Manchester United fell to a 1-0 loss against Juventus that ensures they are set to fight it out with La Liga side Valencia for second place in Group H.
It was a disappointing home result for the club, who will travel to Italy for their next Champions League game knowing the pressure is on to secure a result. They played in a 4-2-3-1, a formulation that failed to strike the necessary balance between defence and attack.
Speaking on Virgin Media Sport, Graeme Souness highlighted the role of one Man United midfielder in particular who failed to perform in the system. However, it was not usual target Paul Pogba but his partner, Nemanja Matić.
It is very easy when you are a centre midfielder player to do what he is doing, which is ball watch. Get attracted to the ball. A good central midfield player has a radar on and he is aware of everything about him. He is looking over his shoulder all the time and he can see where the danger is and where it isn't. He is just solely ball-watching.
Graeme Souness wasn't happy with some of Matic's play against Juventus tonight #MUFC #MUNJUV #VMSport @VirginMediaIE pic.twitter.com/Dl4Plilmcu
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) October 23, 2018
He also put the focus on the manager, Jose Mourinho. Souness compared the United boss to the former jobholder, Alex Ferguson.
▪️ "It's not just losing games, it's the matter in which they lose them."
▪️ "There's so much more expected of Man Utd, and they're not delivering."
▪️ "I don't believe the manager is getting the best out of this group."
Graeme Souness' FT reaction on Man Utd. #VMSport pic.twitter.com/7eaZah0Q12
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 23, 2018
As for Mourinho, he claimed they had suffered due to the absence of another divisive midfielder, Marouane Fellaini.
Mourinho: "No Fellaini to change the direction of the game, like we do so many times."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 23, 2018
