Analysing Luke Shaw: 5 Positives From The Manchester United Left Back’s Performance Against Leicester City

Luke Shaw joined United from Southampton in 2014 and has played 67 games over 4 seasons, a spell which was marred by injuries and criticism for lack of professionalism. However, his 67th game, against Leicester City in the 2018/19 season opener, showcased one of his best performances on the field and was perhaps his highest point in a United shirt.

Shaw joined United on the back of a stellar year, where he played 35 times for Southampton in the league, and 3 times in the FA Cup, totaling 38 games in the season. In stark contrast, at United he has never crossed the 20 game mark for a season in the 4 years he has spent at OT. He has been unfortunate with injuries but has also been unlucky when fit, the latest example being the emergence of Ashley Young as a left back. Young was so good at that position for United that he made his way into the England World Cup Squad and was a vital part of the team that reached the semifinals.

In the 4 years that he has been at Old Trafford, Luke Shaw has gone from a future star to another youngster who never lived up to his potential. But if the first game of the season is anything to go by, Shaw seems to have turned a new leaf. Whether he has the consistency to pull through the whole season is yet to be seen, but if he manages to keep himself fit, this could be his path-breaking year at Manchester United.

In the game against Leicester, Shaw took his strong preseason preparations to a new level and we look at five positives from the left back’s performance in the game.

#5 Positioning

Manchester United v Leicester City - Premier League

Shaw started the game at the left side of defense and spent the 90 minutes hugging the touchline. This enabled him to get into good spaces, and he was always available to receive the ball. In fact, Pogba did free him a couple of times and his speed was evident on those occasions as he left Amartey behind repeatedly.

His positioning has improved and he overlapped beautifully throughout the game. As a result, Shaw had 99 touches of the ball, the most by a United player. Pogba had 91 touches and Pereira had 75, both midfielders who are supposed to have the ball more. In fact, only Ndidi with 100 touches had more touches on the ball in the game. This shows how involved Shaw was. The only shortfall was that he did not attempt a single cross in the game.

#4 Combining well with Mata and Sanchez

Shaw combined very well with Sanchez initially, and the two interchanged a few passes, finding each other with ease. Shaw even tried to release Sanchez with a lob, but the weight on the pass was a bit too heavy. Shaw had 67 passes in the game, only Pogba with 68 had more passes in the United team, whereas Pereira had 58 passes.

He then combined very well with Mata, allowing the Spaniard to drift inside. Shaw got into pockets of spaces and made himself available in good positions. He looks to have built a partnership with the two wide players and it is definitely a good sign. In fact, it was from his run into the ball and cut back to Sanchez that Leicester conceded the penalty.

#3 Nullifying Leicester City’s right-sided attack

Shaw was instrumental in keeping Leicester’s right-sided attack at bay. He was so high up the pitch all the time that Amartey, the Leicester City Right Back, could not join the attack in the overlap. Even Pereira had trouble getting past him. Amartey was busy defending and did not attempt a single cross.

However, Pereira did attempt 6 crosses and it was from one of those that Vardy equalized. Shaw could have done better in the follow up to the goal, because when Pereira received the ball, Shaw shut out the wings, forcing the Leicester City man to come back inside. When he attemped to put the cross in, Luke Shaw put in a half-hearted challenge, and was unsuccessful in stopping the cross.

#2 Strong performance in defence

Shaw did not just join in the attack, he was strong while defending as well. He pressed efficiently, recovered the ball and also showed a budding understanding with Lindelof. The two exchanged passes and came to each other's rescue a couple of times. Shaw had 1 block to his name, he also intercepted the ball once.

He attempted 3 tackles, the same as Bailly and also had 5 clearances. He was so assured in his defensive duties that even though he attempted tackles, he did not concede a single foul. It was a vast improvement from the player who had looked defensively vulnerable over the years, however, he did get caught on the ball a couple of times and he will be looking to improve on those aspects.

#1 Confident enough to shoot

All the big teams in the big leagues look through their team for goals. They find goals from their strikers, midfielders and even defenders. And goalscoring fullbacks are a rage in modern football. Much to the joy of the United faithful, Shaw has finally displayed the confidence to shoot at goal. He had two shots and both were on target.

His first attempt was a low right-footed drive that was saved by the goalkeeper, but it was a sign of things to come. Throughout the game, he was always lurking around the penalty box, ready to act if called upon, ready to work if asked to deliver and when Mata found him, he had the desire to get the better of Amartey and score with his left foot.

There was a hunger in him that was not present before and it was because of this hunger that Shaw scored his first goal for Manchester United. When he takes the field against teams now, the opposition will be wary, because Luke Shaw has gained confidence now, and Luke Shaw will not stop.

Edited by Arvind Sriram