One week after playing one of the season’s best games at the Nou Camp, Man Utd and Barcelona did not disappoint at Old Trafford.
Antony came off the bench to score the winner
Erik Ten Hag’s substitutions made the difference as Man Utd came from behind to overcome Barcelona 2-1 and progress into the Round of 16. Daily Star Sport considers what Ten Hag got wrong and right:
Systemic failure
Ten Hag has got very little wrong since he took over the reins at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, this evening was one of the rare occasions. Ten Hag’s side appeared to play a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Casemiro protecting the backline, Fred pressing high, Sancho almost man-marking legendary Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, and Fernandes and Rashford attacked the wide areas.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, this approach left Casemiro stranded, Rashford waiting for the ball on the wing, and Sancho swamped by Frenkie De Jong and Franck Kessie. Ten Hag reverted to type by hooking Wout Weghorst and bringing on Antony.
Rashford redeployment
Has there been a better player in world football than Marcus Rashford in recent weeks? Nobody could blame Barcelona players for having nightmares about the England international surging past them at will at the Nou Camp.
Yet, Ten Hag’s decision to deploy Rashford out to the left hand side meant he was completely isolated. With Jules Kounde snapping at his heels the minute he received the ball, Rashford was dropping so deep, he was almost standing next to Luke Shaw. For the second half, Ten Hag moved Rashford inside and gave him the freedom to torment the high Barcelona line.
Andreas Christansen and Ronald Araujo are no slouches, but they could not keep up with Rashford’s perfectly timed runs. Some managers would persist with their training ground ideas and original plan. As was the case on this occasion, thankfully for United fans, Ten Hag made the right call abandoning his initial plan with Rashford.
High flying Fred
Fred is a defensive midfielder by trade. He is known for marshalling the area in front of the defence, winning tackles, and recycling the ball onto United’s more creative players. So why was he often further forward than Sancho?
Partnered alongside Casemiro, Fred was entrusted with marauding forward and winning the ball high up the pitch. While this did not work in the first half, Fred’s venture forward directly led to United’s equalising goal.
Ten Hag was right to completely overhaul his original plan, but keeping Fred’s role the same in the second half was critical.
The right reaction
Ten Hag may be a proud man, but he proved he is not stubborn enough to allow United’s Europa League hopes to die on their sword. His original plan was torn apart by Xavi’s dynamic Barcelona side and United were lucky to go into the break level.
The reversion to a more familiar 4-2-3-1, the redeployment of Sancho, Rashford, and Fernandes at left-wing, centre-forward, and attacking-midfield respectively made an immediate difference. Sancho provided the pass for Fred by cutting inside from the left flank and feeding the Brazilian.
However, any manager can shuffle the magnets on the tactics board and shout ‘you go there, and you go there’. United used the raucous Old Trafford atmosphere and emerged from the tunnel with fiery purpose and razor sharp focus.
Read more: Fred reveals what Erik ten Hag told Man Utd players at half-time vs Barcelona
“He said in the first half that we didn’t play like how we [normally] play,” Fred told BT Sport. “But in the second half we were much better, we started very well and scored early.
“We had a good talk in half-time with the coach, we changed our minds at half-time and the second half went very well.”
Fred, who got the nod to join Casemiro in midfield ahead of Marcel Sabitzer, was excellent in the second half, producing a Man of the Match performance. He was tencasious and energetic throughout the second 45, resulting in the fans singing his name at the full-time whistle.
“It is very good to hear my name from the fans,” added the midfielder. “We played a good game we played today so we need to keep it going.
“We have the final on Sunday [vs Newcastle United], we need to rest and now change our minds to go to the final.”
source: www.dailystar.co.uk
