Sevilla 0-0 Manchester United Champions League last 16 1st leg

Sevilla 0-0 Manchester United 21st Feb

 

Our first Champions League knockout stage match since 2014 ended with United fans probably thinking that It wouldn’t be a complete disaster if it’s another 4 years till the next one, such was the lack of entertainment on show. It was a shit performance from a fairly uninspiring team, with very little pace in the play or the personnel, and the travelling fans weren’t in shock at it either.

The headline team news was scarcely believable as Jose Mourinho took sending a message to new levels by benching Pogba for McTominay. In a game of this magnitude to be without our most talented player was baffling. Juan Mata started away against a top team as a right-winger in a 4-3-3, a decision which also puzzled even the most seasoned of Jose watchers.

Ander Herrera rather summed up his season by quickly injuring his hamstring attempting a needless backheel. In hindsight, his injury was very predictable given how little football he has had recently. So, after all the talk, Paul Pogba was on in a three man midfield, looking sharp straight away. Of course he fucking did. Because he’s bloody brilliant.

McTominay starting is a testament to all the coaches that helped him and his own temperament, but it didn’t stop him having a nightmare in the first half, being played off the park by Ever Banega. Passes went astray, he lost runners and he was panicking like a 70’s BBC Radio DJ who has just got a late night knock at the door. To be fair, in the 2^nd half he coped far better and settled down well.

It was a cavalcade of issues as we tried to grapple with an impressive Sevilla outfit in front of a raucous home crowd. Sanchez was a bit out of sync with everyone else, always cutting back and looking for an over ambitious ball. Mata was ineffective in a system that demands him staying wide. Well, yeah, obviously. Sevilla away is a bit different to Huddersfield away. Furthermore, the number 8’s lack of defensive awareness led to our right side getting attacked constantly, with Valencia and Smalling having to work hard to stop moves.

The tricky Joaquin Correa was looking good for Sevilla on the aforementioned left flank, gliding across the pitch with the ball seemingly tied to his feet. The boy likes to cut inside after a slow dribble in a sort of latter-day Kaka style.  Fortunately he somewhat lacked end product. Four or five times he got in a great position to shoot or cross and failed to dig out anything of substance. Still, his mate Banega was controlling the midfield with his knack for breaking lines, and ex-City winger Jesus Navas was a pacey threat at right-back.

We only had one chance in the half, with a top Sanchez ball volleyed over by Lukaku. Our forward though had been one of our better players, winning a lot of flick-ons.  Although he had to be, given how we were mostly just hitting it long rather than trying to progress play. There was very little thought to our approach at all.

They had a bunch of corners from the 25^th minute till half-time, putting us under severe pressure, with the crowd giving a loud roar at every single won signalled by the ref. Thankfully we have the freak that is David De Gea in nets, who loves to play against Spanish clubs. He is the world’s best and it isn’t even slightly close, we are so blessed to have him. He tipped over an N’Zonzi header, he stopped from Correa… Unreal save after unreal save came in response to the Sevilla onslaught, demonstrating his athleticism and unparalleled reflexes to leave it 0-0 at the break when every single shred of evidence said we should be behind.

The best save came when Luis Muriel found space between the two centre-backs to head for goal from close range, but somehow De Gea flicked out his right hand to bat it away. It was a save so good Muriel shook De Gea’s hand when they were walking off at half time.

The second half was a bit better, and they had very few attacks as a slight tiredness crept in after their intense first period. Correa had disappeared really, and number 10 Vasquez was economical in possession but unspectacular. The issue was, we didn’t create much either, instead sitting very deep. There was so much responsibility on Pogba to both evade pressure and carry the ball forward to try and get us up the pitch. Imagine if Herrera hadn’t got injured? United would’ve never got forward at all.

To be fair to both teams, the referee was very whistle happy, looking at every 50-50 battle as a potential violent bloodbath. With the game constantly being broken up for free-kicks and little knocks, it was stifling for all the players, especially the attackers who found it difficult to introduce some speed into the game. Sevilla were strong and diligent, and towards the end sat back themselves to keep the score at 0-0.

It was one of those games for Mata where you wondered what he actually offers the team. Of course the answer is he keeps our average squad IQ acceptable. But ‘jokes’ aside, even those who rate him like it’s still 2013 would recognise these types of games and the position he was playing are hardly his forte. He’s still a quality option but he needs certain conditions to thrive and this was difficult for him.

Looking at the XI, was the performance that much of a surprise? Without the thrust of Martial, Rashford, and Lingard there was a lack of legs on the field. Maybe even Shaw would’ve helped, introducing some pace to the defence that would’ve prompted them to move up the pitch slightly. Even after Pogba came on, United were slow and couldn’t worry the home team too much.

We really should be so much better than Sevilla, and yet magic from De Gea was needed again. We have to be honest about what we saw there; long humped balls forward and little else. Sure, with Banega and N’Zonzi in the middle it was always going to need a terrific performance to get the better of the midfield, but how much money is going to be thrown at clubs before we can dominate these middle-ranking sides?

The 2^nd leg is going to be horrible. A 0-0 away result was last seen to be a decent strategy by Ferguson in 2000, right before Real Madrid took control of the Quarter Final by scoring first at Old Trafford. Without an away goal, we are vulnerable to the sucker punch. They only need one proper chance for us to be really up against it.

United (4-3-3) De Gea 9; Valencia 6, Smalling 7, Lindelof 7, Young 6; McTominay 5.5, Matic 6, Herrera 6 (Pogba 17, 7.5); Mata 5.5 (Rashford 75, 6), Lukaku 7, Sanchez 6.5 (Martial 80, 6).

Sevilla (4-2-3-1) Rico 6; Navas 7, Mercado 6.5, Lenglet 7, Escudero 6; Banega 8 (Pizarro 89), N’Zonzi 6.5; Sarabia 5.5, Vasquez 6, Correa 6; Muriel 6.5 (Ramirez 85).