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It is no secret by now that Manchester United and Shinji Kagawa are not a match made in heaven. The Japanese international provided so much promise when he signed for the Red Devils in the transfer window last season from German giants Borussia Dortmund, but he's since had very little impact since making the switch to the Premier League.
Some might say that Kagawa hasn't done enough when given the chance to retain his spot in the team. Others argue that Kagawa hasn't been given a long enough run of games to really get comfortable in the squad and show week in and week out just what he can bring to a team like Manchester United.
One thing is for certain, though. Tuesday night, when Manchester United visited Olympiakos in the first leg of the Round of 16 Champions League tie, the Japanese star was overlooked far too many times. Kagawa replaced Tom Cleverley on 61 minutes in Greece and really could've provided the spark United desperately needed, especially in the final third on a night that left many Red Devils around the world wondering just what Moyes was thinking with his team selection.
In the short time that the Japanese international was on the pitch, he did what he does best. Popping into areas in between lines and making life difficult for his Greek opponents. Those little runs and little movements into those areas give defenders a difficult choice to make. Drop off and allow more space or let the next set of defenders deal with him. If a midfielder leaves his man and lets the back four deal with him, then it can pull a defender out of the back four and give a player like Robin van Persie more space to run in behind.
Kagawa's movement off the ball was mostly futile, however, throughout the night. United continued to play the ball into wide areas and try to build their attack via the wings. Kagawa was once again wasted in good central attacking areas and United ended up losing 2-0 in a game that many saw United taking.
Take a look at the video below to Kagawa's movements and how United fail to utilize one of their most gifted midfielders.
Read more at http://swol.co/heres-proof-that-manchester-united-dont-know-how-to-use-shinji-kagawa/33148?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#PrMZ2w3V8xOk0g36.99
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