Match Review: Manchester United 1-1 Young Boys

An already qualified Manchester United play out a draw against Young Boys at Old Trafford.

How did Manchester United set up?

We expected changes, but many were taken aback by Rangnick’s set up for his second game in charge of the Red’s. The German fielded a completely different 11 in regards to the side that beat Crystal Palace on the weekend. A new look side saw Anthony Elanga and Amad make their first starts of the season as well as Henderson making a rare appearance in the first 11.

The huge talking point prior to kick-off was United’s bench. A youthful bench featured some of United’s finest academy players including Zidane Iqbal, Bjorn Hardley and Charlie Savage who made their first appearances in a Manchester United squad.

The team:

Embed from Getty Images

Dean Henderson (GK), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB), Nemanja Matić (CB), Eric Bailly (CB), Luke Shaw (LB), Donny Van de Beek (CM) Juan Mata (CM), Amad (RM), Jesse Lingard (LM), Anthony Elanga (ST), Mason Greenwood (ST)

How it went down

Since his arrival, Rangnick has preached about United controlling games more than anything else. Talking about United’s obvious susceptibility in transition, United haven’t taken charge of games. One would imagine control of games entails United expressing themselves as well as making themselves harder to break down. The Reds taking an early lead could be evidence of that.

In just under 10 minutes, Shaw’s well-timed cross found Mason Greenwood who instinctively manoeuvered to volley the ball into the back of the net.

Embed from Getty Images

Like the weekend a flurry of chances followed with the likes of Lingard and Amad fluffing their opportunities in the final third. However, it was almost as though United’s missed chances buoyed Young Boys into pressing onto the Red backline.

The Swiss side created very little in the first half but were gifted a goal as a stray Donny van de Beek pass found itself in the top corner moments later as Rieder perfectly curled a ball past Henderson just before the break.

Second half

The second period provided very few discussion points. One notable conclusion that could be drawn is that currently, these players haven’t got the fitness to sustain Rangnick’s style. Just like the Palace fixture, in the second half, following an intense first half, the players seemed to give up control. As previously mentioned, control is one of the cornerstones of Rangnick’s philosophy, so for United to be able to control games, the players must be incapable.

Embed from Getty Images

In fact, had Young Boys been more clinical in front of goal, we could have witnessed another Old Trafford massacre this season. Thankfully we didn’t, but what we were blessed to see was a number of debuts with their own individual narratives. Firstly, Tom Heaton, some decades after he rose through the ranks at United before leaving without a sniff of the first team was substituted on in what was his United debut. The 35-year-old can even boast a clean sheet during his time on the pitch as well.

Then came what many were looking forward to, the double substitution of Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage. Iqbal became United’s first player of South Asian origin to represent the club. Savage was introduced with his father and former United academy player Robbie Savage co-commentating on the game for BT sport in what was a beautiful moment. Debuts that will live long in their memories.

Man of the Match – Eric Bailly

Another game in Europe, another top Bailly performance. Breaking into the first team won’t be easy but his continuous reliability should help his cause, especially under the new management. His erraticness can be frustrating at times but the elegance and ease to which he marshals opposition attackers is amazing to watch.

Bigger Picture

The result would have had no bearing on United’s qualification into the next round having already secured qualification vs Villarreal. Now United must sit and wait till Monday to learn of their round of 16 opponents.

🚨 Manchester United’s possible opponents in the last 16:

PSG
Sporting CP
Inter Milan
Benfica
Atletico Madrid
RB Salzburg #mufc #mujournal

— United Journal (@theutdjournal) December 8, 2021