Manchester United are through to the next round of the Champions League but we knew that already. They are also not very good but then everyone knew that too. Switzerland’s Young Boys defeated Juventus 2-1 to hand United the chance to overhaul the Italian champions and take first place but they could not accept it. Instead they were beaten 2-1 by Valencia, limping into the last 16. On this evidence, and the accumulated evidence of this season it is hard to see them getting further.
It was striking enough that United had got this far, securing a place in the knock-out phase already, given how poorly they have played; actually winning the group would have been too much. Yet that, unexpectedly, was a possibility. “I don’t think this result will be too important or make the difference,” Mourinho had admitted, while Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool was always going to take priority. Perhaps that lack of expectation helps justify this performance, but their failure to anticipate the opportunity to avoid Europe’s biggest teams might be one to regret now.
Written by Sid Lowe at Mestalla
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/12/valencia-manchester-united-champions-league-match-report under the title “Manchester United miss chance to top group after Spanish lesson at Valencia”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
