Relief
Is one word that comes to mind in the immediate aftermath of Manchester United’s narrow victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. For large parts of the Manchester United looked half a step behind. We were second to every ball, all the passes looked sloppy, and we were hanging on near the end of the game. I am not just moaning either the stats back this up, 23 shots for Wolves is shocking.
Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers stats from OneFootball
The first half was so disappointing that I had kept thinking that the season started too early for United. I had to remind myself not to get too negative but at the same time it is hard not to. Last season was good, top four and a trophy was the standard I had set at the start but if we’re being honest we can admit that the season did fizzle out near the end.
We can put this down to the insane amount of games the players had to play, there was a clear tiredness in the legs. However we cannot put this lackluster performance against Wolves down to tiredness. What it comes down to for me was a lack of control in the middle of the park.
Control and the lack of it
According to OneFootball Manchester United lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation. I found this surprising since this system puts Mount and Bruno in more advanced roles. I had thought that with Mount now in the team we would line up in a 4-3-3 with Casemiro as the holding midfielder and Mount and Bruno as two roaming number eights. Similar to what Pep introduced to City and what Arteta is imitating at Arsenal.
It’s true that formations are fluid and the players are not locked in place but the eye test proves my point as Bruno was positioned higher than both Mount and Casemiro. When you push Bruno forward and have Mount sit deeper next to Casemiro you have zero ball control or playmaking in the middle.. The major issue in the game was the lack of control in midfield. Wolves were able to have their way with us, driving through a midfield that always seemed vacant. We did not have a single player in the middle who could hold the ball and then dictate tempo of the match. If you cannot control the ball you will struggle to win match chances, which is why Wolves have double the shots on target six to our three.
The goal United scored did not then come from the midfield rather from a rare Wan Bissaka cross and a Varane header. It is not a shock since the midfield of Mount and Casemiro offered nothing offensively. We do not have a player who can sit deep and play killer balls for the forwards. The midfield we used against Wolves lacked the imagination required. It would make sense to me to play Bruno there since we were in desperate need of a deep-lying playmaker.
We have seen Casemiro contribute with his playmaking last season but that is not the main aspect of his game. The main responsibility of playmaking last season fell to Eriksen, the issue now is that Eriksen has been replaced by Mount. This is where my confusion with the Mount signing comes in. The word when he arrived was that he would be an upgrade on Eriksen. The issue is Eriksen at his advanced age is better on the ball than Mount is. So you have replaced a playmaker with a player like Mount who is inferior on the ball. Mount is much better than Eriksen off the ball and can run for 90 minutes while Eriksen can’t. In terms of profile I think Mount is more of a replacement for Fred.
bETTER FRED?
Mount is the “better Fred” that many fans had been asking for; box to box, can run for days, and is tenacious. However, Mount is not a playmaker and it does not make sense to me to pair him with Casemiro in a midfield two. It is puzzling to me that Mount wasn’t just the Manager’s number one target but that the Manager offered him the historic number seven as a sign of his faith.
I have an issue with the Mount being the Manchester United number seven. Mount is a grafter, he works hard and he is an honest player. Mount is not a leader like Robson, he’s not a maverick like Cantona and he isn’t a talent like Ronaldo. Even though it is too early to give it to Garnacho, he is even more exciting than Mount.
I understand that it is one game and Mount still has to prove himself but he has not impressed me in his debut or during preseason. We still have to see what the Manager has planned but I do not think a midfield pairing of Casemiro and Mount works since their profiles don’t blend well together.
player profiles
My concern grows further when you read the transfer rumors and see who are linked to. The two main midfield targets that I have read about are Amadou Onana and Sofyan Amrabat. I actually like both of these players a lot, especially Onana but none of these guys are playmakers. They are more box to box/defensive players who offer a lot but they don’t offer us what we are missing in midfield. An athletic midfield is great,but you need to pair that with a more playmaking profile. Take Real Madrid for example.
Madrid have one of the best midfields on earth with Camavinga, Bellingham, Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos and Modric. Modric and Kroos are closer to the end of their careers and of that group those veterans are the only playmakers. I remember seeing fans on twitter note that even though the younger midfielders are powerful players they do not have a young playmaker. I brushed those comments aside and figured it did not matter since any one of Camavinga, Bellingham, Valverde, or Tchouameni could “make do” and fill in the role of a playmaker.
I was proven wrong since Madrid later bought Arda Guler; a pure playmaker. Even though Arda is only 18 he looks composed on the ball and thrives at making plays from deeper roles. How then is it possible that Madrid can see the importance of a pure deep-lying player but United can’t?
The transfer window is still open and we haven’t yet seen how Kobbie Mainoo fits into the senior team in competitive matches. We can get the “better Eriksen” in time. All we can do now is trust the Manager.