Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid: Five things we learned as Red Devils knocked out of Champions League
A first-half goal sends United out of the Champions League at Old Trafford
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United are out of Europe after a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday night.
Anthony Elanga twice went close in the opening stages and David de Gea had to claw a long-range Rodrigo de Paul effort around the post in an exciting opening spell, before Joao Felix had a finish ruled out for offside.
Before the break Atletico found another route to goal though and this time it did count - Renan Lodi appearing at the far post to head home and pile the pressure on Ralf Rangnick’s half-time team talk.
United made several second-half changes but rarely got close to finding a breakthrough beyond a header which was superbly saved by Jan Oblak, as Atletico eased into the quarter-finals.
Here are five things we learned from the second leg.
Clean sheets remain MIA
For all the improvements that Ralf Rangnick has made to the team in both halves of the pitch since taking over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, defensive reliability still isn’t one of them.
Just four times in 2022 have Man United managed to shut out the opposition. One was in the FA Cup, one was against 10 men and one was in a goalless draw with relegation-threatened Watford.
It speaks volumes as to the problems still apparent in terms of organisation, reliability of performanace from individual players and protection in certain areas - namely in the channels on this occasion.
Even before Lodi’s goal, a similar break and build-up play saw Felix net and it’s just one clean sheet in six now.
Oblak’s timely return to form
Once regarded as being in the world’s top two or three goalkeepers, Jan Oblak has had an uncomfortable year at Atletico.
Several individual errors, the loss of that unbeatable aura who is impossible to score past - that can be attributed to both he and Atleti as a whole in fairness - and an unusual uncertainty about his decision-making all have left him rather less fearsome-seeming than he had been in prior seasons.
But at Old Trafford, he was back to near his best.
A tremendous double save in the second half was the highlight but he made other notable saves too and was simply in the right place at the right time to make it all look terribly easy - his real trait from his peak.
Fernandes offers complains, but not much else
It would have been unthinkable just a year ago that, with United needing a goal, Bruno Fernandes would be the first player subbed off.
That’s where he is right now though, with individual form and with being slightly lost and marginalised in a constantly shuffling tactical set-up.
Fernandes had a shot which needed saving, laid off the odd decent pass and shifted the ball wide into good areas a few times, but by and large he was again frustratingly on the periphery far too often.
His most notable contribution in the second half was to berate the referee for being in the way after misplacing a pass; he was subbed just past the hour mark for Paul Pogba instead.
Rangnick subs fail to turn the tide
A triple change just past the hour mark was the signal for Rangnick to demand far more from his team, but he only succeeded in muddling further the build-up play.
By the time the fifth sub came on, Juan Mata for centre-back Harry Maguire, there was no discernible shape whatsoever, allowing Atletico to switch play into space at regularity without enough pressure on the ball to force errors.
Indeed, the individuals who came on largely contributed to the stuttering nature of United’s performance.
Marcus Rashford barely completed a pass in half an hour. Edinson Cavani gifted possession nearly every time he touched it.
Neither of them, nor Pogba, Mata or Nemanja Matic managed a single shot or key pass between them at all.
How long until Red Devils return?
Into the last eight, then, for Atletico Madrid - who domestically are in trouble in terms of trying to secure another top-four finish.
Man United, however, are out of Europe and out of the running for trophies this season.
The bigger question will be over when the Red Devils actually return to the Champions League.
They are fifth in the Premier League, a point behind Arsenal who have played a very notable three matches fewer.
A rebuild job was always on the cards - has been for years in fact - and another year out of Europe’s elite will only make it slightly harder to plan and attract the right names to make it a consistent appearance at the top table.
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