Paul Pogba was missed but Manchester United wasteful will haunt Jose Mourinho as they lose late on to Basel
United must wait to confirm their place in the last 16
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United dominated for 45 minutes and then allowed Basel to do the same for the next 45 minutes. The only difference was that one side took their chances.
United’s defeat in Switzerland keeps the pressure on right until the final group game despite Jose Mourinho’s side only needing a solitary point to progress as group winners.
Here’s five things we learned from United’s late defeat…
Unnecessary pressure
United really should have buried the game in the first half but failed to do so and it cost them. And it could cost them in the Premier League too, with the club minutes away from securing safe passage with a game to spare. But that is not the case, and now they must get a point in their final game to be certain of top spot.
It will be so frustrating for Mourinho who would have been looking forward to resting and rotating his stars, especially given the returns of Pogba, Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with December 10’s Manchester derby likely to be at the forefront of that.
Mourinho must keep Fellaini
Rewind your minds to the final days of the David Moyes era or the when Louis van Gaal was being ribbed for his lifeless performances and one of the first name who would come in for criticism would be Marouane Fellaini. However, under Mourinho he has become one of his ‘untouchables’ and his rejection of a new contract has set alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford.
He offers something different from the pace of the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford and the creativity of Paul Pogba – he acts as a focal point so often in away Champions League games such as these. That was abundantly clear in the first half with two well won headers aimed at Basel’s goal, the first cleared off the line and the second just wide. His third rebounded off the post.
Rojo returns
Another player who was so often derided as a useless liability, but Marcos Rojo has found a place in Mourinho’s squad and it would have been a huge relief to see him return from nearly eight months out unscathed. It is also a timely return given the struggles of Victor Lindelof to settle.
Rojo looked composed for the most part and while offering reliable cover at centre-half for the injury-prone duo of Eric Bailly and Phil Jones, he will also play a substantial number of minutes at left-back. Rojo will undoubtedly rotate with Ashley Young as Luke Shaw looks like he will never earn Mourinho’s trust. He nearly marked his comeback with a thunderous effort from 40 yards which rattled the crossbar and a goal-saving tackle.
Pogba a real leader
The last time – and the only time before Wednesday night – that Pogba pulled on the captain’s armband for Manchester United, he barely lasted 20 minutes and spent the next seven weeks nursing a hamstring injury. But United suffered just as badly as he did that night as they turned turgid and stale and looked a shadow of the side that were steamrolling teams 4-0.
But now he is back and straight back with the armband, showing how much he really does mean to this squad, and to Mourinho. He adds an extra fluidity, an extra importance and a much-needed presence to a midfield that without him looks forlorn and desolate. He is United’s Kevin De Bruyne and while City have replacements for their Belgian, the Red Devils don’t for Pogba. His presence was missed when he was substituted and United lost their rhythm and ultimately the match.
A difficult learning curve
United dominated the first period and probably should have found themselves at least three goals ahead. Romelu Lukaku missed a one-on-one, Fellaini had three decent headed chances and Rojo hit the bar, but the score remained goalless. And out came Basel and gave their visitors a shock with some aggressive, attacking football and even hit the crossbar.
Some smart saves from Sergio Romero pushed Mourinho to bring on Nemanja Matic to stem the flow of possession but it was not enough and it keeps the pressure on United right until the final game to ensure they finish top of the group. They must learn from this and know that no matter how dominant you are in the first half, you can’t afford to take your foot off the gas.
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