{"id":1177696,"date":"2020-11-24T22:32:59","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T22:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1177696"},"modified":"2021-03-30T09:34:58","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T08:34:58","slug":"manchester-united-4-1-istanbul-basaksehir-match-analysis-van-de-beek-pogba-fernandes","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/manchester-united-4-1-istanbul-basaksehir-match-analysis-van-de-beek-pogba-fernandes\/","title":{"rendered":"“He solves their big problem” – Donny van de Beek provides the propulsion that lets Man Utd leave Istanbul in their dust"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a scintillating night of football, Manchester United beat Istanbul Basaksehir 4-1 in the Champions League.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The win puts United three points clear at the top of Group H and means that they could seal their progress to the Round of 16 with a draw next week against PSG. It was a brilliant display where The Red Devils got revenge for their dismal display in the first meeting between the two sides where they lost 2-1.<\/p>\n

And while Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford will undoubtedly take the plaudits for their showstopping turns in the final third, the real engine at the heart of United’s pulsating performance, the power pushing Istanbul back and keeping The Red Devils driving forward was the one and only Donny van de Beek.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

Black Lives Matter:<\/span> Read more about the cause footballers are taking the knee for<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Signed in the summer, van de Beek joined Old Trafford with immense pedigree and respect from anyone who knows the game. The move appeared to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bolstering his attacking options so that he wouldn’t have to play Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba every game and could rotate and keep two creators on the field.<\/p>\n

What ended up happening was that van de Beek barely featured for United. Coming into the game today he had played just 384 minutes, and 168 of those were in the EFL Cup. His absence from the side has been baffling given that whenever he has taken the field, he’s looked good almost every time.<\/p>\n

Tonight he played in midfield next to Fred, and the result was United flying at Istanbul with incredible intensity and ferocity. United hammered their hosts for an hour and only when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a raft of substitutions that disrupted his side’s flow did things become stodgy and Istanbul came back into the game.<\/p>\n

But for that hour? It was a real throwback to the days when United were a legit force in English football. And van de Beek was at the heart of it all. The difference was simply that he always looks forward. Not that he always plays it forward, but he always looks to get the ball moving towards goal at speed. Paul Pogba is a genius but he can overplay and dwell on the ball too much, Nemanja Matic is another who takes and eon to make a pass and Scott McTominay’s passing is something of a novelty.<\/p>\n

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Bruno Fernandes in the league and European competition since the start of the 2017-18 season:<\/p>\n

\u2b21 139 games
\u2b22 71 goals
\u2b22 48 assists<\/p>\n

Directly involved in a goal every 101 minutes… from midfield. ? pic.twitter.com\/fdCLahFtas<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n