Friday night marked the long awaited return to Premier League action, with a 1-1 draw away to former manager Mourinho’s Spurs side. It was a frustrating night for United, with real feeling of what might have been. I will go through five lessons that we may have learnt from the game.
De Gea’s Form Is a Huge Concern
It seems a world away from the David De Gea we saw at the Emirates under Jose, where he was performing right at the peak of his game. It used to be that you would be less nervous when the opposing team attacked, because you knew the Spaniard would pull off a commanding save.
Now, the easiest save looks a stretch for him. It was excellent work from Bergwijn to break through our defence, but the shot was not the best and was straight at De Gea. De Gea’s attempt was weak and uncommanding. The hand he got on the ball was far from strong enough. It is becoming a regular occurrence that we are discussing his form. It is such a shame.
It will initiate further discussions about what to do with Dean Henderson next season, after a sensational performance from our academy graduate against Villa on Wednesday.
The Defence Struggled
Before the extended break due to the pandemic, I was very optimistic with the performances from our defence. We were getting several clean sheets and it was providing the platform for our increased productivity in the final third that we were seeing.
However, they seemed all over the place last night. For the goal, Maguire was sluggish and so easy to get past. Lindelof was sloppy for most of the first half, almost offering Spurs’ attackers through with ease if their players threaded through a better ball. Shaw was excellent pre-pandemic, but again he really struggled positionally. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was decent, but his distribution was an issue. As a unit, they were not commanding enough.
Maybe, a factor could be the nervousness about De Gea’s form behind them.
Greenwood is Ready
Greenwood’s impact was superb on Friday, showing yet again why he is so highly rated. He offered something very different to Dan James, who had a poor display, as Greenwood has a level of unpredictability that confuses defenders. This is evidenced in the final seconds of the game, when he opened up space for himself with great skill and nearly got the winner.
He has baulked up over the break too and is certainly not a raw kid anymore. He is ready for more involvement and certainly should be above Dan James in the pecking order.
Pogba and Bruno Work Well Together
The substitution to bring on Pogba and Greenwood early in the second half, gave United much more control in the game. It paired Pogba and Bruno in midfield, something which has been long awaited from fans and journalists alike. They showed a fabulous relationship on the field almost immediately, with Pogba and Bruno combining to set a sluggish Martial through who couldn’t convert. Their creativity and dynamism was frightening, managing to finally unlock a deep block Mourinho side with the penalty in the end. You would expect them to play from the start against the Blades in the week.
Martial and Rashford Need To Do Better
I would like to start this by saying that I have extreme admiration and respect for Marcus Rashford, who has managed to push the government into helping millions of disadvantaged children. He is a role model and deserves all the plaudits he is currently getting. The man is a credit to the club, his family and himself.
However, he was poor last night. He huffed and puffed, but nothing was coming off for him. Pogba played a delicious ball that should have set Rashford one on one with Lloris, but Rashford’s touch was very poor. It isn’t about effort, as there is no question he tried. But he was far from the form he was at pre-injury.
Martial was very poor as well. Yes, he was often isolated. But he seemed to do everything slowly. It may have been rustiness, but he really struggled last night. Again, a sharper Martial would have buried the chance Fernandes gave him last night. It was a frustrating performance and we need better from him in a must-win game against Sheffield United.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United: Five Things We Learnt
