Last night Manchester United drew 1-1 with BSC Young Boys in the final match of the Champions League group stages. Here are five things that we learnt.
Squad Rotation
I think we all expected to see some level of rotation and resting of certain players last night. Given that we were already qualified in top position this was the perfect opportunity for Ralf Rangnick to shuffle his pack. But I don’t think anyone quite expected that level of rotation. I don’t expect to see any of those players who featured last night to start on Saturday against Norwich. Perhaps with the exception of Mason Greenwood you could argue but even that is doubtful.
I think this was such a smart move from Rangnick in that he was able to see what some of the more fringe players could potentially offer in the future. And, arguably more importantly, it means that those players who will start on Saturday will have had one less game to prepare and recover from. And so there will have been more time for training on this new style and system that Rangnick has brought.
Sloppy in possession
There were several times last night when United looked really sloppy in possession. This was something that Ralf spoke about in his post-match interview. He said that “We could have cleared the ball easily. Whenever we played the ball into the second or third line we were always dangerous.” And he is right here, we did look good when we were attacking but it was building up to those attacks that seemed to be the problem. And then the error that led to their goal was just a bit of a shambles. Both Donny and Wan-Bissaka could have done much better here. I think we can give some slack here given that most of these players will not have played together very often, if at all. But, this is still something that needs improving.
No one pushing for a start
There were a few players who were given the chance to make their case for being in the starting XI. Players like Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka who were once regulars but seemed to have been replaced. Or players like Donna van de Beek and Jesse Lingard who haven’t featured much in quite a while. Yet none of those players really seemed to grasp that opportunity. I think Diogo Dalot will be comfortable with his place as the starting right-back, the same can probably be said for Alex Telles at left-back. And then I don’t think Donny or Jesse made the case to be replacing the likes of Bruno or Sancho or even Fred in those midfield areas. Ultimately, these kinds of opportunities don’t come around too often and the best players are the ones who really make the most of any chance they are given.
Greenwood back in the goals
One player who I thought did make the most of the opportunity he was given was Mason Greenwood. We all know what Greenwood is capable of. In recent seasons he has shown how deadly he can be in front of goal. And he started this season off pretty well. He was putting in good performances. And he was converting his chances into goals. But then he started to tail off and he dropped out of the team. This didn’t worry me too much. Because these kinds of things happen with young players. But it was great to see him back to something of his best last night.
The finish for his goal was outstanding. The kind of half bicycle kick that he did and the connection he got was so sweet and just perfect. It was just a great goal and something we all know Greenwood has in his locker. But it was also fantastic to see his overall game-play get back to his high standards. He was looking really sharp, dribbling well and creating chances for other players. Hopefully, Greenwood can kick on and put in good performances on a more regular basis.
Big Debuts
Tom Heaton, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal all made their debuts for Manchester United off the bench last night. It’s always great to see players making their debuts especially when they have come through the academy. Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal have been in the academy together since they were 5 years old . And so for them to make that debut together would have been even more special. Robbie Savage on commentary was obviously very proud to introduce his son for his debut. And that was a pretty powerful moment.
However, what was even more powerful for so many people, including myself, was seeing Zidane Iqbal come onto the pitch. For those who don’t know Zidane is of Pakistani and Iraqi heritage and so last night became the first player of South Asian heritage to make their debut for the first team of Manchester United. Now, some people might gloss over that. But I think it is something that needs talking about. Zidane Iqbal can never kick a ball again for Manchester United and he will always be remembered for this moment. There are some things which go beyond the pitch and this is one of them. The hope that this will give to young British South Asians that football is for them, it can’t really be put into words. It really is an incredible moment!