep into their own half, forcing the visitors into playing through a packed midfield, a ploy which worked wonders in the second half.

#2 Romelu Lukaku needs to start finishing his one-on-ones better

As good as the build-up play was, Romelu Lukaku still needs to work on his finishing

Against Liverpool, while most - rightly - lambasted Jose Mourinho's approach to the game, the best chance of the match fell to Romelu Lukaku when he got himself one-on-one with his compatriot Simon Mignolet, but leathered it straight at him... and if he had got that goal, and the result had remained 0-1 to United, Mourinho would have been vindicated for his approach.

Against Basel, he was anything but negative, and while United pressed forward in the first half, the best chance of the match fell to Lukaku, and once again one-on-one with the keeper, he hit it straight at him.

For an elite striker at this level, the young Belgian needs to be taking his chances with more aplomb - there isn't much need to worry yet, he is still just 24 and has a voracious appetite for learning (if Thierry Henry's assessment from his Belgium training sessions is any indication) but in a world which demands instant gratification, Lukaku really needs to step up his game; and he needs to do it now.

P.S. What a man, eh?

7 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the first player to play for seven different clubs in the Champions League. Journey.

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 22, 2017

#1 United with and without Paul Pogba are worlds apart

While he was on the pitch, there was no on either side who came close to playing on the same level

That chance that fell to Lukaku - a peach of a no-look pass from Paul Pogba that split Basel open like a knife passing through hot butter - and it is no coincidence that United's dominance ended when Pogba was taken off the pitch so as not to risk aggravating the injury from which he has returned just this past weekend.

When the Frenchman is on the pitch, United - for all their assortment of superstars elsewhere across the pitch - look a tangible threat, a team on the cusp of being world-class, but without him there is a disconnect between midfield and attack that is tangible.

While Mourinho was right to rest Pogba, and expect his players to at least see the game out to a 0-0, it must be hurting him that his team is so dependant on the availability of just one player - goes to tell you enough and more about that player's quality, doesn't it?