The Bearded Devil: Time for a Half-Time Pie!

A tepid first half with both sides seemingly content to play relatively conservatively. Young and Nani showed a bit of rust as they both seemed a step off their usual pace. Overall, while United can be happy that it controlled the middle of the park, it lacked that incisive final ball and failed to create any real clear-cut opportunities.

On the defensive side, David De Gea continues to grow in confidence and pulled off a superb save from De Jong’s 30-yard piledriver. He still looks uncertain, however, in his decision making on high balls, and was caught several times relying on his defenders to clear balls he might have come out and claimed.

There is certainly room for improvement in the second half as United will look to turn their abundance of possession in midfield into scoring opportunities. Ajax has been playing with an invitingly high back line and will be vulnerable to quick through balls to onrushing attackers. Hernandez in particular thrives on playing off the shoulder of the last defender and was caught just a step offside several times in the first half. If he can get his timing right, United will punish Ajax.