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The influence of Paul Pogba
Manchester United’s difficulties in creating clear chances against a team devoid of confidence showed how much they can miss Paul Pogba.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had no choice but to go with a Fred and Scott McTominay midfield axis instead, but this was the kind of game that didn’t really require two more defensive midfielders, even if the Scotsman advanced more often in the second. half. .
This was Fred’s 100th game for United, but he scored just three goals and contributed six assists, so he’s unlikely to be the player to unlock a deep and diligent defensive drive. McTominay’s contribution in offense is better, but relies on timely runs into space in the box, some of which there was very little against West Brom.
It was the kind of game where Pogba’s passing range, dribbling ability and long shots would have added another dimension to United’s attack. Instead, they relied on Bruno Fernandes for inspiration, while the first three who started the game never clicked.
It was also an indictment of where Donny van de Beek’s confidence is at the moment, and Solskjaer’s confidence in him, that the Dutchman only showed up for the last 10 minutes or so.
He should have the ingenuity to make a difference against this type of defense, but he was called up in the final stages. You need games to be confident, but at the moment you’re not making enough of an impression to push a case for more minutes.
That exposes United’s reliance on someone like Pogba to provide something different in midfield, something they lacked in the Midlands. While it was United who had all the ball and territory in the second half, it was West Brom who had all the chances.
Fernandes el salvador
Fernandes spent the first 44 minutes of this game looking like a man who had not received a Valentine’s card when he expected it. The Portuguese playmaker was furious with his teammates and furious with the referees, and he should have been furious with his own performance.
But the beauty of Bruno is that no matter what a bad day he is having, a flash of inspiration is only seconds away. His equalizer was exactly that. It was another assist for Luke Shaw, now it’s four of four games, but it was Fernandes, who did it brilliantly to hook a volley from behind to the back of the net.
It was a goal that United urgently needed. They had been abject in the first half and the frustration displayed by Fernandes was a sign of how angry the team was with their poor performances. However, if there was one player who was going to bring them back into the game, it was their offensive midfielder.
It is a sign of the elite level Fernandes operates at that a difficult day at the office will not prevent him from trying the spectacular. United would be lost without him.
(Image: 2021 Getty Images)
Balance in attack
Solskjaer might feel like he has a lot of options when it comes to attackers at United, but finding the perfect balance for his three forwards is proving to be a difficult task.
The allure of playing Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford (45 goals between them last season) on either side of Edinson Cavani may be appealing, but the potential is proving to be more exciting than the reality.
That setup is managing to make two of three forwards uncomfortable and against West Brom it was 65 minutes without clicking before the obvious switch was made.
In this system, Rashford deviates to the right, when he clearly prefers to play on the left and is more dangerous from that flank. But having given Cavani the center-forward role that Martial had last year, the Frenchman has his secondary position of coming from the left.
Unfortunately, Martial’s form has been below average for most of the season and while Rashford is frustrated with being on the right rather than on the left, Martial seems annoyed at being on the left rather than to the half.
Given Mason Greenwood’s form, it came as a surprise that the 19-year-old was demoted to the bench against the Baggies and then had to wait until the 65th minute to make his tackle.
Maguire’s threat of attack
United’s defense may not have been convincing against West Brom, but Harry Maguire certainly had an impact in the other direction.
The central defender realized during the first half that space for United used to be in front of him, with West Brom very deep and the forwards and midfielders scrambling to find space.
Maguire made the most of that space and was one of United’s most dangerous attackers in the half. One run saw him crawl into the penalty area and he played a key role in the Fernandes draw.
That influence also set a trend for United, with Victor Lindelof showing more adventure in the second half, while McTominay went from being a holding midfielder to appearing regularly in the penalty area. It was the way Maguire made the most of space in the first half that showed United the way forward.
The captain almost won it in the end too, his brilliant header saved magnificently by Sam Johnstone in the last minute of injury time.
Dip into shape
Now it’s just two wins in United’s last six games in all competitions, one of which required overtime against West Ham in the middle of the week.
It certainly hasn’t been a convincing spell for this team, even if it included that 9-0 win against Southampton, and they have lost five points to Sheffield United and West Brom, the last two Premier League clubs, to almost kill hopes of a title challenge deep in this season.
Solskjaer has rotated their squad regularly to try and keep them cool this season, but now it looks like they are going through a tough streak. Every team will have one this season, but Solskjaer will know that he has to get United out of it quickly considering they have a few test games in the coming weeks.
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