ICC 2016: Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Manchester United - 10 Takeaways

Luke Shaw
The game marked the return of Luke Shaw to competitive football
Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele impressed against the Red Devils

#6 Ousmane Dembele is a player to watch out for

The French teenager had a successful outing. He scored a beautiful goal to cap off his outing. Possessing blistering pace and immaculate dribbling skills, Dembele ran past Luke Shaw with ease. His crosses were spot on and troubled the United defenders on numerous occasions.

With the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Kingsley Coman and Dembele coming through, France have some of the brightest young prospects in football.

#7 Luke Shaw completed 90 minutes

After a horrific injury suffered last September, left-back Luke Shaw returned to competitive football ten days back. It has been said that the youngster might never be the same player again. But, the young defender has silenced all his critics with a solid performance. Even though United conceded four goals, Shaw put in a good shift and it was pleasing for all football fans to see Shaw return from the double leg-break after close to 10 months away from the field.

#8. Jose Mourinho has plenty of problems

Manchester United were the favorites to win after the lineups were announced. However, the Red Devils had a miserable outing as they lost to a weak Borussia Dortmund side. Playing Depay as a striker was a big mistake. The midfielders lacked cohesion and the defenders let down the team with school-boy like defending.

Antonio Valencia was a bad captain. He contributed nothing next to nothing during his 55-minute long stay and conceded the penalty that Aubameyang converted. Both the keepers were also woeful. After this performance, Jose Mourinho is in a spot of bother after just two games in charge.

#9 Is playing a pre-season tournament in China ideal preparation for anyone?

Pre-season games are as much of a corporate statement as much as preparation for the new season. But, is playing games in the heat of the Shanghai (it was 34 degrees) or in the pollution and terrible weather conditions of Beijing the ideal preparation for a pre-season game?

Thomas Tuchel shared these sentiments and added, "We'll do a short training block in Dortmund because we know which facilities we can use there. That's very important."

"It's always a journey into the unknown even though it might be planned perfectly,"

"We'll play our first match right after our arrival, but sadly have to wait a long time for the second, and the jet lag will hit us at one point. We have to compensate for it and cope with it like we did during our tour of Asia last year. But this tour is longer, and we can't waive it. That's not possible."

#10 Manchester United have a long way to go/ Dortmund can win the Bundesliga

Zlatan and Mourinho helps, but Manchester United looked like the team who finished fifth in the English league against a side who finished second in the Geman League. Admittedly, they had four more games in their legs against United's one, but the defensive naivety shown by United will be difficult to look past.

Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, look set to push the German champions Bayern Munich again. They have a team full of pace, invention and in Tuchel a tactician. Moreover, something they had never really had – depth in the squad.

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Edited by Staff Editor
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