Europa League: 3 Reasons why Manchester United should win against Sevilla
Manchester United face a tough test.
“This is football heritage” — Manchester United’s former manager Jose Mourinho’s fractious rant in the wake of their Champions League exit at the hands of Sevilla in the year 2018 was something Manchester United devotees still recall to make themselves aware of what they were and what they now have become.
The calamitous days are over now, Jose Mourinho has left the club, and some sort of rejuvenation has occurred in their gameplay under the supervision of club’s new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Manchester United have already secured their place in next season’s Champions League — a prospect that seemed very unlikely to achieve at the midpoint of the 2019-20 season.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s army is now on the way of securing their first major honour in the form of Europa League since 2017, when Jose Mourinho had guided them to the Europa title in the Portuguese’s first full season at the club.
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For a side of Manchester United’s stature, winning a cup competition like Europa League should always be a comfortable journey. In all fairness, the scenario has not changed much this season as United are regarded as one of the most favourite teams to lift the trophy. However, a hefty challenge has now appeared in front of the Norweigan manager and his lads.
It is a challenge that they need to surpass by any means; a challenge that their former gaffer failed to surmount. It is the time to prove for Solskjaer’s side that considerable transformation has really been made inside the club since the departure of Jose Mourinho.
The upcoming Sunday will see Manchester United battle it out against three-time back-to-back Europa League champions Sevilla in the tournament’s one-off semi-final game in Köln. A very intelligent and a proven man in Julen Lopetegui waits for the clash with his eye-catching footballers.
Their style of play against Premeir League’s one of the biggest silent killers in Wolverhampton Wanderers have already caught the eyes of those fans who don’t watch them regularly in La Liga. Their attacking and attractive gameplay is one of the many reasons the game is dubbed as the clash of titans. Though, we are going to see three points that denote it should be an easy win for Manchester United on Sunday night.
#3 Sevilla’s high-line defence will benefit United’s forwards:
Julen Lopetegui, the Sevilla boss, is one of those coaches who put more emphasis on the team’s attacking play rather than defensive shape and congested structure at the back. Their gameplay in recent time has truly demonstrated their flair while attacking the game.
On paper, Lopetegui launches his team in a 4-3-3, with two very attacking-minded full-backs in Sergio Reguilón on the left and Jesús Navas on the right covering the flanks. And should both of them stay fit, we might see them play against Manchester United on Sunday evening.
At the back-line, the pairing of the 27-year-old Diego Carlos and 21-year-old Jules Koundé has already raised a number of eyebrows across the continent and has attracted big names to chase them in the ongoing summer transfer market.
Against Wolves in the quarter-final, both, having kept a high-line in defence, looked solid and disciplined at the back, with Wolves, on the other hand, playing with their conventional counter-attacking strategy.
But the upcoming Sunday might not present them with the same situation as the pair of prolific centre-halves will be up against one of the most threatening front-line of world football nowadays that includes the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood.
Despite Reguilón and Navas being the Spanish side’s left-back and right-back, the game against Wolves saw them spending most of the time in the opposition half and adding more agility to Sevilla’s attack.
Should the gameplan remain the same against United, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford would not think twice before closing the spaces left behind by the advanced full-backs and taking on the centre-backs to open a clear-cut chance.
The roles of Paul Pogba, one of the finest long-range passers in the world, and Bruno Fernandes to find the forward runs would be vital then. With everyone within the visiting squad reportedly fit, no changes are anticipated in the match from Solskjaer’s point of view. And if that comes true, it should be a conviving victory for Manchester United’s forwards over Sevilla’s defence-line.