As Victor Lindelof drifted into midfield to provide cover for Manchester United against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, it was clear that Ralf Rangnick's experiment with the centre-back was destined to fail in such an important game.
Lindelof started at right-back at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and with Fred, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes all inclined to roam forward, he looked to cover in the centre of the pitch. Lindelof was left with no choice, but it left Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane vulnerable. Rangnick accepted his experiment had failed when making a triple change in the 65th minute.
United improved after those changes. Rangnick deserves credit for possessing the tactical awareness to address the problem and his in-game management continues to impress, however, his original team selection reminded the United hierarchy watching on from home of the club's transfer priority this summer. It's imperative United sign a world-class defensive midfielder.
United looked passive and incohesive in the first half against Diego Simeone's side and their midfield three exacerbated their problems. There was no link between defence and midfield. Fred was asked to play deep and protect the back four but that's a position in which his qualities are not seen to best effect. Atletico pressed high and United looked disoriented.
Nemanja Matic is the only recognised senior defensive midfielder at the club and it was no coincidence that United improved with the Serbian on the pitch. The 33-year-old isn't the solution for the remainder of the season but he points towards the answer.
Matic provided the balance which United desperately needed. Atletico had previously bullied United, but they slowed down as the game reached the latter stages and United gained more control in midfield with Matic. That was the difference.
United fans have grown to hate the club's cliche buzzwords over the last few years. Rangnick was an outsider to the club and wasn't going to toe the party line to the same extent as his predecessor, but he arrived in Manchester with a buzzword of his own.
Rangnick has emphasised the need for 'control' since his interim appointment. "Football, for me, is to minimise the coincidence factor and gain control of a game,” Rangnick said in his first press conference. That was after United beat Arsenal 3-2 in a game that was a fitting tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's management. United beat Arsenal but not as Rangnick would have liked.
Although United had no control until Matic entered the pitch against Atletico Madrid, that problem is certainly not unique to Wednesday's game. United's need for a specialist defensive midfielder has painfully been clear for some time now.
The Manchester Evening News understands signing a midfielder is United's priority and that signing can't come soon enough.
Anthony Elanga's outstanding finish against Jan Obak earned United a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital, but not having a classy operator in defensive midfield seems set to limit supporters' Champions League hopes. The ceiling might already be set.
There is an irony in Rangnick experimenting with Lindelof at right-back when the 27-year-old spent years of his youth career playing in defensive midfield. It might not have worked, but experimenting with Lindelof in that position seemed more likely to pay off.
Wednesday was ultimately a night when Rangnick gambled, got it wrong, but still left with a strong hand of cards. His substitutions were excellent and they were enough to get United back into the game - Elanga rose to the challenge again.
It was also a night that reminded United of their glaring transfer priority.
They need to get it right this summer.
