There are no easy games in the champions league. But with 10 men on a plastic pitch, you are in trouble.
A few things that surprised and annoyed me.
First of all, AWB was getting forward much more in this game than he has done so far in any games this season. He even got a cross in. Unfortunately, his touch let him down and he lunged in to win it back. It was completely unnecessary. We were a goal up and the ball was deep into their half. Pretty much destroyed the match as a contest, but it didn't need to.
To compensate for losing AWB, we overly adapted the team and lost any sort of discernable formation. Instead of subbing Sancho for Dalot, it should have been Varane to center back and Lindelof to right back. Donny should have stayed on to fight it out in midfield where we were completely overrun. Because we took off so many offensive players, when we won the ball back, there was no outlet, apart from Ronaldo on his own. Then we brought him off.
We flooded the pitch with defenders, but it was in midfield where we needed to win the ball back, because by the time the back 5 have to intervene, it is usually a last ditch tackle or a defensive header. If you can control the ball in midfield, you can control the game.
The defensive side of our midfield is very weak. Pogba and Fred are easily dispossessed. We need a midfield destroyer. Someone who can go toe to toe with the opposition, to win the ball back, to control the game. If we had someone like that, I don't think we would have ditched the game plan so easily. Even if we were going to sit back, we could have countered with our world class forwards, but we just couldn't get hold of the ball. Fred is more of a blocker, than a ball winner. When he does win it back, he often loses it straight away. Pogba was completely crowded out, Bruno was a bystander due to the supply issue.
The only positive was Bruno's filthy pass and Ronaldo popping up to slot the ball through the keepers legs.
We will still probably top this group, but my God do we make life hard for ourselves!
Now, has anyone got Bissouma's phone number?