Talking Points: All Square Against FC Rostov

Manchester United secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw against FC Rostov on Thursday night in a game which was far from easy on the eye, but gives the Reds the upper hand in the Round of 16 tie. Following the first leg, we take a look at five topics of discussion...

System shake-up
Jose Mourinho admitted in his pre-match press conference that he didn’t know which team he would play after seeing the state of the playing surface for the first time when United arrived in Russia. In the end, the manager opted for a complete change in formation to the norm with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo lining up in a central defensive back three. Ashley Young and Daley Blind offered support in the wing-back positions, while Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera sat in front of the defence, with Paul Pogba further ahead and the fit-again Henrikh Mkhitaryan occupying the no.10 role behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The formation worked a treat up to half-time, limiting FC Rostov to barely any sight of goal, and while Aleksandr Bukharov’s strike was a blot on the copybook, the Reds still left Russia with a crucial away goal.

Micki back with a bang
In a city where there is a fairly large pocket of Armenian fans who are fanatical about one Henrikh Mkhitaryan (others had driven over 1,000km to see their hero in action), you just had a feeling the returning national-team skipper might catch the eye in this match. After hobbling out of the last Europa League match, away at Saint-Etienne, with a hamstring strain, Micki had been forced to watch on as the Reds won the EFL Cup and drew with Bournemouth, but he made a memorable return against FC Rostov as he netted his third Europa League goal following strikes in our last two away matches in the competition (the first Red to score in three successive European away games since Wayne Rooney in 2010). After being harshly booked, he finished a smart move from the Reds on 35 minutes, before being replaced by Anthony Martial soon after the hour. He rightly got a big pat on the back from his manager for his efforts.

Pitch not perfect
Much had been made of the poor playing surface before the match, indeed United boss Jose Mourinho was particularly unhappy with it, and you could understand why. It’s fair to say the somewhat fussy referee did little to help the game flow, but there’s no question the pitch was a major factor behind a real old scrappy affair at the Olimp-2 stadium. Sand popped up from the ground almost every time the players went in for a challenge but, thankfully, all the United players apparently left Rostov unscathed, much to their manager’s relief.

Ibra’s Europa focus
A domestic three-match ban means our top scorer will be forced to sit out the Reds’ next game, away at Chelsea in the Emirates FA Cup, in addition to the next two league matches so, for the time being, Ibrahimovic’s main focus will be fully on the Europa League and helping the Reds reach the quarter-finals. He certainly played his part in Thursday’s first leg with a clever flicked pass for Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opening strike. The Swede had a couple of half chances after the break but his control and pass for the goal was a crucial contribution on the night.

Birthday present for Blind
Birthday boy Daley Blind told MUTV before the match that the perfect present to mark his 27th birthday would be a “good game and good win”. He might not have got either, but he and his team-mates will at least be satisfied with an away goal and a 1-1 draw which gives the Reds the slight advantage going into the second leg at Old Trafford next week. Blind was solid in the left wing-back position and got forward when he could, before he made way for Antonio Valencia in stoppage time.