In the 2021-22 Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester United visited the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to take on Atletico. In the end, United, after trailing by 73 minutes, scored an equaliser in the 80th minute by youngster Erlanga. Returning to Manchester with a draw was a decent result for United, especially given the course of the game, and United were lucky to be able to pull back.
Although Atletico have been in average form recently, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses in 8 games in all competitions, the tactical play of Atletico in this Champions League home game is defensive counterattack. I have to say that building a defensive system is indeed Simeone's housekeeping skill. In this race, Atletico's formation was maintained very tight and coordinated, and the distance between the 3 lines was reasonable. When the front is pressing, when to retreat, who is on the grab, who is in the position, Simeone is clearly arranged in these tactical details.
In such a high-profile defensive system, United are at a loss for the vast majority of the time, exposing almost all problems at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. It is difficult to play the ball in the backfield, the midfield cannot hold the ball, the front field lacks running, and there is a lack of offensive routines. Most of the time, it can only be reversed at the back, and when atletico is forced to pass back immediately, it is difficult to effectively connect the players in the front of the field through the position battle.
In the first half in particular, United saw no hope of scoring. The data shows that throughout the first half, Manchester United had 67% of the ball, sent 312 passes, and the pass success rate was 87%. But with just 2 shots on goal and 1 blocked and 1 shot deflected, Oblak could sit back and watch his teammates perform. United's attack can only be through long passes, 26 long passes 20 times in place, but basically by Atletico's defense in time to defuse the threat.
In the second half, Atletico's fitness declined, and with the adjustment of Lonnick's midfield, The situation of Manchester United improved, but it was still difficult to knock on the door guarded by Oblak. In the 66th minute, Ronnick made consecutive substitutions, with Tres, Wan Bissaka and Nemanja Matic coming on the bench to replace Luke Shaw, Lindelof and Pogba. In the 75th minute, Erlanga replaced Marcus Rashford and United began to sound the horn of the general attack. Five minutes later, United counter-attacked, with Erlanga hitting the far corner with a straight T-shirt and salving the loss in one fell swoop. In the end, who can reach the top 8 of the Champions League, the suspense can not be solved until the battle at Old Trafford.
Congratulations also to Manchester United, they have received 2 big positives.
First, United's rivals Tottenham Lost. After the last round of the league game against Manchester City, Conte vented his depressed mood fiercely. This round of play against relegation zone team Burnley was originally a great opportunity for Spurs to take advantage of the victory and catch up with the top 4 teams, but Conte accidentally overturned the ship. 0-1, Tottenham Hotspur, who have been 2 rounds behind The Fourth Place Manchester United, is seven points behind and the initiative has changed hands! Today, Manchester United's initiative to compete for 4 mainly depends on Arsenal's face. The Gunners trailed by 4 points in 3 rounds, and once they won all the make-up matches, Manchester United was suddenly thrown away by 5 points!
Second, Pogba seems intent on renewing his contract with Manchester United. After the match, Pogba updated a story on his personal social media: "There are still a lot of games to continue at Old Trafford. In addition, Pogba also said something "loyal" when he participated in the official event of Manchester United. "My two older brothers and I have supported Manchester United since childhood and I have always enjoyed playing for Manchester United. The more games I play, the more I love it, and my dream since I was a child is to play for the First Team of Manchester United. ”
And we found that the recent media coverage of Pogba has been almost always positive and positive. ESPN correspondent Alex Shaw said Pogba was loved by the team in the Manchester United dressing room and they saw him as a leader. Pogba is influential in the team and, unlike some players, Pogba is widely loved by players.
If Pogba is willing to stay at Manchester United, there will be much less pressure on the club's top brass this summer. Because that means they don't have to spend a lot of money looking for a successor, they just need to find a defensively strong back, and the rest of the money is fully replenished.