POGBA’S SOLER ECLIPSE
£89M man fails again as Reds are humbled
PAUL POBGA did nothing to restore Jose Mourinho’s lost faith in him as Manchester United were humbled by Valencia.
The club’s £89million record signing was restored to the starting line-up after being on the bench for the previous two games.
But the France World Cup winner squandered the chance to show Mourinho he deserves to reclaim his place for Sunday’s showdown at Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Mourinho had called for Pogba and others given rare starts to play with intensity and purpose, to seize the opportunity while he rested most of his established players ahead of the trip to Anfield.
But Pogba did nothing to dispel the belief he will be back on the bench for that game, a lacklustre display confirming his spell on the sidelines did not have the effect his manager had intended.
If this game amounted to a vote of confidence in these players, then they failed it, the worry for Mourinho the lack of hunger and desire among the supporting cast to push their claim for more regular starts.
And with Juventus slipping up at Young Boys, victory here, against a struggling Valencia side 15th in La Liga, would have seen United through as group winners, with the possibility of easier opponents in the last 16. But, as they have done so often this term, they underperformed and slumped to another dispiriting defeat, which did nothing for morale ahead of what promises to be a far sterner test on Sunday.
Mourinho made eight changes from the side that dispatched Fulham 4-1 on Saturday, with only Phil Jones, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku keeping their places.
That meant keeper Sergio Romero making only his second start of the season, having been sent off in his only other appearance, the penalty shoot-out EFL Cup defeat to Derby in September.
Fred, who has struggled to justify his exorbitant £52m price tag, and fellow midfielder Andreas Pereira, on the margins of the squad, also started in what was effectively a dead rubber.
Despite them having a point to prove, there was little urgency or intensity about United early on.
That gave Valencia – already assured of a Europa League place and with an eye on Saturday’s league clash against Eibar – the confidence to take the game to them.
Their efforts were rewarded with the opening goal after 17 minutes, the 10th time in 15 games this term United have conceded first.
Phil Jones failed to clear the ball, his weak header falling to Carlos Soler, a midfielder linked with a potential move
to Old Trafford. He was not closed down and had the time to compose himself before picking his spot and drilling a low angled shot past Romero.
It was a deserved lead and served to rouse United from their early slumber, with Mata, playing against his former club, going close to levelling with a deflected shot in the 25th minute.
Valencia should have doubled their lead just after the half hour, when Michy Batshuayi, on loan from Chelsea, sent a free header over the bar after United’s vulnerable defence was once again exposed.
Pogba was guilty of a glaring error from close-range in the 35th minute, hitting the side netting when he seemed certain to score. He was wrongly ruled offside, the shocking miss summing up his sloppy contribution.
United made the worst possible start after the break, Jones struggling to hold him off Batshuayi when Solar played him through and prodding the ball past the advancing Romero for an own goal.
Romero did well to save from Santi Mina, after Jones had lost him, to ensure United did not go 3-0 down. Mourinho brought on Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, the former pulling one back in the 87th minute with a header.