Jose Mourinho
United
were downed by Michael Lang's late goal and they still need something
from their final group game - just five days before the Manchester
derby.
Few teams go into the final game of their Champions League group
with 12 points in the bag still unsure of their situation but, after a
reckless 1-0 loss to Basel on Wednesday, that is exactly the position
Manchester United find themselves in.
The concession of an 89th-minute goal in a match they should have
had in their pockets by half-time means they now host CSKA Moscow on
December 5 with work still to do to ensure that they will progress to
the last 16 as pool winners. While that doesn’t sound too bad on its
own, that game at Old Trafford comes just five days before the
Manchester derby against neighbours City.
Just as it looked as though United had set themselves up for a
pressure-free fixture as the perfect preparation for City’s visit,
Michael Lang slid in at the far post to convert a left-wing cross which
had somehow made its way to the bye-line unchecked.
But while the draw would have been enough for United, their
profligacy in the first hour was the reason why they were not already
out of sight by the time Basel breached their backline.
The visitors were dominant before the break, bossing 74 per cent of
the possession and creating a number of decent chances as a result.
Romelu Lukaku was teed up superbly by Paul Pogba but scuffed a
left-footed shot straight at Tomas Vaclik, Anthony Martial made an
opening for himself with a superb run but couldn’t find a finish, and
Marouane Fellaini got into potential scoring positions on three
occasions but his best effort came back off the far post. The returning
Marcos Rojo also saw a long-range drive deflected onto the bar.
"We lost because in the first half we should be 5-0 and we
couldn't score one goal after being so dominant, and so dominant in such
a way that for many periods in the first half it looked impossible not
to win," manager Jose Mourinho fumed afterwards.
"But experience tells that when you lose so many chances you put yourself in this possible situation."
On the plus side, Pogba was particularly bright before tiring after
the break, leading to his substitution shortly after the hour mark. The
Frenchman delivered a performance of superb ball control, excellent
vision and great leadership during the first half and both the player
himself and his manager will be pleased to get some more minutes in the
midfielder’s legs just four days on from his return from a two-month
absence due to a hamstring injury.
But his exit coincided with a period which saw Basel come out of
their shells. Having sat back and soaked up much of United’s pressure
before then, the hosts began to play more like a side needing a win to
keep their qualification hopes alive following CSKA’s win over Benfica
earlier in the day. United's response was to freeze.
Mourinho tried to provoke a more positive reaction with the
introductions of Marcus Rashford, Nemanja Matic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
the Swede playing the final 20 minutes in his second appearance in seven
months following knee surgery.
But, in truth, there was nowhere near enough verve about United’s
play after the break and by the time Lang slid home the late winner, it
felt like a just reward for the side looking more willing to push for a
goal.
United should still make it to the last 16 as only a heavy defeat
to CSKA could possibly prevent them from being a part of the knockout
phase, but the need to go even close to full throttle against the
Russians in the days leading up to the Manchester derby will far from
please Mourinho, given his regular griping at how closely some crucial
fixtures are scheduled to one another.
City, of course, have already qualified having won five from five
in their own group and, thus, have exactly the kind of warm-up United so
nearly had themselves. But United’s failure to go for the jugular and
wrap up their progression could come back to bite them in the title
race.
0 comments:
Post a Comment