I was very surprised with some performances.
Hernanes was a monster in that midfield. Great positioning, solid tackling, very good distribution.
Khedira surprised me a lot. He's not predictable and slow as I thought. He seems to be a very intelligent player, with more agility than I thought, good movement, added a lot of balance and calmness to the midfield.
Pogba transformed his playing style, sitting back and being much more conservative. It made the team more solid, even though sometimes he seemed to be too passive.
The 3 defenders were absolutely perfect, also when distributing the ball.
Morata wasn't playing well, but he did what he does: decided the game in a tough ball.
Dybala was very active, I liked his proactivity, but honestly I kind of have mixed feelings about him. That goal he missed was 100% due to not being able to use that right foot, that's inexcusable for a player of his level. I'm not sure what to expect from him.
Evra was very solid, but his backpassing was annoying. I really think we could use Alex Sandro to offer more offensive on the left side.
Cuadrado has been spectacular, really impressive.
All in all, midfield was the difference here to me. Khedira added balance, Hernanes had a huge performance. And Pogba's convervativeness made the team much more solid. Not forgetting that the 3 defenders were nearly perfect.
But Pogba, Dybala and Morata still can play much better.
Allegri got it right with the 352 positioning, even though it seems like he started the 2nd half in a 433 with Barza as a rb, and then changed to a classic 442.
But it does seem the 352 is the way to go, with more balanced midfielders like Marchisio and Khedira, but Alex Sandro must be a starter, to provide offense from the left. The team is completely inclined to Cuadrado, fortunately his stamina is unbelievable.
Dybala and Morata's understanding was pretty good.
And we won a very useful player in Khedira, it seems.
So build from there. Go 352 with Cuadrado - Alex Sandro, and Marchisio, Khedira, Pogba in the middle, Dybala-Morata upfront.
Bench is strong with Neto, Licht, Rugani, Evra, Lemina, Sturaro, Hernanes, Pereyra, Mandzukic, Zaza.