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Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘garish time’ could have been made up for the Champions League Group H final on Tuesday night.
Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, in that order, enter the sixth round of matches tied on nine points. But only two of them will advance to the round of 16 after Christmas.
For the third, the prospect of playing in the Europa League will offer little comfort.
United head to Germany to face Leipzig knowing that one point will be enough to pass as they hold the superior head-to-head record following their 5-0 win at Old Trafford.
But if Leipzig beat them, United will be left relying on Istanbul Basaksehir, the last of the group, to surprise and defeat PSG in Paris.
So with PSG’s big favorites to beat the Turkish team at home, it means that United can’t afford any slip-ups against Julian Nagelsmann’s side if they want to extend their stay in Europe’s top competition.
But despite that demolition at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team should still be concerned. Leipzig still carries many dangers, as Sportsmail explores here.
EVERYONE HAS HELPED TO COMPENSATE WERNER’S DEPARTURE
Losing a striker who scored 34 goals last season was always going to be a heavy blow. But Leipzig has adequately compensated for Timo Werner’s departure.
The prolific forward, who moved to Chelsea for £ 47m over the summer, has really not been missed at all when considering that Leipzig is only two points from the top of the Bundesliga and still in the European fight.
After Werner’s departure for London, Nagelsmann said: “Obviously, you cannot replace a player like Timo, so we will have to distribute his goals among more players.”
Obviously his squad was paying attention because 14 different players, including four forwards, five midfielders and five defenders, have found the net so far this season, a total of 32 goals in all competitions.
No player gets all the glory. Winger Angelino (more on him later) currently tops Leipzig’s scorers list with six, closely followed by forwards Yussuf Poulsen with five and Emil Forsberg with four.
Alexander Sorloth, who will be remembered by Crystal Palace fans for his highly unproductive time at Selhurst Park, but also for the £ 18 million they somehow sold him for, opened his Leipzig account with an injury time winner at Basaksehir last week.
And young and talented winger Justin Kluivert (well, he’s Patrick’s son) scored the first goal of his loan break against Roma in Saturday’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
So they are spreading the burden of responsibility very well and it also means that United must be aware that the threat is coming from across the field.
THE MAN FROM THE CITY DETERMINED TO LEAD UNITED
Spanish left-back Angelino, 23, was little more than a supporting player when he was at Manchester City. In his first four seasons with the Premier League club, he had more transfers than first-team appearances.
Sold to PSV Eindhoven in 2018, City decided to activate a buyback clause and re-sign him in 2019. Pep Guardiola used it 12 times last season, but it was not the launching pad for a regular spot on the wing.
He was loaned out to Leipzig for the second half of the season, something that was later extended into this season after some impressive performances.
Angelino feels right at home in Nagelsmann’s 3-4-2-1 system as a left back and has been producing one of the best forms of his career, with six goals and four assists so far this season (including two of each in Europe).
Aside from the motivation to take City’s archrivals out of the Champions League, Angelino will enjoy getting a shot at a United backline that continues to look vulnerable.
His showdown with United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be interesting and Leipzig is sure to look to Angelino as their match winner.
However, with key defender Dayot Upamecano suspended against a club he is regularly tied to in the transfer market, Angelino may well have more defensive duties to take on Tuesday night.
NAGELSMANN WILL TRY AND AMBUSH UNITED
Everything went wrong for Leipzig coach Nagelsmann in the defeat at Old Trafford. Their tactical master plan was shattered by United’s unexpected midfield diamond and their defenders were repeatedly shattered by hat-trick hero Marcus Rashford on the counter.
He also reacted angrily when a reporter later asked him if he should have thought as much about his strategy as his preppy suit jacket.
There is little chance that Leipzig will fall into this trap again. For one thing, United are expected to run out of two members of their attack with Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial injured.
And Nagelsmann wouldn’t be one of the most respected young coaches in world football if he couldn’t get his tactics right.
We may see something similar to the way they faced Bayern on Saturday. A three on the back that quickly turned into a five when the opposition attacked them and herded in midfield to ambush United and regain possession.
United will not have the sanctioned Fred, sent off against PSG last week, so whether it is Donny van de Beek, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic or Scott McTominay starting in midfield, they will have to be resourceful and change. the ball. quickly.
Lessons will have been learned from Old Trafford and United players should not wait for a moment of peace in Germany.
THEY ARE GOOD AT HOME
The fans have not yet been able to return to the stadiums in Germany, but their absence is unlikely to diminish Leipzig’s motivation as they tend to be very strong at home.
In fact, they have only lost three of 28 home games since Nagelsmann took over as coach at the beginning of last season. Schalke and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Lyon in Europe.
They have also won their last eight home games, including previous group matches against Basaksehir and PSG. So Leipzig rarely experiences setbacks at the Red Bull Arena.
On the other hand, United have been stronger on the road than at Old Trafford of late, aside from their surprising defeat in Istanbul on matchday three, a result that could still prove fatal for them in the Champions League.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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