Manchester United: the Run-In
The now mighty-again Manchester United sit comfortably in 3rd position with a tally of 55 points after matchweek 32, and although their recent run of results have been a mixed bag, only Manchester City and Arsenal have lost fewer games that the Red Devils in the Premier League thus far. Champions League football is all but guaranteed for next season with UEFA awarding the top 6 teams in the Premier League automatic qualification into the competition, with 7th place qualifying for Europa League football and 8th being sent off to any variety of exotic locations (and elite quality atmospheres) for the UEFA Conference League. Now comes the favorite part of the season for all fans of Premier League football: the Run-In. With only 6 games remaining in this year’s competition, let’s hope that Manchester United’s previous 6 outings aren’t necessarily omens for the remaining fixtures.
Following a 1-1 draw with West Ham at the London fishbowl, Manchester United bounced back with a 1-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford courtesy of a 71st minute strike from the big Slovenian up top/off the bench, Benjamin Sesko. Sesko’s rapid dash up the length of the pitch to stroke away a neat pass from fellow freshman signing Bryan Mbeumo was the deciding factor in a relatively even match from the two sides. While the Mancunians at home dwarfed Everton’s xG by 1.27 to 0.63, Everton split possession almost 50/50 with the home side. The Evertonian visitors edged United in passes in their oppositions half, set piece xG, tackles, interceptions, and duels won (both in the air and on the ground). Manchester United academy graduate James Garner looked solid in a versatile role for the Blues, shifting between rightback and defensive midfield. The hosts would do well to keep an eye on him in the summer transfer window as an alternative to Matheus Fernandes (if they are priced out of negotiations for the Brazilian) given their very public search for two new signings in the center of the park.
A narrow 2-1 win against Crystal Palace followed the win at Everton, with the Eagles much maligned by the sending off of Maxence Lacroix. The Frenchman had opened the scoring at Old Trafford in the 4th minute of the match, but watched helplessly from the sidelines as Bruno Fernandes equalized with a penalty following his dismissal. Benjamin Sesko sealing the win with a bullet header in the 65th minute courtesy of a whipped cross from the Portuguese Magnifico. While the lead may not have come for the Red Devils until midway through the second half, they dwarfed the away side with a colossal 20 shots (11 on target) and an xG of 2.16 (1.37 non-penalty xG). Another win tucked away, with Michael Carrick becoming the first United manager since 1971 to win his first 5 fixtures at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils looked a bit outclassed in their next fixture at St. James Park, even with Newcastle reduced to 10 men after Jacob Ramsey had been shown his marching orders in the 1st minute of extra time of the first half. Said extra time also included back-to-back goals from Anthony Gordon and the evergreen Casemiro before the first half had ended. Magpies left back Lewis Hall did well to keep Bryan Mbeumo quiet throughout the rest of the second half, perhaps as an informal audition for a position that United could do well to improve upon in the offseason (with nothing but the upmost respect to the now 30 year old Luke Shaw). William Osula proved this exact point in the 90th minute, with a rare appearance from Tyrell Malacia providing the defensive assurance of a man born with two left feet to allow the Danish strike to thump home a sumptuous strike.
United returned to form in their next fixture against Aston Villa with a 3-1 win, with goals from Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, and super-sub Benjamin Sesko. Captain Fantastic Bruno Fernandes ran the show with 2 assists, and in the process broke David Beckham’s record for most assists in a Premier League season by a Manchester United player (15). Exacting revenge from the Villans after the reverse fixture back in December was the icing on top of the cake. Morgan Rogers showed quality throughout the match, but was not the game decider that he had been the last time the two sides met. Still, the Red Devils would do well to keep an eye on him for future recruitment.
The Mancunians were stumped in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in their next fixture, with Harry Maguire notably being sent off in the 78th minute and Yanited conceding the lead a few minutes later. Football ‘eritage as Mourinho would say. The Red Devils should keep their eyes on Marcos Senesi, with the Argentine defender’s contract expiring in the summer. The elite centerback currently leads the Premier League in his position for assists, chances created, accurate long balls, interceptions, and recoveries. He would be of the upmost importance to a United side crying out for a consistent creator from deep to link the defense and midfield. It could also provide the opportunity for his compatriot Lisandro Martinez to shift wide to a LB position. The Butcher is excellent on the ball and his ability in the air would be well-placed against wingers of a similar stature rather than center forwards who tower over him. We’ve already seen success in centerbacks shifting to wide roles in the likes of John Stones, Dan Burn, and Riccardo Calafiori. It’s safe to say that Senesi would make perfect sense, and allows for the potential flexibility that has seen many sides succeed in the past.
The last of Manchester United’s 6 fixtures during this period was the recent 2-1 loss to historical rivals Leeds United. A brace from Noah Okafor (with great help from Leny Yoro) was enough to seal the win despite a late strike from Casemiro. Lisandro Martinez was adjudged to have aggressively braided Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s mid-2010’s fashion statement (read: topknot) and one would be forgiven for thinking the forward would never walk again. This is the second successive match in which a United centerback has been sent off, leaving Ayden Heaven as the sole central defender on the team bus to London to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In what could become a deciding fixture in the race for the Champions League spaces, it will be interesting to see how the Red Devils face such a shortage in defense. Hold out hope for European competition, but scrutiny should be applied to the position of Michael Carrick as caretaker if poor results continue.
