‘A’ for effort, but United are three goals & light years behind Barca
ONE team had Messi, the other simply was messy.
Manchester United were handed a brutal reality check here, a sobering reminder of just how far they have fallen behind Europe’s elite.
And this result underlines the size of the rebuilding job facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one that proved beyond his three predecessors.
United need a radical overhaul this summer, if they are to have any hope of sitting back at Europe’s top table any time soon, with the likes of Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona.
Solskjaer needs a major clear-out of players who have stayed on too long at United, with skipper Ashley Young – at fault for the first goal after 16 minutes – among those who are past their sell-by date.
Young may have been the culprit for the opener, his overelaboration on the ball proving costly, but it was David de Gea – well below his best this season – who was to blame for Messi’s second of the night.
Even though his midfield and defence left him exposed, by allowing Messi to slalom his way into a shooting position, De Gea had no one to blame but himself for letting a tame shot squirm under his body and into the net
De Gea has one year left on his contract and has yet to agree an extension, with United adamant they will not be forced to sell him this summer, even if he does not sign a new deal before next season.
But after his howler last night, which came at the tail end of a season in which the 28-year-old has lost his aura of invincibility, United could do worse than cash in on De Gea, with Real Madrid ready and waiting. The keeper may have produced a fine reaction save at point-blank range to deny Sergi Roberto after, but it was too little, too late, with the tie beyond United at that stage, thanks to his earlier gaffe. Then there is the Paul Pogba conundrum. Jose Mourinho tried and failed to get the best out of United’s clubrecord £89million signing, and Solskjaer (left), after witnessing the France World Cup winner flourish when he arrived, is facing the same issue.
Real have begun their charm offensive to lure Pogba this summer, which has coincided with the 26-year-old’s sudden loss of form. From eight goals and six assists in his first 10 games under Solskjaer, to three goals – two from the penalty spot – and a solitary assist in his subsequent 10, Pogba seems to be doing his level best to seal a summer exit.
If ever a moment summed up the self-indulgence that so often undermines Pogba’s prodigious talent, it came in the eighth minute, when he tried an audacious chip over Marc-Andre ter Stegen from 50 yards, the failed effort drawing howls of derision from the Nou Camp crowd.
United have spent around £725m on players since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013. Spending £52m on Fred, hopelessly outclassed last night, was yet more evidence of why United need a director of football to oversee a strategic recruitment policy. The signing of Alexis Sanchez, on £500,000 a week, was another monumental misjudgment.
Throwing money around in the haphazard way United have in recent years has, unsurprisingly, not worked, with the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup the only trophies to show for six years of turmoil at a club that once prided itself on continuity and stability.
Barca’s third goal – courtesy of former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho – only served to rub salt in United’s wounds. The big prizes have eluded them in the six years since Ferguson left, and will continue to do so.
Against that backdrop, Solskjaer has it all to do to take his Red Devils back to the top.