Tyrell Malacia v Sergio Reguilon
The debate of who’s the better left-back
I like both players. I think they are exactly what we need, in a backup left-back. When Shaw is available, neither of them are anywhere near good enough to displace him in the side.
Right now, things are working out for Reguilon because he is the only fit and ready left-back. But to be fair to him, he is really making the most of his opportunity. Some might say that this is because he wants a permanent move to United so as to try and rejuvenate his career, but even so, he is performing very well.
But it has only been three games though. Three games is all it took for people to start to like this player when most (including myself) didn’t want him. Erik ten Hag seemed to prefer Marc Cucurella as well over our loanee left-back.
What I have been impressed when it comes to Reguilon though, is the energy and fight he has in him. He’s given absolutely everything on the pitch every time he’s played which is something all fans and coaches love to see.
This was even more of a standout as most of the rest of the team didn’t have this type of attitude, at all.
It has honestly been refreshing.
Going forward, very, very good. I love how he isn’t afraid to take players on, go down the line and put in a cross. That is something that we don’t do enough even more so on that left side because of how selfish Rashford can be. The quality of delivery is also top from the Spaniard.
But defensively, he does worry me as I do find him quite suspect. He’s not terrible but any good winger can give him a lot of trouble. And forget about a brilliant winger because Sergio hasn’t got a chance against those.
On Saturday, Koleosho gave him plenty to think about, and he is only a Burnley player (with all due respect). On opening night of the Champions League, Sane did have the beating of him more often than not IMO. Leroy was all over Sergio in that right-wing position.
There was however, that moment where the left-back did track Sane across the pitch before making a great tackle to stop Bayern from having another chance at goal. That is the sort of effort we like to see.
Despite him having several attributes to get behind, as he is a second-choice signing after Cucurella, is only on a loan until January, one does have to think how ‘highly’ the club rates him.
Another factor to consider is that while he has played for top clubs such as Sevilla, Real Madrid, Spurs and most recently, Atletico Madrid, not cementing a spot in those sides can pose the question as to how good he actually is. He was also on loan at Atleti last season.
If he really was highly rated as some United fans seem to think, then why hasn’t he been more of a mainstay in those sides?
This all sounds as if I’m playing him down even though he has performed superbly for us since joining, but I don’t want to be too reactionary. A lot of people come across as this because like I said, most didn’t even want him but now that he’s played well for only three games, everyone prefers him over Malacia and feels he could challenge Shaw for that left-back spot in the future.
What I will say is that if he can improve defensively and keep the rest of his game at the high level it’s at right now for a sustained period (10 games or so), then I’ll be saying that we have a serious player here.
Looking at Malacia’s time at United, he’s been decent. There’s been a few performances that were eye opening, especially his debut at home against Liverpool. Coming up against Salah and keeping him quiet for most of the game, is no easy feat. This was also at a time when we were really low as a club.
Defensively, he is more solid than Reguilon. I feel more confident in him than compared to his new competitor. Although, going forward and on the ball, he has never really impressed me, similar to Wan-Bissaka. The former Sevilla player wins that hands down.
Reguilon is also 2-and-a-half years older than Malacia and has had more experience. Tyrell only had that one breakout year in 21/22 which caught the eye of ten Hag which we all saw in that clip where he was impressed with what he saw from his fellow Dutchman.
He also came into the team because of how poor Shaw was at the start of last season and did so well that people sort of forgot about Luke. Everyone was really happy with how well Tyrell was performing and wanted to see more of him.
People tend to forget about this when looking at his first season. He really gave us something that we were missing from Shaw and worked perfectly for that defensive style the manager was playing at the time.
Like Reguilon, he too has a lot of energy, passion and fight to his game. So much so, that I think it works against him at times because he can be too aggressive and rash.
Malacia has only had the one season at United as well. One season isn’t enough for him to make or break his career at the club because it needs to be longer than that.
It’s unfortunate that he’s injured at the moment. I’m sure if he was fit we probably wouldn’t have even gotten Reguilon. But now that Sergio is here, it will be interesting to see who the manager chooses between them once both are available.
Of course, as Malacia is a long-term injury and so is Shaw, maybe both will return at the same time. This could also give ten Hag a selection headache as if Reguilon continues to perform as he has, will he drop him for Shaw?
A comparison of them over the past season:
These two remind me a lot of Dalot and Wan-Bissaka. Diogo going forward, top. Defensively, can be suspect. AWB going forward is suspect. Defensively, top. Morph them into one, and we have one hell of a right-back.
Malacia and Reguilon do have their pros and cons but if we could morph them into one just like with our right-backs, we would have a brilliant left-back.
Well, actually, they’d just create Luke Shaw.
Neither have truly given me a reason to think that ‘he’s him’ but they have impressed me in the time they’ve been at the club. More of the same for a longer period is what’s needed before truly judging them.
Who would you pick between these two?
#ERIKTENHAG #MALACIA #REGUILON #LUKESHAW #MUFC #GGMU #GLAZERSOUT
