Wolfsburg vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Manchester United crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in dramatic circumstances on Tuesday evening courtesy of a 3-2 loss to Wolfsburg in Germany.
Anthony Martial put the visitors ahead with a good finish following a slick Juan Mata pass, but Naldo pegged them back minutes later with a thunderous volley. Vieirinha tapped home to cap an incredible team move to give Die Wolfe a deserved lead before a chaotic second half began.
David de Gea and Diego Benaglio traded stunning saves as tensions mounted, and Josuha Guilavogui netted an incredibly unfortunate own goal from a corner to draw the scores level and bring United temporarily into a qualifying spot. But in a repeat of their first-half lapse, United conceded just minutes later as Naldo powered a header home, restoring his team's lead and sealing the win.
Wolfsburg qualify first, PSV Eindhoven second, while United will contest the Europa League come February.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Naldo, Wolfsburg
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Naldo enjoyed an absolutely fantastic 2014-15 season, cementing his status as one of the best centre-backs in the Bundesliga, but, perhaps understandably, Kevin De Bruyne dominated the conversation whenever it turned to Wolfsburg.
After his two-goal performance on Tuesday night, though, Naldo’s name will be mentioned across Europe. His first strike was a stunning volley into the bottom corner after a slick Ricardo Rodriguez free-kick, and his second was a header so firm even the man on the line who "blocked" it couldn’t keep it out.
A powerful, rangy defender, he meshes with the more considered, ball-playing Dante superbly. Dieter Hecking has one hell of a partnership there.
Loser: Louis Van Gaal, Manchester United
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It more or less goes without saying, but we’ll give it one last rendition for the hell of it: Manchester United’s failure to qualify from this group represents a colossal failure on Louis van Gaal’s part.
OK, Wolfsburg are a strong side, but CSKA Moscow and PSV Eindhoven are supposed to be well below the Red Devils’ pay grade. The fact that PSV claimed second and progressed is particularly painful, given United stole their best player in the summer in Memphis Depay, flexing their financial muscles and proving their supposed superiority over them in the process.
The decision to take Juan Mata off and send Nick Powell on when chasing a goal in this match was preposterous. Injuries may haunt this side, but Ashley Young and Andreas Pereira sat helpless on the bench as their side crashed out. Why? How?
Winner: Guillermo Varela, Manchester United
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Much of the pre-match chatter centered on one particular name in the Manchester United XI: Guillermo Varela, who was making his first-ever start for the club.
The Uruguayan right-back was technically the first signing of the David Moyes era (though the transfer was arranged ahead of his arrival), but he's had to wait until now to make an impact. He came on as a substitute last weekend in the Premier League, making his debut, but was thrown in for his first 90 senior minutes in the most desperate of circumstances here.
All told, he did very well: Surging up and down the right flank he linked play well, worked hard and provided some spark. Andre Schurrle matched up against him and it should have been a landslide victory for the German, but it wasn’t, as Varela held his ground fairly well.
This, on a dreadful night for the club, is a consolatory positive.
Loser: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Manchester United
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Bastian Schweinsteiger was handed a monumental task on Tuesday: dictate play and balance the midfield on a big European night whilst simultaneously guiding several young guns through it. He had Guillermo Varela starting his first-ever Manchester United match, while Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial aren’t exactly seasoned, either.
In truth, he failed on both counts. Ineffective in possession, unable to stem the flow of Wolfsburg’s sharp, rapid counter-attacks and absolutely ruined in the buildup to the hosts’ second goal, he was eventually substituted, making way for an equally ineffective Michael Carrick.
It was never going to be an easy night’s work, but Van Gaal would have hoped that if anyone could handle it, it’d be the World Cup and Champions League winner. No dice.
"I have changed (subbed) him. I don't change players for nothing," Van Gaal revealed in the post-match press conference, per the Guardian's Daniel Taylor, all but confirming his displeasure with the German's performance.
Winner: Julian Draxler, Wolfsburg
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Not long ago, the people whispered of great potential when Julian Draxler’s name arose. But over the last 12 months, the hype has severely lessened after some poor performances and a lack of progression.
A summer change of scenery, swapping Schalke for Wolfsburg, was seen by some as the perfect kick-starter for a dipping career. Enlisted as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne—who left for Manchester City in a blockbuster deal—he’s started to flash that elite potential once again.
Tuesday night’s performance was a prime example of what he can do: slice and dice defences with clever passing, exceptional movement and high football IQ. His destruction of United’s lines and one-two with Max Kruse in the build-up to Wolfsburg’s second goal was a moment of genuine footballing genius.
Joachim Low is a big fan of Draxler and has tried his best to squeeze him into the German national setup whenever possible. More performances like this won’t necessitate a squeezing in; it will necessitate the team being built around him.
