Manchester United played a great game against Barcelona on Saturday.
Barcelona were without Lionel Messi and Neymar but put out a strong side which included Pedro from the start.
And, as you might expect when playing against the Catalans, Manchester United spent long spells chasing the ball.
When they did have possession Barcelona pressured them high up the park – another hallmark of this great side – and this brought the masterful Michaal Carrick into his own.
While other Manchester United players were forced into ceding possession, Carrick looked as if he was playing in his slippers.
He passed the ball beautifully, cut out attacks and generally offered the sort of composure that Manchester United needed in the face of this opponent.
Carrick’s Man of The Match display asked serious questions about who will miss out when the season starts. Because, on this form, it’s surely him plus one for the midfield.
Matteo Darmian
His third game for Manchester United was easily his best. He showed composure in the face of great pressure. He was a useful and speedy outlet down the flank. And, although he gave the ball away once or twice, his passing was much more careful than in previous games. An excellent performance.
Memphis Depay
Still not blowing us away on a consistent basis. But he is only 21 and adapting to life at the top. And with his pace and guile – he played a few more lovely, Cantona-esque backheels in this game – he is going to cause all sorts of problems for opponents in The Premier League. He’s an excellent signing and looking increasingly as if he will play at Number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 next season.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Struggled to impose himself on the game but, like Michael Carrick, a lot of what he does goes unnoticed. He’s an unsung hero who shackled Barcelona runners and made Manchester United much more defensively sound.
Basti Injured.
Here are the highlights from the game. CLICK FOR UNITED vs BARCA
