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The flames of Manchester United’s silverware-winning dreams were finally extinguished at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. It was never a given that United, out of all trophies, would win the Champions League this season. But many would argue that this was their best chance of staying in the competition next season.
The UCL Round of 16 second leg tie at Old Trafford ended with Atletico Madrid winning 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) against Ralf Rangnick’s side. Renan Lodi scored the only goal of the second leg.
The team was set up to be solid defensively with the double-pivot of Scott McTominay and Fred. The fluency in the attack was going to be aimed through the wings as Bruno Fernandes acted as the provider.
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The overall performance was not abysmal from United as they had almost 61 percent of the possession in the match. They also had 11 shots on Jan Oblak’s goal, with five of them being on target. In terms of attacking strength and ability, the Red Devils were certainly on the front foot with 155 total attacking moves in the match.
Many issues with refereeing came to the fore in the aftermath of the match. However, it cannot be denied that United are currently a lackluster team. They have a lot to do before they can aim for the top prizes in club football.
In this article, we will look at three key talking points from United’s performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
#3. Creation is not Manchester United’s problem, finishing is
As mentioned earlier, United had a total of 155 attacking moves in the match. Out of these, only 74 were dangerous enough to threaten Atletico in some form or shape. During these attacks, United had five shots on target, five corners, and had two attempts from inside Atletico’s penalty box.
The Red Devils managed to bring out the best of Oblak, and he almost stopped or blocked everything from the three-time UCL winners. However, during the same match, United lost possession a total of 26 times as Atletico more or less dominated the midfield battles.
Manchester United’s problem is not just that they can’t create enough chances. Despite a whole host of attacking potential, they fail to finish the chances created. One instance of this will obviously be Anthony Elanga’s chance in the first half. He failed to tap a low cross from Fernandes into Oblak’s goal but instead hit the goalkeeper’s head.
A big summer lies ahead for United, and a striker with a clinical finishing instinct is of utmost priority alongside a defensive midfielder.
#2. Is Fred a replacement for Paul Pogba?
Fred's resurrection has arguably been the most important achievement of Ralf Rangnick’s tenure as Manchester United's interim manager so far. The Brazilian was once again in sublime form. He did skill moves on the Atletico by-line and put in a sharp performance going forward.
While his defensive acumen is still questionable, it is true that Fred, when going forward, is a viable no. 8. With Paul Pogba unlikely to sign a contract renewal at the club, we could very well see a new version of the Brazilian midfielder.
The 29-year-old had one shot at Oblak’s goal and another key pass in the game. He also had two dribbles during the match and sent out one accurate long ball.
Defensively, Fred was poor. His total contribution in the game was one interception. He was partly to blame for the away side’s goal and was also weak in terms of positioning during transitions.
However, the Brazilian has transformed himself into one of the most reliable players in the Manchester United squad. It remains to be seen how well he does for the rest of the season.
#1. Marcus Rashford’s form for Manchester United has fallen off a cliff
It is disheartening for every Manchester United fan to see the downfall of Marcus Rashford. His lack of form combined with the missed games due to injury has given in to the dismal performances of the forward.
Rashford came on in the 66th minute as a substitute for Elanga and operated on the right-hand side of the pitch. Rangnick would have hoped to make the most out of the Englishman and use him as his trump card in turning the game around. However, that was far from the case.
Rashford was on the pitch for 40-odd minutes, including injury time, but only managed nine passes and one cross in the entire game. The 24-year-old had zero dribbles, shots, and contributions since coming on.
With performances like these and rumors circulating that he may want to leave the club, the future looks bleak for Rashford. Furthermore, the rise of Elanga and the return of Amad Diallo from his loan spell at Rangers will mean that Rashford will see less game time.
He is considered by many to be one of the strongest pillars in an otherwise shaky Manchester United squad. Still, it seems that it may very well be that the pillar will need restructuring along with the rest of the house.
Do you think Manchester United will make it to the top four this season? Let us know in the comments section below.
