Manchester United Are Out Of Champions League: How Did That Happen?

Manchester United have blown it. The Champions League group stage we all knew will be a tough one, ever since that draw came out, started so brightly most fans were thinking it will not be too much of a task to top it and then have an easier draw in the round of 16. However, those matches in February and early March will not see Man United. The draw next Monday will see 16 teams in the two pots, but only one English side will be missing. All the other Premier League teams have finished top of the group.

So how did that happen?

Three Strong Teams Equal No Messing With The Fourth One

There are some unwritten rules about the UEFA group stages. If you are a weaker side and you want to hope of progressing, you would want one really strong team and the remaining three of relatively equal or similar strength. That would give the chance for the top team to beat all the other sides, while the remaining three teams would fight among themselves for the second place in the group.

Similarly, when your team is drawn in a group where there are three strong sides and one that is clearly the weakest one, your strong team must not do any wrong against the weakest side. That was exacttly what happened to Manchester United. Ultimately, they were in a group of three strong sides, where each of those sides managed to get a win and a loss against the other strong sides. Devils defeated and lost against both Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain and those two sides also exchanged wins. With Man United the only side losing against Istanbul Basaksehir, it is them who go to Europa League now.

Manchester United Relaxed Too Much After A Strong Start

This was clearly the case. Man United started strong, winning all six points against their rivals for the next round qualification, they scored seven goals and conceded just one. In the end, it turned out that gave United a feeling of being better than they actually are, because Ole Gunnar Solskjaer then decided to rest some important players in Istanbul and that loss was the one that changed the momentum in this group.

After opening two wins, United had two matches against Istanbul Basaksehir. They could have been on 12 points with two matches to go, ultimately ending all debate about their place in round of 16.

What Happens Now?

Man United will remain on just two wins in Champions League knockout stages since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. That will remain the case until at least the early part of 2022 and that must be a disappointment big enough which will create some changes around the club and the first team. That was an embarrassing end to the campaign in the competition.

Now the Devils will play in Europa League round of 32, where they will need to test some of the fringe players and focus on the Premier League. If the team progresses far enough, then Manchester United should start thinking about winning the whole thing.

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