-James Temlong
Source: manutd.com
Many fans
and pundits are divided between United being title contenders and fighting for
a top four spot. With a fully fit squad, United have a team that can definitely
challenge any team on a good day but do they have an adequate squad to march on
to their first premier league title in the post Fergie era? Looking at the first
few games of the season I have come up with this analysis.
LVG's continued insistence about having balance in his match day squad is one of the cornerstones
of his philosophy but strangely enough, an argument can be made for a lack of
balance in his current squad. Mata's natural position is playing in the
hole behind the striker. However, he's currently playing out on the wide right and his ability to influence games is being hindered. Due to him not being an out and out winger, he tends to come more in field, leaving us with no extra width on the right wing. The same
can be said in the case of Memphis who likes cutting in on his favorite foot
from the left side of the pitch.
While the congestion of the central areas is key in playing LVG's style of possession football, the wing backs suffers from lack of adequate coverage from the wingers. While Mata is willing to track back, he rarely shields the defender on the right wing and rarely puts a tackle in when he has the chance to leaving his defensive partner exposed most of the time. A perfect example of his lack of defensive qualities was against Arsenal where he had a fantastic opportunity to put in a tackle on Sanchez before he score his second and Arsenal's third.
While the congestion of the central areas is key in playing LVG's style of possession football, the wing backs suffers from lack of adequate coverage from the wingers. While Mata is willing to track back, he rarely shields the defender on the right wing and rarely puts a tackle in when he has the chance to leaving his defensive partner exposed most of the time. A perfect example of his lack of defensive qualities was against Arsenal where he had a fantastic opportunity to put in a tackle on Sanchez before he score his second and Arsenal's third.
The
insistence of playing a patient possession based football is one that United
fans are not accustomed to and although there is skepticism from a number of
fans, there is an argument that it that when it clicks it is a joy to watch.
Many fans and pundits alike have accused United of having possession without penetration. Against the smaller teams that defend deep and with numbers behind the ball, United have struggled to create many chances. The lack of pace and width allows the teams to play compact and watch United knock the ball about.
Against bigger teams that play attacking football it's a different case. Evident from the games against Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea, teams that play more expansive football are usually hurt by are style of play because it is easier to drag a few players out of position and also wear them down when the chase the ball creating spaces that Mata, Martial and co can exploit.
Many fans and pundits alike have accused United of having possession without penetration. Against the smaller teams that defend deep and with numbers behind the ball, United have struggled to create many chances. The lack of pace and width allows the teams to play compact and watch United knock the ball about.
Against bigger teams that play attacking football it's a different case. Evident from the games against Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea, teams that play more expansive football are usually hurt by are style of play because it is easier to drag a few players out of position and also wear them down when the chase the ball creating spaces that Mata, Martial and co can exploit.
United have
always had a proud tradition of producing youngsters from the academy that go
on to play in the first team. From the Busby babes to the Class of '92 we have
seen some amazing players emerge from withing the club and this season there is
optimism around Old Trafford over some youngsters. McNair, Pereira and Wilson
will be looking to push into the first team and neither have failed to impress
when they have been called upon.
Pereira has looked a calm but a explosive player when given the chance to play and has impressed with is dribbling, set piece delivery and goal threat. McNair is a player that LVG has a lot of confidence in and has impressed in the short cameo appearances carrying on from his good performances from the previous season. Although Wilson has not seen a lot of playing time, he has continually scored goals in the under 21s and offers a direct style of play and an eye for goal and with United playing in the League, Europe, Capital One cup and the FA cup, opportunities will surely come by for these youngsters.
Pereira has looked a calm but a explosive player when given the chance to play and has impressed with is dribbling, set piece delivery and goal threat. McNair is a player that LVG has a lot of confidence in and has impressed in the short cameo appearances carrying on from his good performances from the previous season. Although Wilson has not seen a lot of playing time, he has continually scored goals in the under 21s and offers a direct style of play and an eye for goal and with United playing in the League, Europe, Capital One cup and the FA cup, opportunities will surely come by for these youngsters.
At the kick-off
of the new season fans yielded for reinforcements after the poor performance
against Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Swansea. Many sighted the lack of
quality players on the bench, players that will be able to change a game after
being brought on. An argument can be made that United are spoiled for choice in
the middle of the park with players like Herrera and Fellaini complementing Schweinsteiger,
Schneiderlin and Carrick but there are concerns when it comes to other areas of
the pitch.
With only three strikers in the squad (two of which are below the age of 21), there seems to be a shortage of goal scorers from the bench with the exception of Fellaini who can chip in with a few goals. The right side of midfield too looks short of quality options with Valencia primarily used as a right-back and Ashley Young being the only player who seems to be an out and out winger. One will only hope Mata stays fit through out the season. Another position of concern is the left-back area and it is not because of lack of options but the unfortunate injuries being suffered in that area dwindles the pool of available left backs. With Phil Jones coming back to Fitness and Paddy McNair available, the centre back positions looks to have adequate cover and with Romero remaining fit, a back-up keeper looks up to the task of filling in for De Gea.
With only three strikers in the squad (two of which are below the age of 21), there seems to be a shortage of goal scorers from the bench with the exception of Fellaini who can chip in with a few goals. The right side of midfield too looks short of quality options with Valencia primarily used as a right-back and Ashley Young being the only player who seems to be an out and out winger. One will only hope Mata stays fit through out the season. Another position of concern is the left-back area and it is not because of lack of options but the unfortunate injuries being suffered in that area dwindles the pool of available left backs. With Phil Jones coming back to Fitness and Paddy McNair available, the centre back positions looks to have adequate cover and with Romero remaining fit, a back-up keeper looks up to the task of filling in for De Gea.
At present, Manchester United have not looked exceptional but are still picking
up points. They find themselves within distance of Man City who are
at the top of the pile. With big games coming up against Everton, City and
Palace, if united can get results through this difficult fixtures and improve on
away results, a domestic cup and a top three finish might not appear impossible.
No comments:
Post a Comment