[ad_1]
It has been exactly one year since Harry Maguire was confirmed as the new captain of Manchester United.
Their first game was a 2-0 loss to Liverpool that left United 30 points behind their historic rivals. Today they return Anfield to the top of the Premier League with their celebrated defender as an essential part of the rebuilding, overcoming tribulations along the way.
There are similarities to Jordan Henderson, the captain who won the Liverpool title. Like his colleague from England, Maguire has more talented teammates around him, but no one as motivating or reliable.
It is no coincidence that he has played more minutes in the last 12 months than any outfield player in Europe. He is also the first United captain to face Liverpool as the league leader since Nemanja Vidic in 2013.
“I’ve learned a lot as captain of this club,” says Maguire, whose career was built in the lower leagues at Sheffield United before an update to Leicester and the 2018 World Cup.
“It is a great honor, but I am here to win games and trophies. That is my character.
‘I played in League One, learning about heading, blocking, tackling and the rest in a really difficult environment. It teaches you to be tough.
“The main thing is not about coming out from behind and throwing long diagonal balls at people, it is about keeping the ball out of your own net.”
Like all the great hitters in the Premier League, the United team is made up of brilliant foreign stars and young people trained in the best academies in Europe.
But Maguire has shown that there is still room for the old school and is guided by the best traditions of United.
“I have always followed United, even as a child, and have researched the history of the club,” says the £ 80 million defender, who was awarded the bracelet after just six months at Old Trafford when Ashley Young left.
“I went and met all the staff from different departments to understand how big this place is, what a great business it is. You see Robbo (United’s former Marvel captain Bryan Robson) hanging around and he’s told me a lot.
“At the same time I am my own man with my way of being captain. I’m always here to talk to any of the guys.
Given the eight-year gap since United were last champions, the neutrals seem happy to have them back, particularly with the style of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford MBE in their ranks.
However, despite United being three points ahead of Liverpool, bookmakers still consider Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s team to be more likely to win the title.
Can United benefit from the underdog tag? Maguire, 27, scoffs at the suggestion.
“Playing for Manchester United and playing without pressure does not come in the same sentence,” he says.
“We are the biggest club in the world and whatever they say, we go to all the games that we expect and hope to win.
‘That’s the mentality in this dressing room, winning at all costs. It is something that we have changed and created our environment.
“We put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else to win things. We finished third last year and reached the semi-finals, we want to go further this time.
‘Any victory generates confidence, but far from Liverpool, even more so. We don’t need to exaggerate.
“ There is definitely a feeling that we can go anywhere and beat anyone. We didn’t start the season well, we know, but we did get a couple of tough wins. Now we have found that mentality again ”.
United started the campaign with a home loss to Crystal Palace. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attributed it to a delayed preseason, but Maguire’s arrest while on vacation in Greece didn’t help. A new trial is awaited after his conviction was successfully appealed after a fight in Mykonos.
The distractions continued when he was sent off by England against Denmark in October. United supported him as captain and Maguire has responded emphatically. He is the only United player to start every Premier League game this season and has more interceptions in the league than anyone except Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.
United have won every away game this season except a 2-2 draw at Leicester. They have only conceded once in their last three league games. Liverpool, in Klopp’s 200th match as manager, will be the ultimate challenge.
Maguire and Eric Bailly have been celebrating blocks as goals recently, an attitude they will need against Mo Salah and Sadio Mane today.
The United captain says Solskjaer’s personality can be misunderstood. “There is a perception of Ole as a good guy, but he knows when to be ruthless,” says Maguire. “ When you need to motivate someone, you can give yourself a soda, believe me.
‘We have not been giving away silly goals. We have shown that we can endure when we have had to fight.
“The number of games in which we are behind shows a lot of character, although as a defense I would prefer not to be left behind.
‘It will be about the mentality at Anfield. We are Manchester United. We know that we can win any game with whoever we play ”.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
