The Theatre of Dreams has waited long enough for a huge Champions League clash exactly like the battle between Manchester United and Barcelona. Unfortunately, despite their valiant efforts, the Red Devils will have to chase their dreams even harder next week. The Catalans left Manchester with a victory, a clean sheet and that crucial away goal that more often than not makes the difference in the very end.
Still, the hosts can take pride in a stellar performance which put Barcelona on the back foot for the majority of the game. Their woeful finishing, however, meant that the result left their fans and themselves with a lot more to be desired.
This tactical analysis will use statistics to dissect the game that surprised us in many ways bar the end result, and kept us on our toes for the whole 90 minutes – just like a true clash of titans should.
Lineups
Manchester United (5-3-2)
Starting XI: De Gea – Young, Smalling, Lindelöf, Shaw – Fred, McTominay, Pogba – Dalot, Lukaku, Rashford
Bench: Romero, Jones, Rojo, Andreas, Lingard, Mata, Martial
Coach: Ole Gunnar Solskjær
If you want to read the full article then head on over to our dedicated analysis site, totalfootballanalysis.com, or click HERE
