September 9, 2022

Written By: William Birch

Manchester United 0-1 Real Sociedad

3 Takeaways From United's Europa League Defeat

United's match against Real Sociedad provided a new kind of test for the Reds. One which they, unfortunately, did not pass. Though, this felt much more like a building block rather than some of the previous seasons' defeats that left fans feeling hopeless. Sociedad appeared to have a somewhat high press that seemed to only be triggered in certain situations. However, when the press came, the team was able to pass their way through it with surprisingly good composure. They looked solid defensively as well, even with the return of Maguire and Lindelof as well as a rather shaky first start for Casemiro. United allowed hardly anything up until the controversial penalty. Once Real Sociedad took the lead via the penalty, the game opened up a bit more for the visitors. All in all, I think today will be a chance for Manchester United to improve and grow. Not just for the players, but more even so for Erik Ten Hag.

Ten Hag's Failed Experiments

After using the same lineup for the last four Premier League matches (besides inserting Antony for Elanga against Arsenal), it was time for some squad rotation for this mid-week European clash. This game saw the return of Ronaldo, Lindelof, Fred, and club captain Harry Maguire. Fred played as a 10 rather than in the double pivot next to international teammate Casemiro, and Lindelof was shifted to right back after halftime when Ten Hag brought on Lisandro Martinez to give Dalot a rest. Those two curious decisions proved costly.

While Fred was pressing very effectively in his more advanced role and finding himself in good positions, he so often made the wrong decision in possession. Whether he shot when he should have passed, misplaced a pass, or made the wrong pass altogether, Fred never looked comfortable in the 'Bruno' role. And that seemed to be the missing piece in United's attack. There was lots of good build-up play but the final ball, the end product was always missing.

Lindelof had a decent first half. When in a central pairing, he and Maguire played quite well. Things changed in the second half when he was moved to right back to start the second half. Having to battle out on the wing against the rapid Sociedad winger, Kubo, was always going to be a struggle for the Swede. Alas, the penalty came from a corner kick earned by Real following an attack down that side. Once the game opened up, it became even more of an issue. Obviously, Dalot needs to rest at some point, but if Wan-Bissaka isn't coming on in his place, is it necessary at that particular moment?

Ten Hag isn't immune from criticism just because this club has proven to be a mess from the top down. He will have to learn from today and continue to improve.

The Ronaldo Issue

As previously mentioned, this game featured the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the starting lineup. A game that, on paper, seemed pretty well suited for him. In fairness, he did score a goal that was ruled out for offsides. A typical, yet fantastic, header following an angled cross from a deeper position outside the corner of the 18. That goal showed everything that Ronaldo can offer to United, which is why it was so frustrating. So often, when the ball is in a prime crossing position, Ronaldo is nowhere to be seen in the box. He drops deep or drifts wide in search of touches on the ball. Something he seems to do naturally rather than deliberately. If this is going to work, Ronaldo needs to accept his role as more of a target man in the box.

Besides the positioning, there was an apparent lack of sharpness from Cristiano. Whether that is lack of game time, missing pre-season, the transfer saga, or just overall frustration, Ronaldo didn't seem quite at it. Again, it doesn't seem intentional; after all, Ronaldo has a reputation for being an ultimate professional. However, there were far too many times when he failed to deliver the end product. Sometimes he tried to draw a penalty rather than shoot, sometimes he shot when maybe there was a better decision to be made, and sometimes he flat out got beat for pace.

Ronaldo isn't one to be short on confidence, which he appeared to be lacking today, so this is definitely a situation to keep a close eye on.

No Mental Collapse

To end on a more positive note, Manchester United handled adversity much better in this match than they have shown recently. To go down in the matter which they did would have signaled almost certain doom for this squad over the last couple of seasons. And while they didn't exactly play amazing football to get back into it, there was no mental implosion. That is a major feather in Ten Hag's cap considering that the team was still mentally fragile only a few weeks ago against Brighton and Brentford. United now need to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures to further solidify that mental toughness. The last thing Manchester United needs is a run of bad results to make everyone question the previous four victories.