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WEST BROMWICH, England – It took West Bromwich Albion 83 seconds to show why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants, and Manchester United need, a new center-back.
Conor Gallagher launched a hopeful cross from the right and Mbaye Diagne smashed through Victor Lindelof to pass goalkeeper David De Gea. De Gea may have come down the middle, and Diagne was on Lindelof, but it was a tremendously easy way for West Brom, the Premier League’s shortest scorers, to break through Manchester United’s defense.
It was the 31st goal Solskjaer’s team has conceded in the league this season, one more than Brighton, who are ranked 15. It established a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns on Sunday as United have now lost nine points in their last five games.
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“It’s something that we knew would happen from the kick-off. We knew that they would pressure us and throw in some throw-ins,” Solskjaer said. “They put a cross and [Diagne] It ended well. We should play better, but we had a difficult start. You have 90 minutes to make amends, but we didn’t get that momentum until the end of the first half. “
There is a lot to like about Solskjaer’s team, in particular the stamina they show in fighting losing positions so often, but not their tendency to defend as if they wanted to make every game as difficult as possible.
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Since the turn of the year, they have shot themselves in the foot against Sheffield United, Everton and West Brom, allowing Manchester City to open up a seven-point lead at the top. If City continue their imperious form, which already have 16 straight wins, Solskjaer’s focus will soon turn to how he will close the gap.
He may be encouraged by the fact that United have progressed adequately, including reaching the top of the league for a period in January, and that in Bruno Fernandes, who scored a spectacular draw late in the first half, he has attacking midfielders. most effective in Europe. However, they need to make up ground somewhere if the title wait is to end under Solskjaer’s supervision, and goals against the column would suggest that central defense is an area that could be improved.
Solskjaer has invested heavily in Harry Maguire and has already appointed him captain, but if the debate is about who his long-term partner should be, it wasn’t an afternoon where Lindelof did much to push his case forward. The Swedish international might feel like Diagne fouled him in West Brom’s opener, but he should have been stronger, and the Galatasaray-loaned forward was the only one who seemed determined to win a cross from Gallagher.
Lindelof battled Diagne for the entire 90 minutes and after being penalized for an awkward foul at the midline, Solskjaer ran to the edge of his technical area to yell “Victor, think!” It could have been worse for Lindelof later, when Diagne pulled him out of the way, who stood at the end of Conor Townsend’s cross, but couldn’t force it.
Man United needs a better partner behind Harry Maguire if they really want to compete for top honors. Nick Potts – Pool / Getty Images
In the end, Solskjaer will feel like United should have won, particularly after Sam Johnstone’s wonderful save to deliver Maguire’s late header to the post, but instead they paid a heavy price for a sloppy moment with barely two minutes left. . By contrast, the winning streak to put Man City in pole position to lift the title has been built on a defense that has conceded just two league goals in 2021. Pep Guardiola has benefited from the investment in Ruben Dias at the Summer and Solskjaer should be thinking along similar lines.
“I didn’t feel like we created enough important moments to score goals,” Solskjaer said.
“We went down the sides, but maybe the cross or the positioning or the movement wasn’t there. We didn’t have big moments where you thought it should have been a goal even though the ball was in its last third the whole time. “. It is disappointing, of course. We have come out with two points less than we wanted. The exit was difficult. “
Man City will extend their lead to 10 points before United play again if they can beat Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Solskjaer isn’t ready to concede the title just yet, but the truth is that next season may present a better opportunity if continued progress can marry the right players, including a new center-back, arriving this summer.
“It is a compliment to the guys that we have reached the position we have now,” said the Norwegian. “We won’t let them [Manchester City] run away with him, we’ll play them soon. We’re not giving it away early, no, we won’t. “
Source: espn.co.uk
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