In the second leg of the 2021-22 Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester United played Atletico Madrid at home. This match is another meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and his old rival Atletico, and before the game, C Ronaldo's high-profile history against Atletico also made Manchester United a more optimistic side. But the result of the final game was bitter, and the process was even more depressing.
Atletico eliminated Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate with a goal from Renan Lodi, but it's not necessary to say how well Atletico played. In the whole game, Manchester United got 60% of the possession rate, creating 11 shots on goal and 5 shots on target, in addition, in the corner, shooting in the penalty area, passing, accurate passing, long pass, dribbling, 1V1 and other links Manchester United all dominated, while Atletico only had 8 shots on goal, 3 shots on target to take away the victory.
So where did Manchester United lose? Losing to Lonnick's tactics, it is no exaggeration to say that from the start, tactics to substitutions, Lonnick lost to Simone.
From a tactical point of view, Lonnick played 2 wings, especially on the left side, which was in Simeone's heart. We can see that as long as Sancho holds the ball, Atletico will definitely reinforce the wing, 2 midfielders come to assist in defense, plus full-backs, forming a 3-man encirclement, cutting off his forward and passing routes. Under such heavy siege, Sancho's performance space in this game was completely snuffed out. Sancho, on the other hand, repeatedly crashed into Atletico's defensive circle and repeatedly lost the ball.
And even if Telles gets the opportunity to cross, there is not much space left, hastily got up, either flying out of the bottom line or being blocked. The stats proved it all, with Only 1 of Tres's 11 crosses in place and another 22 conceding the ball in the full game, while Sancho had 24 and 82 passes with only 46 in place, almost half of which was lost. The performance of these two people almost completely abandoned the left side of Manchester United's best hand.
The wing was stifled, then the opportunity in the middle came, but United did not take advantage of it at all, and did not have a decent long-range shot. Entrusted by Rangnick as a B fee for the core of the attack, he only had 1 shot on goal and did not shoot on target. There were only 46 touches in the game, which was also due to Lonnick's main flanking tactics, but B Fee lost almost half of the pass. The wing can't be opened, the middle is inaction, Manchester United just have possession, and there are very few absolute chances to score.
In addition, in C Ronaldo's arrangement, Lonnick is obviously "suppressing" his firepower. We can see from the hot zone map of the game that Ronaldo rarely appears in the penalty area throughout the game. He's like a "soy sauce" character, doing an assist wherever he needs it. From the right to the left, from the front to the back. What is Lonnick doing? How can Ronaldo's performance on the offensive end of the last game not be seen? Doesn't know his past performances against Atletico?
"C Ronaldo is the wingman, B fee is the core", under the pressure of this tactic, C Ronaldo actually shot 0 feet in the whole game! Where is Ronaldo's physical strength mainly used? defend. There were 10 confrontations in total, 7 on the ground and 6 on the ground, 3 in the air, and many times to clean up the mess for Sancho, who lost the ball. Does Ronaldo not want to win? Absolutely! This is the Champions League and the main battleground for his achievements, and Atletico is his favorite opponent. But under this tactical arrangement, C Luo wants to make way for B fees, not give you the right to fire, frequently pull to the side to break through, what to show?
In addition, in terms of substitutions, Lonnick's decision to replace Rashford was very bad. In the face of Atletico's dense defense, the performance of "brown brother" Rashford is a nightmare. The way to pass is always one way, to speed up the ball, and then to fight for speed. In more than 20 minutes, Marcus Rashford repeatedly lost the ball, only 4 of the 12 passes were in place, and the pass success rate was the lowest in the game. No turnover, 0 contributions on the defensive end, this substitution directly affects United's hopes of chasing points.
The Champions League is out, manchester United this season's battlefield is only the league, but the current situation of 4 is not optimistic. After the game, C Ronaldo did not show too much disappointment, but appeared particularly calm. It was impossible for him not to be depressed, but perhaps he could see clearly. Today's Manchester United simply can't go too far in the Champions League, let alone compete for the title. After the end of the season, Manchester United will definitely have a big reshuffle, and it is unknown whether he will continue to stay in the team and accompany the young people to grow up. However, for Manchester United, there is still a long, long way to go to regain its former glory.