Man Utd 1
Chelsea 1
The first EPL match of the post ETH era ended in a stalemate as United and Chelsea battled it out in a rather balanced encounter. RVN opted for a back four with De Ligt and Martinez at the centre and the 2 usual full backs. Casemiro and Ugarte started in the middle with Bruno advanced and just behind Hojlund. Garnacho and Marcus provided the width. In all honestly, I did not see any drastic changes from the tactical point of view. Some may argue that we played with a little more urgency, but some of the problems that have contributed to our dismal start to the season were still evident throughout the match.
Both teams struggled to create open chances and when Hojlund was brought down in the box and a pen was awarded, I was hoping that it could prove to be the winner despite having at least 20 minutes to go. As usual, I got it wrong – Chelsea equalising within 4 minutes with a clinical finish from outside the box.
United did have the chances to win it at the end, but both Garnacho and Bruno were not clinical enough and we had to settle for a point. Collectively, it was a decent performance but once again we struggled to create chances, and despite his effort and endeavour, Hojlund will not provide the goals we need. He’s got his young age on his side, and he will hopefully improve – but will he get 20 goals a season? I do not think so. Martinez was lucky with his high tackle at the end – a red would have meant a suspension and despite not being in his best form, I still think he is our best defender.
RVN will be in charge for 2 more matches – vs PAOK on Thursday night and vs Leicester on Sunday and I would like to see him trying to change things around a wee bit. And I do not mean introducing Zirkzee from the start. The boy needs a lot of training on speed….the EPL is fast….maybe too fast for him! Give a couple of youngsters a start, this could be his legacy as an interim manager…. Numquam Moribimur!
