Sloppy Reds simply have no defence in Euro exit
LATE DRAMA MASKS SORRY SHOW BY OLE’S MEN
THE lucky general’s luck has run out - in Europe, at least.
United have suffered a second relegation to the Europa League on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s watch and conceding first on the continent has not boded as well for them as it has on domestic shores.
United’s defending belongs to Thursday nights. They were Basaksehir bad in the empty Red Bull Arena and if only Harry Maguire was as defensive on duty as he was of his side’s defending in a tetchy pre-match interview.
If United have aspirations of returning to the elite they need a world-class centre-half and goalkeeper. Maguire and
David de Gea do not fall into that category - Maguire never has and never will - and they combined to end United’s brief sojourn in the Champions League for Leipzig’s eventual winner.
De Gea shrunk the closer the ball - and Justin Kluivert - came towards his goal and his unconvincing form from last season has resurfaced. Time will tell whether his manager has the courage to drop him, for Solskjaer ordered United to retreat in Germany.
How galling for the Reds that calamitous goal - which made it 3-0 - separated the teams following a fruitless fightback. Defenders Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe were the final substitutions with United needing three goals, a couple of baffling cameos when Juan Mata, Daniel James and Odion Ighalo were available.
United’s goal glut, however, began and Nordi Mukiele almost put through his own goal in the 94th minute to send United through.
Not that they would have deserved it. They required a point from their last two games and did not get it and when you have eight defensive-minded players on the pitch a comeback is improbable. Solskjaer treated RB Leipzig, victors in all seven of their previous home games this term, with a level of respect reserved for PSG away yet United’s Arc de Triumph was underpinned by them never trailing at the Parc des Princes – and Leipzig went ahead inside two minutes. A pivotal week has become seismic for Solskjaer with the derby next on Saturday. Louis van Gaal survived Christmas in spite of taking United into the Europa League, but Jose Mourinho didn’t when the Reds were still in the Champions League. Those recurring doubts over the manager are going to intensify this week. The presence of Nemanja Matic was the most dubious of his selections, for Bruno Fernandes was deprived of a midfield foil with the forward-thinking Fred suspended and Donny Van de Beek and Paul Pogba dropped.
Leipzig will have been buoyed by the inclusion of Matic over more reputable midfielders and the 32-year-old could barely keep up with Marcel Sabitzer in the engine room.
Had agent Mino Raiola not signalled the end of Pogba’s United career on Monday it is difficult to imagine he would have stayed on the bench past the first half. The Frenchman entered in the 60th minute and leaped imperiously to score and fuel belief of a recovery more remarkable than Paris 21 months ago when his header took a double ricochet past Péter Gulácsi in the 82nd minute
But it had been amateur hour on and off the pitch. Solskjaer declined against a change in personnel or formation prior to the interval, having made nine half
If United have aspirations of returning to the elite they need a world-class centrehalf and keeper Samuel Luckhurst
time changes already this season season, and Van de Beek became the 10th for Alex Telles. Predictably, the next raft of changes came like clockwork on the hour.
Luke Shaw had barely played halfan-hour on his first appearance in 31 days and must have thought he had entered a parallel universe.
Humiliatingly for United, Pogba was told to warm up before the interval after Solskjaer had squirmed during a tame pre-match interrogation regarding his absence. United’s first half made for more uncomfortable viewing.
Michael Carrick slotted into a back three as an auxiliary centre-half during his United career career, though now a coach it was unclear whether he had imparted his knowledge on to the specialist defenders. Shaw was overwhelmed by Leipzig’s intensity and the Germans managed to do what only Southampton had done against United this season: take a two-goal lead.
Angelino - on loan from City - ghosted past the aimless Aaron Wan-Bissaka so often he must have been wearing an invisibility cloak and the United rightback, who does not like attacking, has often not liked defending in recent months.
He was culpable for Angelino’s and Amadou Haidara’s forceful strikes.
Wes Brown, Brown in the studio for MUTV MUTV, would have halted Angelino’s momentum sooner than Wan-Bissaka.
Wan-Bissaka turned 23 last month and there were doubts over his personality to handle the scrutiny of a United player in his first season. Solskjaer demanded United move the ball quicker, though the burden on Fernandes was too heavy to shoulder and they were more probing with Van de Beek on for the tepid Telles.
Fernandes, the only world-class player in the United squad, threatened to raise them from the dead by scoring with a dubious penalty but Mukiele’s clumsy clearance was blocked by Gulácsi.
United’s luck had run out.