FIVE ASIDES Champions League: United 2, Galatasaray 3
Just as the attack was falling into place, the defence was falling apart. United’s build-up was the best it’s been in any big game this season – rapid, decisive, winning raves from Glenn Hoddle about one-touch football. But their defending was dire. All three Galatasaray goals came from blunders by the full-backs. Diogo Dalot was defeated by Wilfried Zaha’s strength, experience and burning desire to make a point at Old Trafford. Sofyan Amrabat, again filling in for all the injured left-backs, was easily bypassed for the second goal and played Mauro Icardi onside for the third. Apart from the walk in the park against Palace reserves in the Carabao Cup, United have spent the whole season either attacking fluently (against Forest, Bayern, Galatasaray) or defending stoutly (Burnley) or neither (Wolves, Spurs, Arsenal, Brighton, Palace in the league), never both. And they’re so brittle whenever they’ve just scored or conceded. Amrabat is badly needed in midfield, to bring some calm and control, even if it means switching Victor Lindelof to right-back and Dalot to the left.
United’s performance was summed up by Casemiro. Going forward, he was outstanding – hitting first-time balls on the half-turn, like the one that led to the opening goal. Running back, he was ropey. And when he’s trying to win the ball, it’s as if he throws all his experience overboard. He passes like a past master and tackles like someone who has never been told about the rules. His sending-off was more André Onana’s fault than his own, but he shouldn’t have been on a yellow card.
Rasmus Hojlund has arrived. He scored two memorable goals and had another one disallowed. All three were different – a header on the run, a poacher’s poke in a crowded box, and a sprint that ended in an ice-cool dink. He is particularly comfortable against continental defences. Every tournament is a different language and Hojlund doesn't speak Prem yet, but he has passed his first two exams in the Champions League. In his performance, you could just about make out the seeds of a United revival.
Marcus Rashford is only half out of form. He played one immaculate cross (to Hojlund) and one feeble one (to Bruno Fernandes). As a supplier, Rashford is having a perfectly decent season: he has four assists, more than any other United player. It’s his shooting that looks shot. The presence of Hojlund has turned Rashford into less of a striker, more of a winger, but there’s something else. He doesn’t seem to have the clear mind he had in his purple patch from Christmas to Easter. Of course nobody’s patches are all purple, not even Erling Haaland’s, but it still feels as if something is not right. When Rashford played for England in September, he was free and firing on all cylinders. Erik ten Hag backs him with his selections – to a fault, running him into the ground – but often sounds lukewarm when discussing him. Half of management is making the star players feel loved, and you wonder if Ten Hag has managed it with Rashford.
The competition that made Onana’s reputation is now ruining it. After messing up with his hands in Munich, Onana messed up here with his feet (playing a hospital pass that brought harrowing flashbacks to Brentford away) and then with his head (failing to figure out how to make it harder for Mauro Icardi to chip him). He did play one visionary ball to send Mason Mount away down the right, but so far his good points have been outweighed by his gaffes. All told – and I hope he soon proves this wrong – Onana has been a downgrade on David de Gea.
Tim de Lisle, a United fan since the days of John Fitzpatrick, is the editor of United Writing and a sportswriter at The Guardian. If you’re on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing.