Bore Draw United

 Manchester United was back at Old Trafford after getting smacked silly by Tottenham Hotspur the last time we played at home. Since then, they have recorded two impressive away wins, against Newcastle United in the league and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The opponents this morning were another big team, Chelsea. Last season, United had beaten them three out of four times across all competition, losing arguably the most important match, the FA Cup semi-final. Both teams approached this match in indifferent form and what transpired was a battle of attrition. A bore draw that was a kick in the nuts of everyone who proudly claims that matches in the English Premier League are exciting and open.

Tepid Display

Both teams played without the intensity and competitiveness that these matches had in the past. Neither team looked like they wanted to take a risk out of fear of making a mistake. Both teams will feel frustrated that they could have got a better result had they risked more. United had more attempts at goal, more shots on goal and the best chance of the match so we would leave this match with lots of regrets. But at the same time, we were lucky not to give away a penalty as Harry Maguire had clearly manhandled Cesar Azpilicueta on a cross. 

Wrong Selection

It would have been wonderful if we had the benefit of hindsight and that applied to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer as well. He stayed loyal to the starting line-up that beat Newcastle United 4-1 in our last Premier League outing. As it turns out, it was not a vindicated decision. The popular opinion leading to the match among United fans was to keep the selection and formation that served us so well in the midweek big match against Paris Saint-Germain. To analyse the selection better, I would need to get into the performance of the players.

Players Performance

David De Gea didn’t have much to do in goal. Defensively, we didn’t put a foot wrong and that extended beyond the defenders. Scott McTominay and Fred contributed too to that defensive performance. The form of McTominay and Fred justify their selection but perhaps the selection of someone like Donny Van De Beek or Paul Pogba from the start alongside one of them would have given us greater attacking quality. The introduction of Pogba and a change in formation did little to help United breach Chelsea’s defence.

Dan James was stifled on the left flank by his namesake, Reece James. Chelsea’s James impressed me because he was unstoppable going forward and impenetrable in defence. Luke Shaw couldn’t get the better of him in attack and had difficulty getting to grips with him in defence. Shaw was impressive in midweek playing in a back three, showed his inconsistency again with a performance that lacked attacking quality.

I didn’t feel Juan Mata did too badly but the link-up he had with Bruno Fernandes wasn’t as effective as it was against Newcastle. The best chance of the match fell for Marcus Rashford but Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy pulled off a good save with his feet. Besides that chance, his impact on the match was limited. Edinson Cavani came off the bench and nearly scored with his first touch. For the rest of the game, he lacked the supply needed and the one time he had a chance, his former team-mate, Thiago Silva was sharp in blocking his shot. Perhaps Mason Greenwood should have started as well.

Winning At All Costs

All the ifs, buts and maybes. As Solksjaer said in his post-match interview, it’s easy to say who should play but who should sit out? That is a decision the manager has been paid to make. Chelsea is a stronger team with better quality players compared to Newcastle. Solksjaer should have been more careful and thoughtful in his selection and formation to win this game. One could say it was a good point to gain from a tough game. It was a good solid performance after a tough European game but in games such as this, it is all about winning the game one way or other regardless of performance.