1. United played with an over-relaxed attitude, taking 10 minutes to actually wake up. For a short period of time, we switched the ball brilliantly from side to side, across the pitch. The Swiss champions couldn’t keep up with our movement, therefore, we punished them by scoring two goals in the same space of time. When that short period came to an end, Basel (pronounced Basil, according to Gary Neville) started creating a number of convincing chances. FCB took advantage of our poor defensive display and were a goal ahead in the last 10 minutes. They deserved nothing less.
2. Danny Welbeck got his first start since picking up a hamstring injury in the 8-2 victory over Arsenal. He played up front alone. The England international showed signs of class, especially when scoring two goals in quick succession. Welbeck gave the team something Berbatov and Owen couldn’t last week, and that’s pace.
3. Our back-four were shockingly poor tonight. Phil Jones looked good on the ball, but when it came to defending he was all over the place. Rio Ferdinand showed his age, 32, with the lack of pace which benefited Basel’s attacking threat. Fabio picked up an injury, but that doesn’t hide how poor he was. Evra, on the other hand, produced another below average performance. He was caught dreaming when Basel scored their second. We need Vidic back as soon as possible.
4. I’ve complained about how bad our defense was, so I should probably mention David de Gea. The young Spaniard pulled off some brilliant saves, after being left exposed time and again. He showed pure class and deserved a clean sheet. Those who doubted him must be itching themselves.
5. Ashley Young made his Champions League debut. He also scored the all important equalizer, just after additional time was called. However, Young has plenty of room for improvement. He was ineffective throughout the game. That didn’t help Welbeck, who we already said was up front alone.
6. Anderson, who simply doesn’t work well when played beside Darren Fletcher, performed a lot better than last weekend. Although, he needs to learn to give the simple ball every now and again. Ando tends to make football more complicated than it actually is. Michael Carrick, Anderson’s partner in midfield, successfully completed 76 passes out of 78. Some say stats don’t cover the overall performance of a player, but he didn’t do a whole lot wrong in my opinion. Got forward a lot more than usual.
Image from MirrorFootball.co.uk
I totally agree with you on all scores.
I couldn’t believe I was watching Man United play like this.It reminded me of that terrible game at OT when Deportivo La Coruna won 3-2.
Rio and Jones looked like they didn’t know each other but Rio was the stranger sight.For a player with bags of experience,he looked woeful and especially for the second goal.Last weekend,he was unconvincing at Stoke and last night,he put a lot of doubt and worry in our minds.
Another old and wise head,Evra,was so slow and lax.He looked at sea in the build up to Basel’s second goal.Maybe he needs a reminder that he’s still our first-choice left back so performances must be way above-average.
For Young,I think he’s still blending in but he must also push it up a notch.I don’t know if the stage is a tad too huge for him but he must give more.We know he can so he should feel liberated and show the other aspects of his game.
As for Anderson,he still surprises me.He was massive in the Community Shield and I thought he was going to keep it going from there but he’s still in first gear and from last night’s game,it seems his engine needs a strong electric charge.
Generally,it wasn’t good and if we want to qualify top of the group and go on to win titles this season,this performance has to be a one-off and a watershed.It’s time to wake up and stay awake.
I totally agree with you on all scores.
I couldn’t believe I was watching Man United play like this.It reminded me of that terrible game at OT when Deportivo La Coruna won 3-2.
Rio and Jones looked like they didn’t know each other but Rio was the stranger sight.For a player with bags of experience,he looked woeful and especially for the second goal.Last weekend,he was unconvincing at Stoke and last night,he put a lot of doubt and worry in our minds.
Another old and wise head,Evra,was so slow and lax.He looked at sea in the build up to Basel’s second goal.Maybe he needs a reminder that he’s still our first-choice left back so performances must be way above-average.
For Young,I think he’s still blending in but he must also push it up a notch.I don’t know if the stage is a tad too huge for him but he must give more.We know he can so he should feel liberated and show the other aspects of his game.
As for Anderson,he still surprises me.He was massive in the Community Shield and I thought he was going to keep it going from there but he’s still in first gear and from last night’s game,it seems his engine needs a strong electric charge.
Generally,it wasn’t good and if we want to qualify top of the group and go on to win titles this season,this performance has to be a one-off and a watershed.It’s time to wake up and stay awake.