Manchester United (Red Devils) | Special Thread

Maguire can also apply deft passes, such as the one against Bournemouth which found Fernandes. Pogba took up possession, fed Juan Mata and United soon created a good crossing chance. Again, Maguire’s impetus from the back was important.


Lindelof does not have the same range of passing and it is why United will look at signing a left-footed centre-half if Marcos Rojo departs this summer. “They need a player who can naturally play that ball from left to right,” says a source.

Maguire is more than adept at that left-sided position but does have to turn his body to get the angle for a cross-field pass.

 
Clean sheets are the primary objective, of course, and in that regard, United have improved with Maguire in the team. He has been involved 21 clean sheets in all competitions this season, in 48 appearances.

Solskjaer wanted to start his rebuild from the back and Maguire has provided a solid foundation.

Forget Twitter critics - Maguire has given Solskjaer's...
 
Inability to keep the ball when pressed is a wake-up call for Manchester United


Usually it is Bruno Fernandes admonishing others over standards but on the hour against Southampton, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt compelled to urge improvement from the player who has dramatically invigorated Manchester United.

“Bruno! Hey! Come on!” Solskjaer shouted from his seat in the dugout when Fernandes overhit a pass out to Marcus Rashford, ending an attack that had looked promising. It seemed a cry in context of appreciating what Fernandes is capable of and also a concern that not enough care was being put into United’s play in general.

 
The control that United have enjoyed in matches since lockdown lifted was not there against Southampton, particularly in the second half when Solskjaer’s side dropped deeper in attempting to protect their 2-1 lead. Too often passes were misplaced and there was frustration from Mike Phelan late on when Fred hooked errantly into the centre of the pitch, rather than play the ball down the line to Rashford.

Phelan swivelled in angst and motioned his hand to show where Fred should have aimed, not only because it could have launched an attack but because it would have been a less dangerous place on the pitch for Southampton to gain possession.
 
Phelan spent the entirety of the contest stood on the edge of the technical area, a sure sign matters are not progressing to United plans, and though Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team needed until the 96th minute to equalise, they were well worth their point.

It was at St Mary’s in August that United recorded their highest number of lost possessions this season (183) and Southampton’s frenzied high press in this reverse fixture unsettled Solskjaer’s side again.

United lost possession 141 times, significantly higher than in recent games against Sheffield United (107), Aston Villa (109), Brighton (109) and Bournemouth (111) — four of the five lowest totals this campaign.
 
Pressing in the final third was of course the source of Stuart Armstrong’s goal, a two-pass move instigated by a smart and sharp hunt from Danny Ings when Paul Pogba turned on David de Gea’s pass out from the back. In the 18th minute, Pogba was again slow to the speed of Southampton’s forwards, with Che Adams seizing possession but fortunately for United playing a poor pass to Ings.

Southampton’s approach did enable United space further up the pitch for those occasions they did beat the press, and Martial’s goal — fed by fluid passes from Pogba then Fernandes — was a perfect case in point. Martial and Rashford, who were both at their best, each created two further big chances through fast breaks and there was an exquisite backheel pass by Fernandes to set up Pogba. But United never really seemed at ease.
 
Pogba for instance had a passing accuracy of 80 per cent and the only time he has recorded a lower number this season came against Chelsea on the opening day (76.19 per cent).

Rather than blame his players, Solskjaer credited Southampton. “It’s the team that you play against,” he said.

“They didn’t give us any respite. We knew before the game that we were not gonna get a lot of time on the ball, so it’s risk and reward. Of course we lost the ball on the first goal. We never got the rhythm really to play, because you have to earn the right. But when we did we scored some fantastic goals.”
 
The average positions from the match show Fernandes (No 18), Pogba (No 6) and Nemanja Matic (No 31) further apart than usual, and it was little wonder that Solskjaer implored his team to stay compact in the closing stages, squeezing his hands together to illustrate his point from the touchline.

 
Even though Fernandes and Pogba gave below-par performances, United’s possession did drop in their absence, from 55.3 per cent to 36.8 per cent once Fred replaced the Frenchman in the 63rd minute. It fell to 16.8 per cent for the final six minutes plus added time that Fernandes was in the stands.
 
Overall United had 47.6 per cent possession, the first time since football returned that they have held the ball less than their opponents — and against a team who do not necessarily want to dominate play. Hasenhuttl reminded afterwards that his style is for dynamic attacks rather than methodical build-ups.

A further point to note is that United’s passing accuracy fell from 84 per cent in the first half to 71.7 per cent in the second, while Southampton’s rose from 77.9 per cent to 83.9 per cent. Hasenhuttl’s side applied increasing pressure as the game wore on and ultimately it told.
 
Amin Amin nakwambia, kama ile blunder ya VVD vs Nielson angefanya the captain himself, trending word kwenye Twitter na social media platforms nyingine wiki hii ingekuwa ni Maquire
 
Hii mkuu
 
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