Manchester United were lucky to salvage a goalless draw against Sevilla in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie.
Manchester United were without Paul Pogba in the starting lineup in the match that saw Mourinho’s men being outshined by the La Liga side who are fifth in the La Liga standings.
United will have to thank David De Gea whose masterclass goalkeeping prevented Sevilla from scoring throughout the game.
Having seen the uninspiring display from the Red Devils, here are some facts discovered after the match.
United are Going Nowhere with this kind of Performance
José Mourinho needs to talk sense to his players if he wants to progress to the next round of the competition.
United’s performance during the game was unacceptable and they need to improve before the reverse fixture by March. The Red Devils couldn’t control the midfield, their backline look lethargic while the attackers didn’t see enough of the ball to cause havoc.
David De Gea Remains a Valuable Asset to Mourinho’s Team
United would have conceded nothing less than three goals if not for heroic display from the Spanish goalkeeper. He is arguably the best player on the pitch throughout the encounter. He made loads of point-blank saves to deny Sevilla from taking the lead.
Mourinho and Pogba’s Crisis is Yet to be Settled
Having declared Pogba fit for the clash, many would have thought that the Frenchman will start the game but that wasn’t the case as Mourinho chose to start a relatively inexperienced Scott Mctominay in place of the club’s record signing.
This action from Mourinho reveals that there are a lot to the crisis between the Portuguese manager and the French midfielder.
Mourinho is yet to Get a Perfect Position for Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean striker seems to be played out of position whenever he puts on United’s jersey and tonight’s match was an exception.
Though Sanchez work rate was impressive but he is yet to hit the ground running for the Red Devils.In the match against Sevilla, the Chilean did a lot of defending while his attacking duties were neglected as United fought for the ball throughout the encounter.
Sevilla’s Missed Chances Might Come back to Hurt Them
The La Liga side were able to create chances but were not ruthless enough to convert them into goals and that might come back to work against them in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
United need an outright win to qualify for the next round of the competition, anything short of that means the end of the road for José Mourinho and his men.
