Manchester United need new leaders after showing their worst side in Atletico Madrid defeat

There are better teams in Europe than Atletico Madrid, but there's probably no better team at protecting a lead than Diego Simeone's snarling, sneaky rottweilers. The second half was barely a couple of minutes old when the first signs of frustration poured down from the Old Trafford stands and the Manchester United players quickly lost their heads as well.

This was Atletico in a microcosm. They didn't look like scoring again after Renan Lodi's goal, but they didn't need to and they knew that was the scenario.

They turned the second half into an almost unwatchable mess of a game, players going down at the first sign of contact, needing treatment and killing the game. United simply couldn't build any momentum.

But this was an occasion when you need cool heads and leadership and right now United are lacking in that department. Harry Maguire needs the armband removing for the good of his own game and beyond that there are too many hotheads in this squad.

Bruno Fernandes is a fantastic player, but keeping calm isn't one of his strengths. He player with anger during the second half and that doesn't help his game.

This was a time when United needed someone to calm them down, but instead they fell straight into Simeone's trap. They were angered by Atletico's opening goal, even though it never looked to be a foul on Anthony Elanga in the build-up, and struggled to control their emotions after that.

Referee Slavko Vincic produced a performance that suggested he was out of his depth, but by becoming frustrated United lost sight of their own gameplan and struggled to sustain any pressure on the Atletico goal in the second half.

United have had some pretty rotten seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired but after this early exit from