Five things we learned: Solskjaer's tactical errors prove costly as wily Emery prevails again

Unai Emery won the tactical battle and secured his fourth Europa League title. In the end, it was his experience that counted

Wed, 26 May, 2021 - 23:12

Chris Hatherall

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still learning

Pretty much all Manchester United fans will tell you that club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing a decent job after taking his side to second in the Premier League this season, but in managerial terms he is still young and still learning; and that showed in Gdansk.

Up against wily Unai Emery he found his team effectively snuffed out by Villarreal, and he made a serious tactical error in failing to bring on substitutes earlier, even though his team were visibly wilting.

It was not until 100 minutes were on the clock that he brought on his first sub, Fred arriving in place of Mason Greenwood, and by that time Villarreal, who had been second best for most of the match, were suddenly on the front foot and looking fitter than their rivals.

The end result was that United were lacklustre and sloppy in those extra 30 minutes, failing to make any impact on the Villarreal goal, and were relieved to reach a penalty shoot-out. Considering how much possession they had enjoyed earlier in the game, that was farcical.

There’s no doubt the changes came too late and that United, despite a positive team selection, were too risk averse. His decision to take off penalty taker Paul Pogba in extra-time also looked a strange one. You cannot blame him for losing a heart-breaking shoot-out, but this is a result that the Norwegian will need to learn from.

Bruno Fernandes a worthy captain – but he was snuffed out

Once news came through that Harry Maguire was out, United fans were fascinated to see who would take the captain’s armband, and they were delighted when it went to Fernandes.

The gesture proves just how much respect the Portuguese has built at the club since arriving from Sporting Lisbon and, in return, how much he has taken the club to his heart.

However, this wasn’t his most influential match, far from it as Villarreal’s defence and midfield worked unbelievably hard to deny him space.

At times there were three or four men around him and the man who has scored 28 goals this season had little impact on the game. That’s a major disappointment given his quality.

He did, of course, score in the penalty shoot-out, but overall it wasn't his day.

Edinson Cavani was a better signing than we thought

There were doubts when Cavani signed for United at the age of 34 in October. It looked like another last-minute panic buy in the transfer window, a veteran striker who didn’t even have a club and who was carrying an injury. But, bit by bit, the former PSG man has proved everyone wrong and shown he deserved more respect.

It’s not just the Uruguayan’s goals, it’s his remarkable workrate, movement and determination to win that really shine through. He scored a typical poacher’s goal in Poland to get United back in the game but he also covered every blade of grass at both ends of the pitch in a monster performance that belied his age – and his doubters.

United believe that he will be a huge influence on younger players next season having signed a new contract, and he certainly showed that against Villarreal.

He didn't deserve to be on the losing side and scored a cool penalty in the shoot-out.

United still need strengthening in central defence

We knew it before, and now it’s even more obvious. With Harry Maguire missing there was general nervousness about the partnership of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly in Gdansk, and those nerves proved justified.

Gerard Moreno managed to bisect them from a clever and well-worked first-half free-kick, breezing past the grasping Lindelof to put his side ahead.

It was poor defending and it would be a major surprise if United don’t spend big money this summer to find a better partner for their captain Maguire.

Gerard Moreno is under-rated - and so is Unai Emery

The Spaniard, who will be part of Spain’s national squad at Euro 2020, doesn’t feature in many lists of the greatest strikers in Europe but his goal against United was his 32nd of the season for club and country – and his seventh in the Europa League.

At 29, he’s at his peak and seems to have the ability to sniff out goals from nowhere. The way he curved his run through the middle of Villarreal’s defence and then stayed calm enough to poke the ball home with Lindelof pulling at his shirt, was top quality.

Rumours are he’ll be first choice for Spain this summer, and United should have taken greater notice of him.

The same is true of manager Unai Emery, who won the tactical battle and secured his fourth Europa League title. In the end, it was his experience that counted.