Manchester United 0-0 Valencia CF: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis 

#1 Why did Jose Mourinho not use the substitutions?

Some interesting decisions

One of the most visible factors from United’s overall gameplay was that the forwards were downed by fatigue. Romelu Lukaku was a bit hesitant to come out of his line after interlinking the play on some initial occasions. He was caught offside for the same and deservedly so.

Sanchez had an impressive first half but maybe the extra defensive work that he did in order to compensate for Antonio Valencia’s lethargic demeanour drained him physically too.

Though Sanchez was substituted for Anthony Martial, Mourinho did not use his other two substitutions. Marouane Fellaini had a rather listless game but he stayed on the pitch until the end.

The Belgian was bereft of ideas once he had the possession of the ball in the opposition half. However, he stayed on and his only notable contribution was heading out a corner while defending inside the box.

He could have gone out for Fred, as United’s Brazilian recruit has the ability to open up spaces and switch the play. Fred looks to transition the play into attacking scenarios very well and the team could have benefitted from his arrival.

Juan Mata is a left-footed who could have influenced the gameplay from the right flank too. The Spaniard has the tendency to read, judge and play his passes to perfection.

When the proceedings looked drab in the second half, Mourinho did not use his options from the bench.

Instead, it felt that he was satisfied with a single point, something that should arguably be not the main point of concern so early into the Champions League campaign.