Man Utd's comeback only papers over the cracks
2 goals conceded in first 4 mins. A soft penalty to finish the comeback. Fernandes saves the day. Ten Hag has problems to fix before the next game vs. Arsenal.
30 matches unbeaten at Old Trafford. Yet another comeback. But many cracks have shown up. Read on.
Horrid start
In a start reminiscent of 1992 vs Sheffield United when Manchester United conceded 2 quick goals (and lost 2-1), United trailed 0-2 Nottingham Forest after 3 minutes and 47 seconds on the clock.
The first goal came from a corner United won in Forest’s half. Gibbs-White’s headed clearance came to Taiwo Awoniyi at the half way line who then beat Rashford (what was he doing there along with Antony as the last line of defence?) to score past Onana (who weirdly kept sticking to the box in this match - coaching instructions but why).
The second goal came off a Forest free kick thanks to Dalot’s foul on Brennan Johnson (Don’t let the stats fool you. Dalot had a game to forget but more on that later.) Even the scorer Willy Boly had no clue how the ball went off his face into the net. Casemiro was grounded and Wan-Bissaka faced the other way as Gibbs-White swung in the ball from the right hand side. And Old Trafford was silenced.
The Comeback: Captain leads the way
Bruno Fernandes took charge in the 5th minute after the disastrous start and steered the team towards victory. He set up the equalizer, winning the free kick high up on the right side of Forest’s box and using a training ground move by passing it to Marcus Rashford who was outside the box on the left side. Fernandes then made a perfect run into the box to receive the ball from Rashford and laid it on a plate for Casemiro to score.
He was also instrumental in winning the free kick that saw Joe Worrall sent off and should have got an assist in the first half when Casemiro headed wide in front of an open goal. And he calmly converted the winning penalty.
Thus, Fernandes scored and assisted for the 12th time in a Premier League match. No one has done more than this in the league since he made his debut in Feb 2020. In the same period, he also has the highest number of chances created - 343 overall and 277 from open play.
The wingers were more effective but still not at their best
Ten Hag started Martial up top with Rashford on the left and Antony on the right.
Rashford was instrumental in 4 out of 5 goals - 1 for Forest and all 3 for United. He was culpable for the opening goal as he could not stop Awoniyi from running away with the ball. He then ran at Aurier and crossed into the box for Eriksen to tap it in for United’s first goal. And then a similar move saw Danilo bringing him down for (albeit soft) a penalty for the winner. In between, he lobbed the ball perfectly to meet Fernandes’ run into the box for the equalizer. But, Ten Hag still had to tell him in the first half to stay wide as he kept cutting inside more than often.
Antony had a much better game than the first two but we are yet to see him in prime form like for Ajax. He should have got an assist but Fernandes’ cheeky backheel went wide and he nearly scored from his trademark left curler but Matt Turner just about managed to deflect it to hit the post.
Overall, an improved performance from an attacking point of view but there is a lot of scope for improvement, especially defensively as the full backs are inverted. The wingers have to keep tracking back regularly and even be the last line of defence as we saw during Forest’s first goal.
The setup needs time
Dalot's presence at left back was forced by circumstances, yet his performance failed to inspire confidence that we can manage without Shaw and Malacia. He was directly involved in the foul that led to Boly's goal and struggled against both Aurier and Johnson. Casemiro, despite Eriksen's stabilizing influence, appeared isolated in the 4-1-4-1 formation. The demands placed on him are a lot, especially considering his age. A swift return of Mainoo seems urgent to offer an alternative, especially given the forthcoming demanding schedule.
More than anything. this set up needs strong hold up play from the striker (Martial completed 300 games for United but he raises more questions than answers) to allow the runners to stretch the play wide and allow the 8s to run off him. Rasmus Hojlund, we wait for you.
Get in the comments with your thoughts on the game and what should change for our next game vs. Arsenal. I’d like to see Sancho get a start as a false 9 because playing with Martial is like playing with 10 men. And possibly someone on loan at left back. Agree?
Very balanced and comprehensive analysis of the game with Forrest. Well done, Nilesh.
I am looking forward to your analysis of the games as we continue our chase for the elusive silverware.