Barcelona got away with a considerably below-par display during their 1-0 victory over Manchester United, according to former Red Devils coach Rene Meulensteen.
The Catalans barely got out of first gear at Old Trafford, but they still took a huge advantage back to Spain courtesy of Luke Shaw’s first-half own-goal.
While United enjoyed bright spells, they were uninspiring in attack and failed to register a single shot on target.
And with Lionel Messi and co. surprisingly off-colour, ex-United first team coach Meulensteen believes the Red Devils let their opponents off the hook.
1
United failed to trouble Barcelona
“Barcelona have come away with a 1-0 win after playing one of their poorest games of the season,†he told talkSPORT. “They will be delighted.â€
However, he insists there is no shame in losing to the LaLiga champions.
“It’s a reflection of the fans and society; when it’s not so good, everything is doom and gloom,†he added.
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“Who would you take from United’s team to put in Barcelona’s team? Maybe David De Gea, no one else. That’s a good reference point and a good comparison between United and those teams.â€
The Dutchman, who helped Sir Alex Ferguson secure the Champions League in 2008, cannot see United getting the result they need at the Nou Camp – because Barcelona will have learnt their lessons.
He continued: “The pitch is massive and they will use it. They will drag players left, right and centre. There will be gaps and Barcelona will find them.
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“Staying in the game is vital.
I think Ole will go for the same approach he did at Paris Saint-Germain, [which is to] stay in the game with 20 minutes to go. Or, can they nick one on the break?
“But looking at what happened to Barcelona in Rome last year, they got caught cold. And looking at the lessons from PSG – I can’t see them slipping up.â€
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