Blood, sweat, and tears were shed last Wednesday evening in Manchester as Barcelona left with an underwhelming 1-0 victory over a Manchester United side that looked bereft of attacking impetus but put on a strong defensive display. The Catalan side probed and pressed at will with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez barraging the Manchester United defence with an onslaught of shots.
An early own goal after some exceptional work from Suárez may have set the tempo early on, but Manchester United held firm and produced an impressive performance limiting them to one goal. This tactical analysis will preview the second leg between Barcelona and Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
The Red Devils were picked apart in places with Ashley Young particularly poor on the night having been dispossessed 30 times and failed to accurately find 11 crosses. However, performances from Scott McTominay, Fred and Chris Smalling gave the fans something to write home about.
The midfield duo’s performance was the biggest positive to come out of Old Trafford. McTominay deputised for the injured Nemanja Matić and put in another breakout performance. The faith shown by Ole Gunnar Solskjær and José Mourinho before him has been vindicated. The Scot could become the next Michael Carrick with his humble demeanour and no-nonsense attitude.
Team News
Barcelona
Having played a second-string side against Huesca, Barcelona looked to rest several key players including Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. Gerard Piqué and Luis Suárez were suspended, while Ivan Rakitić was out with a fever forcing Ernesto Valverde into rotating in his fringe players. Being so far ahead in La Liga, Valverde was prepared to drop points against Huesca in an effort to keep his players fresh for the return leg at the Camp Nou.
For Barcelona, Ousmane Dembélé should return in place of Philippe Coutinho with the rest of the side retaining their places. Malcolm could come on sooner to try and put Manchester United under more pressure, as they looked troubled by the pace of Barcelona’s full-backs.
Manchester United
Having only narrowly lost to Barcelona in the first leg, Ole Gunnar Solskjær should look to persist with the same team. Even though the attack failed to produce a shot on target, Manchester United’s attacking trident can produce. With Matić expected to be fit again Solskjær will have a tough decision to make, but one that in reality shouldn’t require too much thought. Scott McTominay deputised brilliantly and deserves a start in the second leg.
If the Paris Saint-Germain result taught us anything it’s that Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford have the ability to counter-attack at lightning speed and cause defensive problems. Diego Dalot impressed as did Chris Smalling, Fred, and McTominay and should all retain their places in the starting XI. A suspension to Luke Shaw will force Manchester United into changes in defence. This could signal another start for Marcos Rojo or Phil Jones.
