Manchester United lost on Tuesday night 2-1 at Old Trafford to Sevilla, getting knocked out of Champions League in round of 16, making their season way more negative than it was just 24 hours before. The wins against Chelsea and Liverpool are now long forgotten, as United lose one of the key matches of the season.
The overall performance was poor, as Wissam Ben-Yeder and Joaquin Correa managed to cut through this United side on several occasions. When summarized, this double header was deservedly won by Sevilla, as Manchester United failed to live to expectations, scoring just once in 180 minutes, when they already needed three to go through.
Mourinho’s Tactics Do Not Work In Top Echelons Of European Football
After the first match in Seville there were some red flags. Mourinho’s setup was quite defensive, as Sevilla ran the match, creating chances, while United only hanged on David De Gea’s brilliance. When the match ended 0-0, it was thought of it as Mourinho’s wish, going back home with a result that means a simple win would do it.
Except it was not. Manchester United played similarly to the way they did three weeks ago and it was unsustainable indeed. In European football, there is a trend of more and more goals being scored in Champions League and Mourinho’s seems unaware of that. Grinding out wins over two legs is not how things work anymore. Your team needs to show some attacking nous as well and Sevilla did that this time around.
Alexis Sanchez Is Not At The Expected Levels
Alexis Sanchez has been struggling at Manchester United since joining this January. Much was expected of the Chilean when he changed an average-looking Arsenal side in his quest to reach the heights in Manchester which he could not in London.
Yet, since his arrival, he has failed to live up to expectations. Some might say it is still early and that he is getting used to the new surroundings, but Sanchez has already played in English football for many years. He might be in a new club, but it is a better side than his previous one. More importantly, Mourinho did try to change things around to make Sanchez play in his favourite position, but so far it has not worked. The match against Sevilla was not good and that is something that should be a worry.
Mourinho’s Bitterness Is Not Welcome
“I’ve sat in this chair twice before, with Porto – Manchester United out, with Real Madrid – Man United out, so this is nothing new for this football club. I don’t think the performance was bad. The intention and the way we started was really good and really positive”, said Mourinho after the match.
His bitterness to admit mistakes made are not something that is welcome at the club of this size, especially the first part of the sentence. In its essence, it is mocking of Manchester United fans after a heavy loss.
Sevilla Prove The Depth Of La Liga
Sevilla are the eight La Liga team to reach Champions League quarter finals in 21st century. Talks of Spanish league being weaker and lacking depth are incorrect and this win only proves it further. This team had some glorious results in Europa League in past 10 years, but this time they managed to beat one of the most expensive sides in Europe. And it was not a coincidence.
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