Everton 0-3 Man United: Four Things We Learned
With four changes to the side that were taken apart by Arsenal two weeks ago, Herrera, Rojo and Schneiderlin all made their mark during a comfortable win at Goodison Park. Here are four things we learned…
Schneiderlin owned the pitch
In my last “four things we learned”, I stated that Schneiderlin does not belong on the bench and boy did he prove that today. From the moment the first half kicked off, Schneiderlin controlled the midfield, attempting 70 passes and completing over 97% of them, the kind of control that van Gaal expects to see and it’s this vision of the Frenchman that has made him one of my personal United favourites. He knows how to use his pace to stop the midfield becoming too slow and predictable like against Arsenal two weeks ago. He’s the perfect shield for his centre-backs and can unlock the opposition with his deadly precise passes. That lovely controlled finish to earn his first Manchester United goal was just the icing on the cake.
Rojo could fill the vacant left back role
Since the unfortunate injury to Luke Shaw, United have looked very shaky and unsure of themselves at the back on the left-hand side. After experimenting with a number of players in that position, van Gaal gave Rojo another shot, with surprisingly good results. He was strong in defence but more importantly, he was constantly going forward which we haven’t seen in past performances from him. Such was the extent of Rojo’s impact that he played a part in the opening two goals as the ball bounced off him and to Schneiderlin for the first followed by a pin point cross to Herrera for the second. More performances like today and Rojo could be in pole position to fill in this season for Shaw.
Martial is as versatile as he is talented
Just under two weeks ago, I told people in this article that Memphis needed to be dropped for a game as a wake-up call that his performances were below the Manchester United standard, with that being said, I wasn’t surprised that Memphis didn’t even make a cameo sub appearance. Instead, in his place, Martial performed brilliantly. There’s no question that he is more dangerous in a central role, but while Martial was on the wing, his blistering pace was invaluable as he darted down the left flank. However it wasn’t just going forward that Martial once again impressed. He linked up brilliantly with Rojo and was constantly tracking back to help defensively, more than Memphis and Young ever did. With being able to play on either wing as well as up front, this young lad is properly dangerous and continues to be a revelation of a signing.
Herrera deserves more starting XI gametime
With Memphis dropped, Martial on the wing and Rooney as the centre forward, this left the number ten position empty and allowed Herrera to once again excel. The Spaniard is one of the most under-rated players I have come across since he can’t nail down a place for United or Spain despite having the quality. Herrera possesses a great mixture of pace and passing and clinical finishing to make him a complete all-rounder midfielder. Unfortunately, I feel that this versatility is what prevents Herrera from starting week in, week out. The phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ comes to mind, as he isn’t good enough defensively for the current central midfield role, too slow for the wings and lacking the raw attacking goal prowess to become an out and out forward. A great player who deserves more than a bit part substitute’s role.