Manchester United FC: High time for players to stand up and show fight after Europa League defeat

 

It was a tie United should have wrapped up after taking the lead through Memphis Depay, but like what has been the usual scenario this season, they allowed the hosts to comeback after making unnecessary mistakes.

Veteran Michael Carrick and Juan Mata were guilty of losing possession of the ball and allowing the hosts to take the chances and kill the tie. For a side where possession has been the mantra under Gaal, losing unnecessary balls in dangerous positions ended up being ominous.

United looked as the second best team on the pitch and lacked the intensity and leadership to propel them to get a positive result. This has been a familiar story of late and there is no advancement to change that wave of rot.

Statistics show United have won just nine games out of their last 27 games to suggest the road they are in is an unknown territory.

After the game, Gaal blamed to be victim of Murphy's law after 14 first team players being injured with David de Gea being the latest in that list. But it is a game United were expected to win and their lifelessness in Denmark showed, Gaal has no place to hide and blame misfotunes.

United's progression has been jolted under the Dutchman this season and he is in further pressure now to save his job. Interestingly, his players have been the main contributors to all the negativity and scrutiny the club and its manager has faced most part of the season.

With the return leg next week, United need a goal at least in Old Trafford to progress and not allow their opponents to score. But with several sides coming to the Theatre of Dreams and getting results in their favour, the Danish side know they are in with a major chance of progressing.

The senior players in United should have no excuse for their prosaic play and lack of hunger. Along with the manager who has looked clueless, United also need to look at their players and decide on their futures with majority of them being below-par.

As United travel to League One side Shrewsbury Town on Sunday for the FA Cup fifth Round, they need to get a win desparately and build on it. Next week will determine the season for United as in to where they are headed with the return leg of Europa League, followed by a key clash against EPL title contenders Arsenal.

Gaal who said United will focus on Europa League to gain Champions League qualification for next season, has already seen his players falter and that desire too is slipping away.

 

Europa League: Manchester United FC stunned in Denmark, Valencia give Gary Neville boost

 

Goals from the talented Pione Sisto and young Nigerian forward Paul Onuachu gave Midtjylland the victory in Herning after Memphis Depay had put a weakened United side ahead in the first leg of their last-32 tie.

That away goal gives United every chance of turning things around in next Thursday`s return at Old Trafford but the spectre of a humiliating exit hangs in the air at a time when Van Gaal`s side lag behind in their bid to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

The Dutch manager has admitted winning the Europa League may now be his side`s best chance of qualifying for next season`s Champions League and this latest setback will only increase the pressure on him.

He sent out a weakened side with Sergio Romero replacing the injured David de Gea in goal, and the likes of Paddy McNair and Donald Love featuring from the start against opponents who eliminated Southampton earlier in the competition, and Midtjylland deserved their win.

"It`s just not good enough. It`s not acceptable. It`s got to be a lot better," admitted United midfielder Michael Carrick, speaking to BT Sport.

"We didn`t really kick on after we scored. With a performance and a result like that we go home very disappointed."

Premier League title contenders Tottenham Hotspur fared better, coming away from their trip to Italy to face Fiorentina with a 1-1 draw that puts them in a strong position ahead of next week`s return.

Mauricio Pochettino sent out a strong side, albeit one missing first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and with Harry Kane on the bench.

And Spurs went in front in the 37th minute when Nacer Chadli converted from the penalty spot after Ben Davies was brought down by Nenad Tomovic.

However, Fiorentina, who sit third in Serie A, drew level just before the hour mark thanks to Federico Bernardeschi, whose long-range strike beat Michel Vorm with the aid of a deflection off Ryan Mason.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp`s return to Germany with Liverpool saw his side draw 0-0 with Bundesliga outfit Augsburg in Bavaria, leaving that tie finely poised.

Liverpool may regret not getting an away goal, but it could have been worse for them as substitute Ji Dong-Won hit the woodwork for the hosts late on.

"There`s no point getting carried away, 0-0 away from home isn`t a bad result, but we still have a lot of work to do," said Klopp.Valencia can already start looking forward to the last 16 after destroying Rapid Vienna 6-0 at the Mestalla to give under-fire coach Gary Neville a major boost.

Valencia were five goals to the good at the break with Santi Mina scoring two and Dani Parejo, Alvaro Negredo and Andre Gomes also on target. Substitute Rodrigo wrapped up the win late on.

Holders Sevilla have one foot in the last 16 after beating Molde of Norway 3-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan with Fernando Llorente netting twice before Kevin Gameiro wrapped up the win.

Fellow Spaniards Villarreal beat Serie A visitors Napoli 1-0 via a late goal from Denis Suarez, and Athletic Bilbao completed a fine night for clubs from La Liga as they won 1-0 at Marseille thanks to a stunning volley by Aritz Aduriz, the veteran striker scoring his 26th goal of the season.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmind put themselves in a strong position against FC Porto as they beat the Portuguese giants 2-0 at the Signal Iduna Park thanks to a goal in each half from Lukasz Piszczek and Marco Reus.

Dortmund`s local rivals Schalke drew 0-0 with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine while Bayer Leverkusen won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon with Karim Bellarabi getting the only goal.

Anderlecht beat Olympiakos 1-0 as Serigne Mbodji got the only goal of the game in Brussels, while a late strike by Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, gave Saint-Etienne a 3-2 win at home to Swiss champions Basel.

Lazio came from behind to draw 1-1 with Galatasaray in Istanbul thanks to a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic strike, while Sparta Prague edged the Russians Krasnodar 1-0 and 2011 runners-up Braga beat Sion 2-1 in Switzerland.

Vladimir Putin T-shirt lands Moscow midfielder in trouble

 

Midfielder Dmitri Tarasov removed his team jersey at the end of the game against Fenerbahce in Europe`s second-tier club competition in Istanbul on Tuesday, revealing a picture of Putin and the words: "The most polite president".

However, Tarasov's proclamation didn't go down well with the club, which described the 28-year-old' action as "inexcusable.

After the match, the player reportedly said that "This is my president. I respect him and decided to show that I am ready to support him wherever I am. I wrote on this T-shirt everything that I wanted to say."

In reaction to the player's comments, the club released a statement.

"Unfortunately, the club`s staff were unable to prevent this incident as the footballer had not informed anyone of his plans. What Dmitri did was inappropriate and damages the club`s and his own reputation," the club said.

"Tarasov will be fined in accordance with his contract with Lokomotiv," it added.

In between, the Europe's soccer`s governing body, UEFA has reportedly provisioned to ban Tarasov for a minimum of 10 matches and Lokomotiv also facing sanctions.

Lokomotiv lost the match 2-0 in the first leg of the last-32 tie.

It can be mentioned that UEFA fined Barcelona 30,000 euros after their Champions League final victory over Juventus during which the club`s supporters displayed banners with calls for Catalonia to gain independence from Spain.

Sun will shine for Liverpool youngsters: Jurgen Klopp

A team featuring two players aged 20, a 21-year-old, two 22-year-olds and 18-year-old midfielder Pedro Chirivella stood toe-to-toe with West Ham at Upton Park until Italian centre-back Ogbonna headed home in injury time of extra time to give the hosts a 2-1 win.

It leaves the Europa League as Liverpool`s only realistic hope of silverware this season -- they are currently 12 points below the Champions League places in the Premier League -- but Klopp says it is all part of the learning curve for his players.

"We are Liverpool FC and this moment is not the most sunny side," said the Liverpool manager, who missed his team`s 2-2 draw against Sunderland on Saturday as he was having his appendix removed.

"But tomorrow when we get up... the sun will shine. And if we want, at Liverpool, altogether, then we can take a lot of positive things out of this game.

"We have to make steps. We don`t like our results too much, to be honest, but it`s the difficult way we have to go. In the end it can be the right way."

As well as giving more game time to the younger members of his squad, the trip to east London also allowed Klopp to welcome several key players back from injury.

Philippe Coutinho scored a cunning free-kick on his return after a month out with a hamstring injury, steering a shot beneath West Ham`s jumping wall in the 48th minute to cancel out Michail Antonio`s volleyed opener.

Strikers Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi also made comebacks as second-half substitutes, with the former in particular looking sharp in his first appearance since December 6.Sturridge has made just four starts this season due to a litany of niggling injuries and Klopp said he would carefully manage the pace of the England striker`s reintegration.

"We have to talk first with Daniel before I make a decision about this (on how much he plays)," Klopp said.

With West Ham due to leave Upton Park for London`s Olympic Stadium at the end of the season, manager Slaven Bilic said that victory had been especially memorable.

"It is a great night for West Ham," said the former Croatia manager, whose side will visit second-tier Blackburn Rovers in round five.

"It was a late-night kick-off, it was against Liverpool. It`s our last season at Upton Park, it`s over 120 minutes, and we scored a great header in the last second of the game, and we had injuries -- and we overcame all of that.

"So that`s why this game will go down in history as one of the greatest nights and games for our club."

Dimitri Payet set up Ogbonna`s 121st-minute winner with a typically devilish cross from a free-kick, hours after West Ham confirmed they have opened talks with him over a new contract.

The 28-year-old France international, a close-season signing from Marseille, is reportedly the subject of interest from an unnamed Chinese club and Bilic said West Ham were desperate to keep him.

"We should do everything we can to keep our best players," he said. "Dimitri Payet is our best player.

"I think he`s very happy here and soon we`re going to sort out the situation."