The Red Devils suffered an embarrassing 0-3 loss in round 16 of the Premier League against Bournemouth at home at Old Trafford. Man Utd’s offense proved poor in making decisions in the penalty area, and had to pay the price of defeat when the defense revealed many loopholes.
Man Utd did not have much time to reflect on this defeat. The reason is that they are about to enter an important match in the Champions League with Bayern Munich. The Old Trafford team must defeat the German champions to have a chance of reaching the round of 16.
The Red Devils suffered an embarrassing 0-3 loss in round 16 of the Premier League against Bournemouth at home at Old Trafford. Man Utd’s offense proved poor in making decisions in the penalty area, and had to pay the price of defeat when the defense revealed many loopholes.
Man Utd did not have much time to reflect on this defeat. The reason is that they are about to enter an important match in the Champions League with Bayern Munich. The Old Trafford team must defeat the German champions to have a chance of reaching the round of 16.
The Red Devils are currently at the bottom of the Champions League group with 4 points, one point behind Galatasaray and Copenhagen. Their chances of reaching the round of 16 depend on a win against Bayern combined with a draw in the remaining match.
That’s easier said than done, because Man Utd really has unstable form. And first, Man United needs to show solidity in defense to have a chance to win 3 points against the Bundesliga giant.
Perhaps it’s time for coach Erik Ten Hag to stop using Luke Shaw as a central defender after the difficult match against Bournemouth. The England international was easily beaten by Philip Billing in the second goal.
Shaw will return to the left-back role, which is his best position. At that time, Varane had extensive playing experience and the former Real Madrid midfielder should be paired with Harry Maguire in the center of defense. Big matches like this are when Varan shows his value.
The 40 million euro contract has not started for the club since the end of October. Coach Ten Hag often believes that this decision is tactical and that he prefers to use Maguire as a right-sided centre-back.
Varane has not been in the starting lineup for 7 weeks, but it is possible that his wait will end in the match against Bayern. On his day, the Frenchman is still the best centre-back that Man United owns.
Varane has had quite a few injury problems this year, but Varane’s strong passing, positioning and aerial ability are what sets him apart from other centre-backs. Varane clearly deserves to play in the must-win match against Bayern.
Varane and Maguire have played together many times in the past and they certainly have no trouble combining together. Jonny Evans is not a bad choice, but the Northern Irish player is no longer in top form, and lacks strength and stamina.
Victor Lindelof is likely to be absent due to injury. It was an opportunity for Varane to find himself again. A good match against Bayern will help him regain his position at Old Trafford.