Yikes. Yet again, United start slow and end up in a hole. A “safe” lineup was exposed straight away, and this time, there was no masterful personnel or tactical change to save the match. While nobody was at their best, some were certainly at their worst, from the dugout, to the final third. Matchday 6 promises to be a take-all affair, and United have a lot soul searching to do.
Manager
OGS – Piss poor man management throughout. How on earth Fred is on the pitch that long in the disruptor role on a yellow astounds me. A whole host of positive options dying on the bench, and he comes out for the second half. Lost the opportunity to grab the game when momentum was with the team, and United had 11 men. Starting 11 was predictably middle of the road, but failure to adjust to in game developments cost the team. 3.
Goalkeeper
DDG – Not entirely his fault on the first goal, and more than made up for it with brilliant saves from Florenzi and Bakker. Doesn’t command the box or marshal his defense as well as he should, leading to a few troubles. 6.5.
Defense
AWB – A solid game at the back for the spider. Got forward well, provided some width as Bruno drifted out to avoid the man marking of Danilo. Seemed to overthink his decisions in the final third, costing valuable time and openings for other players. 6.
Victor Lindelof – Defended well on set pieces, drama free performance against a lethal PSG attack. 6.5.
Harry Maguire – Steely effort from the captain. Maintained composure throughout the night, especially after the red card. Good distribution decision making allowed the midfield to get the ball quickly. Pushed forward in the last 10 minutes, and won several headers that opened up opportunities for the equalizer. 7.
Alex Telles – Perfectly solid performance, like his right wing counterpart. Got forward when necessary, though got lucky that Marquinos headed over in the second half. Left exposed by Martial on numerous occasions, but consistently accounted for that reality. 6.5.
Midfield
Scott McTominay – Pestered the the PSG golden boys all night, and broke up several key moves when the game was still in the balance. his physicality in the middle of the pitch opened up several lanes for the more creative players to exploit. 7.
Fred – Sloppy in the opening minutes, a staple of his time at United. Grew into the match, but was lucky not to see a straight red for a moment of total madness. Wasn’t able to be at his best carrying the yellow for the majority of the game. Another poor first touch left him at the mercy of the referee for the second yellow. 4.
Bruno Fernandes – Saw himself man-marked by Danilo for much of the match when he tried to pick up the ball inside. Drifted out wide, and remained a creative factor anytime United committed men forward. Clearly the creative engine again, but those missed chances must surely be taking their toll on his mentality. 7.
Forwards
Anthony Martial – Poor, flat out. Absolutely the most frustrating player to don the red shirt in recent years. On his day, he’s lethal, but those days are too few and far between at this point. Never known for his work rate, he left time and space for the OSG midfield all game on the right. Almost solely responsible for the loss, as his two complete misses when the game was level would have changed everything. Moping and a lack of effort from a skill player is forgiven when you convert every slight chance you get. However, Cristiano Ronaldo he is not, and if he can’t be bothered to run hard for the badge after missing gilt-edged chances like he did in the second half, he doesn’t belong on the bench, let alone on the field. 2.
Marcus Rashford – Like Leipzig’s opener in the early game, Rashford benefitted from a fortunate bounce. Wonderfully spry at the start of the second half, his willingness to take on defenders was a bright spot. The 1-2 with Cavani deserved a goal, and he cannot play a better pass in the box to a wide open Martial. 6.5.
Edinson Cavani – His work rate was phenomenal once again. His instincts and willingness to run into dangerous positions was evident throughout. Unlucky to just misjudge a cheeky chip, he always was the one that looked likeliest to bury a half chance. 7.
Substitutes
Paul Pogba – Connected brilliantly on the volley from the top of the box, but was otherwise unnoticeable. Solskjaer seems to still rate him in big matches, but has done little to warrant such faith. 5.
Donny van De Beek – His effort at the weekend deserved a start, and he’ll feel hard done to only be brought in when the deck was stacked against him. Too little time to make a serious impact. Still managed to find dangerous pockets of space, and his almost telepathic ability to pick out a teammate when a move seems lost is incredible. 6.5
Mason Greenwood – Popped up all over the pitch late on. Possibly tried to do too much on his own, but a man down, who can blame him. 6.5.
Odion Ighalo – Never had a chance coming on that late. N/R.
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