Manchester United’s Loss to City Is a Step Towards Right Direction
Despite a loss to Manchester City, Manchester United have answered many questions raised by their critics.
This Premier League season has given us one of the most exhilarating title races in a long time.
Every match played by either Liverpool or Manchester City has been keenly watched and the greatest example perhaps, was the Manchester Derby on Wednesday, 24 April.
Liverpool fans across the world cheered for the red side of Manchester however, United fans themselves secretly wanted their team to lose so as to not hand the title to their bitter rivals Liverpool.
While the Cityzens are the ones in the title race, the red side of Manchester had a lot to prove in this fixture, especially after their 4-0 thrashing at Goodison Park. Despite their loss, I feel they have answered a lot of their critics and come out of this match with many positives.
The Desire to Win
The biggest question raised this season has been on United’s attitude.
Whether it is under Jose, or recently Solskjaer, critics have questioned whether this United team really have the burning desire to win. Beginning the match in full throttle, the Mancunians helped answer some of those questions.
Firstly, they repeatedly dispossessed their opponents and intercepted their passes, being able to turn their mistakes into counter attacks. similarly, on the defense side, they employed a deep block that pushed Sterling on to the sideline and rarely allowed him to cut in on his favourable right and shoot.
The same was done with Bernardo Silva and left both wingers isolated and frustrated as the half drew to a close.
Fred did a great job as he cleaned up behind his teammates and lending a hand to the defense every time City attacked. He also played the role Fernandinho plays for City – often stopping counter attacks or frustrating the City players with his ability to be seemingly all across the pitch at the same time, while also winning 8 tackles and interceptions.
Despite Rashford not having the best second half, he began the match at an astounding pace, repeatedly leaving his markers for dead as he whizzed past defenders.
He was the sole reason that Vincent Komapny had a bad game, as the nervy start he had due to Rashford’s incisive runs was one he never recovered from.
Moreover, the football world loves bashing Ashley Young but he deserves a special shout here.
The United Captain did a splendid job marking Sterling till late in the game and surged forward when necessary, completing the joint-most dribbles in the game. His attacking spirit also prevented Zinchenko from joining Raheem in attack more often.
Paul Pogba
While it may seem strange to have one category as over-arching as the first, and the second as specific as this one, there is a reason for Pogba getting his own spot here.
In a saga most assumed would be over post-Jose Mourinho’s firing, Paul Pogba’s “attitude” problems seem to gather more and more attention in the media as the days go by.
People scrutinise his body-language, call him temperamental, and not fit for Manchester – all critics whose roots I understand.
However, when facing an opponent like Manchester City, Pogba delivers. He floated around the pitch and passed ball to the forwards in precarious positions, orchestrated attacks on the counter and was a real menace to City’s midfield, as he drifted from deep-lying mid-fielder to an attacking midfielder rather quickly.
He had the highest touches and passes for his team and might have done better, provided he had more options up- front. You may point at the number of times he was dispossessed, but that was only because far too often, he was the sole coordinator of United’s attack, making him prone to mistakes.
Now, none of this is to say that any of the aforementioned problems have been solved.
There are major holes in United’s defence, (like Sane and Silva exploited big time) ones, that cannot be fixed by playing 5 of them at a time.
Ashley Young, despite his performance tonight, is not the player fit to consistently play on the red side of Manchester and the upcoming Rashford has a lot to learn in terms of his vision as well as finishing.
To summarise, United might not have even won against their City rivals tonight, but it’s a step in the right direction.
(The author is a school student who follows football, when he’s not finishing his homework. On a side note, he also answers to the name ‘Pele’ after his mother nicknamed him that for troubling her a bit much from the womb.)
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