Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City: 3 reasons why United lost the game

Manchester City returns back to the summit of the Premier League with an efficient victory over their neighbours. Goals from Bernado Silva and Leroy Sane saw City overcome the last big hurdle in their quest to win consecutive Premier League titles.

The narrative surrounding the match was completely different for either side. For City, many had handpicked this game as the final obstacle in a gruelling title race, at the same time, a win for United would have seen them leapfrog Arsenal on the table and match Chelsea’s points tally.

However, Pep’s men got the job done and made it 11 wins in a row in the Premier League. Meanwhile, United succumbed to their seventh defeat in nine games as the gulf in quality was quite evident in their latest loss, and Solskjaer and his staff have a huge job ahead to urgently arrest this slump they find themselves in.

For now, let us ponder the three reasons why Manchester United suffered another loss at the hands of the cityzens.

#1 Questionable team selection

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer baffled many with a questionable team selection ahead of the game. United lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Matteo Darmian making his first appearance for the club since Mourinho’s last game in charge.

Darmian started on the right of a back three, with Young playing in the right wing back position. This change meant youngster, Diego Dalot, had to be content with a place on the bench. Eyebrows were raised at this dubious decision as Dalot is far better for the wing back position.

United was expected to stay compact and hurt City on the counter-attack. When deploying such a tactic, it is vital that one attacks with pace, incision, and precision when given a chance to, as they are at a premium against City who successfully manages to frustrate opposition teams by keeping the ball for long periods of time, pressing ferociously when they lose it.

Thus you have to make the most of the limited opportunities in an advanced position. Ashley Young’s lack of pace and sheer wastefulness in possession thereby hampered United’s attacks.

On the other hand, Dalot is known for his crossing ability, boasts good physical attributes, and is a good dribbler, all the qualities that are valuable when playing in such a system and position.

As a result of these factors, his exclusion from the team remains a mystery when he would have been a better fit in this team and against the opposition, rather than the ineffective Young.

#2 Lack of goals and inadequate supply from the bench

The stark contrast in the bench strength of both Manchester clubs was staggering, to say the least. While Pep could afford to bring on the likes of Leroy Sane, Riyadh Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, and Phi Foden, Solskjaer didn’t enjoy that luxury, with most of his forwards in woeful form and awfully short on confidence.

This lack of adequate quality from the bench to change the game played a significant role in their defeat.

Fernandinho’s injury played Pep Guardiola’s hand in sending on the electric winger, Leroy Sane, in place of the injured Brazilian. The substitution meant a change in City’s shape, with Leroy Sane accommodating the left wing position and Raheem Sterling switching to the right, thereby allowing Bernando Silva adopt a central role alongside his other namesake, Silva, with Gundogan slotting into the Fernandinho role.

This changed the entire game as Guardiola’s side looked much more fluid & threatening, and were edging closer to an elusive opener at Old Trafford. The goal inevitably arrived shortly after the change, when Bernardo Silva glided past Luke Shaw and slotted the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to give City the crucial lead. Leroy Sane killed the game when he finished brilliantly after being played in by Raheem Sterling.

Meanwhile, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku had little impact over the proceedings and failed to have any influence on the game.

#3 Fitness issues

Solskjaer set his team up to absorb the City pressure and use the speedy Marcus Rashford and the movement of Jesse Lingard to trouble the City defence on the break. In the earlier stages of the game, United pressed them higher up the pitch and targeted the ageing Vincent Kompany, a tactic that resulted in a booking for the Belgian.

The away side found it difficult to maintain concrete possession, with United players at their heels ready to snatch the ball away and break on the counter.

This early energy, intensity, and enthusiasm soon faded, and they retreated to staying on the edge of their box and seldom pressed the opposition. This could be attributed to the fitness issues of the United players.

Their ex-manager played a different system and was rather content with sitting back and hurting the opposition on the break, while Solskjaer wants his players to press high, run more, and stay on the front foot. However, his players are not accustomed to this new method of play and thus have struggled due to the physical demands of this style of football.

In their embarrassing defeat against Everton, stats showed that the Toffees ran eight kilometres more than Ole’s team. With games coming in thick and fast, there is less time to work on their fitness, and the different aspects that need fine-tuning the implementation of his brand of football, thus contributing to their struggles in recent weeks.

Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.