Manchester United Newsletter - Wednesday 13th July
Manchester United Newsletter - Wednesday 13th July
Covering: Manchester United's 4-0 win over Liverpool, Martinez talks, new podcast, PSG reject Ronaldo approach, goal highlights, Rooney jumps across the pond...
Good morning!
It was a pleasure to see Manchester United not only play so well but to absolutely destroy Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday. As I explained in a recent issue of the newsletter, we couldn’t have asked for a performance like that, particularly in the first-half, but they blew Jurgen Klopp’s side out of the water.
I am not naive enough to get excited by the outcome of any of these matches on tour. We know it’s about the players getting minutes under their belt while the new manager lays foundations for future success.
The perfectionist in Erik ten Hag will point to the mistakes that were made throughout the game, even though they are to be expected. This is the best time to get those bad habits out of your game before the competition campaign kicks-off in August.
However, he ought to be happy with how the team performed in their first match. There is plenty of potential in this group of players and I enjoyed watching Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal operate in midfield after the interval. It was an incredible experience for the two young lads because Klopp started to throw on his big guns in the second half - including Mohammed Salah and new signing Darwin Nunez. The young midfield duo held their own and I hope to see them on the pitch again in Australia.
David de Gea suffered a knock after doing so well… The Spaniard came out of his comfort zone by running off his line on at least three occasions against Liverpool to prove he is not a dinosaur in a world of ‘modern goalkeepers’. I was very encouraged to see this in the first game back and it raises questions as to why Luis Enrique doesn’t ask him to do exactly this for the Spain national team?
We all enjoyed watching Nunez come off the bench to miss an absolute sitter in front of goal. Hopefully, soon, he will be known as the Uruguayan donkey!
United, on the other hand, were prolific in front of goal but they made life difficult for Liverpool’s defence by pressing high up the pitch. I thought Anthony Martial did superbly in a central role and deserved his goal. This might give Ten Hag food for thought on how the team might be able to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fred enjoyed himself in midfield and marked the occasion with a cheeky chip to double United’s lead in the first-half. The Brazilian will be a big asset for Ten Hag whether he plays regularly or not. Although he is better played further forward, he’s incredibly useful at carrying out specific jobs on the pitch and that was clear again today.
Listen to the Strettycast - episode 145: Perfect start to pre-season tour with 4-0 win over Liverpool. You can listen to our podcast on your favourite apps!
The win was sealed at 4-0 when Facundo Pellistri cushioned home a pass from Amad Diallo. It came from a brilliant counter-attack move, which saw Eric Bailly go on a wild run after carrying the ball out the defence, with defenders now given a licence to run up the pitch.
Next up for United is a pre-season friendly against Melbourne Victory on Friday. That’s a 11:05 kick-off in the UK.
Goal Highlights: Manchester United 4-0 Liverpool
Match Analysis via StrettyNews.com
Three observations as United win 4-0, by Dale
Manchester United are set for more talks with Ajax later today over Lisandro Martinez’s future. Talks are reaching key stages, so we could see some movement later this week.
We are strongly of the opinion that Ronaldo won’t get the offer he wants to move ahead of the new season, but it was interesting to read that Paris Saint-Germain rejected an approach from Jorge Mendes to buy the 37-year-old striker. That’s Bayern Munich, Chelsea and now PSG. Ouch!
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney made a swift return to management after being confirmed as the new head coach at DC United. United’s record goalscorer returns to his former club and Phil Neville believes he has what it takes to be a success in the MLS.
Make sure to follow the blog throughout the day for more updates.
All the best, Dale.