- United have responded. Following an abysmal showing against Liverpool last Sunday, the fans demanded a response from Ole’s team and they have obliged. Armchair critics might say that the performance was not scintillating but it was certainly a solid performance from United. Ole decided to go for experience ahead of youth at this critical juncture and the players he trusted did not let him down. Indeed, this was the most experienced side Ole has used during his tenure, with an average age of 28. Our front two of Ronaldo and Cavani – 36 and 34 years young – are certainly two of the deadliest strikers in the Premiership and both made their mark. After a cagey start in which United were slightly better than their opponents, five minutes before halftime, Ronaldo hit a first time shot to the far corner from a perfect Fernandes cross and gave no chance to Lloris. It was a strike reminiscent of arguably the greatest football player ever. The coordination and precision of the strike was fantastic to watch. Spurs attempted a reaction at the start of the second half but United looked well organised and gave their opponents very little time on the ball in their half. After Ronaldo had another amazing strike ruled out for offside, he turned provider, as he slid a through ball to Cavani and the latter dinked the ball over Lloris to double the lead, just after the hour mark. Rashford then came on for Ronaldo and as the game wore on, he managed to beat the offside trap to finish a Matic pass at the far corner and well beyond the reach of Lloris in the Spurs goal, to make it three to the good.
- Ole decided to change things around for the trip to Spurs and while people expected him to ring the changes in terms of players, maybe not many expected him to alter the setup of the team and start with a back three, particularly since Spurs play with a back four. It was an inspired move however and United looked solid all over the pitch. Moreover, when you think that in mid-week United will play Atalanta in the reverse Champions League fixture, the three at the back formation will perfectly match the same system used by the Italians. That match will be followed by the Manchester derby, which is a match were Solskjaer generally shifts his formation to a back three also. I am almost sure that looking at those fixtures, Ole thought that it could make sense to employ the same system for the three fixtures. With how the match against Tottenham turned out, I would not be surprised if Ole sticks with the same personnel, at least for the trip to Atalanta. De Gea was almost a spectator during the match at Spurs and the back three looked compact, with the returning Varane marshalling things at the back. Wan Bissaka and Shaw were excellent and while Fred was erratic but still won a lot of balls, Scott was bullish and aggressive in midfield. Bruno contributed with an assist and also worked hard, while the strikers delivered when it mattered. Even the substitutions were spot on by Ole today. It was a remarkable effort by a team which has received severe criticism during the week and a manager under pressure.
- For the second week running, it is very difficult to choose one player today from the lot, but this time for the opposite reason to last week. The players responded and while Ronaldo, Scott and Varane were excellent, my special mention this week goes to Aaron Wan Bissaka. I think this was his finest performance in a United shirt. Aaron was his usual self when defending, which is not a surprise. What is remarkable however is his increasing composure going forward. His work rate – up and down that right flank for the whole match – was also impressive and deservedly he gets my vote.
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Article contributed by Contributor Roderick. Comments are appreciated on our Facebook page.