FA Cup: Victory at Wigan

Manchester United traveled 20 miles west to Wigan, England for an FA Cup 3rd round match with League One side Wigan Athletic at DW Stadium. This was the first FA Cup match of the season for United, and it is the sole competition left for them in which they can win a trophy. Manager Erik ten Hag is deeply aware that United supporters expect to win trophies, so he named a very strong side despite the lower league opposition.

Aside from a scary moment very early on, United were dominant in possession and chance creation the entirety of the first half. They had the lead going into halftime as well, thanks to a tidy finish from left back Diogo Dalot on 22 minutes from just outside the edge of the box. Striker Rasmus Højlund and winger/forward Marcus Rashford had both missed clear cut chances before the goal, so it was good to see one of the numerous chances actually go in. Rashford almost did have one go in after Wigan keeper Sam Tickle (wonderful name) spilled a save behind him, but he recovered the ball before it crossed the line. But United could not find another goal, and it was 1-0 at halftime. The Red Devils really should have been 3 or 4 goals ahead, and many supporters were worried that United had left the door open for Wigan to equalize.

United very much picked up where they left off as the match resumed in frigid conditions, but the weather was similar to that of United’s shooting: cold. Rashford continued to be wasteful, and he was playing indecisively when on the ball. His teammates weren’t much better, but the Wigan keeper Tickle was in fine form. He produced several top-class saves that kept the Latics in the match in both the first and second halves.

United sealed the victory on 73 minutes however when Bruno drew a foul in the box and United were awarded a penalty. Bruno was definitely clipped on his right foot by a Wigan defender, but he of course did a very good job of “selling” the penalty when he went down. He stepped up to the spot himself and sent Tickle the wrong way with a low finish for 2-0. United maintained possession and created a few more half-chances after that, but there were no more goals and the Red Devils secured progression to the 4th Round of the FA Cup at the final whistle.

First thoughts – a win is a win. It wasn’t the resounding beat down that United fans would have wanted against a team from two leagues below us, but the reality is that Wigan never consistently threatened us and we won by multiple goals. I’m very impressed with young defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, and winger Alejandro Garnacho had a very good match as well. The domination in possession and chance creation today is largely thanks to those two players.

Rashford did get an assist on the Dalot goal, but other than that he still looks rather lost at times when he runs forward. He slows the ball down far too much when making a decision, and then usually makes the wrong decision. He is at his best when he is direct and runs straight at defenders, and someone on the United coaching staff needs to remind him of that. Højlund didn’t bring his shooting boots today unfortunately, but he got a lot more service than he usually does. With enough chances, they will start going in for him soon enough. It’s still unclear to me what midfielder Scott McTominay’s role was in today’s tactics. He missed a chance or two in the box like everyone did, but other than that he was largely anonymous. I do think there is a place for McTominay in this team, although I am not sure where he fits best. ETH needs to help him figure that out.

So yes, overall, more positives than negatives, but negatives remain nonetheless. Looking ahead, United have been drawn against the winner of the Newport County FC vs. Eastleigh tie in the 4th Round. That match will be replayed after they drew 1-1 in their own 3rd Round match today. I honestly had never heard of either of these teams before today, but that is the magic of the FA Cup. Newport are in League Two, which is one league below Wigan. Eastleigh however are in the National League, which is the fifth tier of English football! It’s incredible that a club that small has a chance to play against a Premier League club. What’s even better for those teams is that whoever wins will get to host Manchester United, which will earn them a nice chunk of change in the form of match day revenue. The date of the tie has yet to be decided. United’s next match however is at Old Trafford in on January 14th, when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Before I sign off, a heartfelt farewell and Rest In Power to former German international and footballing legend Franz Beckenbauer, who died earlier today at the age of 78. He was a world-famous footballer in the 1960s and 70s, and he is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. He started as a midfielder but made his name playing in central defense. He won the Balllon d’Or twice in 1972 and 1976, and was West Germany’s captain when they won the World Cup in 1974. He was also a prolifically successful manager when his playing career ended, managing West Germany to another World Cup win in 1990. He also won numerous titles with his club Bayern Munich, and helped turn that club into the titan that it is today. His name belongs among such others as Pele, Maradona, and Charlton. RIP.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Premier League – Another Away Defeat, This Time in Nottingham

Manchester United traveled to the East Midlands of England earlier today for a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. United were looking to continue their winning momentum having beaten Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, while Forest were also looking to continue their winning form under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. For a team like Forest in a relegation battle, every point they can scrape matters. The points mattered for United and manager Erik ten Hag as well, but for the visitors it was more about putting in a competent performance and playing with the consistency that has eluded them this season.

The atmosphere inside the City Ground was electric and high energy from the start, although the play on the pitch in the first half from both sides was decidedly dull. Forest were probably slightly better on the balance of things, mainly because United were absolutely anemic in attack. They put together some decent moves towards the end of the half, but the shots on goal were few and far between. Forest failed to score as well, but they looked much more cohesive when in possession. For the umpteenth time this season, United looked clueless in attack. A key substitution was made at halftime by ETH, with defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo being replaced by fellow midfielder Scott McTominay. More on this substitution below.

The second half was much more high-energy and uptempo from both sides. Forest grew into the game considerably well, likely buoyed by their home support. The opening goal came from midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, who slotted home past United keeper Andre Onana on the hour mark. Hard to say Forest didn’t deserve it, but the defending from United was very poor. As a defensive midfielder, McTominay was responsible for defending the edge of the box. For whatever reason though, he wasn’t there and Dominguez was given an opening from which to shoot. Onana maybe could have done better with his positioning, but McTominay has to be in position to make a clearance in situations like this one.

I was resigned to another away defeat for United given their lack of urgency going forward, but the Red Devils responded a bit (finally) after going down 1-0. Left back Diogo Dalot struck the post after a good move, and United got an equalizer on 78 minutes thanks to some good pressing from winger Alejandro Garnacho and a bad mistake by Forest keeper Matt Turner. Turner had been having issues playing the ball out from the back for most of the half, and Garnacho jumped on one of his many unconvincing passes. He won the ball about 20 yards out from goal, after which he found winger/forward Marcus Rashford to his left. The Forest defense was scrambling to get back, and Rashford was able to curve a shot along the ground past Turner for 1-1. The goal came about more because of the mistake from Turner than anything else, but of course it counted all the same. I would have been more than pleased with a 1-1 given how the match had gone, as well. Well done to Rashford for finishing clinically despite not being in good scoring form this season.

Unfortunately, United’s defense was undone again just four minutes later by attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. United were pushing for a winner, but were caught out on a swift counter-attack organized by winger (and former United player) Anthony Elanga. Elanga brought the ball forward before centering it along the ground for Gibbs-White, who curled a spectacular shot around center-back Jonny Evans that crept inside Onana’s left-hand post. Again, a fine move and finish from Forest, but where was the marking from United? Evans and fellow center back Raphael Varane weren’t communicating properly, and McTominay was again nowhere to be found when he was supposed to be covering the edge of the box. Gibbs-White is a talented player, and he was given far too much room to shoot. 2-1 to Forest.

United pushed again for another equalizer and were aided by a staggering 10 minutes of stoppage time, but the best they could muster was a deflected effort from midfielder Bruno Fernandes that was saved by Turner. A few more routine saves from the American keeper helped Forest out the rest of the match, and the Garibaldi Reds 2-1 winners on the day. It was their first ever victory over United at the City Ground, and it was a crucial three points towards their survival at the end of the season. All credit to Forest and Nuno, but United were bad yet again.

Frustratingly, there was again a lack of urgency and desire from the players until they were already down 1-0. I don’t know why they don’t start trying until they’re already losing. Another big factor was ETH’s initial tactics and substitutions. He insists on playing Garnacho on the left wing, with opposite winger Antony dos Santos occupying the right wing. This is a good idea if both are encouraged to cut inside and get shots away from distance, but teams have figured out that tactic and they know how to prevent it. Antony in particular was poor today. It’s not a coincidence that United improved when he was taken off and replaced by fellow winger Amad Diallo. Antony has scored just one goal in 33 matches in 2023, and he has not justified his £85 million price tag. I don’t know why ETH simply doesn’t swap Garnacho and Antony so they can ping crosses in with their preferred foot. The “cutting inside to shoot” tactic isn’t working and hasn’t worked, so why not try something different?

Further, taking off Mainoo for McTominay was utterly baffling from ETH. Mainoo has been one of our better midfielders since breaking into the first team earlier this season, and he was doing fairly well at helping to control the midfield. So why was he taken off? There was no injury or yellow card situation for him, but ETH still elected to take him off at halftime anyway. As has been discussed before on this blog, McTominay is not a defensive midfielder. He is simply not good at it and is much more suited to attacking than the defending. It could be argued that McTominay was at fault for both Forest goals due to being out of position both times. United may still have lost anyway, but I think Mainoo would have done much better at helping the defense than McTominay did.

This is the first match where I’ve really questioned what ETH is trying to do. He needs to stop trying to make the inverted winger tactic work, and he really needs to ensure that McTominay is not playing as a defensive midfielder. Is it stubbornness from the Dutchman? Lack of options? I know the injuries have been bad this season, but I think United could have nicked a draw today had Mainoo been on the pitch longer. ETH really needs to re-evaluate his tactics, and the team selection needs further scrutiny as well. Put Antony on the left, Garnacho on the right, and stick a center forward between the two of them with Bruno in behind. Let’s get a lot more players into the box and have the wingers play crosses in to them. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there needs to be a lot more desire and drive from a good portion of this United team.

United remain 7th in the Premier League table, but could fall as far as 9th once Brighton and Newcastle play their games in hand tomorrow. Next up, it’s a short trip to Wigan, England for a match in the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic. The FA Cup is our last chance at a trophy this season, and ETH really needs a victory there to restore some of the supporters’ faith in him. If they lose to a lower league side in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the seat underneath ETH will become very hot indeed.

Glazers Out!

FA Cup: A Scrappy Victory Over Everton

Manchester United hosted Everton at Old Trafford today in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. This was the first match in football’s oldest single elimination tournament for both sides this season, but their respective forms coming in to the match couldn’t be more different. Manager Erik ten Hag has United flying high having won six in a row in all competitions, while Everton manager (and former England international) Frank Lampard knew he was very much on the hot seat after Everton’s rather dismal run of form. Both managers fielded fairly strong teams for this match, which isn’t always the case in the early rounds of these tournaments. Almost all pre-match pundits and online “experts” were picking the Red Devils to win comfortably.

Things did indeed get off to a flying start for United when they found themselves ahead just 4 minutes into the match when winger/forward Antony dos Santos tapped home a cross from forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford brought the ball forward down the left wing and hit his cross along the ground which rolled past two Everton defenders. Antony slid in at the last second and nudged the ball in from close range at the far post with Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford stranded. Good job by the Red Devils to get the ball forward quickly and well done to Rashford for putting the ball in a dangerous area, but it must be said this goal was largely the result of poor defending by Everton. Rashford’s low cross really should have been cleared by either of the Everton defenders it rolled past. A goal emblematic of Everton’s problems this season – a lack of confidence and self-belief.

Those doubts were eased somewhat for the Toffees when they got an unexpected equalizer just ten minutes later. A cross was played in from the right side of the United penalty area low and directly at keeper David De Gea, who mysteriously couldn’t quite get the ball cleared away from in front of the goal. It looked like De Gea was trying to kick the ball away first time, but his control was poor and the deflection fell straight to Everton center back Connor Coady who provided the simplest of tap-ins. An absolute howler from De Gea, it must be said. Left back Tyrell Malacia maybe could have done better to prevent the cross from coming in, but De Gea should be clearing that cross every time. Very poor decision from him to use feet like that. De Gea is a player that is reliant on confidence to play well. In the past, he has let his mistakes get the better of him mentally, and they can compound as a result. He’s made some very fine saves in the past few matches and he is still the undisputed No. 1 keeper at United, but he cannot let this mistake go to his head in the coming matches.

Everton were rejuvenated by their goal, and kept running at United for the rest of the half. When United were on the ball, they seemed to lack ideas in the final third and really struggled to break a down suddenly much-more-awake Everton back line. It was 1-1 at halftime.

United came out in the second half on the front foot again though, and were soon rewarded for their attacking intent when Rashford caused Coady to turn the ball into his own net on 52 minutes. The in-form Rashford did well to take the ball to the end line and get in a cross from the left hand side of the box. Coady probably had time to take a touch and clear it, but he wasn’t aware of the space he was in and took a wild swipe at the ball. All he ended up doing though was lifting it over Pickford, who again had little chance to remedy the situation. Rashford won’t be credited for the goal, but he created it virtually on his own. Sometimes you get lucky when you play with attacking intent!

The next 20 minutes or so were filled with more disjointed attacks and solid defending from both sides. Everton had the ball in the back of the net via substitute striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin around the 75 minute mark, and at first it appeared to be a good counter-attacking goal from Everton. After a VAR check though it was determined they were offside in the build-up, and the goal was disallowed. United escaped with a bit of luck on that one. There was definitely an offside in the build-up on the right wing, but it was the second time United failed to clear the ball after a cross from near the end-line. Credit to the big man Calvert-Lewin for stealing across the face of his marker to turn the ball in. It was still 2-1 to United though.

The final major action of this match came deep in stoppage time when substitute winger Alejandro Garnacho was brought down from behind in the Everton penalty area. Garnacho had beaten his marker and was close to providing a cross when the Everton defender effectively jumped on his back. Stonewall penalty. No doubt about it. Rashford stepped up to the spot and beat his England teammate Pickford with a low shot for 3-1. The final whistle went shortly after that and United were through to the 4th Round!

So yes, a victory. Always nice to keep winning. Rashford was excellent, midfielder Casemiro was excellent, and fellow midfielder Fred put in a very tidy shift off the bench. All praise and plaudits to them. However, this match again underlined United’s need for a big/hulking center forward. We need not only a deadly finisher, but a strong player on the ball who can hold up play with his back to goal. A striker of any sort would improve the team, but a big physical specimen would be ideal. Rashford is playing out of his skin so far this season, but if he is unavailable for any length of time, the attack is going to suffer. Striker Anthony Martial, winger Jadon Sancho, and Antony all need to be scoring/assisting more. It is also clear that there is a significant drop off in the play of our midfield once Casemiro is subbed off. I have been beating the drum for a defensive midfielder for ages, and now that we finally have one we seem intent on riding him into the ground. Casemiro is a truly exceptional player, but we need to be developing his replacement now. He won’t be able to play in every match, and the midfield can’t rely solely on him to function.

United will look to improve in their next match, when they host League One side Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford in the League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, January 10th.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Defeat at Villa Park

Manchester United traveled to Villa Park in Birmingham, England on Sunday for a Premier League match with Aston Villa. This was United’s third match in 10 days, while Villa had just appointed new manager Unai Emery after the sacking of Steven Gerrard. United fans all know him of course, having faced him several times in the Europa League while he was manager of Spanish side Villarreal.

United lost the match 3-1, with the only United goal being credited as an own-goal by Villa. The Red Devils were punched in the mouth early going down 2-0 in the opening 20 minutes, although there was hope on the stroke of half-time when Luke Shaw’s deflected effort went in for 2-1. Villa sealed the points early on in the second half though, with a 3rd goal on 49 minutes. United couldn’t fashion any more goals, and the Villans were victorious on the day.

I think there are a few reasons why this particular match was lost, and fortunately they are things that are mostly fixable or otherwise wouldn’t be a factor in other matches. For one, as mentioned already, United were on their 3rd match in 10 days, with a lot of the same players featuring in all three matches. They looked tired, simply put. They were a step behind Villa for most of the match and were routinely second best when it came to 50/50 balls. Now the schedule is part of the problem, but the bigger issue here is that this squad is incredibly thin. We have good starters and maybe 2-3 good rotational substitutes, but we are thin in midfield and up front. A striker is still probably the top concern for manager Erik ten Hag and United’s Director of Sport John Murtough, given that one Cristiano Ronaldo was again significantly off the pace again today and is likely gone in January. But more quality is needed in midfield as well. Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes have had good seasons so far, but they cannot play in every match. We need another ball-carrying box-to-box midfielder, and probably another attacking midfielder as well.

Another reason for this loss is pure unlucky timing. One thing to know about football is that when a new manager comes to a club, the players usually up their game a bit to try and impress him so that they get more playing time. They might play with more aggression and take more risks, for example. It’s called the “new manager bounce” and it’s usually good for a game or two. A new manager is not a for-sure indicator that a team will win it’s next match, but sports bettors will tell you it’s definitely something to consider before placing your wager. It just so happened that United were the ones up against the bounce on Sunday.

But not only did Villa get the new manager bounce, they got possibly the best new manager bounce they could get with the appointment of Emery and the next opponent being United. There is no single European manager that has caused United more problems in recent years tactically than Emery, and he did it again on Sunday aided by players highly motivated to play well. This is the man who beat United on penalties to win the Europa League in 2021 after all, and he did that with a much less talented side. Watch out Premier League, Emery is back and he’s out to burn the whole thing down.

Sunday was truly a perfect storm for a loss. The lads were tired due to a lack of squad depth, the opposition had just appointed a new manager, and the new manager just so happened to be extremely adept at stopping United. Nothing to do about this one except shake it off, get back up off the mat, and carry on.

The next match coincidentally however is also against this tricky Villa side in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on November 10th, although this time the match is at Old Trafford. It would be quite a shame to go out of the grand old tournament in the 3rd Round, so United will need to regroup and refocus. Perhaps a change in the line-up is required as well.

Just two matches left until the winter break for the World Cup! I will do a “pick the winners” post before the event kicks off, and I also plan on doing a preview of England’s group stage. The Americans will find that interesting as well, as they are in the same group!

Victory, But At What Cost?

Manchester United took on Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) in a FA Cup 3rd Round replay fixture at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. The FA Cup is the oldest competition in club football and is normally a single elimination tournament, but in the event of a draw, a “replay” at the other team’s stadium is required. I personally think the replay rule is outdated since it congests the fixture list for both teams and the risk of injury is greater when clubs have to play a lot of matches in a short amount of time. More on injuries later.

I’d like to see the Football Association modify the rules on replays. If you need a winner in a tournament match, just do extra time and then a penalty shootout as is normally done. No need to drag it out for another week. They’ve already scrapped replays after the semifinals anyway, so why not scrap them altogether?

Well, the benefit of replays is largely a financial one, not only for the FA but for the clubs themselves. Now, one extra match is largely not going to affect a club with financial resources like United or Wolves, but for the smaller clubs a trip to Old Trafford, Anfield, or the Etihad can be quite the financial windfall. Any move to eliminate replays would likely be seen as just another tactic deny funds to the smaller clubs.

Solution: let the managers of each team decide how to resolve the fixture if the scores are level at the end of the 90 minutes. For example, under my rule Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nuno Espiritu Santo (managers of United and Wolves, respectively) would have gotten together on the touchline at the end of the first match to discuss the two options of a replay or doing the 30 minutes of extra time and then a shootout. If the managers cannot agree on what is to be done, a replay is held. But, if both managers confirm with the referee they want extra time, then that is what should happen. This solution probably will never be enacted as it makes far too much sense, but it’s the best “middle of the road” solution to resolving the problem.

Neither us or Wolves really wanted this replay, as both clubs are going through a heavily congested period of fixtures. United had several injured players coming into the game to make matters worse, and Wolves have been playing intense and draining matches since July. Had OGS and Nuno been given the option, I think both would have elected to finish things last week after a tepid 90 minutes at Molineaux.

While this match was definitely more entertaining than the last one in terms of chances created, both teams were wasteful in front of goal. About midway through the first half a calamitous error by the United defense saw Pedro Neto through on goal, and he tucked the ball away nicely past keeper Sergio Romero. VAR got involved though to check for a possible foul on Harry Maguire in the buildup, but interesting the VAR official ruled there was a handball. As a United supporter I was happy to see the goal disallowed, but from a neutral perspective it was a close call. The ball did incidentally bounce off the arm of a Wolves player as he was winning the ball off Maguire, but under the new handball rule the decision was correct. Many people (including myself) still think there needs to be an element of intent when it comes to a handball violation, but I won’t argue too hard for that right now 😉

A few more chances were created by both sides as the half went on, but they usually resulted in shots that were easily saved or nowhere near the opposition’s goal. I feared another draining 30 minutes and a shootout were in the cards. OGS brought on Marcus Rashford as a sub for the ineffective Mason Greenwood around the hour mark in the search for a goal. It later proved to be the most consequential decision of the day.

United did get the goal that would eventually be the winner in the 67th minute, after some lovely work by Anthony Martial near the halfway line with some involvement from Rashford as well. Wolves were caught with their back line too far forward, and Juan Mata wisely ran in behind them as Martial was dancing on the ball to create space. His weighted pass found Mata’s run as he streaked towards the box, and Mata showed great composure in front of goal to deftly chip it over the onrushing Wolves keeper. VAR checked for offside, but Mata was half a yard behind the last defender when the ball was played.

Shortly after the goal, Rashford collided with a Wolves player and went down in a heap. At first it looked like he got hit in the calf, but after the match it was reported he had a back injury. Rashford was down for several minutes and needed a substitution, but unfortunately his replacement (Jesse Lingard) was not warmed up and ready to come on. Rashford was forced to just walk around on the pitch until he was ready, and then to exacerbate matters Wolves were on the ball for about 2 minutes of game play and United couldn’t get the ball out for a substitution.

Seeing Rashford in pain like that was and still is very worrisome. He’s our top goalscorer on the season and probably the best attacking threat we have in terms of consistency. While it is still not known to what extent he is injured, he seems doubtful for the showdown with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. He had only come on about 10 minutes before as well. Now Rashford’s a young guy and doesn’t have much injury history so hopefully he’s able to recover quickly, but this is why I’d like to see replays scrapped. Too many injuries. Rashford is not the first and he will not be the last. It’s true that OGS took a risk he did not necessarily have to take by bringing Rashford on, but United needed a spark so I can understand why he did it.

Next match is away at Anfield, which I am not really looking forward to. Liverpool are in sensational form and haven’t dropped any points in the Premier League since the last time they played us, and without Rashford I am less than optimistic about a positive result. I would gladly take a 0-0 or 1-1 draw. I do hope we can at least delay the title celebrations for the Scousers by another week come April/May.