2021 Begins With A Devilish Win

It’s been a difficult start to the year for me on a personal note. As I sit to write this, I think to myself, I don’t actually have much to say on Manchester United’s win over Aston Villa on New Year’s Day. But I do know that when I start listing my thoughts, it could get lengthy.


Open & Even Game Edged By United

I felt the match was open and even. We had more attempts on goal and more shots on target than Villa in the first half. That was also made possible by Villa’s stance to take the game to us rather than sitting back and looking to hit on the break. It wasn’t the smoothest of attacking displays but I felt we could have done better in the final third. The goal we did score came through an unlikely source, an Aaron Wan Bissaka cross. He has got a lot of criticism, justified I feel, for his attacking displays but this time, he delivered an inch-perfect cross that was just missed by Tyrone Mings and nodded in by Anthony Martial. The goal Martial scored showed the predatory instincts and movement of a quintessential striker.


Pogba & The Controversial Winning Moment

Paul Pogba had a good game and deserved a goal, he got into the box several times but his shooting radar was off. He did win a penalty for us which has been disputed and controversial. I don’t consider myself to be biased but when I watched the replay, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be a penalty. A lot has been said and pointed out of Pogba tripping himself but I saw Douglas Luiz step inside to trip his leg. It turned out to be a winning moment, as Bruno Fernandes scored in his trademark fashion from the penalty spot.

Soft Goal To Concede & Top Performance By Bailly

The goal we conceded was soft. Wan Bissaka went from hero to villain. He was caught napping and dreaming on the free-kick to allow Jack Grealish to put in a cross to the back post to Bertrand Traore. He capitalised but thankfully it was not costly. Villa had more attempts on goal in the second half but it was inevitable that as long as the score stayed at 2-1, they would pile on more pressure on our goal. The last-ditch block by Eric Bailly on Keinan Davis was as important as Fernandes’ penalty. Bailly had another superb performance. I always believed that when fit, he is the best centre-back we have and he is getting a run of games to prove that.

Not Convinced Of Title Contenders Tag

We end this game joint-top playing the same number of matches as the top-placed team, our bitter rivals, Liverpool. Out of nowhere, we find ourselves in an unlikely title challenge. Are we good enough to sustain it? Are we good enough to go beyond that and win it? I am not convinced. I don’t think many United fans are confident either. Let’s take it one game at a time and let the team prove themselves on the pitch where it all matters. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Italy, The Tragedies

Image
USA 94 USA 94 and Italy’s USA 94 team will forever hold a special place in my heart. USA 94 was the first World Cup I watched and there were some memorable games and players from this tournament. Italy’s progress just fell short of being a feel-good Hollywood film. It was sweet until we met a tragic end. This was also a tournament where my all-time favourite player, Roberto Baggio was at the peak of his powers. Italy made it out of the group stage by the skin of the teeth as one of the best third-placed qualifiers. Baggio entered the tournament as the best player in the world but was below-par. He chose the right time to rise as all special players do, scoring the equaliser two minutes before the end in the Second Round match against Nigeria. Italy clicked into gear after that with Baggio back at his best, playing the heroic role. He scored the late winner against Spain in the quarter-final and two great goals in Italy’s best performance of the tournament in the semi-final against Bulg...
Read more

Manchester Bore Draw

Image
A trend is emerging this season involving Manchester United and big games in the Premier League. I am afraid the effects of that crushing 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur has meant a change in tack in approaching these games. In three games after that hammering, we have scored zero goals and conceded once. All three games have been dour, tentative and cagey. The focus is to protect the defence first and foremost before going forward. If we go forward and nick a goal, all good, otherwise the team is happy to keep a clean sheet and draw. Not A Good Point To Gain As a fan, it is frustrating to watch. It’s a throwback to Jose Mourinho days where we defended deep, went forward in hope rather than with a defined strategy. This I feel is a regression in our approach from last season where we did quite well in the big matches. I am not buying the argument that this is a good point to gain. It would have been if we were injury-hit, coming into the game in terrible form or were just not good en...
Read more

Under Pressure United

Image
Under Pressure – that’s a song from the British rock group, Queen featuring David Bowie and that is probably what Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is feeling right now after another poor performance and result yesterday against Leicester City. One win in 5 games across all competitions for the Red Devils is not acceptable form. Manchester United’s long inconsequential run of unbeaten away matches is over and just as well I say. Inconsequential because it didn’t lead us to any silverware. The team and manager were already under pressure before the international break and this defeat has intensified that pressure on United. Midfield Pairing Not Working No matter which centre-midfield pairing the manager puts out, it is easily bypassed; Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba have all got a run in the centre of the park but no one can exert control there. In the last 5 matches, I have seen Aston Villa, Villareal, Everton and now Leicester City overrun and outplay us in midfield. Defen...
Read more