Why Manchester United are better off facing Atletico Madrid than PSG in Champions League last 16
It has been a bizarre week for sporting authorities across the world. Over the weekend, Formula 1 decision-makers came under scrutiny after Max Verstappen won his first-ever world title in Abu Dhabi under controversial circumstances.
On Monday, it was the turn of football to steal the spotlight as it all unfolded on live television during the UEFA Champions League draw in Nyon.
An error in the draw saw Manchester United omitted from possible opponents that could face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the competition. And while the draw continued, calls for a redraw quickly gained weight after footage of the said error went viral on social media.
UEFA later released a statement confirming a redraw and attributing what happened to a "technical problem." Manchester United were pitted against PSG in the initial draw but were paired with Atletico Madrid after the redraw.
🇪🇸 Atlético vs Manchester United 🏴
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Atletico's form has dipped
The reaction from social media has been that of excitement among Manchester United fans and rightly so. Despite PSG’s own struggles, they are still one of the strongest teams in Europe at the moment.
In truth, none of the teams that finished first in their groups would have hoped to draw PSG – not even the mighty Bayern Munich. It was, therefore, a good draw for the Reds to have been paired against Atletico.
The Rojiblancos won La Liga last season but they've been far from their best this term. They were not convincing in the group stages of the Champions League and needed a win over Porto in their last group game to qualify for the last 16.
The knockout tie will come off almost two months from now, but there’s no doubt that Atletico’s form has dipped. Manchester United can feel confident ahead of facing Diego Simeone’s side, who have lost three of their last five matches.
The Reds could have faced a tough test against PSG’s star-studded attack but they now have a more favorable draw.
Harry Maguire and Co. certainly stand a better chance against a misfiring Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix than against Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
BREAKING 🚨
The dates for our #UCL round of 16 fixtures vs Man United have been announced! https://t.co/Vxsv3DOuE6
Rangnick has time to prepare Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick is still unbeaten since taking charge of the Reds. Although the team’s performance hasn’t improved much, the results have been much better.
The German manager has not trained much with the team. However, by the time the Red Devils face Atletico in the last 16 tie, he would’ve had at least two months to work with his players.
That is enough time to implement his system and to get the players to understand his methods on the pitch. The January transfer window will also come soon and Rangnick could make a few signings to beef up his squad.
"I've got to know them (players) better obviously in this week, I saw most of them play in two games," the Reds boss said on Friday, as quoted by Manutd.com.
"We've three or four or five training sessions but it's still too early to speak about what we might do in the transfer window."
While it is unlikely that Manchester United will make any major signings in January, regular training sessions between Rangnick and the team are critical.
Make no mistake, Atletico will be no pushovers. But if Rangnick can get Manchester United into shape and improve on their tactical awareness before the game, then they will stand a good chance of beating Simeone’s side.