Manchester United drew 1-1 at home to Tottenham despite having an extra man advantage. The Reds saw Mbeumo put them in front, but Solanke scored a late leveller in injury time after Bentancur was shown a red card for headbutting Luke Shaw.
Manchester United’s worrisome season continues after accumulating just six points off the first six games, their first start in 40 years. But more than the results, what worries Manchester United is their midfield pairing.
United spent massively on their midfield rebuild and somehow can’t find the best combination in the midfield. Michael Carrick has gone with the Mainoo-Tielemans partnership, but they have failed to control the midfield. Individually, they both come with decent numbers, but collectively they fall short.
Mainoo and Tielemans struggled against Tottenham while closing the midfield and at times showed a lack of energy. On the day when nothing clicked for United, the Mainoo-Tielemans partnership particularly raised eyebrows.
Gary Neville has also raised serious concerns about Manchester United’s Mainoo-Tielemans partnership.
Neville was particularly unimpressed by the midfield balance, arguing that the problems went beyond one disappointing performance.
Pundits question Mainoo-Tielemans partnership
The former United captain stopped short of ruling out the combination altogether, but he suggested he has serious doubts about its suitability.
“Tielemans and Mainoo, I’m not calling time on it, that’s probably too drastic, but I’ve seen enough of it to think that’s not a midfield that’s dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League.”
Former Spurs midfielder Redknapp felt United struggled to connect their midfield with the rest of the team during the opening stages.
He added: “I didn’t see enough connections in that midfield in the first hour. Baleba came on and did OK and showed a bit more.
“They look devoid of any confidence, any idea, any patterns of play, playing out from the back. Tottenham were much better than them in every single department.”
While Carlos Baleba was a particular highlight on the day, he showed great potential when brought on. He brought a new sense of energy in the midfield and sent a few balls over the top for a couple of quick counterattacks as well.
Man Utd’s running statistics add to Redknapp’s concerns
Redknapp also pointed to the physical demands of modern Premier League football, arguing that United cannot afford to be outworked by their opponents.
Tottenham ran a staggering 5 km more than Manchester United, something Redknapp felt was a pattern.
“There is a pattern that I don’t really like when I watch teams, and that’s when every time the stats don’t lie and the other team runs more than you.
“I feel in Premier League football right now there are a couple of non-negotiables, and one is you have to run more than the other team if you want to win or at least get close enough. Tonight Spurs ran 5km more than Manchester United.”
He believes Tottenham’s pressing exposed the lack of pace in United’s midfield, making it difficult for the hosts to move the ball safely through the centre.
“In terms of how they played today, I think they have an issue with Tielemans and Mainoo in midfield. I don’t see enough energy in there. Baleba will add a lot and will give them a tremendous amount of energy but right now, when things aren’t going well… and Tottenham knew it!
“Every time United played the ball out from the back they pounced. They pressed them because they knew United don’t have the pace and speed in midfield to get away.”
“In isolation, one of them is absolutely fine, the two of them together doesn’t work for me. They haven’t got the pace or the energy to get around the pitch for 90 minutes.”
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