Points the whole point?
A great appeal of football is the myriad pub and parlour opinions any game conjures. In the wake of Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on Sunday, social media lit-up with differing takes from those of a United persuasion.
The case for optimism featured United’s 22 shots to Arsenal’s eight and the beginnings of what may flower into an on-field bromance between Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. The case for pessimism: a crisis at No 1, with Altay Bayindir’s timidness leading to Riccardo Calafiori’s winner and André Onana’s ongoing flakiness.
Then there is the bottom line: United were defeated. As midfielder Casemiro said afterwards: “I’m not going to say that losing is OK; we have to win. Manchester United always has to win. I think we have shown good moments, and we have played much better, but we have to look for the victory.”
Everything but the goal
Within a few seconds of the game on Sunday, Mbeumo charged down the right wing and then picked out Cunha after hearing the yells of his fellow No 10. Here, then, was a glimpse of how the new boys may gel beyond the weekend, which would have been heartening to see for all United fans.
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Mbeumo’s skill-set features a killer touch, a cut-throat running ability, a calibrated pass radar and an eye for a shot. Cunha has the same abilities, as well as an ability to purr past opponents, as he did in one game-breaking run during the first half. And operating as a No 9, the Brazilian also showed he can be a differing option in that position to Benjamin Sesko.
Yet neither Mbeumo nor Cunha scored, spurning a slew of chances. This has to be fixed.
Sesko needs fast start
Sesko arrived at Old Trafford on a £73.7 million ticket of being a tall, awkward, skilful, fast No 9 and, in a 25-minute debut on Sunday after coming on as a substitute, the Slovenian offered glimpses of those traits.
But, as is the case with Mbeumo and Cunha, the heat is on the 22-year-old to tear up defences and stick the ball in the net.
United managed a paltry 44 Premier League goals last season and if Ruben Amorim cannot get more out of his newly-established attack then the head coach will be the latest to have his career sucked into an Old Trafford-shaped black hole.
Sesko needs to start at Fulham on Sunday and be allowed to show he has what it takes to lead the line for Amorim’s side.
Managing expectations
All No 1s are a few bad games away from pressure but in the fevered hothouse of United, scrutiny is a 24-7 occupation.
Amorim has spent £200 million-plus on Mbeumo, Cunha and Sesko, is in the market for a new No 6 and goalkeeper, and has had since early November to implement his ideas. Oh, and there is no European football, meaning more time on the training ground. What, then, is a reasonable expectation from the Amorim’s United this season?
No one should expect them to mount a top-four challenge, but a return to continental competition seems a reasonable expectation via an upturn in performance, meaning discernible patterns of attractive and controlled front-foot play.
The United results graph for last season read 11 wins and 18 defeats for 42 points, and a goal difference of -10 and a 15th-place finish. This has to be reversed.
Six appeal
Amorim continuing to select Casemiro ahead of Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo is a red flag regarding the weakness of United’s midfield department.
Casemiro, himself, is content. “I am very happy here,” he told manutd.com. “My family is happy here. I enjoy every day at Carrington [the training base] and at Old Trafford. If people talk from the outside, that’s fine, it doesn’t interest me. I just want to focus on winning.”
To have a man with five Champions Leagues on the CV is a boon for Amorim as he bids to pull off what proved a Sisyphean task for David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag: make United great again.
And if a No 6 can be recruited before the close of the transfer window, then Casemiro can be eased back to the bench where his experience and professionalism can continue to influence team-mates. – Guardian
