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The damage was not done here. There is no shame in losing to the Champions League runner-up, one of the few teams assembled with the greatest expense and frustration. Manchester United’s fate is apparently still in their hands, second in Group H with one game to play.
In isolation, getting beaten at home by Paris Saint-Germain is pretty standard fare. It often doesn’t require much explanation beyond pointing to Kylian Mbappé and Neymar while shrugging. And it’s not like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn’t been here before; This is the second time that he and Thomas Tuchel have exchanged victories in each other’s stadiums in as many years.
No, this is precisely the kind of result we expect from this team and this coach. A terrible start to the season culminated in a collapse at Tottenham that made Solskjaer’s position seem untenable. They then won at Newcastle and PSG to turn one more corner. A 0-0 draw at Chelsea raised more questions than answers, before Leipzig was beaten 5-0 and the future was clear. But that allowed “complacency” to sneak up on Arsenal and it felt like the end of the road against Istanbul Basaksehir. Four straight wins changed the momentum once again, but Neymar stopped them at Old Trafford.
This is Solskjaer’s United: caught in increasingly elaborate vicious circles. There are few better teams to play under pressure. There may be nothing worse than playing without it.
It was that result and exhibition in Istanbul last month that led to this. That truly ridiculous goal by Demba Ba opened a door that United had slammed shut by beating the top two teams in a difficult group with a couple of excellent performances. Now they need at least a draw in Leipzig to advance; Julian Nagelsmann’s team has won all seven of its home games this season by an aggregate score of 18-4.
Most of this was honestly fine. United started terribly and conceded because they are the only team that was able to prepare to counterattack before conceding against and continue to be countered. They settled in and scored a draw that was deserved and fortunate, Marcus Rashford’s effort coincided with the run of the ascendant hosts, but Danilo’s deflection was decisive. They missed some presentable scoring opportunities – good evening Anthony Martial – but were beaten by better individual quality.
That is the simplistic explanation. Others might point out how managers tried to affect the game. Tuchel felt growing weakness on Neymar’s left flank, so he presented Mitchel Bakker for further protection. At the same time, he replaced Leandro Paredes with Ander Herrera, as the former had been booked for 27 minutes. Marco Verratti was retired shortly after, 19 minutes after receiving the yellow card. It was obvious but sensible in both cases to withdraw central midfielders whose games were naturally inhibited by the prospect of being sent off.
Solskjaer saw Fred get booked for a header attempt in the 23rd minute before escaping a red twice for poor challenges before halftime. He watched the Brazilian walk the disciplinary tightrope straight into the locker room and out again for the second half, then appeared astonished that he proceeded to fall just after PSG took the lead. The only surprise was that Fred lasted until the 70th minute, so determined were the visitors to lead him into his well-placed traps.
In fairness to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, literally everyone saw it coming.
– Fútbol365 (@ F365) December 2, 2020
There was no justification for keeping it past the first half. If Fred had been playing well with a yellow card, the risk might have outweighed the potential reward, but it was poor enough that it seemed like all of his fouls came because he was chasing his own horrible first touch. It is not hindsight to suggest that it should have been replaced. Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek were on the bench, ignored until the final 17 and 12 minutes, respectively, as Solskjaer’s first two trades in a game he must at least not lose.
The same will happen at Red Bull Arena next week. United could get the result they need to let them eliminate in the round of 16 rather than in the group stage. Maybe not. It probably depends on whether or not they beat West Ham and a revival of David Moyes during the weekend, which relieves or puts more pressure on Solskjaer.
United has reached the stage in this relationship where they continue to threaten to walk away unless they change who they are. Solskjaer promises to do better if he is given another chance. But sooner or later he always makes a mistake again. It doesn’t seem like either of them is brave enough to suggest that they might not be compatible in the long run after all.
Matt stead
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