Man United's not so impossible PSG task and other Champions League talking points

Matt Jones - Editor 10:56 05/03/2019
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  • Manchester United are back playing swashbuckling football and winning games with late goals again under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – but they will need a comeback of Sir Alex Ferguson proportions if they are to overcome Paris Saint-Germain.

    The Champions League round-of-16 first-leg tie was finely poised until half-time three weeks ago, but the French side dominated the second period to take a 2-0 lead back to Parc des Princes. And, with United now burdened by a raft of injuries, plus the absence of banned Paul Pogba, their chances of progression seem slim.

    Still, stranger things have happened. Let’s look ahead to Wednesday’s second leg:

    UNITED’S IMPOSSIBLE TASK?

    0303 PSG United Tactics

    The odds are stacked against Solskjaer’s team.

    Only three times in the continental competition’s 27-year history have 2-0 first-leg deficits been overturned (a tally that includes United v Olympiakos in 2013/14). Critically, this trio all performed their almighty comebacks on home soil.

    But if anyone can overturn this deficit, it is the Norwegian’s Red Devils.

    Doom and gloom were the buzz words during Jose Mourinho’s dour reign. His, temporary, at the moment, successor has transformed fortunes – the first-leg loss the only blemish on his otherwise impeccable record since he was drafted in during December.

    Now, confidence and passion are the words being used to describe their play. Goals are flowing through a team suddenly dangerous again.

    Of course, United – like their opponents ahead of the first-leg – are severely depleted. Anthony Martial, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian, Antonio Valencia and Alexis Sanchez have all been ruled out.

    But Solskjaer’s tactical acumen and poise have been constantly questioned throughout his brief tenure. Critics wonder what will happen when the bubble bursts.

    Yet it hasn’t. Staunch tests have been presented in the shape of Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, plus – after the raft of absentees – Crystal Palace and Southampton.

    Solskjaer has passed them all.

    His team was well beaten in the second half against PSG, but the margin of defeat was fine. Would any other boss have been able to overcome the loss of two attackers so integral to the way his side play after Lingard and Martial went off at half-time?

    They are up against it. Almost every player, however, called upon by Solskjaer is contributing.

    Striker Romelu Lukaku has hit a rich vein of form, while in midfield Scott McTominay has been fearless in recent weeks and Andreas Pereira was excellent against Southampton.

    Of course they are underdogs, but Solskjaer has helped this side rediscover its bark.

    PSG PRIMED TO PROGRESS

    Kylian Mbappe

    PSG, of course, have been here before.

    Okay, so having a 2-0 lead overturned wouldn’t exactly be as catastrophic as the incredulous 2016/17 round-of-16 clash in which Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg loss to win 6-1 in the second and subsequently triumph 6-5 on aggregate.

    Nor would it be completely unheralded, though. Head coach Thomas Tuchel will be fully aware that this is no ordinary United side he is facing.

    Yes, they’re depleted but this is not plain sailing for the Parisiens, and they will need to be on top of their game to get the job done. Should United score the opening goal, it will be game on.

    Tuchel took his side to Old Trafford shorn of elite forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani, and reacted rapidly at the break when Lingard and Martial went off. The ex-Borussia Dortmund tactician ushered his side forward at the start of the second half which the home side subsequently struggled to cope with.

    He will know what is coming. United head to the Parc des Princes with nothing to lose and rather a lot to gain.

    The German is hardly likely to set his side up to defend, knowing an early goal for his side could quickly derail any momentum United head into the game with.

    Italy midfielder Marco Verratti returned from injury in the first-leg and was imperious, playing all but the final 15 minutes. He is well rested after missing the 2-1 victory over Caen at the weekend, and should play an integral role.

    France superstar Kylian Mbappe was quiet in the first leg, but still popped up with the killer second goal. United’s task is made all the more arduous by the fact they must be brave, while also keeping him, Verratti and Argentina winger Angel Di Maria – who spent a miserable 2014/15 at the Red Devils – on tight leashes.

    LUK OUT FOR LUKAKU

    Lukaku

    Talk about coming into form at the right time.

    Chastised by as many people within Old Trafford as outside, the Belgium striker is proving to be a beacon for Solskjaer in the midst of a devastating storm of injuries.

    Four goals in two games as United have recorded vital wins in the race to secure Champions League football next term will fill him with confidence, as well as provide United fans with plenty of reasons to head to the French capital with hope.

    Lukaku looks like he’s trimmed down significantly in the last month or so and is proving more agile. Pace married to power has long been the devastating double-edged combination in his attacking armoury.

    Braces against Palace and Southampton have epitomised everything that is great about Lukaku’s game. The left-footed centre forward has shown tremendous poise with two of his strikes finished sublimely with his underrated right foot, while his trademark strength came to the fore when he put United 2-0 up at Selhurst Park last Wednesday.

    Quite why he felt the need to bulk up to a monstrous size for the summer’s World Cup when his goal return of 27 in 51 during his debut season in red was more than adequate, seemed strange.

    Leaner and definitely feeling meaner after a goal drought lasting nine games and no longer an automatic starter under Solskjaer, Lukaku is looking a lot sharper.

    He will never be the most technically gifted player but is a devastating finisher when in the mood – and he definitely has been in the last two games. Lukaku has answered the call and now the sternest test awaits.

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