With every opening day fixture, fans are desperate to analyse things that can be taken from the fixture. This year’s opening saw Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0, due to a Kyle Walker own goal. So what can United fans take from this fixture?
Darmian stars on his debut
The Italian right-back, who signed from Torino for an estimated £12.7 million, faced great expectation as there was much pressure to help Manchester United strengthen the ever exposed back four.
The Italian did not disappoint thee home crowd, proving his defensive prowess and also showing another side to his game, bombing forward and linking up well with Juan Mata.
Showcasing his ability to play comfortably with both feet he was never fazed, regardless of whether a winger was cutting in or attempting to take him on. According to Squawka, Darmian boasted; 85% pass accuracy, five clearances, three tackles won and one block. His impact was proved when he was subbed off for Antonio Valencia and Tottenham suddenly appeared more threatening.
Romero grew into the game
With David De Gea dropped and the chances of him staying at the club appearing extremely unlikely, Argentinian goalkeeper Sergio Romero was given his debut. Early on he seemed nervous and struggled to distribute the ball, even kicking the ball out on accident when trying to pass to Smalling. However, after that minor mishap, he never put a foot wrong, including pulling off a good save late on against Christian Eriksen to keep United ahead. Whether he is good enough to replace fan favourite David De Gea is yet to be seen, but this is a good start.
Rooney looks lacklustre upfront alone
While Wayne Rooney’s ability is undeniable, no one captains a major footballing nation and one of the largest clubs in the world, if they aren’t a very good player. But against Tottenham he looked very average up front on his own. It has been suggested that he was dropping to deep or that the front four are still gelling therefore he wasn’t played into attacking positions enough. The one great attacking position he did get in led to the own goal courtesy of Kyle Walker, but in reality he blew the chance to score himself and it was only due to some serious bad luck from Walker, that the goal was scored.
A midfield duo of Carrick and Schneiderlin solidifies the side
Whilst going forward, United weren't great bar the goal, however defensively United looked solid for most of the game, thanks to the two central midfielders. They added a sense of calmness around the centre of the pitch, protecting the potentially weak defensive partnership, they tracked back whenever the ball was lost. Morgan Schneiderlin boasted an 86% pass completion while Michael Carrick boasted 96% pass completion and added four interceptions according to Squawka.
Smalling continues impressive form from last season
Last season Chris Smalling potentially saw the end of his Manchester United career when he recieved a red card at the Etihad Stadium for two ridiculous mistakes. But he returned as soon as his suspension was over and gradually improved game upon game. This was followed by a bizarre pre-season in which he barely featured and was even called ‘Mike’ instead of Chris in an odd mix-up by Louis Van Gaal. However, he was given the nod to start and he truly didn’t disappoint, being easily one of the best players on the pitch. He made several key blocks, broke up play whenever threatened, covered Blind through the match and made one vitally important tackle on Nacer Chadli as he found himself in a goal scoring position with just minutes remaining.
