Manchester United’s top-four hopes faced a huge setback when they were thrashed 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday at White Hart Lane.
Manchester United now face the task of qualifying for next year’s Champions League from four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City.
Manchester United were decent in the first half of the game but collapsed in six sparkling minutes in the final quarter. Three quick goals from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela gave the home side a much-needed win to keep them in the quest of the title.
It has been the story of the season for United that they fall heavily after showing glimpses of progress. The following are the five talking points from a crushing defeat at White Hart Lane.
It is time to drop Mata
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Louis van Gaal needs to make a bold step after this defeat and replace Juan Mata in the starting XI. The Spaniard has played the most games for the Red Devils this year along with Daley Blind. He has been off form for quite some time. He had a huge task of playing on the right flank against the pacey left-back Danny Rose on Sunday, and he failed miserably.
Mata has been the creative force for the Red Devils this year despite being underwhelming. The return of Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay on the bench should be more than enough reason for dropping the former Chelsea midfielder. This decision will also be a wake-up call for Mata and could help him to do better.
Need to make home advantage count in remaining fixtures
United have six games left in the Premier League. The Red Devils will require maximum points from these games and hope that other teams drop points during that time. United luckily have to play four games at home out of those remaining six games. City have four away games in their final six fixtures.
United have won nine games at home this season in the league, losing just twice at Old Trafford. United have to make this home advantage count in the final part of the season if they want to qualify for next year’s Champions League. It has been a disappointing season for United but if they make the final four home games count then it would be a decent end to the term.
Fosu-Mensah is the future of United’s defence
He played a pivotal part in last weekend’s win over Everton. Fosu-Mensah delivered again for United at White Hart Lane. The 18-year-old was the best player on the pitch. He was deployed in the right-back position and showed immense maturity.
Fosu-Mensah made important interceptions and blocks that kept United in the game. He covered up well in the centre-back position when Chris Smalling was dragged away. The teenager has loads of talent and can be a rock in United’s defence for years to come. It was no coincidence that Tottenham took advantage and attacked from the right flank to score three goals as soon as he was substituted due to injury.
Rojo continues to regress at left-back
Van Gaal got his team selection spot-on bar one name: Marcos Rojo. The Argentine delivered yet another poor performance and continues to regress in the left-back position. The former Sporting Club de Portugal player had a golden opportunity to showcase his talent after Luke Shaw suffered a horrific injury in September but has taken steps back with each chance he’s been given in the team.
There was no doubt that United’s loss was due to a miscommunication in the back four and an individual should not be singled out for the loss, but Rojo was poor throughout the game. He made promising runs from the left flank only to end up ruining the move with a poor cross. The Argentine is a decent squad member but should not be near the starting XI as he continues to show no progress in the left-back role.
Poor in-game management from Van Gaal
Van Gaal made some good substitutions in the past couple of games and there were pretty decent changes on Sunday, but it was Dutchman’s in-game management that led to United’s demise against Spurs. The United boss brought on Ashley Young at half-time, and it was a justified sub as Marcus Rashford was having a poor game. It was expected that Martial would lead the line after that change but to everyone’s surprise Young was used as a striker.
The substitute was ineffective in the second half and isolated between the centre-backs. Young would have done well on the right flank and delivered crosses in the box while Martial could have caused problems for Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. The other example of poor in-game management was the use of Mata on the right flank despite the pace of Rose.
Next: Spurs 3-0 United: Player Ratings
Jesse Lingard, who has a good work-rate, could have done better on that flank than he did at number 10 in this game.