Manchester United desperately needed a response against Southampton in front of the Old Trafford faithful after dropping two points against a Burnley side battling relegation. Yet United’s 1-1 draw against the Saints was almost identical to what unfolded at Turf Moor.
United wasted an opportunity to go fourth in the Premier League table. Dropping precious points ahead of a tough run of fixtures ahead will prove costly. Many supporters will agree that rescuing top four will be a mission with such inconsistency. Here are five things we learnt watching United drop another 2 points.
INCONSISTENT POSSESSION SPELLS
United have struggled to keep consistent spells of possession for a long time now. They let teams who may not have the quality, but have the fighting spirit get back into the game with ease. It was near the end of the second half that Southampton started to become fluid in possession, forcing David De Gea to make two great saves.
When you see the current Premier League leaders Manchester City smother teams and maintain a high work rate for the full duration of the match, it makes you question the desire and quality of players United have. Every game can’t be scrappy and physical. You need to win tackles, fight for second balls and put teams under immense pressure. To have 52% possession to Southampton’s 48% tells you just how close this game was.
In the first half, Ralf Rangnick’s side played in a 4-3-3 formation in attack and 4-2-3-1 in defence. Paul Pogba showed his class by getting out of tight pockets that others wouldn’t be able to do, keeping possession instead of trying to constantly beat players and making excellent ball recoveries. However, more is expected from his teammates. Scott McTominary didn’t show for the ball enough and didn’t get stuck in to win the ball back. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire looks shaky with the ball at his feet way too often. This invites so much pressure on the team when United try to play out from the back.
Having a comfortable game isn’t always about being dominant in possession. It’s about the desire to make that extra run and exert a bit more energy. At the moment there aren’t many who are willing to do that.
ANOTHER LEAD DROPPED
At half-time, I knew an equaliser was destined to happen. United started off well but how often have we said that recently? We looked dangerous on the counterattack as Southampton kept a high line and flooded the opposition’s box.
Suddenly, the Reds have gone from conceding first to securing an early goal only to drop the lead in the second half. Che Adams scored at an almost identical time to Jay Rodriguez’s equaliser. It’s becoming all too familiar now. United have now registered just 3 goals from the last 64 shots over the three games. With the abundance of attacking talent United have — it’s inexcusable.
For the second time in the club’s Premier League history, United have failed to secure a win in back-to-back games despite leading at half-time in both since December 1998. This team continues to break records for all the wrong reasons.
DEFENSIVE FRALITIES
At the pre-match press conference, Rangnick expressed his frustrations following the draw against Burnley. He was well aware that United lost shape, composure and repeatedly made wrong decisions to not walk away with a comfortable win and a clean sheet. Well, the same issues were highlighted once again in this game with the same defensive frailties on display.
Luke Shaw and Maguire’s drop off from last season is mind-boggling. Too many times they were caught out of position. Maguire in particular has not been short of any criticism this season over questions about his captaincy and basic defensive capabilities. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to turn his form around as he was chasing shirts for most of the game and got exposed by Armando Broja. One moment late in the game stood out the most as Maguire was turned way too easily by Broja who went on to bully him with his pace, leaving the England international completely blindsided.
Although United are conceding fewer goals under Rangnick, the club just don’t have the right personnel in the backline to provide stability. The forward players shouldn’t be expected to score more than one goal to grab all three points every week.
RONALDO GOAL DROUGHT
We saw Cristiano Ronaldo make his way back into the starting lineup after Edinson Cavani picked up an injury. There’s no question about what Ronaldo brings to this club – his mentality, work ethic and goal-scoring record is unmatched. However, he’s now gone six games without finding the net for the first time in 13 years — his driest scoring patch since 2009.
Ronaldo looked hesitant and wasn’t as clinical in front of goal as what we’re used to seeing. The clearest chance he had was expertly set up by Sancho early in the game to go round goalkeeper Fraser Forster. But the ball was cleared off the line by Romain Perraud as there was almost no power on it. The lack of service at times and poor defensive shape of the team isn’t helping his cause either.
SANCHO SHINES
The only shining light and player I’ve enjoyed watching of late has been Jadon Sancho. He scored his first goal at Old Trafford in the Premier League after only scoring two in his first 23 appearances for the club in all competitions. It started with a classic long ball from Bruno Fernandes to feed Marcus Rashford before making a low cross to Sancho in front of goal. He’s now scored two in his last three after finally finding his rhythm. Sancho’s work rate on and off the ball is refreshing to see. It’s just unfortunate his teammates haven’t stepped up.