The Mailbox ponders whether Paul Pogba might be regretting his life choices. Also: tweaking Arsenal; and is no VAR worse than the current version of VAR?
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United still going backwards
While it’s not surprising to see so many Utd fans happily surprised with the current 4 wins, given the dross served up last year and the terrible start, isn’t it all just a higher priced version of Ole-ball?
Utd reverted to playing counter-attacking football under Ole, as caretaker manager, following attempts by Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho to change, which got them into a winning streak. Utd couldn’t execute the requirements to play a more ‘modern’ style – ball retention, ability to evade the press, playing out from the back, a coordinated press in the opposition’s half etc – so reverted to the simplest of tactics.
Ten Hag was brought in to change that style and has been given over £200m in transfer spend and yet following losses in the first two games has decided to forego his pre-season planning and ideas. This does not bode well in the longer run. How many more players have to be changed before Utd finally get a modern team?
Paul McDevitt
United’s spine
So even before Sunday’s game against Arsenal, I felt that United could definitely get the win after some confidence and form had recovered over the last 3 league games, but it was a different kettle of fish with Arsenal who had won all league games so far this season. And to United’s fortune, Partey was not available for Arsenal and United took big advantage of this with Eriksen, McTominay & Bruno all playing as an incredibly efficient midfield trio, something I haven’t seen from United in a bloody long time!
Given Casemiro hasn’t even started, we actually seem to have options of quality in midfield now. Ever since United signed Matic in summer of 2017, and it was a midfield three of Matic, Pogba & Herrera for around 18 months under Jose, it just seems like for the first time in 3-4 years we have quality central midfielders who are the core of the team and can actually dictate play and provide through balls to the strikers, but also keep the ball quite efficiently possession wise.
Got to give it Ten Haag for being bold and turning this around with 4 straight wins in a row since the 4-0 defeat to Brentford three weeks ago. In hindsight, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise United got thrashed, because it gave him leverage to make the bold…
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