Man Utd destroyed CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night to go top of their Champions League group and send out a warning to the rest of Europe. The Europa League champions have kicked on massively this season and are all but through to the knockout stages after making the perfect start to their campaign. In a week when the top teams flexed their muscles by recording resounding victories, Utd showed they deserve to be considered part of that group. Their performance was brilliant in Moscow and Romelu Lukaku will rightly take the plaudits for his well-taken brace en route to a 4-1 win. But the victory also highlighted Utd’s excellent strength in depth and suggested they are well-equipped to mount an assault on both domestic competitions and the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho made five changes to the team that beat Southampton the previous Saturday, and the players that came in responded emphatically to the challenge. Anthony Martial was in inspired form. He teed up both of Lukaku’s goals, scored from the penalty spot and generally terrorised the CSKA defenders all night with his pace, movement, ball control and intelligence. In a rare start Ander Herrera – named Man Utd’s best player last season but typically unable to break into a strong midfield this time around – controlled the game. Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof came into a back three and largely kept CSKA’s forwards quiet.
The odds on Man Utd winning the Champions League have now dropped to the 10/1 to 12/1 mark. Review Betonline for the best odds and it might be worth taking a punt on Mourinho’s men. The Portuguese is an expert at knockout competitions, as he proved last season by guiding Utd to the Europa League and EFL Cup. His tactical brilliance and mind games allow him to vanquish opponents in a knockout format by playing on their weaknesses and setting his team up to thwart them. He already has two Champions League titles to his name, and the rest of Europe should be afraid.
Champions Real Madrid – who beat Utd in the Super Cup – remain the 4/1 favourites to make it three wins in a row, followed by PSG, who massively impressed in beating Bayern Munich 3-0. Barcelona are 6/1, while Bayern have drifted all the way out to 7/1, and next it is the Manchester clubs, ahead of teams like Chelsea, Juventus and Atletico Madrid. City have been scoring for fun of late and have strengthened defensively, but Utd look a more solid team. They make lack a bit of the flair that Pep Guardiola’s charges possess, but Utd are taller, stronger and more powerful and could overpower them. There are some magnificent teams in the competition, and PSG in particular are looking frighteningly good, but Utd need fear none of them.
Basel and CSKA Moscow are good teams but Utd blew them away, winning both games by three clear goals. They should now win the group and secure a favourable last 16 draw. Get through that and they are in the quarter-finals, by which time anything can happen. Mourinho has enough versatile players at his disposal to set Utd up to thwart any team and he is a master of it. Take Man Utd’s victory over Chelsea last season, for instance. The Blues were unbeatable and miles clear at the top of the table, and Utd were expected to roll over. Mourinho had Herrera man mark Eden Hazard out of the game and played two quick forwards out wide, dragging Antonio Conte’s three centre-backs all over the place, and Utd secured a famous victory. Mourinho has always been capable of such masterstrokes and Man Utd should certainly be considered dark horses for this season’s Champions League.