We learned from Spain
yesterday.
United sat deep, were listless in possession and unimaginative going forward.
Sevilla aren’t world beaters, they looked like a side sitting fifth in La Liga, suffering from the after effects of a bad run of form. But they dominated the game, and if they weren’t so horrendously wasteful, they could easily have a come away with a very positive result to take to Old Trafford.
United’s best player is still De Gea
It’s easy to forget about the importance of David De Gea to Manchester United.
With big name signings arriving with each passing transfer window, and player rifts and misfits a dominant feature of United’s past few seasons, their frequently substandard football often gets overshadowed.
But without De Gea, there is no question that the Red Devils would be in a far worse position than they are now.
Mourinho draws his own battle lines
Mourinho doesn’t just fight battles, he creates them. After declaring his club record signing fit at his pre-match press conference yesterday, the Portuguese coach then went on to pick the man with “a normal haircut, no tattoos, no big cars and no big watch.”
Mourinho’s hand was forced after 17 minutes when Ander Herrera limped off injured, but after stressing the importance of fitness in the past, the decision to play the Herrera ahead of the Pogba after three weeks out is all the more revealing.
It feels like the ground is shifting at United, and it looks set to be on a path of polarisation, with Pogba, the man, the brand and the player who just doesn’t fit into the tactical set-up, pushed out against a manager unwilling to compromise to keep him happy.
Dropping Pogba yesterday was a huge statement by Mourinho, and ultimately, it’s a statement where only one can come out of this still standing.
Navas is an effective right back
Jesus Navas was notorious at Manchester City for being a player who could comfortably beat a defender, but could only find a teammate from a cross once in a blue moon.
But as Alexis Sanchez found out to his detriment tonight, the diminutive Spanish wideman is more than a competent fullback.
He may have had his detractors during his time in England, but in Andalusia, Navas looks perfectly at home, even in his newly discovered position in defence.
Sanchez still a misfit
Alexis Sanchez is yet to click at Manchester United. Yesterday, once again, it just didn’t seem to fall into place.
Sanchez’s work rate can’t be faulted, but he is yet to rediscover the elite level that separated him out as one of the best players in Europe while at Arsenal.
Whisper it quietly, but Mourinho may well have another player on his hands whose best position in this United side remains elusive. – The Independent