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Manchester United hosted Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in their final game of the Champions League group stage.
To advance to the next round of the competition, United needed to beat the Bundesliga champions and hope that the FC Copenhagen vs. Galatasaray game ended in a draw.
Fresh off the back of a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Bournemouth during the weekend, Erik ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal.
The Dutchman gave the nod to Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw in defence.
Sofyan Amrabat started as United’s deepest-lying midfielder with Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay alongside him.
Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Alejandro Garnacho and Antony flanking him on either wing. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich.
Slightly encouraging first-half performance
For large parts of this season, United have been slammed for failing to consistently deliver across 90 minutes of play.
Indeed, Ten Hag’s men seemed to have developed a habit of playing with intensity for the first 20 or so minutes before eventually dropping the levels.
The Red Devils have at times dearly paid for their complacency. Against Bayern, the opening 45 minutes were slightly encouraging.
The team was compact and demonstrated some control of proceedings. Bayern dominated possession and created the most chances but United dealt with whatever threat the Bavarian outfit posed.
United were tight as a defensive unit and the press seemed more a bit more coordinated and purposeful.
In the first half, the 20-time English champions limited Bayern to only a few chances at goal. Any shot or attempt that bypassed the backline was caught by Onana.
United kept most of Bayern’s danger men such as Kane, Sane, Musiala and Coman quiet for most of the game’s first period.
It was certainly a more mature performance than what supporters have been treated to so far this campaign.
United at least seemed competitive and this could be seen by just how Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel seemed exasperated with how events at Old Trafford were unfolding.
The major point of criticism with the side’s first-half showing is that they didn’t really test Manuel Neuer, who barely had anything to do, bar a simple save from a Shaw long shot.
No doubt Ten Hag would have been left pleased by how his stars played in the first half against such tough opposition.
Massive Maguire and Shaw injury blows
Five minutes before the break, Maguire had to be taken off after the Englishman seemed to pick up an injury.
Maguire appeared to have sustained a groin injury and had to kick the ball out of play.
The former United skipper tried to play through the pain barrier but it soon became clear he couldn’t carry on.
Maguire was then replaced by Jonny Evans who assumed his position right next to Varane.
More bad news would soon come for Ten Hag, this time in the form of Shaw who looked like he sustained a hamstring setback.
The left-back recently made his return to competitive action after a number of months on the sidelines and he looks set for yet another spell to recover.
Shaw was taken off during the break and Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought in his place. Wan-Bissaka’s introduction into the match saw Dalot shifted to the left-back position.
Should both Maguire and Shaw be out for a prolonged period, Ten Hag will have a massive headache ahead of upcoming fixtures.
Already, the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia are injured and not available for selection. United’s numbers in the defensive department are dwindling fast.
Even Casemiro who could potentially act as cover at centre-back is not yet fit enough to play games.
Supporters will be waiting anxiously and with bated breaths to find out the full extent of Maguire and Shaw’s respective injuries.
United out of the Champions League and out of Europe altogether
Coman’s goal for Bayern in the 70th minute all but sealed United’s fate not only in the Champions League but also in Europe.
Before Coman found the back of the net, FC Copenhagen were already leading at Parken and United needed a bit of fortune by way of Galatasaray scoring. Even then, however, United needed to beat Bayern themselves.
United’s journey in the Champions League has now come to an end after they finished bottom of Group A.
There will also be no Europa League for the club.
In truth, United have no one but themselves to blame for their current predicament. The English giants conceded 15 gals in the Champions League this season, the most ever by a Premier League team in a single group stage in the competition.
15 – Manchester United have conceded 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, the most ever by a Premier League side in a single group stage in the competition. Dejected. #MUNFCB pic.twitter.com/hiCLqquwb3
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 12, 2023
Up next for United, is the unenviable task of travelling to Anfield to take on high-flying bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
