Manchester United under the microscope: José David López's verdict

José David López dissects the opposition: a side that splits apart, gives the ball away when playing out from the back and lacks leaders. In his view, Atlético arrive as the more settled team, with better individual quality, and as favourites.

Before the panel discussion, the programme airs an analysis of Manchester United's current state by José David López, a specialist in international football.

His diagnosis is blunt. United are still rudderless, completely lost, since Alex Ferguson left thirteen years ago. Their return to the Champions League seems like grand news given how badly they have fared, and although under Carrick they appeared to have found some direction, they have started terribly and have not solved the problems of recent years.

López points to several flaws: they are a team that constantly splits apart, lacking determination and concentration, and they lose an overwhelming number of balls when building from the back. He warns that this last point could be decisive at the Metropolitano. Bruno Fernandes, the Premier League's top assist provider last season, is not at that level, and the rest are individuals such as Cunha who decide isolated moments without a collective idea behind them.

The upshot is that United have won just one of their six Premier League games and are closer to relegation than to the Champions League places, in keeping with how badly things have gone for them in recent years.