The World Cup semi-finals are set after England and Argentina progressed in the final two games, leaving Man Utd with two things to learn.
England were the first to progress on the day, winning 2-1 against Norway in extra-time courtesy of another maverick Jude Bellingham performance.
Argentina followed it up with a closely contested win against Switzerland, as Lisandro Martinez continued his good run of form.
Here’s what Man Utd learned from each game-
What is your message to Kobbie Mainoo after Thomas Tuchel overlooked him for England again?
Mainoo has played 0 minutes in England's opening four games…
England vs Norway – Thomas Tuchel’s reality check
England’s game against Norway went to extra time, but it wasn’t enough for Thomas Tuchel to give any minutes to the Man Utd duo of Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford.
Gordon had usurped Rashford anyway, but Tuchel had Gordon play the full 120 minutes rather than trust Rashford as a sub.
Mainoo’s situation is worse, as his search for his first minutes at this World Cup continued, despite Rice getting subbed off at half-time of this game.
Seeing Eze come on ahead of Mainoo in midfield when Rice was taken off is as big a reality check as it could possibly be for Man Utd.
What followed was even worse, as even Reece James played in midfield, with Tuchel going to remarkable lengths to avoid giving Mainoo any minutes.
This is a manager who has made it clear that he is a knockouts master of grinding out wins, with no place for technical players in his teams.
That doesn’t translate well to a league season, where grinding it out eventually catches up with you. Tuchel is an England favourite right now, but Man Utd fans won’t be itching to have him as their head coach any time soon.
Argentina vs Switzerland – Bruno Fernandes is Carrick’s ‘Messi’
To say that the learning from Argentina vs Switzerland is that a Portuguese is Michael Carrick’s “Messi” seems like a stretch, but it makes sense.
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Argentina aren’t man-for-man the best side in international football, but they are ranked No. 1 because of how they approach games.
They are better than the sum of their parts because the players find an extra gear when they play alongside Messi.
They want to ensure that his legacy gets what his talent deserves, after he spent years in vain trying to get Argentina some elusive international honours.
Bruno Fernandes is in the same boat at Man Utd, and Carrick needs to lean into telling his players that they need to help Fernandes win a PL title before he leaves/declines.
There’s a certain camaraderie, bite, and zip to Argentina’s game which makes them look better than they are. United can be the same if Carrick leans Fernandes into that emotional role at Old Trafford.
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