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Manchester United opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a sublime 3-0 thrashing of Swiss side Young Boys on Wednesday night. The Red Devils were barely troubled for the majority of the game, as they recorded three points to go top of Group H.
Goals from Paul Pogba (he scored a brace) and Anthony Martial were enough to give Jose Mourinho’s side the needed victory on their return to the big stage. The game also presented the Portuguese the chance to access some of his fringe players ahead of the packed schedules.
The Red Devils may have won but it was by no means a vintage performance, as there were occasions that Young Boys also threatened to cause problems in the final third.
For Mourinho, though, this win should offer him some respite following weeks of pressure over United’s form. Young Boys may not have been the toughest of opposition, but starting the Champions League with a win is always a welcome boost.
Here are five major talking points from the game:
#5 Mourinho beginning to embrace attacking game
When Jose Mourinho joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016, many fans were pessimistic about the style of play he would implement at Old Trafford, and rightly so. Having been used to Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-attacking play, the Red Devils fans were unwilling to accept anything less from the Portuguese.
However, two and half years on, and it looks like the Mourinho is finally embracing the attacking culture at Old Trafford. In their last two games, the Red Devils set out to attack their opponents from the onset, unlike in previous games where they simply sat back.
Against Young Boys on Wednesday, Mourinho’s team showed a lot of fight and purpose and sought to dominate their Swiss opponents from the start. With an array of attacking players in the squad, there is no reason why the Old Trafford faithful should not enjoy beautiful football.
Mourinho remains one of the most pragmatic managers in the game, but he realizes that to win over the United fans, he must alter the way he sets his team up. On the face of the Young Boys performance, it looks like the Portuguese is finally embracing the attacking game.
#4 Manchester United defence still problematic
It was a marvellous display from Manchester United on Wednesday night against Young Boys following that 3-0 win. However, not even the goals they scored could paper over the team’s defensive woes.
On paper, the Red Devils boast a very good defence but, on the pitch, the players look like a disjointed unit who sometimes do not know what they are all about. The central defensive pairing of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof remains unconvincing and both players will really need to up their game as the season progresses.
There were occasions where Young Boys looked dangerous and had the Swiss side been more clinical, the first goal could have even gone their way and that would definitely have changed the face of the game.
It’s still a long season, but Jose Mourinho must find a way to get his defenders playing at the level required if this Man United team is to challenge in the Premier League and in Europe.
#3 Young Boys may not even make the Europa place
Group H is not the toughest group in this year’s Champions League pairings. In a group containing Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia and Young Boys, this looks very much like an order of how the teams would finish after match-day six.
One of either United or Juventus will definitely finish top of the lot, but the race for who snatches the remaining Europa League spot might also come very easy for Valencia rather than Young Boys. The Spanish side put up a lacklustre performance on Wednesday night, falling to a 0-2 home defeat to 10-man Juve.
However, they showed more determination in that game than Young Boys did against Manchester United. The Swiss side defied the odds to win the domestic league last season but playing in Europe is a different story altogether.
Unfortunately, though, it looks like the club lacks the required quality to compete with the other teams in Group H and that could mean they missing out not only on qualification but also the Europa League too.
#2 Rashford, Fred fail to take their chances
Manchester United will rarely get any easy games as they did against Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday night. And although the result was emphatic, some individual players failed to really stake a claim to be retained in the starting line-up for the Red Devils’ next game.
The biggest culprits were Marcus Rashford and Fred. The attacker and midfielder were drafted into the starting XI, having not started any of the clubs last two games. However, both failed to impress and cannot blame Mourinho should he bench them for this weekend’s Premier League clash against Wolves.
Rashford returned from the international break in peak form, after netting twice for England, once in the UEFA Nations League game against Spain and once in the friendly against Switzerland. However, the young forward looked lost for larger parts against Young Boys before being replaced by Juan Mata in the 69th minute.
Fred was also guilty of losing the ball too easily in midfield. The Brazilian is hugely talented, but he has a lot to do to develop into a world beater. Marouane Fellaini’s form is currently keeping Fred on the bench, but if Wednesday’s game is anything to go by, then the big Belgian has no cause to worry about his position at all.
#1 Shaw and Pogba show why they are indispensable
Currently two Manchester United players are indispensable in the team. They are Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba. The pair were the subjects of speculation before the season started, but they remain two of United’s brightest spots in the early stages of this season.
Shaw got injured during the international break and subsequently missed the Red Devils’ 2-1 win over Watford last week. However, the left-back was back with a bang in the Champions League, running riot on the left side and showing why he deserves to be offered a new contract.
Captain of the day Paul Pogba was equally in imperious form, netting twice to set Manchester United en route to that 3-0 victory. But it was not just about the goals: The Frenchman was always assured in possession and occasionally dropped back to help with defensive duties.
Both Shaw and Pogba are currently in top form and, if they continue like this, then opposition clubs will not have it easy against the Red Devils.
