Manchester United defeat blows both Solskjaer and Ronaldo’s targets

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United’s surprise loss to Young Boys was an energy sapping loss for this Red Devils side.

The team were floating on a real high, and this 2-1 defeat punctures the balloon of positivity which the club had been inflating since Cristiano Ronaldo’s return.

The defeat brought back horrible memories. The low point of last season’s Champions League campaign were not narrow losses to PSG and RB Leipzig, who sides which had reached the last four of the 2019/20 Champions League.

Instead it was the 2-1 loss to Turkish also-rans Istanbul Basaksehir, who finished last season in 12th place in the Super Lig, with just 12 wins from 40 matches. This defeat rendered the later losses to PSG and Leipzig costly.

Solskjaer pledge goes up in smoke in Switzerland

This match was fresh in Solskjaer’s mind leading into this one, still bemoaning the loss.

Speaking to the club website this week, Solskjaer said: “We started brilliantly last time and then it changed against Basaksehir, that was the game that we shouldn’t have lost.”

In an interview with Beyond The Pitch at the weekend, Solskjaer vowed: “That Basaksehir game, we are going to make sure that doesn’t happen this season.”

That pledge is now obselete. This loss away at Young Boys, is the second year United have now lost away to the group’s fourth seed.

With harder games upcoming, this defeat could be damaging when it comes to qualification.

While Solskjaer can’t account for an uncharacteristic red card to Aaron Wan-Bissaka and a poor backpass from Jesse Lingard, his own substitutions left plenty to be desired and felt similar to the PSG home game last season.

Ronaldo wanted the positivity to last

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return was huge for Manchester United and we have been riding a wave of positivity over the last fortnight.

His return at Old Trafford at the weekend was one of the most memorable days at the stadium in years and one supporters in attendance will never forget.

Ronaldo sent a message ahead of the Champions League game thanking fans for the support and expressed a desire to keep the buzz around the club as long as possible.

This loss was not on Ronaldo, he scored from one of his only two shots on goal and he was one of only two players to have an attempt.

But Ronaldo’s hopes that the ‘good vibes’ keep running are probably out of the window now until United can put this Champions League result right with a win over Villarreal in the next game.

What will the effect of defeat be?

This is a question United have to answer. With a winner like Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, he will demand an immediate response.

United face West Ham at the weekend in a tricky away game, aided by a suspension to their top scorer Michail Antonio.

There is then a Carabao Cup match against West Ham at Old Trafford followed by a Premier League game at home to Aston Villa.

Three wins will put a spring back in United’s step, and the Carabao Cup game is an important one. United won’t want an early exit, so have to be careful with rotation.

Then comes the Champions League game with Villarreal. United hoped to come into the tie on the back of a win, but instead are under more pressure than we would have hoped.

A draw will not be much use heading into back to back games against Atalanta. United have turned Old Trafford into a fortress in opening Premier League games, and need to continue that in cup competitions too, but both West Ham and Villarreal will be dogged opponent who will attempt to frustrate Solskjaer’s side.

• Kieran Maguire identifies who the Glazers could sell Man United shares to
• Pio Esposito’s agent gives clear response to Manchester United transfer links
• Stephen Torpey delivers glowing verdict on Tyler Fletcher’s mindset at Man Utd
• David Ornstein makes big Man United transfer prediction that will excite fans
• Jason Wilcox has identified another brilliant transfer steal for Man Utd, quality proven vs France
• Jorge Mendes working on deal as Jose Mourinho prioritises Man Utd-linked Mateus Fernandes
• What Carlos Baleba has now been doing behind the scenes to push a Man Utd move
• Why Man Utd target Mateus Fernandes is ‘very open’ to signing for only one of two clubs ahead of Arsenal
• Man Utd have now seemingly given up on signing £112m player this summer
• Three reasons why Man Utd should avoid Cristian Romero transfer
• Bruno Fernandes claims Serie A legend ‘taught’ him how to perfectly ‘hit the ball’ better than any other player
• Ex-Man Utd star Fred hits out at transfer reports with sharp message, “Are you really…”
• Lisandro Martinez thinks new Man Utd transfer target has ‘absolutely everything’
• Man Utd icon Wayne Rooney says there must be ‘reasons’ why Michael Carrick’s in-form man is not World Cup bound
• Fabrizio Romano shares new Mateus Fernandes price tag for Man Utd after club meeting