It wasn’t the most convincing performance, but Manchester United have gotten their Premier League campaign off to a winning start, with Kyle Walker’s own goal handing the Reds an opening day victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite a below-par performance from Louis van Gaal’s men, the three points were secured and there were a lot of positives to take away from the game. Here’s five things we learned from United’s victory today:
1. LvG doesn’t trust his centre backs…
Louis van Gaal started with the 4-2-3-1 formation he had been playing throughout pre-season, with Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin playing the defensive midfield roles and tasked with shielding Chris Smalling and Daley Blind at centre-back. Although this formation provides the Reds with a solid base and helps protect the defence, it highlights van Gaal’s lack of faith in his centre backs. Despite this, both central defenders gave a good account of themselves, especially Smalling, but at the moment we can expect this formation to be the norm for United for the first part of the season.
2. …but Smalling is maturing into a good one
Chris Smalling didn’t feature much in pre-season, with Phil Jones being preferred alongside Blind at centre-back during the club’s tour of the United States. However, Jones’ shocker against Paris Saint-Germain in the final pre-season game, combined with him picking up mild thrombosis ahead of the Tottenham game, gave Smalling a chance to shine in the heart of defence. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, the “Maidstone Maldini” kept Harry Kane in his pocket throughout the game, and the 25-year old was excellent in his reading of the game. In David de Gea’s absence, Smalling was the conductor of the defensive unit, and is quickly maturing into a very impressive defender. Future Manchester United captain? Don’t rule it out.
3. Romero is a solid keeper
Some United fans had doubts about Sergio Romero before today’s game. Despite being Argentina’s number one keeper, he hadn’t played a single club game since January, and was short on match fitness. With Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard free to leave and David de Gea dropped by van Gaal due to his “lack of focus”, it was a shootout between Romero and Sam Johnstone for the starting spot between the sticks and the Argentine was the one picked. Despite some initial nervy moments, Romero was solid for the most part, controlling his area well and making a number of vital saves, including a vital one from Christian Eriksen late in the game. A clean sheet marked a fantastic start to his United career, and we can say that Romero will be a decent stop-gap if de Gea does leave for Real Madrid.
4. Darmian is a top, top right-back
Matteo Darmian made his official debut for the Red Devils at right-back, and produced the best performance out of all the new summer signings. The former Torino man showed great positional sense while defending and attacked with purpose, often overlapping Juan Mata on the right wing. Darmian looked comfortable on either foot, and was precise with his passing throughout the match. The second best player on the pitch behind Smalling, Darmian showed why United shelled out a reported fee of £13 million to secure his services, and his performance today was a stark contrast to the tetchy showings from Antonio Valencia last season. The 25-year old is a top, top talent, and the Reds may have finally found a rightful replacement for Gary Neville.
5. Give Memphis time
Another summer signing to be given his official debut was Memphis. Sporting the iconic number seven shirt, Memphis showed flashes of his brilliance before being substituted to a standing ovation, and linking up well with Mata and Wayne Rooney. However, the Dutchman spent most of the time isolated on the pitch, although this was caused by van Gaal’s choice of formation. Carrick and Schneiderlin were tasked with shielding the defence, and this in turn caused United to be short of numbers when attacking, affecting Memphis’ performance. Despite this, Memphis was still one of the livelier players on the pitch, showing no fear while running at the Spurs defence, but give Memphis some time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, and he’ll be one of the Red Devils’ key players in no time.
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