Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | FA Cup 2018-19

#1 Rushing players from injury seem to have backfired

Jesse Lingard was clearly not fully fit

Two defeats after probably the biggest win of the season for the Red Devils; there is obviously something that needs to be resurrected in the current setup.

The mood was high and positive after having knocked out PSG in the Round of 16 but it should be noted that United have even more important matches coming up in the next few months; matches that will have a big say in their top four prospects and an improbable European campaign too.

The loss against Arsenal was still easier to accept, as United were close to notching goals and just lacked the final touch on certain occasions.

However, they seemed completely switched off against Wolves and were deservingly knocked out of the tournament by a team that looked more hungry, determined and tenacious to get the job done at the end of ninety minutes. Here’s where the management comes into play.

Rushing the likes of Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard into play certainly backfired as Matic hasn’t seemed to recover well from the knock he suffered before the match against Liverpool. Similarly, Lingard was reluctant to commit into challenges and run that extra yard at times, thereby blunting United’s attacking movements.

There was no incision in passing and very less intent to win the ball back higher up on the field. Moutinho and Neves ran around Matic and he wasn’t alert enough to recover the ball back.

Pogba had to play deeper on the field because of this but even there he wasn’t convincing, often surrendering possession and looking for fouls rather than regaining the possession. There seemed to be some confusion over Ander Herrera’s role too as the Basque switched from the right-hand side of the midfield to the deepest area in the midfield and was seemingly off-guard on many occasions.

What makes the inclusion of these seemingly half-fit players even more surprising is the fact that the likes of Andreas Pereira, Fred and Scott McTominay are in an excellent run of form and deserved to start ahead of the likes of Matic and Herrera.

The management needs to get their selection right at times hereon if they are to sustain the good work that they have done over the course of the last few months.