Manchester United slipped to the third position after the Red Devils were held 1-1 at King Power Stadium by Leicester City on Saturday.
The visitors were a goal behind when Jamie Vardy scored midway through the first half and in doing so he broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in ten consecutive games in Premier League. United came right back into the game when they equalized at the end of the first half through a powerful header from Bastian Schweinsteiger. The second half was dire as there were many fewer chances for both the sides but here are the few things that we learnt from the game.
Blind should continue to take corners
Blind marked his 50th appearance for Manchester United in style by delivering a cross for the equalizer. He delivered brilliant corners even after the goal in second half. The Dutchman has shown versatility throughout his short career at United. His eye for diagonal balls is very impressive as he racked up a couple of assists this season in that manner.United have struggled in set pieces this term, but if Blind is continued to carry on the corner duties then surely United can become deadly from corners.
Manchester United struggle in 3-5-2
Louis van Gaal brought changes to the formation due to lack of defenders as he opted for 3 man defence against Leicester. The team has struggled with the formation and it was also seen against Watford. The moment United shifted to their usual 4-2-3-1 they created more opportunities against Watford. At the King Power Stadium, United struggled in the rigid 3-5-2 formation and hardly created any chances. United need more bodies up front to capitalise the minimum chances they create and the back 3 restricts that.
Darmian needs to modify his attacking play
Darmian was considered as a bargain at the start of the season. The Italian had a very strong start, but his form has dipped drastically in last month. The former Torino man is solid while defending especially in one-on-one situations. He did well defensively against Leicester but was very poor while going forward. He needs to change his game while attacking as he is not able to create chances and loses ball quite often in the final third.
Schweinsteiger slowly turning into leader on the pitch
After forcing an own goal against Watford and scoring an equaliser against Leicester City, Schweinsteiger is slowly becoming a leader on the pitch. The German commands on the field and helps his teammates in their positioning. His fight to win the header against Okazaki shows the real intent which the current captain Wayne Rooney is lacking. Schweinsteiger is already helping younger players off field, but now also setting an example by performing well on the pitch.
Martial and Depay play at top
Van Gaal substituted Rooney against Leicester City and brought in Memphis Depay largely because of former’s injury. United were much more positive when the youngsters were on the pitch. Depay was able to stretch the defence which allows Martial to come into play or vice versa.Rooney drops deep and is hardly able to stretch the defences which doesn’t help the other players. Depay and Martial’s link up play against PSV Eindhoven was also quite impressive so a front two of this young players would be a brilliant option for Van Gaal to solve United’s goalscoring woes.