Manchester United’s form of late has been reminiscent of the old days from the Ferguson era. While they showed absolute dominance against West Ham and Swansea early on in the season, they showed their resilience to grind out results with the 4-0 win against Everton. There are some early player of the season contenders in that Manchester United team already. Romelu Lukaku has managed to find the net in all the games bar one. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already surpassed his last season’s tally of assists in just 5 games of the league. Anthony Martial has started just one game this season but has managed to score 3 in as many appearances from the bench. Nemanja Matic, a recent acquisition from Chelsea, has fit in so well, it almost seems as if he’s been playing in that midfield for ages. And finally, Manchester United’s prodigal son, Paul Pogba has been a massive influence in the early season form that United find themselves in. Other players such as Marouane Fellaini, Marcus Rashford and Antonio Valencia have had their fair share of notable contributions thus far.
Overall, Manchester United finally seem to be in sync as a team and are touted as early contenders for the title at the end of the season.
Nothing is flawless, there will be imperfections that are overshadowed by the positives.
Manchester United have been questioned this season. Their visit to Stoke was a wake-up call. Against Everton too, up until the goal glut in the final 10 minutes, there were patches of the same nervy football that was characteristic from last season. The defence that seemed resolute had its cracks made visible and should have been punished. Rooney and Sigurdsson came close for the visitors but were denied by a man who has been Manchester United’s X-factor for quite some time now.
Those weren’t weak finishes, both Rooney and Sigurdsson could not have done anything different in that situation. But even when both of them were through on goal, there was a certain calmness around Old Trafford, almost as if the fans were certain that the Spaniard would be up to the task as always. Even against Stoke, before Chupo Moting pulled Swansea level, David de Gea pulled off a blinder of a save against Jese from close range.
Against Leicester too, de Gea pulled off an instinctive save from Andy King, when United had just gone 2-0 up. Conceding a goal then could have changed the dynamic of the game, but it wasn’t to be.
Gary Neville admits Jose Mourinho’s side do have some weaknesses but David’s performances have saved United from punishment.
“If you look at United, you saw them make mistakes at Stoke and there were chances for Everton, but ultimately the weaknesses they have shown at the back are covered by a goalkeeper in David De Gea, who is absolutely world-class,” Neville told Sky Sports.
Perhaps this just goes to show the importance of a world-class shot-stopper, one who is always up to the task whenever called upon.
