Football News: The Evolution of Manchester United has begun

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The evolution of Manchester United has begun.

Yesterday's performance was by no means vintage but for the majority of the game it was composed and assured.

The intensity was better, the build up measured, the defending robust.

This is a young, inexperienced team. The biggest problem this season was always going to be scoring goals. Rashford and Martial whilst undoubtedly talented are by no means the finished article. Lingard has struggled for form and consistency since returning from injury in the spring and there are still major question marks surrounding his quality and end product. James is embarking on his maiden season in top flight football so expectations must be tempered. Beyond that we are reliant on a promising bunch of academy prospects.

The signings of Maguire and AWB have transformed the defence almost overnight. We now have the ability to play out from the back and retain possession. Maguire has added a physical, commanding and composed presence and AWB is proving to be almost unbeatable in 1v1 duals.

The energy, intensity, desire and work rate of the team is much improved.

Last night was a touch unlucky. We completely dominated the first half, scored a very good goal and deservedly went in leading at HT. Wolves are a well organised and dogged team so creating chances and scoring goals was always going to be difficult. I think the intensity dropped slightly in the second half and Wolves came out more aggressively, pressed better and got the crowd engaged. They had a 5-10 spell where they put us under pressure and scored a wonder goal. After that we regained our composure and should have gone on to win the game. Had Pogba scored his penalty we probably all wake up this morning applauding a mature and professional away performance against a very good opponent.

If I was being hyper critical maybe OGS could have brought Mata and Greenwood on earlier. Both Lingard and James whilst working tirelessly had been on the periphery of the game and lacked quality with their final delivery. Mata may have added some experience and control in midfield and Greenwood presented more of a goal threat. I still get the impression James might be best utilised from the bench as defences tire and spaces open up but having said that he deserved his start for his goal against Chelsea.

It's apparent we need more creativity in midfield and a right sided forward/ winger but the foundations are in place to build upon. We must be patient and allow this team to mature and evolve. With nobody really excelling at No10 or right wing maybe it's time to unleash the kids and give Gomes and Greenwood their chance.

Written by DLIB August 21 2019 00:23:11