Real Sociedad 0-0 Manchester United: Five talking points

United’s profligacy in front of goal cost them dearly

Robin van Persie missing from the spot

It is not often that the likes of Robin Van Persie, Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney have a bad day at the office, but Tuesday night was one of those rare occasions. Although United created plenty of chances, just like in their previous game against Real Sociedad, they didn’t take any of them and that cost them dearly.

United came into this fixture on the back of a brilliant first half performance against Fulham in the weekend, but never really looked like replicating that form. They lacked their usual cutting edge in front of goal and this is starting to look like a recurring occurrence. Testament to that, was one particular incident in the second half, when Kagawa played a delightful cross into the box and Hernandez, barely six yards out, blasted the ball high and wide. Although the ball did take a bobble, it wasn’t enough to put him off and when a player of his finishing quality, misses a chance like that, you know it is not your night.

Kagawa looks far more comfortable playing centrally behind the striker

Kagawa did well

Moyes started the game with Valencia and Kagawa occupying the two wings. As the game went on, Valencia hugged the right touch line and got down the line at every possible opportunity, whereas Kagawa drifted in field, leaving a lot of space open for Evra to bomb past him on the left flank. And the Japanese playmaker had one of his better game for United and some of his combination play with Evra, were akin to the left sided combination play of Pienaar and Baines from Moyes’s Everton days.

The presence of Rooney means that Kagawa is likely to play on the left a lot more, but when both Rooney and Hernandez were taken off in the second half to be replaced by Van Persie and Young, Kagawa played just behind Van Persie, in the role that he is much more comfortable in and that clearly showed. As soon as he moved into the middle, he got into the game a whole lot more and played more than his fair share of telling passes and in all honesty, looked a different player. Moyes has some decisions to make, when picks out his side for the game against Arsenal.

Moyes’s inspired substitutions almost changed the game

Manchester United gained momentum after the introduction of van Persie

Although United enjoyed the lion’s share of possession for most of the game, they didn’t really do too much with the ball. Their play in the final third was lacking a little bit of quality. And it was here that Moyes made two inspired substitutions that almost the changed the game on its head. Moyes brought on Van Persie and Young for Chicharito and Rooney and that move almost paid dividends right away as Van Persie hit the woodwork with only his second touch of the game.

After that, United were clearly in the ascendancy and Young looked lively on the left hand side, whilst Kagawa looked like a player transformed after he moved centrally into his favorite No.10 position. Just a little while after coming on, Young was fouled in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. The stage was set for the substitute Van Persie to hammer home the winner, but the Dutchman instead hammered it onto the post and missed his kick. And whilst United missed a whole host of chances, which they would have taken nine times out of ten, Moyes’s inspired substitutions almost got them the three points that their play merited.

United really missed Carrick’s calming presence in the center of the park

Fellaini receiving his marching orders

In the continued absence of Carrick, Moyes went for Fellaini and Giggs in the center of the park and although the pair started the game brightly, neither of them were able to provide the reassuring presence that Carrick usually brings to the table. In his previous games, Moyes had tried the likes of Cleverley and Phil Jones in midfield and it is looking increasingly likely that without their metronomic maestro, United are struggling to create any sort of clear cut openings in open play.

Against Sociedad, Giggs looked lively throughout the game, but Fellaini gave away far too many needless fouls, which eventually earned him his second yellow card, as he was sent off late in the game. Not only that, he was also caught napping on the ball, on more than a few occasions and wasn’t quick enough in moving the ball around. By his own admission, the Belgian sees himself as a defensive screen, but on the evidence of his performance on Tuesday night, it looks like he still has a long way to go.

Sociedad should take some heart from their solid defensive performance

Fellaini attempts to stop Castro

In the opening fifteen minutes, it almost looked as if Manchester United were the home team as they monopolized possession and ran rings around the Real Sociedad midfield. There was too much respect given to Manchester United in the opening half hour and that looked like the end of the world for Sociedad. But, as the game went on, slowly but surely, Sociedad came to life and looked a threat going forward.

Although the likes of Vela, Griezmann and Agirretxe were on the park, it was the two full backs, who were proving to be the major source of attacks. And as Xabi Prieto came on late in the game, he almost won it for Real, in what would have been their first win of the campaign. But, it didn’t go in and Real Sociedad have now gone 10 games without a win in this competition, the worst streak of any Spanish team and will now be hoping to take the positives from this fixture and win at least a single game before the end of the group stage.