Spain will play the World Cup final for the first time since 2010, beating France 2-0, and Man Utd have two lessons to learn from the game.
Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro did the scoring for Spain as France were completely blunted by Spain’s structured possession play.
There was no Man Utd representation in this game, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have learned anything from it.
Here are the two major lessons for the club from the first World Cup semi-final.
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Aurelien Tchouameni vs Manu Kone ends on the same note
So far in this tournament, Manu Kone and Aurelien Tchouameni have played instead of each other instead of playing alongside each other.
That changed against Spain, as Kone came in for Adrien Rabiot at half-time to play next to Tchouameni.
By full-time, it was clear that Tchouameni vs Kone is a battle between two similar midfielders with the same strengths and weaknesses.
Both of them struggled to get into the game as Spain dominated possession with smart off-the-ball movement and passing triangles.
They flourish when the game is played at a high pace, which is where their athleticism comes to the fore, and spaces are present to pass into.
Spain provided neither, and that’s a lesson for Man Utd. Fortunately, by signing Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, the third midfielder at United doesn’t need to do much with the ball.
Therefore, United have done well to avoid Tchouameni, because Kone is the same player with the same strengths and weaknesses.
At Old Trafford, he can simply eat up the ground and then pass the ball to someone who can progress it. For that role, United didn’t need to spend £90m on Tchouameni if they can get Kone for half the price.
Michael Carrick’s vision for Man Utd gets endorsement
France vs Spain ended up looking like a classic case of brawn vs. brains, as France’s high-intensity, transition-heavy, individual-magic style of play was thoroughly outclassed by a surgical team.
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Carrick will feel confident watching Spain because it’s clear that his vision for Man Utd is closer to what Spain did rather than what France did.
Midfielders who excel at a technical level, with an attack that has problem solvers, and a defence that takes individual initiative, are how top teams are made.
Carrick made it work last season by playing more like France do, but as they saw against Spain, that style of football has a ceiling.
The Man Utd manager knows that, hence the signings of technically excellent midfielders like Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
Football is seeing a swing back to technical excellence after an era where physicality reigned supreme. It’s not a coincidence that PSG dominate club football, and Spain just made France look like amateurs.
Carrick’s signings this summer show he’s ahead of the curve.
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