Manchester United vs Burnley Match Analysis
Manchester United vs Burnley and 2021 is now over. For Manchester United fans, there were highs and lows. Before diving into Manchester Untied vs Burnley, here are the highs and lows of the year.
The highs: Leading the top of the table at the beginning of the year, making it all the way to the Europa League final, signing Jadon Sancho/Raphael Varane/Cristiano Ronaldo.
The lows: Losing the top spot to City, seeing them win the league again, losing the Europa League final. On top of that, we have humiliation to Liverpool and City, Ole getting the sack and our abysmal form lately.
The bright side is that I still do not feel panicked. Ralf needs time to implement his style and these players need time to adapt. It happens.
Manchester United Positives:
The first half was the best performance I have seen from a United side in several matches. We needed this because we barely beat Norwich and drew in a game we should have lost to Newcastle. Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, and Jadon Sancho all had great games. Nemanja Matic turned back the clock for a solid midfield performance. Mason Greenwood and Sancho were working to supply Ronaldo, who finally got a goal off a Scott McTominay screamer. David De Gea has rediscovered his form this season This match made me feel positive for our next match against Wolves. If this team can find the ability to perform like this for a full 90 minutes, we will scare some teams.
Of course we could also scare our fans, but that is a topic for another day.
Manchester United Negatives
Two areas are providing worry.
Today’s centre back pairing of Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly had some issues that led to a goal being conceded. While Bailly performed admirably, Maguire still looks to be shaky at times. When Bailly picked up a knock, Varane subbed in and helped anchor the defence. We all know Maguire can be great, as seen by his Euros performance. But so far, him and Aaron Wan Bissaka need to do more to impress Ralf Ragnick.
The next area is the midfield. With Bruno Fernandes out today due to suspension, many believed Donny van de Beek would get the start. I was extremely pleased with McTominay’s performances, and his goal was proof on why his managers rate him.
But we invested 40 million euros into Donny van de Beek, and he can’t even get minutes against Burnley?
Players want to play, and love to do so. Right now, it looks like it may be time to say goodbye to van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and even Dean Henderson. None of them feature heavily in the squad these days, and none of them are happy about that.
