Match Statistics: AC Milan 0-1 Manchester United
There is no doubt that Manchester United were not missing Paul Pogba was strongly allotted within three minutes of his introduction at the San Siro.
Pogba is the reason why Ole Gunnar Solskar’s side are on track for Europa League glory soon after their exclusive finish, shortly after they were called from the bench at the break, in this crucial final-16 against AC Milan.
Pogba had missed the last 10 games with a thigh injury and since he has missed, with United leading the club against Everton at Old Trafford, the club have struggled.
If United had won that game against the Toffees, they would have reached the points level with Manchester City in the Premier League. But this did not happen and now it is 14 points behind on its own.
Creatively, that spark has been lacking without him and the goals are gone; The average goal per combined game has fallen from 0.7 in the last six games to 2.2 in 39 games as compared to earlier. Shots per game were down as big chances were created.
Pogba makes the team tick; The star man who could make an impact in a flash, and he was in fine form, before his injury cost him six weeks on the sideline.
United’s midfield struggled against Milan in the first half – steady, lacking in imagination and with a little creative spark.
Fred and Scott McTomin do not have a passing boundary near Pogba and, between them, cannot affect the game of the combined attack to the deep.
It was a first-half display screaming for the return of France International.
Poor decision making in the final third led to combined good opportunities. Bruno Fernandes was off for a day and was struggling to get to the creative center.
“We weren’t all good,” Luke Shaw entered BT Sport. “The first half, we were terrible. The first 10 to 15 minutes we started well and kept control of the ball but then we were off like a switch.
“We were very lethargic, keeping the balls away, putting pressure on ourselves and I think we were lucky.
“Second quarter [it was] A little bit better. When you always help to get a world class player like Paul and make a difference, he did it and it is fantastic to be back. “
For the second week running, Marcus Rashford’s injury forced Sollskizer to break his hand and left it to Pogba to remind everyone how important he was to this side.
A goal within three minutes was the surest way to implement that importance. He provided a clever net to fool Jianluigi Donnarumma, who was positioned in the roof of the net before scoring an excellent finish from a tight angle.
Söllskäger said before the kickoff how the return of his injured players gave the squad an extra lift in training.
“You can understand the atmosphere. Those players gave us additional experience, but others felt an increase in coming from them.
And as soon as Pogba entered the pitch of San Siro, it felt a boost. In addition to their goal, their presence kicked off the combined performance.
He had nine shots in the second half, with three on target, while the first had just one. More energy, more invasive threat, a touch of class and what felt as if there was more confidence from Solskar, who knew that it needed a goal to pass.
Pogba worked his 45 minutes alternating between the left wing and a false nine, but he also contributed defensively. And defensively United was solid.
Shaw dominated again while Victor Lindelof made two interceptions to deny the hosts. Dean Henderson, who retained his place despite the return of David de Gay, made a crucial save to deny Zlatan Ibrahimovic for less than 10 minutes on the clock.
On the eve of this huge European game, Solaskar had diminished the importance of winning trophies. However, he also knows what he has the confidence to keep building the building for this team’s journey and for its awards.
For this season, at least, there is a focus on cup competitions with Leicester City waiting in the FA Cup this weekend.
With Pogba back and firing, there is no reason why Solskar did not see his side to go all the way in both.
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