Faced with a Villarreal-style low block Manchester United rely on individual brilliance and that is not enough at elite level
What if David de Gea had converted his penalty in the shootout against Villarreal? How much difference would it have made had he scored on Wednesday and Gerónimo Rulli had been the goalkeeper to miss from the spot? Was that it, that one kick, 4.5% of a penalty shootout, was that all that determined whether this season could be considered a success or not for Manchester United? How absurd it should all come down to the capacity of one goalkeeper to beat another.
Even at the best of times, De Gea has the air of a doomed llama. Having extended his run of penalties conceded in a row to 36 over a six-year period (does Bruno Fernandes, who has scored 32 of his past 33 for United and Sporting, not including shootouts, practise against him? If he does, is there a more futile contest taking place on any training ground?), there was a glum inevitability as he stepped up.
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