It clearly wasn’t the ending to their Europa League quarter final first-leg that Manchester United were hoping for, but one journalist has given a simple reason why Sevilla held the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
A first-half brace from Marcel Sabitzer should’ve been the platform for Erik ten Hag’s side to go on and win by a few more goals but, on the night, quite the opposite occurred.
The hosts were beset by injuries to both of their starting centre-backs, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, and then conceded two goals in the last six minutes, both of them own goals from Harry Maguire and a mixture of deflections from David de Gea and Tyrell Malacia.
With Bruno Fernandes also now suspended for the second leg after picking up a yellow card, and Marcus Rashford unlikely to be fit in time, the pendulum has swung very definitely towards the Andalusian side.
Eight of the players that featured for Sevilla at Old Trafford tonight helped them win the Europa League in 2020. A lot has changed at the club since then, but plenty has remained.
— Tim Lee (@timjollylee) April 13, 2023
La Liga TV’s Tim Lee noted on his official Twitter account that eight of the away side’s players that featured during the Thursday night encounter also helped them win the Europa League title in 2020.
A suggestion that despite change some things remain the same is a valid enough reason as to why Sevilla could now be classed as favourites in the tie.
When you consider that Man United are still very much a work in progress and developing under ten Hag, Lee’s words make sense.
The Andalusian outfit are, for all intents and purposes, three years further along the road than the Dutchman’s fledgling outfit.
The players know how each other works and what’s expected of them, and that has to count for something when all is said and done.
Ten Hag and Man United will get there in the end of course, but in the meantime they’ll need to continue learning what their manager wants quickly and whilst on the job.