Manchester United 0-2 PSG: 5 Talking Points from Solskjaer's first defeat as United Manager

#4 Tuchel nullified Solskjaer’s midfield

Tuchel won the tactical battle

Solskjaer's three-man midfield of Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba had sent shock waves in the Premier League and the FA Cup. While Matic anchored the midfield, Herrera brought the bite and cleverness and Pogba was the source of creativity.

Those three had worked fantastically well together, ever since the Norwegian had taken over, but Tuchel had identified the importance of the United trio and had made his own plans.

The PSG Manager set up a similar midfield, with Verratti, Marquinhos and Julian Draxler, but kept Verratti and Marquinhos deeper. As such, United and especially Pogba found little joy through the middle.

PSG closed down the gaps in the midfield and also gave United very little room on the counter. Tuchel also set his forward players a little deeper, which also kept the United midfield busy.

Once PSG scored the goal, the midfield controlled the game. By losing the midfield battle, United lost the game.