OVERVIEW
A very sloppy start to the season for Manchester United as they fail to impress the Old Trafford. Varane's 76th minute header helped United escape the bite force of the Wolves.
United had a lot of time to prepare for this match. On the other side, Wolves' newly appointed Gary O'Neil would be happy with the team's performance. Having got not more than 5 days to prepare and coping with the exit of 11 players this summer, Wolves really had a hold of the game untill Aaron Wan-Bissaka got past Ait-Nouri and lobbed the ball in the box for Varane to head it. United got lucky. They need to put their seat belts on if they want to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal for the league title this season. Erik Ten Hag must come back with a stronger side both physically and mentally on Saturday when they play Spurs away from home.
KEY MOMENTS
Manchester United published a traditional 4-2-1-3 formation with Bruno as the number 10 at the start of the game. However, in reality, that was not the case.
0:0:26 - Shaw drifts inward as an inverted fullback supporting Casemiro in the midfield, giving Bruno and Mount the freedom to press higher up the field. This can be seen many times in the first half. Both the fullbacks drifting inwards to support Casemiro, but it was always either Wan-Bissaka or Shaw, i.e, one would go inward and one would stay wide and back holding the defence with Varane and Martinez.
0:10:43 - A quick counter started by a Casemiro pass from the defence - Antony ran past Ait-Nouri and gave a through to Rashford, who hit it straight to the keeper. In the picture below, you can see, the keeper is in no man's land. Rashford has the ball and Dawson is not too close to him. Mount and Bruno are arriving at the box in the far post. Rashford could have held the ball and crossed it to the far post where the two United players were arriving. But instead he chose to shoot -- not a good decision, as from Rashford's perspective, the keeper had made himself big and reduced the space for Rashford to put the ball past him.
In the final third, Ten Hag wanted his players to overload their defence when in possesion. They need to be more confident and fluid with their off the ball movements and passing to break through defences. Otherwise there is no point of overloading - the opponent can park the bus and when you lose the ball, you're opened up defensively and can get countered easily, which is exactly what Wolves did. Although, they technically did not exactly 'park the bus' - they didn't need to. Manchester United could not hold possesion for long.
0:36:24 - Rashford moves to the left wing to recieve the ball and get involved in the game. He does a one-two with Shaw and gives a threadding pass back to Shaw, creating probably the only chance after his miss in the 10th minute. Rashford is more comfortable playing from the left.
The flexible movements and positioning of the players really impressed me. Also, the consequence of a flexible positioning tactic - one needs to fill in for the player who has moved out of his position. This can create a sense of confusion among the opposition. The United team need to get used to this fast positioning and movements.
SUBSTITUTE: 46' -- MARTINEZ <----> LINDELOF : Picking up an early yellow, it was rather risky to keep Martinez on as he likes to go into tackles aggresively. It was a good halftime change from Ten Hag. A red card in the first matchday is not what is wanted.
Mainly during the second half, Lindelof (#2 in the picture below) was the one who got forward to support Casemiro in the midfield and Shaw staying back in the defence. We have seen this in some games last season also. Erik Ten Hag has prasied his capability to play as a CDM.
Lindelof was educated as a six, as a controlling, holding midfielder in Benfica --- Erik Ten Hag
SUBSTITUTE: 68' -- GARNACHO <---> SANCHO & MOUNT <---> ERIKSEN : An attacking double change for United trying to chase a winner. With nearly 30 minutes to play, Eriksen would be the perfect player. He can press, pass, and create chances. Eriksen is a key substitute that United need to use very wisely. Obviously he is not the same physically as before, but his mental awareness and understanding of the game is out of the world. I think he can play 20-30 minutes without getting tired, so giving him that gametime is crucial and I am keen on seeing how Ten Hag uses him this season. As for Sancho, I personally admire him a lot. He needs to get his confidence back --- he would be a beast in the wing!
0:76:0 - GOAL! Wan-Bissaka's cheeky run past Ait-Nouri was met by a lobbed through ball from his captain, Bruno Fernandes. The United right-back eased the ball into the 6 yard box with a gentle chip for Varane to head it in. Manchester United were ahead.
After scoring the goal, Ten Hag's men fall back to more of a 4 -1- 4 -1 formation giving more stability in the midfield. The fresh legs were used well in pressing.
SUBSTITUTE: 77' -- ANTONY <----> PELLISTRI : Antony had a decent game, a promising youngster from the academy to replace him. Ten Hag really likes Pellistri. Giving gametime to the youngsters is very important to increase the squad depth and reliablilty amongst the team.
SUBSTITUTE: 88' -- RASHFORD <----> MCTOMINAY : Trying to hold the lead, this was a perfect substitution. Rashford seemed out of position the whole game. He plays more naturally and confidently when operating from the left.
CONCLUSION
It is evident that Ten Hag tried to implement a 3-2-4-1 system when in possesion. The full-backs inverted as the extra CDM alongside Casemiro. But it did not work. Almost every time, Wolves trasntioned through the United midfield smoothly -- a couple of one-two's and touches and United were open at the back.
With Lisandro Martinez receiving an early yellow, he needed to play more cautiously, which is totally opposite to his style -- he likes to go into tackles, be aggresive. He is the destroyer while Varane is more cool and likes to hold is position. This combination is very good. But you can't take the risk of receiving a red card in the first matchay!
Luke Shaw and Wan-Bissaka need to get accustomed to their role in the midfield, in order for the system to work. Also, if the transfer rumours are true, Sofyian Amrabat would be a perfect player for this role. He is strong, good on the ball -- would play an important role alongside Casemiro at the heart of the pitch. In that case, we can use Mason Mount in a more wide role to supply crosses into the box -- he has played numerous games for Chelsea in that postion.
Another point that I would like to add is how poor was Garnacho this match. He didn't proivde any attacking service. He seemed to be losing the ball too often, he was losing his balance. It was not a good day for him. He needs to get it together.
Our key man Rashford, he also seemed lost. I had noticed it in the last season also, whenever he was playing from the middle. He is way more effective and dangerous from the left. He likes to take on defenders and run with the ball. The two chances he created were also from the left only. I hope Højlund returns soon as I am waiting too see Rashford from the left and Højlund in the centre up front.
Onana had a decent debut. He became the 11th keeper for United to keep a clean sheet on Premier League debut for Manchester United and the first since Joel Periera vs Crystal Palace in 2017. Many a times, it was seen, United were trying to build from the back with Onana. He has got a good distribution ability and range. Although, the team would need some to get used to this.
Moreover, I would like to see some fluidity and confidence in passing. They need to get comfortable with each other. The amount of miss pass we did in this match is totally unacceptable. We were very vunlerable at the counters that Wolves threw at us. Ten Hag needs to work on this with the team. The most important aspect is to keep possession. The players seemed lost and lethargic when trying to create an oppurtunity and ultimately ended up giving the ball away.
THE PENALTY CONTROVERSY: I believe that was not a penalty and the decision was correct. Yes, the collision was a bit harsh, but it is not a penalty. When the ball is crossed into the 6 yard box, the goalkeeper has to come out. The penalty box is his territory. It is his right. Onana went for the ball to punch it, not to catch it. It is clearly seen from his fists. He was mid-air with his fists up, trying to punch the ball when he realised he was late and was not going to reach the ball. Immediatly he opened his fists and just made himself big so that he could atleast deflect the ball and save it from going in - well, it is the goalkeeper's job! He then collided with Kalajdzic with arms up above him. You can't pull yourself back when you're already mid-air, can you? I agree with the officials decision only because Onana had opened his fists and changed his mind to make himself big. He did not have any intention to punch the defender. It was good goalkeeping from the United debutant.
**NOTE : All the match screenshots are taken from the livestream of the match from hotstar. I have used them to annotate and provide my analytical perspectives.
Nice work brother .. your way of analysis shows your passion ❤️
A well informed match summary. Great work 👍 👍
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