As Manchester United faced off against Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16, the focus was not on the under-fire goalkeeper as one might expect. Instead, the attention was riveted on the baffling performance of the rest of the starting line-up during the initial phase of the match in San Sebastian.
Ruben Amorim, the manager, and United’s die-hard fans would have undoubtedly watched in dismay as the team’s performance unfolded. The first half of the match saw the team’s inability to create any significant impact. Away games in Europe are inherently challenging, and United’s struggle during the 2024/25 season only compounds these challenges. The team’s performance in this particular match served to highlight these struggles further.
The team’s traditional rivals, Liverpool, learned the hard way about the challenges of European away games when they found themselves dominated by a highly effective PSG at Parc des Princes. The game was a 90-minute masterclass in control by the host team.
United’s game against Sociedad, however, was not inspiring at all. Twenty minutes into the match, Amorim would have found little reason for optimism. The outfield players failed to complete a single dribble against Sociedad – a statistic that is hardly encouraging for any manager.
On the other hand, Andre Onana, the goalkeeper, was the only United player to complete a dribble in the game, a fact shared on X (previously Twitter) by the well-known sports analyst, @StatmanDave. This unexpected statistic must have caused a few raised eyebrows: Andre Onana completed more dribbles (1) against Real Sociedad than the rest of the Manchester United team combined (0).
