PBP: UEL - Manchester United FC vs FC København - Aug 10, 2020 [R]

Right but we have one extra recovery day than either Wolves or Sevilla.

And it's almost a week either way (next game is Sunday)

 

The extra day definitely helps but the issue of fatigue from some (Bruno for instance) when you consider the minutes they've logged in this season and more specifically since the restart, is still a concern. Bruno really looks like a guy who is ready for nice, extended break at this stage.
Let's hope that the guys have enough for a couple of games though. We'll see,

 

This Martial is crying out for one, just one, attacker to match his level. It's such a shame Bruno's passing was Alexis standard today, among others. Martial in that second half and extra time was doing some scarily good shit. I think he's going to be our PotY next season if we keep the supply up.

This was a game that made me think Ole will want Sancho and Grealish even more.

 

If we keep up this form Sevilla,Wolves will roll us over..

 

Sevilla, I am bored of playing Wolves.

 

This United team that does tend to play up to the level of the opposition. So we can reasonably expect a different type of performance Sunday. Not even sure who I'd rather play though: Sevilla are no joke at all, but then again neither are Wolves. Would probably still tilt towards the former though. Wolves are sort of a bogey team to us and Sevilla's style is probably a better fit for us as well.
Liked that Mata reminded us again how useful he can be in European football. With attacking bench options few and far between, he could have a role to play again Sunday. Not like he's played a ton this season so lack of freshness shouldn't be an issue for him at least either.

 

No issue with this choice: unlucky not to score again today and gave Cope's backline fits, especially from the 2nd half on.

🤯 This man's dribbling is a joke.

🥇 @AnthonyMartial is tonight's #MUFC Man of the Match, as chosen by you!#UEL pic.twitter.com/pxbQjzcI9e

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 10, 2020

Tip of the hat to Johnsson though: was excellent today. Really made us sweat.

Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson has made 13 saves tonight - the joint most in a single game since the Europa League started in 2009 👏#UEL pic.twitter.com/dIjG3RBfTU

— GOAL (@goal) August 10, 2020

 

I do not think so, this was the 32nd game in a row FC København did not let in more than 1 goal in the Europa Cups. They are just that difficult to play against.

 

Zeca is a fan!

Zeca (Copenhagen captain) to Solskjær: "Thank you very much for everything you have done in Manchester." #mulive [@DAZN_CA] pic.twitter.com/Q1Fryn462Q

— utdreport (@utdreport) August 11, 2020

 

Thought we showed some rust. Fred is going to need to show me something. He's clearly a good enough player for United, but he doesn't have a natural fit given our style of play.

I thought Fred, Bailly, AWB and Rashford** all had good performances in ways that demonstrate that they aren't the perfect fit in our current best team.

Fred had a few nice moments breaking the press and several tackles/recoveries but he sells himself instead of playing more conservatively and that leads to us being exposed because god bless Paul Pogba, but he's not a natural defender.

Matic was a lot more measured and when he came on, we had more control, even when we didn't win the ball as often, he'd just wait, forcing them into a bad position from which we could pounce.

Bailly made a couple goal-saving tackles/blocks but he isn't suited to playing between Maguire & AWB. Maguire is too slow and too reticent to close attackers down, so Bailly's enthusiasm leads to space.

AWB is a gambler and he should play nexto to someone steady, not someone prone to lunging.

If we play Maguire/Bailly/AWB again, I'd like to see Bailly on the left, best case, next to Shaw.

Lindelof didn't appear to have as much an impact as Bailly did, but he settled us immediately and his method of receiving a pass on the half turn, pushing the ball into space, allowed us to progress the ball beyond their press with greater ease.

When Rashford plays LW without Shaw (or a left footed LB who pushes beyond him), we lack an outlet and his game becomes more 1 dimentional than is helpful. He's added that pass over the top, but that is aided by an overlap which will leave space in the channel


Shaw----------------Runner A--------------------------Runner B




Rashford

When there's no runner beyond Marcus, the RB can track runner A and the ball over the top is a lot harder to pull off.


Overall reflections:

Pogba was really good today. His energy, pressing, decision making and passing were all brilliant. Matic was good, Maguire was Maguire. BW was bad in a predictable way and AWB was bad in his usual way. He's the player who suffers the most from our lack of an elite 6, because he has way more responsibility in the build up if we can't break the press in 2 passes.

Mason was meh. As usual, he's not involved enough, but also, as usual, if he gets the ball in a shooting position, he's likely to get a shot off and if he gets a shot off, it is probably going to hit the net or today, hit the post.

This was a bad outing for Bruno, but he's very much late Giggs as an AM. He can have the worst game, but his DNA is danger and he'll create chances or score almost as a matter of course.

Martial's season is up there with any season from an attacker at the club since Ronaldo's penultimate season. He's just had everything in his locker this year.

 

Anthony Martial’s game by numbers vs. F.C. Copenhagen:

100% pass accuracy
5 successful take-ons
4 passes into the box
4 shots (3 on target)
4 fouls suffered
3 chances created
2 ball recoveries
1 big chance created
1 penalty won

A really impressive display. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/653SDrhOtn

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 10, 2020

 

Copenhagen always have great keepers. They can not afford to sign Danish NT keepers, like Kasper Schmeichel, so instead they always invest in Swedish NT keepers, the last one being Robin Olsen who they sold to Roma in 2018 and replaced him with Johnsson who is also a Swedish NT keeper.

 

...points at Bruno and says "He's helping"...

 

Don't feel it's been mentioned enough but Pogs was really good yesterday (the MotM if it wasn't for Martial). No worries about fatigue for him (having been out for most of the season) and very confident he'll keep that level of performance going. He's definitely done his part since returning.

Paul Pogba’s game by numbers vs. F.C. Copenhagen:

84% pass accuracy
41 accurate forward passes
9 passes into the box
7 ball recoveries
6/7 aerials won
3 fouls suffered
2 interceptions
1 block

A complete performance from deep. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5bbpF5bon5

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 10, 2020

 

I had questions about the penalty, and there weren't any replays from different angles. If it was just a shove by the defender, it seems that Martial went down pretty easily.

 

I feel like it was soft, but it absolutely was a penalty. I think they got a way with a lot of fouls on us. I was struck by someone using two hands to pull AWB back and it was a no call early on. Martial might have had an earlier penalty when Rashford played him through on the left, he ended up shooting from a very sharp angle, but not before the defender grabbed his arm and pulled him back.


I have a theory about our penalties. I could be wrong, but I think Martial and Rashford are just horrible matchups for CBs. Martial can't be bumped off the ball easily, and anyone who can, can't keep up with him if he takes off. Rashford has the most nutmegs in Europe this year.

The combination of having attackers who will embarass you and shurg off legal shoulder barges is a bad one if you are trying to avoid fouling. I'd also be desperate to prevent Martial from shooting because he scores a super high rate of shots.

 

Extended highlights from FCK TV

 

Was left frustrated per se because the one view that would have undeniably cleared everything up (the one from behind the goal) was denied to us.
The call did look a bit soft but when it's all said and done, oh well. Especially since they arguably got away with a call or two prior.
Hats off to that team though (Copenhagen): they're obviously a team of limited means but they're very well coached (especially defensively), the players are well drilled and work extremely hard. Plus, most definitely wouldn't have fancied a pk shootout against them, the way Johnsson was playing.
Kinda relieved we didn't end up with Wolves once again: still struggle with teams that are well organized at the back and it surely would have been a slog. Not dismissing Sevilla of course, but their style is better suited to us all the same. Really looking forward to that game actually.

 

No doubts at all about the penalty from me - would feel the same if it went against us.

Defender was wrong-side, defenders will try a grab, a pull anything to slow you down when you have a shooting opportunity. The strongest centerforwards in the game such as Hughes, Shearer, Drogba etc. would all have gone down if a wrong-side defender pulls your shoulder, no matter how hard (unless easier to score).

From the defenders point of view, you can’t get that tight and put your arm there if you are wrong side. Asking for trouble.

Good to see Martial developing this aspect to his game - true centerforward play

 

Well deserved.

🥇 Karl-Johan Johnsson is rewarded for his show-stopping performance against Manchester United 👏👏👏@hankookreifen | #UELPOTW pic.twitter.com/jzJlZCFWho

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) August 12, 2020