Welcome back to the blog…
If you’re too cool to click over to the about page, these blogs are going to be synopsis of the games through the structure of the iconic 4-4-2. Each matchday, I’ll give my thoughts on the game via 4 takeaways, 4 players worth talking about, and 2 things worth saying that no one else might be. I’ll wrap it up with some forward looking things. The fun of writing this blog is to let out the fan, don’t worry about being absolutely right, and be unabashedly biased.
Quick Summary for Context:
Manchester United loses for the second straight week to the big rival Liverpool, 3-0. A giveaway trying to pass the ball on the ground through 3 Liverpool players as we are building an attack results in a Mo Salah floated cross to Diaz at the back stick in the 35th minute. Quickly followed up in the 42nd minute with a dive gone wrong leading to a quick pass and tap in by Diaz for his second of the game. Then we conceded again to Mo Salah in the 56th off a United restart to put the game away for the rivals.
4 Takeaways:
- I ended the blog last match day emphasizing that the game is basically a must win at home to prove that with Ten Hag we are ahead of Liverpool under a new manager. We got beat, not throttled, but handily beat by a seemingly much more mature and seasoned unit on the Liverpool side. The thing about the system is that it doesn’t carry enough venom, we dominate stretches of the game, cross into the attacking third and seemingly run out of ideas. We are about 300 minutes into the season and our best passages of play are happening between our own box and the halfway line. Which is great and all but it’s forcing these giveaways that become last ditch defending efforts instead of getting the ball forward and losing it on the other side of the pitch and setting up the press to win the ball back. When you aren’t generating corners, goal kicks, and in general challenging the opponents touch line the press is useless. It’s becoming frustrating to try to accept Ten Hag, however I will say today was totally on the players for me. I don’t think in any world where you’re dictating play and have a veteran player effectively spoon feed a counter to the other team is being coached. Someone will have to take the fall and unless Ugarte comes in and changes the teams’ output we won’t see anything against quality opponents. Only caveat is that we have played some quality opponents to open up the season but losing the way we have lost is unacceptable and that starts with the manager.
- Who is going to take responsibility on the pitch. At some point we have got to see someone come out and demand better. There’s a clear lack of interest while watching this rivalry game of players who see that first goal go in and then turn it into a motivator to get it back. Players of the caliber of Bruno, Rashford, and Martinez should be the ones to rally the boys at home and get us back into the game. Every time we get scored on it looks like a death blow, its only one goal. I just wish that I could look at one leader on the pitch with positive body language in situations like that, but I’m currently not seeing it. I did like what I saw out of De Ligt today and maybe he’s the right player to shift the attitude but I do understand that when Casemiro shits on you twice in ten minutes it is difficult to be rah-rah on the pitch.
- We make more fatal mistakes than any other team I’ve ever watched. The first 25 minutes of the match we played what appeared to be a sustainable style of play against Liverpool who sets up very structurally sound and difficult to break down. Outside of the disallowed goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 7th minute, we took possession and played within our structure the way we wanted to dictate the game. The attack seemed predicted on funneling down the left side with Dalot and Rashford going after what is the weaker on ball defender in TAA. Then we give up the goal, on what is a fatal error by Casemiro who before the first goal giving giveaway had given away four turnovers that resulted in better than the run of play would suggest chances for Liverpool. You could see all the running our front 6 were having to do because of the absolute wasted balls we had despite controlling the pace of the game up until the game. Then you have two other turnovers and we go down 3-0. The 3rd being the worst by Kobbie, coming off a free kick near the halfway line, the team just restarts play with no clear plan, just a few throw away passes which triggered a 4 vs 2 and Salah scores on us at home again. Again and again and again today it was 3 errors, 3 goals and we are becoming a team that becomes gluttons for punishment.
- Getting shutout at home is total garbage. This is Manchester United, and we have 2 goals in three games, and only one goal at home. Yes, Liverpool hasn’t conceded and have probably the best defense in the premier league but we can’t let this trend of getting shutout at home continue. As a fan watching the squad at Old Trafford its almost sad when you’re not even sure who that player is for us. More on Zirkzee later but even putting one of those 3 chances he had home would have a different feel where you really could blame it all on the midfield giveaways but when you don’t manage to score the blame goes all around to everyone.
4 Players Worth Talking About
- Casemiro – He’s certainly worth talking about. I’m not sure what else has to be said that hasn’t already been put out there but it is all too obvious that he’s washed both physically and seeing the game. The misread of the situation on the first goal was so poor I would’ve been fuming at one of the players on my rec league teams for the same type of pass let alone a professional footballer. You’d think what he’s lacking in pace or strength he’d be able to make up for with the mental side of the game, hell even relish in the opportunity to pull the strings, but he looks as though we’ve asked him to play the game on Mars.
- Joshua Zirkzee – Guy has got to score the big chances. That’s what makes you the striker we’ve been missing in the team and there’s not much else to say that scoring is a habit and the clutch goal he had against Fulham isn’t going to last much longer. Bag the goals when you get the chance and I promise the vibes around the club will change.
- Lisandro Martinez – We may have to start talking about how subpar he’s been lately. He’s just not sharp with his passing his defending hasn’t been bad but it hasn’t been stand out. I just think his general swagger was missed yesterday, the swagger we saw against Fulham at home. Rallying up the crowd, making the crunching tackle, pushing the team into the attack, those are the characteristics we so badly need from him and he appears to be on autopilot to a degree. I hope he takes the three goals personally and we see a shift from the team starting with him and De Ligt.
- Toby Collyer – His 45 minutes were so much better than Casemiro that he will get his chances this year once Casemiro gets pushed to the second or third side. I like his legs, his interventions are well timed, and he even created a chance for Zirkzee by winning a header down to Zirkzee’s feet who fired off a shot and forcing a save. He’s got some abilities but even if he just sacrifices his legs and plays within himself for the team over the coming weeks while Ugarte gets up and running I am certain the team will be happy to not have to chase the game on useless giveaways as much.
2 Things No One Else Might be Saying
- Ten Hag gets about 3 more big games and if it isn’t 6 points in those matches, then it is time turn it over to Ruud.
- Top 4 looks so far beyond this team’s current makeup that I’m going to need to see convincing performances against anyone to turn the belief fountain back on.
We get an international break, hopefully none of our players get called into squads and we can give Ten Hag time to source something creative going forward.