Former Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho, has said current manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got his tactics wrong, during their 3-0 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou earlier this week.
The Red Devils were trailing 1-0 from the first leg, but lost 3-0 to Nou Camp, thanks to Lionel Messi’s brace and Philippe Coutinho’s goal.
Mourinho believes that Solskjaer’s decision to attack Barcelona cost United dearly, as they gave up space in midfield for Messi to exploit.
“I think the United approach was different.
“In the first leg they tried to occupy that central zone. Messi’s position is easy to understand but it is not easy to create a ‘cage’ to control him. He comes from the right, then stays in the middle, then Rakitic goes right and allows him to stay in the middle. It’s very difficult.
“Manchester United in the first match zonally they occupied that area very well. When he came into the inside he was finding Fred, he was finding McTominay coming to the inside all the time.
“But I think in this match because United were losing 1-0 they tried to start with a different perspective.
“Now it was Pogba wide left, McTominay much more on the right and Jesse Lingard starting as a 10 behind the strikers. In front of the defensive line was only Fred. That’s the area that Messi comes to get the ball and when Messi has the ball..one, one, one…you are dead.
“That’s why I never liked individual man-on-man against Messi. Messi’s a cage, you have to create a cage. Barcelona is Barcelona, they have better players than Manchester United. I think it’s normal they won,” Mourinho told Russia Today.
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