Barcelona 1-0 Man Utd: Talking points from Maryland defeat for Jose Mourinho’s men

Romelu Lukaku isolated, the goalkeepers impress and some more Neymar magic… we bring you the main talking points from Man Utd’s defeat by Barcelona.

Neymar’s first-half strike gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory in the International Champions Cup in Maryland, United’s first defeat in their pre-season campaign.

What did we learn? And what could United improve before the start of the competitive season?
The fight for No 1

He’s possibly the best No 2 goalkeeper in the world, but it was a rather bittersweet night for Sergio Romero in his bid to shove David de Gea off the No 1 spot at United.

Jose Mourinho said earlier in the week that Romero would be competing even more with the Spaniard this season, and after coming on at half-time, keeping a clean sheet and producing a super save from Paco Alcacer’s one-versus-one effort, you would have thought the Argentine’s stock had risen.
But De Gea’s first-half showing was world class, showing why he’s still the man at Old Trafford and will take some beating.

As Barca peppered his goal, De Gea saved superbly down to his left from Luis Suarez, again from Neymar at a tight angle. He left the best for last, tipping away Suarez’s overhead kick with what would have been up there for save of the season if in the Premier League.

Delivery is key

Is it any wonder United are desperately trying to sign Ivan Perisic, the man who crosses almost five times more than the current wingers at Old Trafford?

Yes, this was only a friendly, and yes, this was against Barcelona, but United all too often delivered from far too deep out wide for Romelu Lukaku.

That ball had to be perfect for Lukaku to attack, such was Barca’s awareness of the Belgian’s aerial strengths, but on several occasions it was more a hit and hope from United’s wide players.

And the hopeful balls didn’t just come from out wide; United regularly went back to front with a long drive and failed to make it stick with an isolated Lukaku. Granted, they won’t face many better defences than Barcelona’s, but Mourinho will be looking for more variety.

Lingard in the hole

It’s easy to assume Jesse Lingard is still a youngster, but at 24, the Manchester-born forward has made the transition from a prospect to a senior player.

He looked confident in the first half, opening up space in front of the Barca defence with some superb movement as United had a few spells of pressure in Maryland.
As well as running at defenders with the ball at pace, Lingard’s intelligent runs off the ball did not go unnoticed; that pocket of space in between midfield and defence causes the opposition nightmares and Lingard ghosts into them with ease.

It’s a big season for Lingard. He played over 40 games in each of the past two terms, but with a seemingly open chequebook for Mourinho, he’ll need to show more signs of progression over the next 12 months if he wants a long United career.

There’s more to Neymar

He may have only played 45 minutes, but the Brazilian was at his best for Barcelona, showing exactly what they’d be missing if he signed for PSG.

Neymar gave Antonio Valencia a tough time on the left in the first half, forcing the Ecuadorian into a mistake for the only goal of the game, but his all-round attacking game was superb.

Why does the Messi-Neymar-Suarez triumvirate work so well? Pure ability, of course, but also unselfishness.

The trio always pick the best pass and make the best runs for the team, not for themselves, evident in the first half as Barca produced a flurry of clear-cut chances via some lightning quick pass and move.

Neymar has a box of tricks, we know, but he’s much more than that, and his teamwork is often underestimated. He’ll be extremely difficult to replace if the world-record move goes ahead.Euro Soccer Bonus

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