Manchester United 0-0 Valencia: 5 important conclusions from the game

Manchester United welcomed Valencia to Old Trafford on Matchday 2 of the Champions League, knowing well that a win could put them in a great position to qualify for the round of 16. However, there was more to the tie than just qualification for the knockout stages. Jose Mourinho was becoming increasingly uncomfortable on his hot seat at United. Last week, his team were knocked out by minnows Derby County from the Carabao Cup and over the weekend, Manchester United lost to Wolves in the Premier League. They were now on their worst start to the season and the Portuguese desperately needed a good result in the Champions League to keep the press off his case.

Mourinho made a few chances to the team from the weekend, bringing in Valencia and Bailly to partner Smalling and Shaw in defence, as De Gea continued in goal. The midfield comprised of Fellaini, Matic and Pogba, while in the attack, the Portuguese opted for Rashford and Sanchez to partner Lukaku.

United started the game well, but never really took control of proceedings. They were good in parts but allowed Valencia to continuously peg them back in their own backyard. Both teams had their share of chances, but after an open 90 minutes, the game ended with the score 0-0.

On the back of the building pressure on the Portuguese, we look at 5 important conclusions from the game.

#5 Bailly and Rashford need to start more

Manchester United v Valencia - UEFA Champions League Group H

Eric Bailly returned to the side after a lengthy absence and eased into the team seamlessly. He was strong and covered repeatedly for Antonio Valencia. He was fast and was never caught out of position. There were injury concerns though, in the first half, but the Ivory Coast International fought through and continued to hold the United defence together. He still does have an eccentric side to his defending, but there’s an inherent fun in that. What makes him essential for United is his desire, and United need to build on his abilities because he is still their best defender.

Marcus Rashford started only his third match of the season and looked the only attacking player with the intent on the field. He was lively from the start, and was not afraid to try, registering shot after shot on target. In the 85th minute, he hit a venomous free kick that bounced off the upright. His speed and skills kept the Valencia defence on their toes, however, he does need to work on his finishing. People tend to forget that Rashford is still only 20 years old and will need more game time to gather experiences that would make him world class. As of now, he has all the right ingredients, oozes with potential and during the game, was the only player who brought an element of excitement with him. Mourinho really needs to use him regularly.

#4 Valencia were poor in the final third

The Spanish side found a lot of joy on the left-hand side, thanks to the huge gaps left behind by the marauding Antonio Valencia, however, they could not capitalize on their build up. They started as early as the 2nd minute, taking advantage of a poor United counter-attack, however, the move accounted to nothing, as Rodrigo overran the ball. It was a sign of things to come, because, throughout the first half, Valencia matched United ball for ball in attack, and sometimes surpassed the Old Trafford outfit. Their passing was good, and the left-back Gaya found a lot of space to run into right from the start, but the end product was missing. When they did manage to register a shot, they were off target. The shot on target was tame and hardly troubled De Gea.

Valencia saw a lot of the ball, even though they were the away side, yet could not build on their possession. It is clear why they have only scored 5 goals all season. They had 8 shots in total and only one of those were on target. They were unable to test the United defence and their inability to score might come back to haunt them.

#3 Few players had a game to forget

Mourinho’s use of Fellaini has been diverse of late and against Valencia, the Portuguese utilized Fellaini as a box to box midfielder from the start. It was a horrible decision since the big fellow contributes nothing in build-up play and does not possess the talents of a typical box to box midfielder. It is hard to believe that he is keeping Fred on the bench. His presence cost United both defensively and in attack. In the midfield, Matic was continuously exposed because the Belgian was slow in tracking back. He almost cost United while trying to be cheeky in the 5th minute, attempting an exquisite shoulder pass that went hilariously wrong, however, an alert De Gea saved him in the end. While joining in attack, his poor touch and disastrous passing ensured that all he could do was receive ball on his chest or head balls. It was a waste of an attacking position, and on the rare occasions that Matic ventured forward, the Serbian showed what quality on the ball in forward positions can bring to a team.

But the biggest impact the Belgian had was on Paul Pogba, who had to track back to cover for the Belgian. Marouane Fellaini is a liability at United and fans will be desperate for him to be relegated permanently to the bench. Against Valencia, Fellaini had no impact and was one of the underperformers, but he was not alone.

Antonio Valencia was poor, as he continuously gave the opposition room down the flanks. Sanchez had another disappointing outing. But Lukaku is another player who is costing his team with his poor form. Against Valencia, the Belgian had quite a few chances, but could not work the keeper at all. How United could do with someone to push him day in day out, instead, Lukaku continues to get away with his plethora of misses, game after game.

#2 Mourinho has run out of ideas

The special one is not so special any more it seems, in fact, there is a predictability to his game plan at Manchester United that has made them easy to read and outright boring. He does not rely on using the talents of the players in his hand, which is the reason for his preference for long balls with Fellaini at the end of it. It is a tactic from the 90s era which, unfortunately for him, hardly works any more.

Next, for all the midfielders in his possession, he does not deploy a midfield which works on the attributes of the midfielders. As such, Pogba’s talents are laid waste to, and Matic is overburdened with defensive responsibilities. He broke the bank to get Fred in the summer, sacrificing the more urgent need for a right winger, yet decides not to use him. Mourinho’s preference for tall players, regardless of their talent, once again, is a tactic that is as old as the beautiful game and makes little impact in the present era.

Another proof that his ideas are outdated is his reliance on defending with 11 men behind the ball. Against a team who have scored sparingly this season in the La Liga, such tactics are meaningless. The Portuguese has clearly run out of ideas, and Manchester United are paying the price.

With this draw, the pressure continues to build on the Portuguese and things could take a turn for the worse soon.

#1 Pogba continues to be underutilized

There are no doubts that the Frenchman is immensely talented. There are tricks and skills in his arsenal that can unlock even the meanest of defences. However, for those to be brought out of the bag, Pogba has to be in an area where he can have a positive impact on the game. Unfortunately, it has not happened consistently under Mourinho at United.

The biggest problem that the Frenchman has is that Mourinho expects him to share the burdens of defending, while also joining the attack. Unfortunately, Pogba is too busy defending to have a continuous impact in the final third, because he is too deep for much of the game. Against Valencia, whenever he received the ball near the box, he unfolded a magic touch and released players. He combined well with Rashford and released Lukaku with a gorgeous lob, only for the Belgian to venture offside. He then released Rashford with another gorgeous through ball, only for Piccini to interfere. It was clear throughout the game that the Frenchman is United’s main creative outlet and as such, using him deeper down is a waste of his talents.

Early in the second half, Pogba’s shot on goal was deflected by Garay. He then hit a decent free kick, which was saved by the keeper. All through the game, the Frenchman picked up players and tried to make things happen, but Mourinho needs to understand that Pogba works best near the penalty area and the Portuguese is just misusing the talent at his disposal.

Edited by Vikshith R