Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand launched a passionate defence of Alejandro Garnacho after the winger was accused of consistently making poor decisions on the pitch.
The Argentina international started as one of the two most advanced midfielders in Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Garnacho’s faulty execution was on full display, especially in one or two crucial counter-attacks that broke down because he failed to release the ball to Marcus Rashford early enough.
Ex-United star Lee Sharpe pinpointed this as something Garnacho needs to work on, as he labelled the forward “a little bit greedy.”
Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe was also very comfortable against Garnacho and hardly needed to break a sweat.
The United n.o 17 has since come under some criticism from a section of fans, who have highlighted his weaknesses. In the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents, co-host Stephen Howson provided a scathing critique of Garnacho, claiming the Carrington academy graduate “has the decision-making of a cat. It’s awful.”
Howson added that he would drop Garnacho from the starting XI, in favour of an attacking trio of Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund.
Ferdinand wasn’t having any of it and responded, “Don’t talk about Garnacho like that. You can’t be perfect, he’s a kid man!”
“[Without Garnacho] no one’s running back, no one’s running in behind the opposition. I’d play Garnacho on the left.”
“This is a process we can’t expect them to look like the Sporting team now. It’s impossible, you can’t expect that to be the case.”
Garnacho will certainly be hoping for far better fortunes when United host Eliteserien outfit FK Bodø/Glimt at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Paul Scholes hit out at a couple of Manchester United stars as Ruben Amorim’s side were held to a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
The Red Devilstravelled to face Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie on Thursday evening.
Man Utd failed to capitalise on Real Sociedad’s below-par performance as Amorim‘s team were held to a 1-1 draw, which admittedly still makes them favourites to progress to the next round.
The visitors gradually grew into the match and had the best chance before the interval as Bruno Fernandes forced a brilliant last-ditch block after being played in by Diogo Dalot.
United took the lead shortly after the break as Joshua Zirkzee scored from the edge of the area following a positive run from Alejandro Garnacho.
Man Utd were in control at this point, but the game turned on its head when Bruno Fernandes gifted Real Sociedad a penalty for handball.
Striker Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way with the spot-kick to equalise and Man Utd had a lucky escape in the final ten minutes as Orri Oskarsson missed a huge chance to score his side’s second.
Amorim is still struggling to implement his preferred 3-4-3 formation with Diogo Dalot among the players underperforming as he’s not suited to playing at wing-back.
Dalot is rarely a threat in the final third and he made a poor decision against Real Sociedad, opting to pull the ball back to Garnacho rather than execute a square ball to Rasmus Hojlund to score from close range.
Scholes commented on this incident at half time, saying Dalot made a “criminal” decision.
“The frustrating thing is, for 20 minutes we saw them warming up, and that’s exactly what they were practising. Into the wing-back, crossing it first time,” Scholes said.
“For Dalot not to see that, is criminal really. Hojlund, he’s made a great run. For any right-back in world football not to see that is criminal, and that’s an easy goal for Hojlund.”
Scholes has also questioned Garnacho’s attitude, suggesting he was “sulking” during Man Utd’s draw on Thursday evening. He added: “He looks like he is sulking a little bit to me.”
On Garnacho, Amorim said post-match: “He was tired and you see it because we did a lot of transitions in the second half.
“Sometimes he was late to defend [in the second half]. I felt like he was tired to recover and do the same things.”
Manchester United loanee Antony registered another assist as Real Betis were held to a 2-2 Europa Conference League draw by Vitória SC on Thursday.
Betis took the lead three minutes after the break courtesy of striker Cedric Bakambu.
A cross was delivered into a crowded box, making contact with Antony, who headed it on to Bakambu. The Betis n.o 11 showed great strength to get the best of his defender before firing into the back of the net from close range.
It was by no means a glamorous assist by Antony but he won’t care too much, as they all count the same.
Antony with the assist, Cédric Bakambu with that final touch for Real Betis ✨ pic.twitter.com/E3d6bRxvWE
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 6, 2025
Betis’ lead didn’t last too long as Joao Sabino Mendes restored parity three minutes after they went ahead. In-form star Isco gave the advantage to Betis in the 75th minute but Vitoria SC hit them back again soon after, through Nelson Oliveira.
The two sides had to settle for the draw, with all to play for next week when they meet at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques for the return leg.
During the time he was on the pitch, Antony touched the ball 66 times and found his teammates with 37 of the 46 passes he attempted (80% pass accuracy). Two of these were key passes
He connected with one of the three crosses he aimed and the single long ball he pinged.
Antony created one big chance and fired one shot, which was off-target and didn’t require Bruno Varela to swing into immediate action.
The Brazilian completed just one of the four dribbles he embarked on.
He delved into 12 ground duels and came out on top five times. Antony did not contest even one challenge in the air.
The 25-year-old also put in two tackles and drew as many fouls.
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Despite dominating proceedings, Manchester United will return to Old Trafford with only a draw to show for their efforts after their Europa League Round of 16 first-leg tie against Real Sociedad ended 1-1 on Thursday.
It was the visitors who took the lead at the Reale Arena through Joshua Zirkzee and Ruben Amorim’s team should have scored a few more given the chances they created.
Alejandro Garnacho was guilty of spurning several great chances and in the end, the Red Devils were made to pay as the referee awarded a dubious penalty to the home side.
United cleared the ball from a corner and none of the Real Sociedad players protested, and the referee kept playing on as he obviously saw nothing wrong.
VAR and referee hurt United
But VAR, who are supposed to let the game flow and intervene only when the referee needs help tried to find for an infringement on their own and called the referee over to check the monitor.
It was deemed that the header from a Real Sociedad player hit Bruno Fernandes’ hand when he was jumping for the same ball. His arms were not in an unnatural position and usually, players jump in that manner during set-pieces.
Yet the new UEFA handball law states if the ball hits the arm inside the box, it is a penalty and the decision was as soft and harsh as it can get.
Former United academy star and Wales international Robbie Savage slammed the rule on TNT Sports after the decision was awarded.
“The rule is ridiculous. On that angle there, the arm does stop him [Real Sociedad attacker] heading it because the arm is an unnatural position.
Harsh decision
“It is harsh though because that is how you jump but the arm has stopped the player heading the ball so, by the letter of the law and the way the rule is, it is a penalty even though it is harsh.”
Savage was also quick to point out that the current handball rule must be re-evaluated by UEFA and other football authorities.
Paul Scholes was also stunned by the initial decision and termed it a “strange” one. “‘I didn’t know why the game had stopped,” was how he reacted initially.
Amorim will hope to get more players fit for the second leg. Hopefully, the 20-time English league champions can get over this disappointment and the job done at Old Trafford.
Feature image Juan Manuel Serrano Arce via Getty Images
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
Manchester United had to be content with a draw from their Europa League Round of 16 first-leg tie against Real Sociedad with the game ending 1-1 at the Reale Arena on Thursday.
It was Joshua Zirkzee who handed the visitors the lead and the Red Devils were comfortably in charge of the game, creating chances at regular intervals.
However, their profligacy in front of goal meant the home side remained alive in the contest and they sucker punched United in the 70th minute through a dubious penalty call that should never have stood.
They were toothless until the goal and the fact that they are currently ninth in the La Liga standings showed with the Txuri-Urdin playing the game at a leisurely pace.
Slow nature of the game suited Casemiro
And it suited Casemiro, who started in the absence of Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park. Usually, the Brazilian has struggled to deal with the intensity of the English game but he was imperious on his return to Spain.
For the goal, it was his quick thinking and passing that allowed Diogo Dalot to find Alejandro Garnacho in space out wide whose pass was expertly finished by Zirkzee.
The slow nature of the game suited him with the 33-year-old enjoying 62 touches of the ball and completing 31 out of 38 passes. He also found a teammate with five long balls attempts.
Defensively, he was solid, winning five tackles, most among his teammates, while also winning six out of nine ground duels and two aerial duels.
Contender to start the second leg as well
He dropped deep to help out the backline at every opportunity, making two clearances, blocking two attempts as well as completing two interceptions (all stats via sofascore).
Injuries have opened the door for a re-entry into the head coach’s thoughts and the former Real Madrid superstar has grabbed the chance with two back-to-back impressive displays.
He was solid against Fulham in the FA Cup as well. After managing four starts in 2024 under the Portuguese, he has now started another three games in the space of a couple of weeks.
Whether Amorim will trust him against Arsenal remains to be seen but the five-time Champions League winner is definitely a candidate to start the return leg at Old Trafford.
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has defended one of his underperforming players but encouraged him to stop “being anxious”.
Amorimhad his 25th game in charge of Man Utdon Thursday evening as his side faced La Liga outfit Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie. Neither side were at their best as they cancelled each other out for most of the match.
The Red Devils edged the opening half and went ahead shortly after the restart as Joshua Zirkzee ended his goal drought after being assisted by Alejandro Garnacho.
This placed Man Utd on course for victory as Real Sociedad were struggling to create clear-cut chances, but they were gifted an opportunity to equalise as Bruno Fernandes was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area.
Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the spot-kick as he sent Andre Onana the wrong way and this took the wind out of Man Utd’s sails as they were under pressure at the end of the match.
Orri Oskarsson missed a huge chance to win the game late on as the two sides were made to settle for a draw heading into next week’s return leg at Old Trafford.
Amorim reckoned the penalty “changed the momentum” with his players “really tired”.
“Until the penalty, we had control of the game and then the penalty changed the momentum,” Amorim said.
Manchester United boss has poured cold water on Diogo Dalot’s failure to ping a simple cross to Rasmus Hojlund during the draw vs. Real Sociedad, urging everyone to move on rather than focus on the “fighting” that took place between the two players.
United were unable to turn a positive performance into a Europa League victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in San Sebastian.
Joshua Zirkzee gave his side the lead in the 57th minute, only for Mikel Oyarzabal to level from the spot with Sociedad’s first shot on target after the VAR spotted a Bruno Fernandes handball.
The Red Devils had several chances to score but they were left ruing these missed opportunities as they were forced to settle for a draw.
After the match, Amorim spoke to reporters in his post-match presser and gave his verdict on the performance and result.
Asked if the result could be better, Amorim answered, “Yeah it could be better, but it could also be worse because in the last 20 minutes, I felt the team was really tired. But until the penalty, I felt the team was in control of the game.”
“After the goal we were so near to getting the second goal with transitions. You felt in the stadium they were nervous but in the end the penalty, I think, changed [the game] a little bit and then when the momentum changed we got tired a little bit more easily. We’ll talk the game to Old Trafford and we’ll try to win there.”
In his interview with TNT Sports, Zirkzee insisted that he and his teammates need to be more clinical.
Amorim emphasised this, stating, “Yeah, that is clear. We are creating chances and sometimes you don’t see it in the xG because we manage not to shoot but the great opportunity is there and you can see it: we have transitions, we have situations and sometimes we’re missing something but that can change, especially in this kind of games that need goals. That can make a difference.”
The United head coach was asked about the moment in the game, where Dalot passed up the opportunity to square the ball to Hojlund, who had made a good run inside the box. Hojlund was visibly upset as the chance faded out
Amorim said about this instance, “It’s hard to say but maybe Diogo doesn’t know for sure that Rasmus has the advantage and he felt that he has a lot of time to think about the play.”
“One thing that I’m sure is they are really anxious to score goals and to win games, so they’re doing the best they can but sometimes they want do the best but they are not deciding the best way in that position.”
“It was a clear situation, Rasmus did really well, Dalot did really well…the decision was not the best but the important thing is to move on and not stay like them fighting. Let’s move on to the next opportunity.”
Amorim further said about Hojlund’s display, “He’s trying really hard. He gave everything, he made the runs. We know that Sociedad has a high line and he used this space to win and fight. The other things will appear in the right moment. He has to continue to play and not be anxious.”
“In that position with Diogo, he did a great run in the position…sometimes the ball comes, sometimes it doesn’t”
The 40-year-old explained that he was really pleased with Zirkzee.
“I think he deserves it because he’s working really well…he’s improving in a lot of things in this game. He deserves these moments and he was really important for us today.”
On what motivated his decision to take off Alejandro Garnacho, Amorim told reporters, “I felt he was tired.”
“You see it because we did a lot of transitions in the second half, he was late to defend. I felt he was too tired to recover and do the same things.”
United are back in action on Sunday when they host Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Featured image Juan Manuel Serrano Arce via Getty Images
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says the decision to award Real Sociedad a penalty was a turning point in his side’s first-leg performance on Thursday evening.
The Reds had been on top for much of the Europa League last-16 tie’s opening 70 minutes, going ahead in the second half through Joshua Zirkzee, before being pegged back when Mikel Oyarzabal levelled things back up from the spot.
La Real were awarded the opportunity to equalise from 12 yards after referee Ivan Kruzliak attended the VAR monitor to see Bruno Fernandes handle the ball inside the box, an incident that Amorim believes came at a time when United’s exhausting recent encounters were beginning to take their toll.
His side never properly recovered control of the contest and was perhaps fortunate not to go behind on aggregate after a late onslaught from the home team.
But 1-1 it finished ahead of next week’s decisive second leg at Old Trafford, a game Ruben underlined the importance of as he conducted his post-match media duties in San Sebastian. You can read a round-up of the key quotes from the boss below…
WE PLAYED WELL UNTIL THE PENALTY
“I think we played well until the penalty. But then the penalty, I think, changed a little bit the momentum of the game. I felt the team were a little bit tired in the last 20 minutes and that also helped them take control of the game in the final 20 minutes. Until the penalty, we were in control, had the opportunities. After our goal, we were really good because we were near the second goal.”
ZIRKZEE DESERVES GOAL
“It is deserved because he’s working really well. He’s improving in a lot of things in his game. He deserves this moment, and he was really important for us today.”
WHY GARNACHO PLAYED ON RIGHT SIDE
“We look at the opponent, the way they try to press, where is the space? Which player is going to follow the run? And we try to imagine the right characteristics for that game. So we try to change different things to expose the opponent.” NEED TO BE MORE CLINICAL
“That is clear. We are creating chances. Sometimes you don’t see it in the xG because we manage not to shoot, but the great opportunity is there and you can see it. We have transitions, we have situations, and sometimes we are missing something. And that can change, especially in this kind of game, that you need goals that can make a difference for everybody.”
Ruben’s post-match press conference Video
Ruben’s post-match press conference
Press conference | Amorim discusses Zirkzee, Hojlund and Garnacho after our draw at Real Sociedad…
WE TAKE TIE TO OLD TRAFFORD
“We take the game to Old Trafford, our home. We need to survive physically on Sunday to be ready for Thursday. We need to be pragmatic, we need to win one game in Old Trafford. We have to think that way. You can get a little bit frustrated because, like I said, we had control of the game, but you can think also about the opportunities they had at the end of the game. The tie could be different, so we take the game to Old Trafford and we’ll be ready.”
PRIORITY BETWEEN NOW AND SUNDAY
“We have to recover, be really smart during the game against Arsenal. We have to check the players, they have to sleep. It’s an important moment in our season.”
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Manchester United have struggled for consistency since Ruben Amorim took over at Old Trafford, falling further off the pace in the league and crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Five wins in 18 matches have ended their hopes of a top-four finish and domestic silverware, bringing the Europa League firmly into focus.
Standing in their way are a Sociedad side that caused them problems as recently as 2022, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford before making a fist of the reverse fixture.
It’s nearly three decades since Real Sociedad reached the quarter-finals of a European competition, so the visit of Manchester United presents an opportunity.
The Spaniards have found the net in all 10 of their Europa League games this campaign, a 100% record matched by the visitors.
That suggests goals and plenty of drama, but keep reading and you may be forced to change your stance on this fixture.
The game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+ with an early kick-off time of 1745 GMT. There will be radio coverage on BBC Radio Five Live Sport.
Real Sociedad v Man Utd stats
Sociedad have scored in each of their 10 Europa League fixtures. United also boast a 100% record, scoring in eight of eight.
The hosts have never beaten an English side at home in four attempts, but United are a familiar foe and they did beat them 1-0 at Old Trafford in 2022.
Sociedad are the most creative team left in the competition, registering 19.8xG. They’ve been clinical enough to score 20 goals.
Sociedad and United are the third and fourth sturdiest defences on paper, allowing 18xG between them. They’ve been true to form as they’ve conceded nine each.
Man Utd have held Sociedad scoreless in their last three trips to Spain, with the hosts in this fixture failing to score in the last five meetings.
Five of six meetings have finished 1-0, 0-0, or 0-1, and there have been no instances of both teams scoring.
Real Sociedad v Man Utd referee stats
Ivan Kruzliak will take charge of his 58th European fixture when he officiates United’s trip to Donostia-San Sebastian on Thursday.
The experienced 41-year-old also took charge of a pair of games at Euro 2024, highlighting his experience.
The Slovakian whistle-master oversaw United’s 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in Europe recently, and also took charge of Sociedad’s 2-1 defeat to Monaco in the 2021/22 season.
Kruzliak has been extremely consistent with his whistle, averaging 24 fouls per game across the seven European fixtures he’s been assigned.
He’s not slow to show his cards, producing five per match, which is worth keeping in mind ahead of this potentially combative clash.
Real Sociedad v Man Utd prediction
Perhaps the biggest influence on this fixture is the fact it’s the first of two legs. Both teams have found the net in each of their Europa League fixtures and Sociedad are the most creative side left in the competition.
On the other hand, they’re also two of the best defences. They are allowing a goal per game on average, which is roughly in keeping with xG, and Sociedad have kept three clean sheets in five home matches.
We also have to consider the history of this fixture. Does it dictate this result? Of course not. But football has this inexplicable tendency to produce patterns when certain teams meet.
Both teams to score hasn’t landed in six previous meetings between these two, and the hosts have failed to score in five of six. Over 2.5 goals will look appealing, but we’re relatively confident this game will be a tactical battle to be in the tie come the second leg.
We think Amorim may opt for a more combative midfield of Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, allowing Bruno Fernandes to roam further forward, but the latter may not be up to the task.
You could fit the Grand Canyon between Amorim’s midfield in recent weeks, so they may be woefully exposed regardless of who plays where.
For 70 minutes it looked like a perfect Europa League night for Manchester United, but a harsh penalty allowed Real Sociedad back into the last-16 tie, which ended 1-1 and with manager Ruben Amorim in introspective mood.
The Portuguese was in no doubt that the penalty, awarded after a VAR review, was the turning point in the contest but cited exhaustion rather than officiating as the deciding factor.
Speaking to TNT Sport after the game, he said: “I felt until the penalty we had the control of the game, and then I think the penalty changed a little bit the momentum. I felt our team in the last 30 minutes were really really tired, and you can feel that in the game.”
There is everything to play for in the second leg of the tie, which takes place next week at Old Trafford. Amorim warned: “It’s going to be a different game, the pressure is going to be on us in that stadium and we have to be ready. I think the key will be surviving physically to Sunday and to be ready and fresh for Thursday.”
When asked what changed in the last half hour, he quickly responded that it was “clearly fatigue.” He added: “We were late on the balls, even in transitions you feel that the pace was different and they were stronger in that 30 minutes.”
The United boss opted to start Alejandro Garnacho on the right rather than his usual position on the left, a decision which was met with raised eyebrows but ultimately yielded a goal when the young Argentine cut in from the right to tee up Joshua Zirkzee.
On why he switched Garnacho to the opposite flank, he explained: “We look at the opponents, the way they try to press, where is the space, which player is going to follow the run, and we tried to imagine the right characteristics for that game.
“We tried to change different things, to expose the opponent to different things.” His analysis clearly worked very well, and tonight saw his players operating with a little more freedom, although he identified decision-making as an area for improvement.
He said: “Our decision in the last third is sometimes not the better decision, but we had good moments in the game.”
When pressed on a moment in the first half when Diogo Dalot missed the chance to ping a simple cross to Rasmus Hojlund, the manager said: “[Dalot] has the advantage and Rasmus did the sprint to win the position but that can happen, they cannot focus on that, they have to move on to the next play and we move on to the next game.”
That comes on Sunday in a Premier League crunch match against in-form Arsenal.
Featured image Juan Manuel Serrano Arce via Getty Images
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
Manchester United would have felt hard done by when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 clash.
While Man United may have had just 45% possession, they took 13 shots and were the dominant side on the attack for most of the encounter.
Arguably one of their biggest attacking assets on the night was winger Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentine was a constant threat in the box, taking two shots on target while firing another two shots off target.
His two inaccurate attempts happened to be pretty close in reality, landing up in the side netting after he unleashed his shots from tight angles. He also had one shot blocked.
When it came to controlling the ball with his feet, the Argentine’s game was flawless.
Garnacho enjoyed 100% passing accuracy, with all of his passes finding their targets.
He also produced two key passes – one of which was an all-important assist.
Upon receiving a pass from Diogo Dalot in the 57th minute, Garnacho surged up the right flank, cutting the ball back to Joshua Zirkzee who was in the middle of the park. Zirkzee struck a superb one-time shot into the net to hand United the lead.
Garnacho’s one shortcoming was his physicality. He won just one of five duels the entire evening. He also never attempted any dribbles.
Largely absent in defence due to his advanced role, Garnacho was not an easy player for Sociedad to beat. He was only dribbled past on two occasions.
Despite his shooting being all over the place, Garnacho’s vision and passing ability were at their peak. He proved just how creative he can be when given the chance, proving to be an exciting prospect who United fans will surely be eager to keep an eye on when their team host the Spaniards at Old Trafford in the second leg.
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
