Juventus defeat a grim reminder of United's fall from grace

Nobody should be surprised that Manchester United lost to Juventus. The Italian champions are among the favourites for the Champions League for a reason, and anybody who has watched the competition in recent years can see what a great side they are.

But accepting that United are unable to beat Juventus is also accepting that the standards at Old Trafford have fallen. The result was within expectation, but one must wonder how that became the expectation in the first place.

It’s been a slippery slope since the start of the decade, back when United were making the final of the Champions League and losing out to a legendary Barcelona side.

That side may not have been the best United XI in history, but under Sir Alex Ferguson they had a clear idea about how they wanted to play, and a set of values and standards that had to be met, no matter what.

Seven years have passed since then. There have been some triumphs, but those seven years can be characterised by a lack of direction.

David Moyes came in with his underdog, mid-table mentality and duly struggled to assert himself on a squad that expected much better.

Louis van Gaal came with a plan to implement a possession-based style, but only succeed in boring the United fans and hierarchy.

Jose Mourinho arrived with a promise to make United the winning machine it used to be, but seemingly has no idea how to make that vision a reality.

In his third season in charge, you’d expect to see tangible signs of progress. Yet, against Juventus, those signs were depressingly absent.

When a team is in a rebuilding phase, defeats like this can be an affirmation of progress. A team might not have the quality yet to win, but they might show signs that they’re going in the right direction.

That couldn’t be said about United on Tuesday night. Their passive defensive approach was picked apart by the movement of Paulo Dybala and the overlapping runs of Joao Cancelo. Their attacks were thwarted as much by Romelu Lukaku’s cinderblock boots as they were by the impassable Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. The visitors looked well-coached and played with clarity, while the hosts could only react and fumble as whatever gameplan they had was shredded to pieces.

At the very least, United fans would have wanted to see their side ruffle the Juventus feathers. An absence of quality doesn’t mean a side can’t unsettle the opposition with a bit of effort.

And in fairness, the second half saw a semblance of a United rally. Even if Juventus kept them at arm’s length, the home side had the appearance of trying to get back into the game.

This is just the bare minimum expected of any side. United are in their third year under Mourinho; effort and determination should come as standard, not as a silver lining in an otherwise disappointing night.

United have two great concerns at the moment.

One is that their squad is not built for any particular style of play or formation. Years of signing up expensive talent for three different managers has left an eclectic mix of talented players with precious little synergy.

Take United’s attack, for example. Lukaku’s performances have been below par, but the lack of reliable service makes his job much harder. Rather than sign a winger or playmaker to supply him, United instead opted for a past-his-best Alexis Sanchez.

The second concern is that Mourinho seemingly has little idea what the best approach to this squad should be.

Following the defeat, Mourinho lamented that he didn’t have Marouane Fellaini available to change United’s approach. That should alarm United fans, as it’s a clear sign that their manager’s only alternative plan is to lob balls up to a big man’s head.

Mourinho would point out that he doesn’t have the options for anything else. For example, he also remarked that he couldn’t play Marcus Rashford down the middle, as that would leave him without a winger. He’s made no secret of his discontent with the club’s transfer business in the summer.

That in itself is a baffling situation. United’s reluctance to supply its manager with the players he wanted was a clear sign they didn’t believe in his approach. Despite that, Mourinho remains in charge.

It cannot be emphasised enough that this is year three of the Mourinho project. Issues have been demonstrable on and off the pitch. Every game now seems to contribute more evidence that United are a club that don’t know what they’re doing or where they’re going.

Little wonder they couldn’t lay a glove on Juventus.

Given the state of United, there’s no shame in losing to a top European club. Times have changed, and both clubs have travelled in opposite directions since that 2011 final.

However, there is shame in letting things slip to this point. Defeat to Juventus serves as a grim reminder that United, after all their spending, still have a long way to go before returning to the very top of the game.