As many as 5 reasons why Manchester United failed to beat Barcelona in the first leg of the 2022-2023 Europa League top 16 playoffs will be discussed in this article. Thursday (16/2/2023), the Barcelona vs Manchester United match ended.
The two teams drew 2-2 for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Barcelona took the lead via Marcos Alonso (50′). Then Manchester United took the lead through Marcus Rashford in the 52nd minute and a Jules Kounde own goal (59′), before Raphinha finally equalized in the 76th minute.
This result clearly made Manchester United fail to win against Barcelona in the first leg. So, what caused Manchester United to fail to win?
The following is a discussion of 5 reasons why Manchester United failed to beat Barcelona:
- Manchester United Waste Opportunity
During the 90 minutes, Barcelona actually controlled the ball a lot. It’s just that, Manchester United actually got a lot of opportunities.
If you look at the statistics, the team nicknamed the Red Devils can fire a total of 11 shots. Unfortunately, Erik Ten Hag’s team could only produce five shots at goal, while the other six were still wide of Marc Andre ter Stegen’s goal.
- Manchester United’s attack line is less patient
In addition to wasting opportunities, the Red Devils are considered to be impatient in the final settlement. Yes, indeed Manchester United left earlier and eager to restore the position.
It’s just that, the opportunities created actually only resulted in one goal for the Red Devils. Because, another Manchester United goal, occurred because of Jules Kounde’s own goal. It seems that patience when finishing the final line of the Red Devils attack needs to be increased again in the second leg.
- Barcelona’s Midfield is Strong
Then, Barcelona’s midfield became one thing that Manchester United were wary of again in the second leg. The reason is, the combination of Frenkie De Jong, Raphinha, and Gavi is tough enough to withstand the onslaught of Casemiro et al.
Especially Raphinha, who in this match saved the Blaugrana (Barcelona’s nickname) through his goal. Unfortunately, he was replaced by Ferran Torres in the 83rd minute.
- The Referee Is Considered One-sided
Furthermore, the referee in this match was considered one-sided. Yes, the referee from Italy, Maurizio Mariani, who led the match. A number of decisions taken by him are considered detrimental to Manchester United.
One of them circulating on social media is when a Barcelona player actually hands ball in the forbidden box, but the referee doesn’t give a penalty to the Red Devils. In addition, his decision to give a yellow card to Erik Ten Hag (66′) has also been in the public spotlight for his leadership.
- Raphinha’s goal
Then Manchester United’s failure to win was due to a goal from Raphinha in the 76th minute. Through collaboration with Jules Kounde, Raphinha succeeded in tearing David De Gea’s nets.
The goal broke Manchester United’s victory, which at that time was already winning 2-1. Since that goal, the Red Devils have not been able to score again and the match ended in a 2-2 draw for the two teams.
