Let's keep the momentum going!

     In the previous post I mentioned about how we had to bounce back after those poor performances and we definitely did react well to it. Two wins and hopefully three as we play Zorya Luhansk later tonight. So, what did we learn? First of all, a case of Blind versus Shaw at left back, yes it was only one game but Blind did really well. He's obviously not faster than Shaw but definitely a good reader of the game. We pushed very high up the pitch against Leicester with both Valencia and Blind bombing forward, with Luke he always seems hesitant to go forward and put crosses in the box which is a worry at times. In the wake of those three defeats, it was great to see the team pull together to regain their confidence because clearly we were lacking in that department. 

     I think the big talking point was Jose's decision to bench Wayne which caused plenty of headlines. It paid off as we were much quicker in the final third and Leicester could not cope with it. We were also very aggressive in our press and it worked as they didn't have much time on the ball. Leaving Fellaini out was also a good decision as Ander offered much more in middle of the park and gave Pogba the freedom to play his game. Special praise for Juan as he was fantastic linking up the play in the number 10 role where he belongs. It was refreshing to see Zlatan and Pogba developing an understanding of each other's game and if only Zlatan finished off the chest-volley effort, it would have been a fantastic goal. Come to think of it, four goals in the first half, when was the last time that happened? 

     However, this win is not the end of our problems. We still can work better defensively to shut teams out the way Jose has done for years and years. I think the majority of fans, including myself were crying out for that style of football for a very long time and it was satisfying to watch. This team has the potential to go far and they will only get better with time. Let's hope we keep it going and we'll be fine! 

The next blog will be written after the 18th of October as I have my finals coming up. Thank you for reading! Do share your thoughts in the comment section. 

-E14-

Bounce back or get left behind.

     Well, that was a bad week. 3 losses on the trot, uninspiring performances, and of course a loss of psychological edge after the derby loss. As a fan, I'd say it's tough to accept, but with performances like that we deserve everything we got. Unfortunately I missed the Feyenoord game but managed to watch the highlights to find that the only chance we had was Martial's shot and we continued that trend against Watford with no shots on target in the first half. I still believe that after two seasons under Van Gaal, the team is still playing in his way at times and it's taking time to move on from that. But that does not change the fact that we're playing poorly and need to bounce back before our rivals get too far ahead.

     Now, having watched the Watford game, I'd say we have some serious issues in the team. First of all, fitting Wayne in the side, there has been plenty of debate as to whether he should be dropped or kept in the side. Personally, to me, he's a world class player. However, his performances hasn't justified him a starting place. Yes we know he is the captain, but that doesn't mean he should start every game. I think he needs to be benched for us to get the best out of him. We saw Sir Alex do it in his final season, in a way you could say that might drive him to be better as he showed in the following season under Moyes. As for his position, he is definitely a number 10 to me and I believe his days as a centre forward are done. Unfortunately he cannot offer us the option to run in behind anymore, and we know what he can give us, as he showed in the Hull game. Based on stats, he had 0 touches in the box against Watford and that's simply not good enough. We should be able to find out what the gaffer thinks in the coming weeks. 

     Moving on to the midfield, I believe that we are losing games in this department, Pogba, Fellaini and Wazza, the combination is too slow and the creativity is clearly lacking. Yes he wants to win the aerial battles but we have players like Mata, Mkhitaryan and Herrera who can add that pace and creativity to the team. Manchester United are a team that thrives on the counter attack and we haven't seen that blistering pace going forward. We have strikers playing as wingers which also doesn't seem right. We can't put the blame on Zlatan as he isn't getting the service he needs to bang in the goals. From what I saw, we seem to start off with a 4-1-4-1 with Pogba and Wayne drifting left and right to cover Watford's 5-3-2 formation. We were sloppy in possession and were also bad in a positioning sense in the goals we conceded. For instance, Shaw's lack of awareness when he ran for a break instead of waiting for Martial to get away in the first goal. Mistakes were made and we need to learn quick from it and get points on the board. It's still fairly early in the season but as always, we'll be back stronger. 

Please do share your opinions on what you think should be done either here or on the Facebook post. 

Thank you for reading. 

-E14-

Derby day to learn from.

     As all of us from around the globe just finished watching the Manchester derby, from a football fan's perspective, it was a super entertaining game and that's how big games should be, not like the snoozefest we had last year. However, for once, the buildup to this game was not about the players, but rather, about the two best managers in the game as of now, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. Certainly a first time in a Manchester derby where the managers took centre stage to prove their worth.

     As a Manchester United fan, I was extremely excited and pumped for the game, reading all sorts of stats and watching press conferences to see how the managers played their "mind games" but this was a fairly friendly one as it's still early days in the league. Moving on to the actual game, when I read the team sheet this evening, I was pretty surprised to see Lingard and Mkhitaryan on the team as Mourinho especially does not tinker with his team that often. Lingard, of course, just coming back from an injury did not look sharp and Mkhitaryan who hasn't started a game, (personally I thought he would be good for this game) but he looked lethargic as well.

     It was a game of two halves, with City dominating the first half and us in the second pushing for that equaliser. Personally I thought we made critical errors in the middle of the park today and were punished with some quick passing and interchange by the City players. Unfortunately for us, Blind had a shocking game as well, making two poor judgments in the two goals. On the other hand, Rashford and Herrera completely changed the game when they came on, shouldn't be too long before those two get a place in the starting 11. But all in all, I believe this is a lesson to learn from and I'm sure we will learn from this defeat. In hindsight, it would have been easy to say that Jose made tactical mistakes in the lineup, but he knows more than us in terms of what goes on the training ground and so on. After all, the manager has the final say. Learn from it and we move our attentions to Feyenoord midweek and Watford next weekend. "Win, lose or draw United till I die."

-E14-