Had it not been for the sublime reflexes of David De Gea, Manchester United may have been heading into the international break on the back of a defeat.
The Spanish goalkeeper – who has blown hot and cold over his decade-long career in Manchester – came up with perhaps the save of the season with the game locked at 0-0 at Molineux on Sunday.
Not only did he block Romain Saiss’ header from a corner but he then got a hand to the rebound four yards from goal. It would prove a turning point in the game, as Solskjaer swiftly brought on Anthony Martial to bolster United’s attacking arsenal, and eight minutes later Mason Greenwood popped up with the winner.
United go into the break with seven points from three games and the exciting prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo making his second debut against Newcastle in a fortnight’s time.
Here, i unpicks four things we learned from the narrow victory over Wolves…
More to come from Varane/Maguire
The arrival of Raphael Varane perhaps rightly has United fans believing that they finally have the defensive solidity required to challenge for major trophies once again. Gone are the days of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo – decent players but not at the level of Solskjaer’s new-found centre-back pairing.
Varane alongside Harry Maguire could be a league-winning match but the tests will come in the weeks and months ahead as to how their relationship develops. Neither is an elite-level distributor even for a centre-back, but positioning and reading the play means that defensively United are now in safe hands.
The only issue will be when they come up against opposition offensive units that require more than just two centre-halves to combat. How the pair orchestrate the midfielders in front of them will perhaps be where United succeed and fail this season.
Midfield anchor still required
Talking of the men in front of the defence, United’s Paul Pogba and Fred struggled to handle the direct pace and intricate feet of Adama Traore, who all too often got a run on the visitors.
Pogba was moved back for this game despite having excelled as part of United’s three-man line behind the centre-forward in recent weeks. Because he likes to go forward, the job of handling Traore was left to Fred – and the Brazilian didn’t have the best of afternoons.
Solskjaer wasn’t burned this time but he still needs to find the right protection in midfield that allows him to start Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and three others up the pitch. Scott McTominay, like Fred, is perhaps too inconsistent.
Granted, United won’t come up against a player like Traore every week, but teams such as Chelsea and Manchester City have those marshals in place whoever they face. United still don’t have one they can rely on.
Cavani was never enough
The introduction of Edinson Cavani early in the second half, with the game still locked at 0-0, was Solskjaer’s effort to inject a clinical dynamic into a United front line that had struggled to break down Wolves’ deep defensive unit.
But it wasn’t enough. Wolves had the majority of chances and openings during a fairly cagey game, while the Red Devils had managed just one shot on target by the 70-minute mark.
Cavani replaced Daniel James and shortly after Jadon Sancho was hooked for Martial. The two players most at risk of losing their place to Ronaldo between them did very little, as it was Greenwood’s individual effort that forced the breakthrough.
With Martial the back-up centre-forward to Cavani heading into this season, it’s no wonder United felt that the latter was not enough. Ronaldo is a smart signing in more ways than one.
Ronaldo’s nous required
Indeed, the arrival of Ronaldo should give United greater firepower particularly in games such as these, when the opposition reverts to five at the back. Wolves were happy to protect their box and doubled up on any runs United’s players made towards the danger zone.
Of course, Ronaldo isn’t the lighting-fast dribbler he was when he departed United in 2009. However, he has the nous required to play the centre-forward role, hold up play, distribute and find small pockets of space in the box.
And that presence is invaluable against deep-lying defences and teams that clog the channels. Having Bruno Fernandes feeding him balls should produce plenty of goals against defensive-minded teams.
And as United have discovered under Solskjaer and before him Jose Mourinho, it is converting draws into wins – including against Southampton last week – that have been the real difference between them and the very top of the Premier League.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3sUnTw6
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