Leeds of Serie A give United hope
UNITED’S first game of a difficult run of fixtures couldn’t have got off to a worse start.
The coming weeks have the potential to see the Reds fall out of sight of the leading pack in the Premier League title race even at this early stage.
Next up is a Liverpool side that is approaching its title-winning form once more, after that is a trip to Tottenham and then it’s the derby.
The pressure is certainly increasing on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who, nearly three years into the job now, still hasn’t been able to fix the same old issues that have troubled his side – frailty in defence, hollow midfield and an inability to break down teams who are happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.
Luckily for United, they have a bit of a palate cleanser coming up this week in the Champions League as they face Atalanta for the first time tomorrow a team who don’t know the definition of ‘sit back.’
The Bergamo outfit have made waves over the last few seasons by repeatedly competing at the top end of Serie A and in Europe despite having a budget that pales in comparison to the giants of Italy.
They have done so by playing some of the most thrilling and relentless attacking football seen in recent years, pressing high and looking to punish teams with their pace and skill. They have finished top scorers in Serie A for the last three seasons.
They warmed up for their trip to Old Trafford by sticking four past Empoli. In Josip Illicic, Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata, they have a selection of fierce forwards and their hallmark 3-4-1-2 formation is exactly the same that gave United so much grief against Leicester.
Even with Robin Gosens injured, they still have Joakim Maehle, who played so well for Denmark at Euro 2020, to man the left flank.
Atalanta really do have the potential to hurt United but the thing that makes them such a threat also plays into their hands.
The times when Solskjaer’s side has looked the most impressive is when they have been able to counter-attack with ferocious pace. With the way Atalanta commit so many bodies forward, it’s easy to see a scenario where the Reds come out handsome winners.
The team that most closely resembles Atalanta in England is Leeds and, while the Italians are obviously much better, United’s best performance of the season came on the opening day as they thumped their Yorkshire rivals 5-1.
Atalanta will go at United, which will likely create the perfect conditions for Solskjaer’s side to score plenty of goals.