Romelu Lukaku scores, but Manchester United are comfortably second best to a fluent Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.
Manchester United 1 Real Madrid 2
Statistics often find themselves the wrong side of damned lies, and so it proved in the UEFA Super Cup.
Man United and Real Madrid had six shots on target each in a match controlled by the Spanish giants pretty much from first whistle to last.
David de Gea had to pull off a number of fine saves, while his opposite number Keylor Navas most assuredly did not, although the mess he made of one effort led to United’s goal.
The Madrid keeper could only parry the influential Nemanja Matic’s shot straight to Romelu Lukaku, who pounced on the rebound to halve a two-goal deficit entirely in keeping with Madrid’s dominance.
The Belgian striker, at 48.7% the most popular player in Fantasy Premier League, had an average night, but his goal will at least keep him and his large Fantasy entourage happy enough ahead of what should be a rather less testing fixture at home to West Ham on Sunday.
Paul Pogba’s owners won’t be in such high spirits, however. The signing of Matic was meant to unleash the attacking threat of the Frenchman, owned by 23.3% of FPL managers, and he did have one fine chance – a free header – that he put too close to Navas. Lukaku’s effort from the rebound was even worse.
In fact, it was Matic himself who stole the show in the United midfield, and his occasional forays forward will have encouraged the 12.1% of FPL managers who have opted for his budget 5.0 charms.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was an occasionally sparky presence, while Pogba’s decision-making was badly off at times.
The former finishes pre-season with three goals and as many assists, Pogba just the one assist.
And yet the Armenian appears in a mere 6.1% of FPL squads despite costing exactly the same – 8.0 – as his big-name team-mate. In the Sky Sports game, the Frenchman, at 11.2m, is 1.2m pricier. Both will need to improve on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho again opted for a three-man defence, using Matteo Darmian alongside Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof, with both Eric Bailly and Phil Jones serving European bans.
The 9.0%-owned Lindelof again failed to impress, switching off for Madrid’s opening goal, with Mourinho’s pre-match comments suggesting that the Swede was played out of necessity.
“Lindelof came from a big club with a completely different level in terms of responsibility and I would prefer to give him a little more time but we have no alternative with two players lost to suspension and Marcos Rojo is injured, so we go with Victor.”
The Red Devils defence always looks considerably more secure with Bailly in it and he will surely walk back into the side for the West Ham match. Who his partner will be remains to be seen, although the smart money is surely on Jones, who at 5.0, could well be an early season option given Lindelof’s struggles.
Another well-owned asset, Antonio Valencia (8.2%), put in a strong showing and looked particularly dangerous going forward at wing-back, although Marcelo – never the greatest of defensive full-backs – perhaps helped him out with that.
But one player who did not impress was Jesse Lingard. The United midfielder was used extensively by Mourinho during pre-season and started in a left wing-back role but looked lost.
Forty-five uninspiring minutes later, Mourinho brought on Marcus Rashford in his place and he provided a pace and intensity on the left flank so badly lacking in the first half.
The youngster did fail to take one of the few clear-cut chances United had all night, but he could well have done enough to merit inclusion for Sunday’s season opener. At just 7.5 in FPL (he is a rather steeper 11.1m in Sky), Rashford offers genuine value for money – if he gets consistent pitch-time.
That’s a big if, however, and sacrificing what could be a premium United pick on a player who doesn’t start regularly carries obvious risk.
Despite the defeat, Mourinho was bullish post-match:
“I’m really happy to be with them and I’m going to fight with them all the way, so let’s go on Sunday. Old Trafford is waiting for us and I think Old Trafford has a reason to be behind us.”
He also spoke of his continued experiment with a three-man defence…
“We used pre-season to work and try to improve things we already do and develop things we don’t do. Lots of teams are playing with three defenders and wing-backs and we played like that against Sampdoria and LA Galaxy because it’s something that maybe during the season we are going to do.”
It remains to be seen if we see the system against West Ham on Sunday. Certainly, as a wing-back, Valencia’s stock should be improved, although the role on the left appears to be a problem area. It will also open up another spot for a central defender – another factor that could aid Jones’ cause.
Manchester United: De Gea; Smalling, Lindelof, Darmian; Valencia, Herrera (Fellaini 56), Matic, Pogba, Lingard; (Rashford 46), Mkhitaryan; Lukaku.
Subs not used: Romero, Mata, Martial, Carrick, Blind.
