It was far from pretty but at least it wasn’t incompetency that we saw in the first game of last season. The result was the same but there was more promise in the win over Fulham. The winner eventually came from Zirkzee almost deflecting a cross from Garnacho into the net in the dying embers of the game. Bruno could have easily had two in the first half, Mount should have had one and Garnacho should have definitely had one at the end, even if the pass from Rashford was less than desirable. A win is the most important thing but hopefully this is a foundational block to better performances and a more steady season than the mess of last year.

Boxing Ourselves In

We ended the season in a shape that was looking to stabilise us after what was a cascade of shots on our goal by opponents. Ten Hag settled upon a 4-2-2-2 shape but with two false 9s. It gave us an incredible amount of numbers in the middle of the pitch, completely opposite to what we were seeing before. The two “nines” drop back into space in front of the two CMs and the two wingers really narrow to make it almost a 4-2-4 but the space ahead of that front four is so much that it is almost like 4-2-4-0. Defensively, it gives us a lot of solidity and today, Fulham did find it difficult to create a lot of openings as they did a few months ago when they were unfortunate to only beat us 2-1.

The problem it does give us though is that the shape can mean a lot of players are standing centrally so if you are no willing to punch it through the lines, the opposing team can keep a semi narrow shape so that the wingers aren’t given the qualitative superiority the formation can often bring nor the pockets are receiving any service. It was only when Fulham had a breakdown in communication or when their legs started to tire in the first half that United were able to get joy. The second half started in much the similar fashion whereby the Cottagers were the stronger starters and United struggled to really turn that tide for the rest of the half. Whereas last week, Amad was able to get on the ball and run at the City defenders, Fulham did not allow United to really get the ball to him high and early. More often than not, it was him having to generate combinations with Mazraoui and Mainoo on that right hand side but never enough to really generate anything of any note.

Off the ball, the press managed to yield some good. The Bruno chance where he tries to trivela, instead of going with his left as he should have, came from pressure put on the keeper as Casemiro was able to pick up on the loose ball from Leno to put the Portuguese man through. Often though, we did go back into a mid block to choose our moments rather than constantly being expanded as we were last season. Oddly enough though, when you saw the two changes as Mount and Amad came off with the introduction of Zirkzee and Garnacho, you saw the game open up simply because the press was not as pronounced due to the work that the former two do off the ball. In the end, those two were the ones that combined to give us the winning goal. A semblance of balance between both the defensive security of the 4-2-2-2 and the ability to generate attacks of the 4-2-3-1.

Other Thoughts

If you got someone who had never watched football to name the three players who had been off on international duty during the summer, even they would have been able to tell you that it was Lisandro, Bruno and Dalot. Martinez had one of the most poor games he has had in a Man Utd top. His passing was incredibly off, Adama Traore was able to ghost past him early in the game, even if Martinez was able to get it back in blood. He looked heavy on his feet and the leaden footedness was both evident in his defending and in possession of the ball. Bruno looked incredibly tired in his decision making and hesitated several times when usually he cannot wait to get the ball out of his feet to find a pass. Dalot was probably the best of the lot but still looked rusty.

In contrast, Mazraoui for a debut was excellent. You can see how much better in possession he is than the man he replaced in Wan Bissaka. One moment where he took it on his back foot to disjoint the Fulham marker and then passing into the free man was almost like a Hallelujah moment with what I have had to watch down that right hand side for the past 10 years. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and it might even spell trouble for the LBs who are currently on the injury table as he might make it impossible for them to get back in.

He was not the only one. A special mention is deserved for Casemiro as he followed up the good performance last week with another this week. There were still hallmarks of poor lapses on and off the ball but they seem to be a chronic symptom of The Casemiro Experience at this point. If there is one big beneficiary of Ten Hag’s decision to stop playing football like a mad man, then it will be the Brazilian.




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