Europa League: United Hold Barcelona to a Draw in Catalunya

Manchester United travelled to the northeast of Spain yesterday for the first leg of a two-leg playoff tie at the historic Camp Nou against European giants Barcelona CF. It was an odd fixture in the sense that these two teams have traditionally played each other in the Champions League instead of the Europa League, the “smaller” of the two European club tournaments. It came about in the Europa League due to United’s poor play last season and failing to win their Europa League group earlier this season, while Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League pre-World Cup. This tie seemed inevitable once it became clear the two sides were eligible to play each other. It was also an odd fixture in the sense that these two clubs are playing Champions League-caliber football right now, with Barca sitting atop La Liga in Spain and United in 3rd in England. The Blaugrana have been a defensive fortress at the Camp Nou this season, with manager (and club legend) Xavi righting a previously wayward ship. United manager Erik ten Hag named a strong side for this fixture, indicating that he is prioritizing this tournament even though United have a very congested fixture list.

The opening 20 minutes were slow in parts but United did have a half-chance just 17 seconds in, when midfielder Fred narrowly missed turning in a cross from fellow midfielder Bruno Fernandes. Aside from that though, it was half chances at best. Barcelona did have a slight edge in terms possession and passing, but the difference between the sides was negligible. The Red Devils grew into the game a bit more though in the next 25 minutes. Winger/forward Jadon Sancho missed just wide of Barca keeper Ter Stegen’s goal, with forward Marcus Rashford forcing Stegen into a diving save from a tight angle a few moments later. United’s best chance of the half was around 35 minutes when striker Wout Weghorst was put through on goal by an astute aerial pass from Bruno, only for his shot to be denied by the feet of the onrushing Stegen. The Barca defenders claimed Weghorst was offside, but the flag had stayed down and a goal would have potentially counted had he been able to turn it in.

Barca then had their best chance of the half when a wayward pass from midfielder Casemiro was not properly collected by right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. It was a dangerous pass to play given that Casemiro was only about 30 yards from his own goal, and the ball was pounced upon by Barca left back Jordi Alba. AWB did well to get back into position and make a last-ditch challenge on the ball that took the power out of Alba’s shot, and United keeper David De Gea was then able to push it wide. Xavi and the Barca players called for a penalty, but replays showed that AWB got his toe to the ball before making contact with Alba. At halftime it was 0-0, but it was an entertaining half despite the lack of goals.

The second half was even more entertaining because some goals were finally scored. The chances came flying in almost immediately, with a Barca shot from distance missing just wide and Sancho missing just wide from much closer. Barca nudged themselves in front though on 50 minutes, when an in-swinging corner found the head of Barca center back Marcos Alonso at the back post. Alonso rose higher than Fred and De Gea was unable to cover his near post. The downwards header bounced over the line and Barca were ahead 1-0. The 90,000+ inside the Camp Nou roared in approval.

That lead was short-lived though, as United struck back in lightning quick fashion just 2 minutes later. Fred advanced the ball up the pitch quickly and found Rashford on a run between two Barcelona defenders. The ball from Fred was weighted perfectly, and Rashford took a touch of the ball to knock it forward. It looked like his touch was too heavy at first and that the angle for a shot wouldn’t be there as he was off to the right of the goal, but he unleashed a low and powerful shot towards the near post that Stegen couldn’t keep out at his own near post. Great pass from Fred, great run and finish from Rashford. He now has 22 goals this season, which is tied for the most he’s ever scored in a single season, and there’s still 3 months of games left! It’s easy to see why Xavi called him “one of the best strikers in Europe” during his pre-match press conference.

United had a half chance almost at the re-start, but the resulting block and counter-attack resulted in Barca winger Raphinha stretching De Gea into a catching save from distance. United then went ahead on 59 minutes, and again it was Rashford that was the catalyst. Center back (on the day) Luke Shaw played a short corner to Rashford, who then went around Raphinha like he wasn’t there and went on a run along the end line towards the goal. He played a fierce cross in over the top, and after several deflections it was eventually turned into the Barca net by the hip of their right back, Jules Koundé. It was purely accidental from him of course, but United were good value for their lead. 2-1! Rashford again showed how electric he is on the ball.

There was some controversy after that, as Koundé harshly fouled Rashford just on the edge of the penalty area. It was a strong challenge from the back that normally results in a red card, and it was close to being a penalty as well. Koundé escaped with a yellow, much to the ire of ETH, who was also booked for his protests. Barca striker Robert Lewandowski then went wide from a free kick, with Fred doing the same after a good run just moments later. Barca did find their leveler on 76 minutes, and it was a rather poor goal to concede from United’s point of view. Raphinha hit a cross into the box from the right wing that De Gea failed to deal with properly, and it crept into his far post after being just missed by Lewandowski. De Gea must command his penalty area better than that. Sure it was an awkward cross and Lewandowski did well to get himself in the way, but De Gea needs to be getting to the cross and/or drawing a foul there. De Gea is a top class shot-stopper, but a modern keeper has to be more active in the box than that.

The final 20 minutes served as a grand finale to the fireworks on display. No further goals, but plenty of controversy. Barca felt they should have had a penalty on 80 minutes after the ball struck Fred’s arm in the box, but nothing was given by the referee. Similar to how Barca escaped a red card earlier, United escaped here. Fred’s arm was stretched out from his body when the ball hit it, and I have seen plenty of penalties given for that. Barca had several half chances in the closing stages as well, and United could have easily had a third if substitute winger Alejandro Garnacho had fully capitalized on a through ball to him. His touch was heavy though, and Barca cleared. After a nervy 2 minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew and it ended 2-2.

This match was more akin to watching basketball than footie/soccer. End-to-end stuff throughout, and it made for a thrilling game! Lots of quality on display from both teams, and mistakes from both teams as well. If you told me before the match that we’d get a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou, I would have broken your arm off shaking on it. Interestingly though, it was probably United who felt more disappointed with a draw. We had a lead for about 17 minutes, only to give it away with a cheap goal. Still though, the fact that I am disappointed at a draw with Barca at the Camp Nou is testament to how far United have come under ETH. He is a brilliant manager and has instilled a mental strength in this team that was grossly lacking last season.

So then, all to play for in the return leg at Old Trafford next Thursday. There is no away goals rule any more, so the tie is perfectly level. Barca will be without some key players next match due to injury and suspension, but United center back Lisandro Martinez and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer will be back from their respective suspensions for United. Given how today went, United should feel confident about getting a positive result. Barca have only conceded 7 total goals this season, and only 1 at Camp Nou before this match. The fact that we came in with and understrength side and put 2 past them (with the chance for several more) is fantastic.

Between now and Thursday though, United have a Premier League match on Sunday at home against Leicester City. Leicester are struggling for form at the moment, but it is also the last match of a domestic suspension for Casemiro. United’s midfield will be light again, but three points are needed to maintain their position in the top-4 race. The title is still a long shot, but to keep any chance at winning it they will need three points.

Glazers Out!

Final Matches for England Before World Cup 2022

England took on Italy last Friday and Germany today in the UEFA Nations League, a tournament of pseudo-friendlies that serve no real purpose other than making money for UEFA and perhaps being tune-up games before major tournaments. England manager Gareth Southgate was primarily concerned with the latter, as the Three Lions have no more matches between now and the kickoff of their match against Iran at the World Cup in Qatar on November 21.

The match against Italy was terrible. There’s no point in going over it in detail because it was incredibly tepid from an England point of view and they frankly looked disinterested in the result. It was a 1-0 loss at Wembley that had the whole punditry industry and every person with access to a keyboard calling for Southgate’s sacking and replacing before the tournament begins. I was by no means impressed either, but I have to question how much that match actually mattered to the players in the grand scheme of things. Italy won’t be at the World Cup (haha) and none of the teams in our group play a style similar to them. Yes, England should have played better, but the motivation for the players will be much higher at a match that actually matters.

The match against Germany today at Wembley was much improved, and it will give the players something to build on going into the World Cup. The aforementioned uproar from television and pundits and social media was heard by the players, and they played with a lot more purpose and pride than they did in the Italy match. Indeed, Ze Germans were lucky not to be down one or two goals at halftime. Raheem Sterling in particular was guilty of a bad miss despite otherwise playing well. 0-0 at halftime, but it was much better from an attacking perspective.

The second half of today’s match was insanity. England went down 1-0 via a penalty conceded by the ever-controversial Harry Maguire, and then he gave the ball away again which ultimately led to a second German goal. I almost turned the match off, down 2-0 to the Germans with 2/3 of the match gone. But all credit to the lads for fighting back today, and when I say “the lads” I primarily mean Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was England’s best player on the pitch today, and if he is not starting in every match come November then Southgate deserves the sack for negligence. He has confidence, power, speed, dribbling, passing – everything you want out of a central midfielder. He simply refuses to stop trying, and contributed heavily to the first England goal from Luke Shaw. The goal lifted the lads, and Mason Mount got the equalizer just four minutes later with a very impressive strike that left German keeper Ter Stegen dumbfounded. Bellingham was also involved in the third England goal, winning the penalty that striker Harry Kane superbly converted to give England a 3-2 lead.

Although backup keeper Nick Pope fumbled a cross that Germany’s Kai Havertz was able to bundle in for a German equalizer late on, the three goals in 11 minutes of play showed what England are capable of when given the liberty to do so. Southgate made some good substitutions today and he needs credit for that, but he deserves more than his fair share of scrutiny for the his routinely conservative approach in previous matches and his focus on defending. Put simply, England are much better in attack than they are in defense, at least right now. We can score goals against any opposition in the world, and I am confident of that. So why isn’t Southgate playing to his strengths? Why does he insist on shackling players like Kane, Sterling, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden with defensive duties when not on the ball? We need to get those lads on the ball and get them running at the opposition. As I have said many times before, I’m sick of losing 1-0 or 2-1 to teams with effective tactical plans. I do think we have enough juice to win the group, but beyond that I worry about how far England will go playing Southgate-ball.

If the Three Lions can cut down on individual mistakes (Maguire, Pope) and lean into their attacking talent, they have a chance to do well at this tournament. If we insist on playing conservatively though, I fear we won’t go very far. The question of who all goes to Qatar is also up for debate, and I’m sure the next two months of club play will have an influence on Southgate’s final squad. I’d say there’s probably 8-10 players that are guaranteed to go, but the competition remains open for the other 10-15 spots. I think Jordan Pickford will be the No. 1 keeper after Pope’s error today, and I’d like to see center back Fikayo Tomori play in at least one group game as an alternative to Maguire.

Three Lions on the Shirts!

United Down, But Not Out

Manchester United suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Barcelona CF last Wednesday night at Old Trafford. I’m a bit behind with this post, but it’s been a busy week!

Anyway, there is certainly a lot to talk about and I will get to the finer details, but overall I am left with a sense of, “well, we could have done better, but that also could have been a lot worse.” That’s really the only way to summarize it.

Barcelona dominated possession for most of the first half as most expected, and earned themselves an own-goal via a deflected cross from Barca forward Luis “Horseface” Suarez off Luke Shaw into the net. I think even if Shaw had moved out the way it still would have fallen straight to left-winger Coutinho who was streaking toward the net. In any event, the ball went in at the 12th minute and I feared the worst. I was gravely concerned Barca would open the floodgates on us and we would concede multiple goals in quick succession.

But, United were well-drilled defensively for the rest of the match. The back four consistently harassed Barca’s attackers and David De Gea made the key saves when needed. Scott McTominay and Fred were also very effective in slowing down the GOAT Lionel Messi, who had a very ineffective game by his illustrious standards. McTominay was United’s Man of the Match for me, despite the loss. He was all over the place on defense and also did some very fine work in attack to help retain possession.

United were toothless in attack, though. That was the biggest problem for the Red Devils on the day. No shots on goal. Zero. That is simply unacceptable for a club that prides itself on playing attacking football. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to figure out how to get the forwards to take more shots and test goalkeeper Ter Stegen in the next match. Several United players were guilty of missing chances, chief among them Marcus Rashford in the middle of the 2nd half. Credit to Barca center-back Gerard Pique though, as he showed why he’s still one of the best defenders in the world by consistently breaking up United attacks and clearing dangerous crosses. Even though the Blaugrana are loaded with superstars, I would venture to say that Pique is the 2nd-best player on Barca behind Messi.

Despite the obvious gulf in talent between United and Barca, United held their own for the most part and Barca did not play as well as they usually do. They played a conservative game when they really should have been putting their foot down on our necks and taking it to us. Thanks to that and some bizarre referee decisions (for both sides), the tie remains finely poised. At 1-0 with an away goal, the advantage is most definitely to Barca to win the tie, but it’s certainly not over yet. United have already overcome a 2-0 goal deficit in Europe this season against Paris St. Germain, and there is no reason to think they cannot overcome a 1-0 deficit.

However, Barca at Camp Nou are a completely different animal from Barca on the road in a different country. Their vast stadium in northeastern Spain is another cathedral of football and the vocal supporters there make it an incredibly intimidating place to play. Plus, I have a feeling Messi is pissed off at us. He was tackled hard by Chris Smalling in the first half, catching an accidental backhand to the face in the process. I think he’s going to come out and take the game by the scruff of the neck next Tuesday.  I fear we’ve gone and poked a tiger with a stick.

McTominay and Fred will once again need to play well to ensure that Messi cannot exert too much influence. If anyone in the defense switches off or there is some kind of miscommunication even once, Messi will punish us in one way or another. It’s going to be even more difficult than the match at Old Trafford, but United have to believe in themselves. If we get ourselves a sneaky goal early on, all of a sudden things become much more interesting.

One thing that is clear is that United are in need of an overhaul this summer. Luis Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera are already confirmed to be leaving, and Ashley Young also needs to go. His crossing in the Barca match was atrocious and it’s clear he struggles to keep up with fast wingers. He’s been a great servant to the club, but I just don’t think he can compete athletically anymore. The only reason he played in such a big match is because we don’t have anyone much better. OGS has a big job ahead of him this summer to get this club back to where it was, and he needs to start with a proper right-back. I could see 6-7 players leaving and hopefully 5-6 coming in to replace them. Thankfully, we have the money to bring in that many players. Chief Executive Ed Woodward doesn’t know football, but he certainly knows business.

In the meantime, United play West Ham at Old Trafford on 4/13/19 in the Premier League. It’s on in the morning America-time. West Ham are struggling in the standings this season and while they probably will not be relegated, they are most decidedly an average team. United need to gain some momentum back to take to Spain on Tuesday, not to mention a vital three points towards finishing in the top 4. Given that we still have to play Manchester City and Chelsea at the end of April, we need to take advantage of our easier match-ups.

Glory Glory Man United!