Key events
1 min Away we go!
Where is the game? United, I think, will hope to play into Zirkzee with Bruno backing him up, while getting Garnacho and Dorgu one-on-one with their markers; Sociedad will want to take the heat out of the game and target the space behind the wing-backs, as well as looking to get their attackers running off Casemiro and at De Ligt.
Our teams are tunnelled and here they come!
“The reason Højlund and United are scoring even fewer than they did under Ten Hag,” says Ben Barclay, “is because Amorim’s 5-4-1 narrow midfield box doesn’t establish enough attackers or get the ball to them. No striker can live off stubborn dogma, misplaced blame, and random counter-attacks. Amorim can’t coach his way out of a wet paper bag.”
Can anyone? How does one? I dunno, though – he did an incredible job at Sporting, inherited a side on its arse in the middle of season at its busiest point and has had to deal with all manner of injury to a squad already not good enough and now largely unsuited to the way he wants to play. Maybe he’s not the right man for the job, but I’d want to see him in friendlier circumstances before I decided.
Paul Scholes, who used to watch Oldham and play at Old Trafford, is complaining that he’s cold. I don’t get it, at all. On which point, when have you been the coldest at the game? Lots of United fans will say Boundary Park, Boxing Day 1991; for me, it’s St Andrews, 28 December 2005 (I think it was then and not February 2003).
Amorim tells TNT that Heaven is ready. You have to be patient with new players but he showed confidence in the last game and they trust him.
He’s told Højlund he can score in the next game and shown him good stuff he does for the tea. He’s doing the right things, he just needs to get the first one.
Asked about attacking the Scoreboard End in the second half, he laughs and says he’s not fussed about that.
Otherwise, he has plenty of praise for Zubimendi, good at building and foiling attacks and able to change the nature of his team.
I love AZ.
Also tonight, Spurs are looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against AZ. Scott Murray will bring you that, along with updates from Rangers v Fenerbahce and Chelsea v Copenhagen.
Email! “Let’s hope it’s an evening where ‘Heaven, nothing ever happens’ for the young man tonight!” beseeches Robert Hisnay.
“Everyone is trying to get to the bar
The name of the bar, the bar is called Heaven
The band in Heaven, they play my favorite song
Play it one more time, play it all night long
Oh, Heaven
Heaven is the place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens
Heaven
Heaven is a place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens
There is a party, everyone is there
Everyone will leave at exactly the same time
When this party’s over, it will start again
Will not be any different, will be exactly the same
Oh, Heaven
Heaven is a place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens
When this kiss is over, it will start again
Will not be any different, will be exactly the same
It’s hard to imagine that nothing at all
Could be so exciting, could be this much fun
Oh, Heaven
Heaven is a place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens
Heaven
Heaven is a place
A place where nothing
Nothing ever happens.”
I’m anticipating a “Heaven knows he’s miserable now.”
It’s big night tonight for Højlund. He’s improved a bit in the last couple of games – he’s getting chances and missing them, rather than disappearing – and has done well in Europe since joining United. I think Amorim has him pegged, as it goes:
“We have to look at Rasmus as a player – he has the pace, he has the technique, he’s scored some goals that are really hard to score. Sometimes he doesn’t choose the better run, sometimes he’s so anxious to touch the ball and he moves away from the goal. We address that in training but sometimes it is the confidence of the player.”
If you look at his United goals, he’s had to create almost all of them for himself. That’s partly because he’s in a poor team playing poorly, but he does also need to get better at making the right runs – to the front post and down the channels – instead of spending entire matches fighting fruitlessly with defenders.
Oh and on TNT, we’re seeing footage from Sunday of him chatting to Peter Schmeichel; I’ve actually heard via the big man that his mentality is spot-on.
As for Sociedad, the main man is back. Zubimendi is a lovely footballer, one of few able to control a game. I’d expect his team to have much better-quality possession, and Oyarzabal to have much better service; if United have any sense, their two 10s will get around him like Sam Allardyce’s Bolton did to Claude Makélélé.
Otherwise, having Dorgu back should make a difference. He gives the team balance, also bringing the pace and strength it so severely lacks, and his intelligence on and off the ball might be important tonight – already, he looks to be building an understanding with Bruno Fernandes.
Ahead of that, I imagine Garnacho will play from the right, as he gives United a bit of width on that flank – he has the ability to go on the outside – withe the improving but still lacking Zirkzee operating as the left 10.
So that United team, then. I’m a little surprised Manuel Ugarte hasn’t come in for Casemiro, though he did fairly well against Arsenal, because United might want his scavenging ahead of the ball. Otherwise, though, it makes sense that it’s Heaven not Lindelöf: Heaven played well against Arsenal and has the physicality and pace to defend wide areas behind the wing-back, as well as being decent in the air and on the ball. Given neither De Ligt nor Mazraoui can run, United would look (extra-)vulnerable with a third defender unable to sprint.
More on that in a minute – we’re watching an interview with Amorim, who says he’s got a good relationship with Jim Ratcliffe, who enjoys being told to “fuck off” by him. . They’re both blunt, he explains, before going on to say he thinks it’s funny that you’ll be able to see United’s new ground from Liverpool, he’s pleased about that. He wants to take the club into it, but he’s focused on winning in the old one.
Imanol Alguacil, meanwhile, makes three changes: out go Benat Turrientes, replaced by Zubimendi; Luka Sučić, whose spot goes to Pablo Marin; and
Ander Barrenetxea, giving way to Sheraldo Becker.
Ruben Amorim makes three changes to the side that wasn’t that dreadful against Arsenal: Leny Yoro is injured, replaced by Ayden Heaven, only recently signed from Arsenal and making his first start; Patrick Dorgu, suspended in the league, replaces Victor Lindelöf; and Rasmus Højlund is in for Christian Eriksen.
I’m going to write these down, then we’ll wonder what they might mean.
Teams!
Manchester United (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Heaven; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Garnacho, Zirkzee; Hojlund. Subs: Harrison, Mee, Amass, Fredricson, Lindelof, Collyer, Eriksen, Fletcher, Ugarte, Scanlon.
Real Sociedad (4-3-3): Remiro; Elustondo, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Munoz; Marin, Zubimendi, Mendez; Becker, Oyarzabal, Kubo. Subs: Marrero, Barrenetxea, Oskarsson, Lopez, Olasagasti, Gomez, Traore, Aramburu, Turrientes, Martin, Beitia, Mariezkurrena.
Referee: Benoît Bastien (France)
Preamble
The humans among us tend to operate on two, often competing levels: rational and emotional. Occasionally, though, these two aspects coalesce, which is where Manchester United find themselves tonight: they must progress tonight because they must finance yet another rebuild for yet another manager, and they must progress tonight because the alternative promises two months of unrelenting misery. Football, it’s like life, yeah?
Both sides will know that really, this tie should already be over – United’s superiority in the first 70 minutes of the first leg ought to have seen them build a near-unassailable lead. But they didn’t, of course they didn’t, instead giving away a freakish penalty after which Sociedad might’ve won as their visitors folded in predictable fashion. And now, with Martin Zubimendi back and Mikel Oyarzabal unlikely to play as poorly again, they arrive at Old Trafford with every chance.
Ah, Old Trafford. United have struggled badly at home this season – yes, and away – so much so that they’ve opted to kick away from the Stretford End in each of the last three games. Just as well, perhaps, given we learnt earlier this week that it’s not long for this world, the old place likely be replaced by the world’s largest circus tent; sometimes the hilarity writes itself.
In the meantime, though, we’re all set for a night of desperate tension and terrible entertainment. Football, it’s like life, yeah?
Kick-off: 8pm GMT