Everton 3-0 Manchester United: Takeaways
Credit: @PremierLeague
A second defeat in the row for Manchester United as they traveled to Everton and already expecting a tough game, got one. The game was already 2-0 to the home side at half-time; bit even the inclusion of Radamel Falcao at the start of the second-half could not change things. A third goal was scored courtesy of Kevin Mirallas and that signaled game over.
Let’s take a look at what we can take from this game:
1) Dodgy Defence (De Gea included)
It was a horrible afternoon for the Manchester United defenders; whether it was McNair going too far forward and not tracking back to David De Gea not communicating with the centrebacks and therefore nobody knew who was supposed to collect or challenge the balls in the area. A real mess really, and inexcusable. It is worth noting that surely Jonny Evans could have started this one? He wasn’t even on the bench, Tyler Blackett being preferred instead.
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McNair started the game, probably because of his good performance last time out against Chelsea. However, he was less like he was last week in this one. He made a number of errors and simply did not look more than a youth player with good prospects. Give him time next season to progress further and he will have more Chelsea-type games than this one.
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Ashley Young should have cleared John Stones header but instead helped it into the back of the net. It can also be questioned why Young was the man on the line in the first place. The game also proved De Gea is still open to mistakes despite being named in the Premier League Team of the Year. Hopefully it made Real Madrid think twice about signing him!
The defence had seemingly been sorted for now, and it wasn’t exactly full strength. Marcos Rojo was missing in a game which would have suited him. It is something that needs to be fixed by the next game. There will surely be summer signings to reinforce this key department for Manchester United.
2) Carrick needed back as soon as possible
Blind had a tough day at the office and while showed some promise; at the same time showed some shortfalls. He lacks the overall composure and authority of Carrick in the midfield, and some of his passing was off. It shows he is much better in the left back role which gives Louis van Gaal a selection headache with Luke Shaw’s return to action. Blind is still a versatile player, but simply did not look right in that role he played today.
Carrick brings fluency and stability to the team and when he is missing, that is lost and it seems any ideas never get fully realised and the team simply lacks that edge needed to win. The midfield felt woefully imbalanced against Everton. Mata was forced to do too much defensive work than he would have liked out wide against the pacey Everton wide-men, and Hererra could not attack as much as he would have liked to have done because he had to drop deeper.
Hopefully Carrick will return sooner rather than later. In addition, a player such as De Jong is needed to provide that extra cover and be a long-term replacement for the England man.
3) Fellaini over-hyped?
It was a return to Goodison Park for former Everton man Marouane Fellaini, and the pressure of the occasion appeared to have got to him, making a number of rash challenges and picking up a booking just over 10 minutes in. That booking came straight after he was issued a warning to calm the tackles down by the referee, a warning that was completely ignored by the Belgian.
Having been branded as some Ballon d’Or worthy capable-of-anything former villain who has gloriously redeemed himself, it was an unwelcome return to the old days for Fellaini and his time at Manchester United. He was clumsy. He was slow. He was bad enough to be substituted for the struggling Radamel Falcao.
Maybe Everton had realised the game-plan of sending long balls over the top onto Fellaini and therefore made it their job to contain him. This was the case against Chelsea. Or maybe the occasion was too much for him, going back to his old stomping ground and hearing the boo’s every time he touched the ball.
It was a reality check for sure, and something he needs to have had to make sure he keeps up what he had been doing up until the last two or so games. Being complacent, or arguably actually over-confident, cost him dearly.
Other Takes
– Robin van Persie returned to action, coming on late to replace a limping Wayne Rooney.
– Eyebrows were raised when Falcao was chosen as the man to get Manchester United back into the game. As expected, it didn’t happen for him.
– Everton are a difficult opponent when they are playing well so they deserve credit. Tim Howard seems to have made the right decision to leave United. Or, did United make the wrong decision in letting him go?