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King Power stadium seemed to be a cauldron of embarrassment and disappointment for United fans after the weekend’s shock result to Leicester. It was initially difficult to see the positives to such a display.
As some football fans and pundits from around the world reloaded their ammunition for further attacks against the once Kings of England, it was hard to resist the growing negativity surrounding the club.
However, after watching the game for a second time, it is clear that there is actually a lot to take out of the game.
The scoreline paved over what was for the majority a dominant display by the team in red. Even those fatal twenty minutes could be a blessing in disguise for United fans.
There are three main positives for Manchester United to take away from a game where everything constructive seemed lost.
Firstly, United dominated on the ball. Not that this should be anything out of the ordinary. With the likes of Angel Di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao, Ander Herrera, just to name a few, United should be dominating almost every team with the breadth of attacking options.
However, unlike the United we have come to know over last season, the dominance in possession has now transformed into something much more potent and penetrative. With Di Maria’s exceptional ball skills and pace, United looked to threaten goal much more regularly. Furthermore, there is much more balance to the forward line, with Robin van Persie and Rooney now complemented with pace and trickery from the aforementioned.
Secondly, the shock of the last twenty minutes will serve as a steep learning curve for many at the club. The inexperienced members of the side, Tyler Blackett in particular, will learn that so long as you play in the Premier League, any team is capable of changing a game – no matter the opposition.
It is also a timely reminder for newcomers such as Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo, that the Premier league is much more competitive than other leagues in Europe, and switching off for even the shortest period of time can lead to your downfall.
Louis van Gaal will also learn this lesson, and undoubtedly will think again about substituting your best two players with time still remaining in the match.
As for the third reason, well, it has been made clear that United are woefully short at the back. Even without the injuries, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling in particular have not lived up to their potential and need support. If United want to win trophies, they can’t lose games like that.
With the likes of Phil Neville calling for £100 million to be spent, you can be sure that there won’t be a lack of activity come January.
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