Manchester United needed a clear two-goal win against Real Sociedad in their final Europa League group stage game but ended up managing just a 1-0 victory on Thursday.
And the result means United finish second in their group and will now have to draw another precarious tie against one of the Champions League defectors to reach the next round.
Alejandro Garnacho had scored in the first half but Erik ten Hag’s lack of options meant that the Red Devils were unable to increase their lead and finished second in the group.
United plays true to history
Erik ten Hag did his best to secure the two-goal outright victory, but was severely handicapped due to injury-enforced absences from Anthony Martial, Antony and Jadon Sancho.
While the result will undoubtedly be disappointing, it was not expected considering United’s history. The 20-time English champions aren’t exactly known for taking it easy.
84′ – Harry Maguire plays up front with Cristiano Ronaldo
— utdreport (@utdreport) November 3, 2022
And the result shouldn’t surprise fans too much. The result means United will need to navigate a further round against one of Europe’s elite clubs next.
If the Reds have any ambition to go all the way in secondary European competition, the next round shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the club’s history.
One thing that drew a lot of attention on Thursday was the lack of attacking power at the Dutch manager’s disposal and he had to resort to an unorthodox formation that included Harry Maguire as an assistant striker.
No attacking submarines available to Eth
Cristiano Ronaldo huffed and puffed but failed to score, although he did provide the assist for Garnacho’s first goal. Marcus Rashford came on as a substitute but couldn’t make much of a difference.
The likes of Barcelona, ​​Juventus and Ajax could all be United’s opponents in the next round, but that shouldn’t be much of a concern if the aim is to win the competition.
What should concern Ten Hag more than the result was a lack of options and, judging by reports, the club are unlikely to consider requests to strengthen the squad in the winter transfer window.
The biggest concern at this stage is not whether the club can beat one of Europe’s elite clubs, but rather whether the team is good enough to handle another round of games considering the packed schedule.
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