Turf Moor win

NMNSGR
NMNSGR
Sep 3, 2018 · 5 min read

A win away from home is always welcome, specially against a team like Burnley; they are a tough side infact I refer to them as BURLY, however these are not the ties that will win you the title but a loss here can cost you the title. A lot of fans and players and specially the manager seems giddy about the win against Burnley who are the lowly side of the league at the moment. Yes this is a positive results and stopped further decline of United this season but its also a mandate win and this wasn’t even a league winner’s performance as there were moments where the defense looked jittery and the attack simply was blunt. Pogba’s duck waddle penalty miss, Lukaku ramping up his tally of open net misses is sickening and then Rashford’s stupid red card are enough reasons to get my bum twitchy. Luckily all this omens meant nothing today because we were up by two goals and Burnley were just too dull, they neither had sharpness in attack nor energy after playing mid-week trying to qualify for the Europa league.

These wins will have to become more of a routine if we are to be anywhere near the title this season as the competition is tougher than it has ever been. I am not criticizing Mourinho or the team for the result or the way we played but just want to point out that today’s win will mean nothing in the long term. There is still more work to do during the ensuing International break; Ohh! I so dread these meaningless international friendlies, that we must not spend a second relishing win at Turf moor. Here is my performance measure of the last night-

Ref. Jon Moss had a bad game, he misjudged far too many incidents for Premier League standards, failed to spot clear fouls in the game and his nonchalance allowed Burnley to impose themselves physically on United in the second half. I expect better refereeing standards from FA, maybe introduction of VAR will sort out a few issues but only because it will discourage players from making deliberate fouls or over committing into a challenge.

PLAYERS —

De Gea (6/10)— Mostly he was well screened from danger but dealt effectively with whatever threat seeped in through the defense.

Luke Shaw (8/10)— A revelation of the season, some are calling him the renaissance man of United. Involved in attack and defense as well, he must be Mourinho’s most trusted guy at the moment and hoping that he will allow Young to have a long rest this season.

Lindelof (6/10)— With the protective wall of Matic and Fellaini in front combined with dull Burnley attacks he saw the game out, however is long way to go before he establishes himself into the team.

Smalling (5/10)— Average at best, could have earned a yellow for his challenges in and around the box costing United massively. He is unsuited to our cause and must be replaced immediately. The win only papers over mistakes he made in the game and was massively helped by Jon Moss not noticing them. He is a ticking bomb waiting and would be a death blow in crunch games.

Valencia (7/10)— Kept things neat and tidy by snuffing out danger from the right, however was quite wasteful in the attacking third as he cannot cross and draws teammates towards him for support.

Matic (8/10)— Building momentum for his season as he puts in another confident shift. He will again be a key player for Mourinho as his no-nonsense style is loved both by Mourinho and the fans. A potential fan favorite and Captain material.

Fellaini (8/10)— Do what you want, say what you want but Mourinho trusts Fellaini a lot and yesterday Fellaini reciprocated the trust with a robust, no-nonsense shift where he kept heading dangerous balls out of the United’s box. One of the best performance from Fellaini in a United shirt in my opinion.

Pogba (7/10)— Decent shift but poor penalty keeps me sour over him, clearly showed that he practiced dance moves and penalty routines more than actually worrying about his performances. That duck waddle penalty approach was lame as heck when he doesn’t score and even if he would have scored I am sure it would have been followed by lamer celebration.

Sanchez (9/10) — Finally started to deliver on his promise after ages of waiting. He was the main driver of the United attacks and without his brilliance we would have surely drawn this game too. Hope the International break helps him get in a good shape and there are more such performances from him in the future.

Lingard (7/10) — His industrious nature adds so much to the game at times. Considering that United had a non-existent attack on the right it was only because of Lingard’s buzzing around in the final third that players like Sanchez and Pogba found spaces to operate from.

Lukaku (8/10)— Scored twice and was unlucky to complete his hat-trick which after a series of three ducks would have redeemed him of all the blame and catapulted him back into “World class strikers” club. Still think that he needs to work his skills against a keeper in one-on-one situations.

SUBS

Rashford (3/10)— Poor, poor and poor. Though the best part is he knows this too. Here is a time when he can prove to manager that he is worth the United shirt by putting together some decent performances but he loses his control and gets the card. I am never amiable to players who make stupid decisions in crucial matches and then leaves his mates to fight out the match. In the past Rafael has costed us twice, Smalling once and I have come out strongly against such stupid mistakes. Hope he gets back with a bang while proving himself for England over the International break.

Herrera (6/10)— Kept the ball in the closing stages when United were a man down. Didn’t have much opportunity to showcase anything except for his knack for keeping attacks at bay. Right hand side without him would have been battered by the Burnley players.

Bailley(/) — He was just a technical switch to trickle down the few remaining seconds.

MOURINHO (10/10)— Worked the fans, worked the press and worked the board. Used presser well to pass the message to Woodward that it is only with the team that the board wins. Told press that he is no longer going to make silly comments and give them fuel for their articles. Conveyed his warmth to the fans for supporting him through this rough patch. On the field his tactics were brilliant to dilute Burnley counters by cleverly employing Fellaini and Matic, was able to try out a new partnership of Lindelof and Smalling, gave more freedom to Pogba in the middle. He of all the people totally deserves this win.

NMNSGR

Written by

NMNSGR

I don’t write much, but sometimes I do churn an article or few regarding few of passions — Football, Manchester United, Data science and arts.

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