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Manchester United have undergone a serious resurgence ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over in 2018. It is astonishing to see what the Norwegian has been able to accomplish in that little time. Away wins at Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur represent the kind of mental change he has inspired in his players.
In the Champions League, United overturned a 2-0 deficit against French giants, PSG, to qualify for the quarterfinals. The tricky situation now becomes a mountain to climb. Barcelona is the one team United fans dreaded facing in the Champions League's last eight. It was confirmed on Friday that Barcelona would square off with Ole's charges for a place in the last four.
To some extent, United have been able to silence doubters by pulling off wins where they were least expected to. However, the last two matches have shown that the team has some weaknesses that will be exposed further by Barcelona.
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This is not a team that needs a second invitation. It is one that punishes with reckless abandon when a sniff of a chance comes by. These three factors give United a distinct disadvantage in their quest to qualify for the semifinals.
#3 Tactics
Ole's tactics may have been effective against big teams such as Chelsea, Arsenal, and even PSG but they will be punished by Barcelona. Against these teams, United's players had been happy to just sit deep and absorb the pressure.
Their reliance on the counter-attack has been effective, but what happens if the counterattacks don't reap fruit? They will be vulnerable to counter attacks themselves by players who know how to score.
Barca will simply not miss. They pose a threat from all areas of the pitch. Any set piece near the Manchester United box will be a recipe for danger. Any fluid attacking move into the United box could result in a goal, given how United have shown to be poor at defending squared balls.
#2 Camp Nou
It is a very intimidating stadium and a fortress of sorts. Holding down Barcelona in the first leg does not mean that they will relent when it comes to punishing a team in their own backyard. PSG suffered a 6-1 mauling several seasons ago.
This is a determined and ruthless Barcelona side that can lay to waste any team regardless of their pedigree. United may even ride their luck and sneak a 1-0 or 2-0 win at home but should expect retaliation from the Spanish champions. Lyon was a victim of a thorough thrashing at the Camp Nou last time out.
#1 Lionel Messi
The constant denominator in Barcelona's recent success has been Lionel Messi. Some people have even regarded him as the greatest player of all time. Whenever his teams have been in problems, Messi has shown the ability to change games. Can United cope with Messi and his vast array of skills?
He is the captain and main man for Barcelona. There is a potential 'easier' route to the final and he will be aware of this. What game plan will United deploy to simply tame this man? Even with a game plan, no player can say with authority that they can successfully man-mark Messi for 180 minutes.
