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Manchester United traveled to Bern to start their 2018/19 UEFA Champions League campaign at the Stade de Suisse, with a little bit of the familiar swagger back at the club after a hard-fought victory at the weekend over a resolute Watford side. However, the reigning Switzerland Champions represented an entirely different challenge.
Young Boys were playing in the Champions League for the first time and were coming into the game in blistering form, having won 9 of the 10 games in the new season. United had only faced Young Boys twice in their history, both of them friendlies. Both teams have a win each and this was the first competitive meeting between the two.
Mourinho started with De Gea in goal and gave new signing Dalot his club debut as the Portuguese joined Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in the back four. In the midfield, Mourinho opted for Matic, Pogba, and Fred. Up ahead, Rashford and Martial partnered Lukaku, who lead the line in attack.
United started the game well but took time to get fully accustomed to the artificial pitch. They tried to press the Swiss Champions but were continuously caught out in the counter. The game was quite open in the initial quarter before Pogba broke the deadlock. The Frenchman doubled United's lead just before the halftime break. The first half ended with the score 2-0 in United's favor.
In the second half, Young Boys tried to get back to the game but did little to threaten De Gea's goal. Martial then made the score 3-0 and that was how the game ended. United won their first Champions League group stage game of the 2018/19 season, earning valuable 3 points at Bern and we look at the 3 players that helped United earn those points.
#3 Diogo Dalot
The young Portuguese right back got his debut for Manchester United and impressed with his overall performance. Dalot was good with his covering, even though he did slip once or twice due to the artificial pitch. His raw pace and trickery troubled Young Boys every time he ventured forward. He sent in a couple of great crosses, but was unfortunate that no was got to the end of those. He tried to compliment Rashford, who tracked back to help him on a couple of occasions, however, the Englishman did not have a great day going forward.
The second half saw more of the same from the first and with every passing minute, Dalot grew into the game and showed signs of a building partnership with his team mates. His positioning and recovery was so good that the Swiss Champions rarely threatened from his side. When Mata came in for Rashford in the 68th minute of the game, Dalot found a lot more space to run into, owing to the Spaniard’s tendency to drift inwards. He put in a few more crosses, but could not find his team mates.
The Portuguese showed remarkable composure and ability on the ball, and while he will have his chances limited by the presence of Valencia in the squad, he looks like a fine successor to the United Skipper in the near future.
#2 Fred
The Brazilian was brought back to the team after missing out in the last 2 games and made up for his absence by putting in a fine shift. Fred was United’s busiest player in the first half and it would seem like he had covered the entire pitch in the first half itself. The Brazilian was lively and quick, tracking back to stop the opposition counters as well as joining in the attack whenever United went forward. He kept the ball moving and showed his speed as well on a couple of occasions. Fred regularly brought the fullbacks into the game and even tried to set up the strikers with lofted balls. On one occasion, he ventured into the penalty area and sent in a lovely cross that unfortunately eluded the United players. The Brazilian also displayed his quick feet and close control in tight spaces to keep hold of the ball.
Fred picked up a yellow card early in the second half and had to restrict his game from then on. Yet he continued his natural form and spent the second half just like he did the first – running around the pitch, picking up cute spaces in the opposition half and making brilliant turns to keep the opposition on their toes. It was he who initiated the counter that led to the Martial goal, brilliantly finding Pogba at the edge of the opposition half with miles of open space to run into. Fred also made an important interception with the score at 3-0 to ensure that the lead remained intact, before being replaced by Fellaini in the 68th minute.
#1 Paul Pogba
Pogba was the United skipper for the night and started the game in his normal pace, striding along in the midfield. He was his usual self, using his body to shield the ball, throwing in cross-field passes and trying to set up the front three. He sent Lukaku through with a brilliant ball in the first half, but the Belgian dragged it wide. However, it was in the 35th minute that the Frenchman showed his true color. While attempting to play a quick pass with Lukaku, the ball deflected back to Pogba, who showed great composure and control to take it back to his left leg, make space for himself and fire a shot into the top corner. It was a moment of pure genius that United consistently need from their Frenchman.
In the 44th minute, Luke Shaw won a penalty and up stepped Pogba again. He had missed a penalty against Burnley FC and could have handed the duties to Lukaku, but Pogba showed remarkable responsibility and hunger to amend his error from that game. After a now trademark slow approach, he smashed the ball into the net, enabling United to go into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The second half saw Pogba play a little higher up, keep the ball running and ensure that the lead stayed intact. He then laid down the ball for Martial to finish at the end of a fantastic counter-attack, picking up an assist on the night. By the time he had been replaced by Pereira in the 74th minute, Pogba had all but secured United’s win.
