Wout Weghorst‘s deeper “number 10” position versus Barcelona, according to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, was chosen to create more room for other players.
Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in November, Weghorst was hired last month, and he has constantly led the line as a “number nine.”
Despite only scoring once in eight appearances across all competitions, the Dutchman’s presence and selfless attitude have been helpful to other players.
But when the first leg of the Europa League playoffs began at Camp Nou on Thursday night, several adjustments to the offensive unit caught everyone off guard.
Jadon Sancho was inserted on the left, Bruno Fernandes was pushed to the right, and Weghorst was positioned behind Marcus Rashford in the center of the line.
Ten Hag provided an explanation following the final whistle, but fans were left perplexed as to the reasons that let United come away with a 2-2 draw to take to Old Trafford next week.
Wout did well in that position, but it’s not just about him, the manager told BT Sport.
It offers a lot of variety, but I also want Jadon and Bruno to enter the half spaces, where they can receive the ball and make deep runs. We had a ton of chances and opportunities once the full-backs joined in, and we really should have won this game.
Ten Hag was generally happy with what he observed from his players, with the exception of a period in the first half. But, he did feel let down by the officials as Jules Kounde was let to continue playing despite fouling Rashford as the last man on the brink of the penalty box.
Ten Hag said, “I was a little frustrated that it was 0-0 at halftime because we should have scored and the chances they had, we created ourselves. “But I thought the game was fantastic. two offensive squads. I believe it was even more of a Champions League match, thus I really enjoyed the game. Final score: 2-2; we must complete the match at Old Trafford.
“When we come back from adversity, and I also believe that the refereeing in this game had a significant impact. In my opinion, Rashford committed a clear foul. The fact that he was one-on-one with the goalie makes it irrelevant whether the incident occurred inside or outside the penalty area. It has a significant impact on this round and the game as a whole, and officials cannot make mistakes like that.
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