Manchester United started the new campaign in the best possible way. The Old Trafford side were able to produce an emphatic 3-1 win against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Saturday as Jose Mourinho grabbed his first victory as United manager in the Premier League.
Mourinho made a couple of changes to the side which won against Leicester City in the Community Shield last week. Ander Herrera came in for Michael Carrick to partner Marouane Fellaini in the midfield., while Juan Mata replaced the injured Jesse Lingard on the right flank. United were rusty at times but did enough to get the opening crucial win. The game had many positives so here are some takeaways from the match.
Smalling will have to earn his spot again
Mourinho has stuck with a fixed centre back partnership of Daley Blind and Eric Bailly throughout the preseason. The duo have impressed and formed a good alliance in the heart of defence, and the Ivory Coast international collected his second man of the match award in as many competitive games for United.
It had been rumoured that Blind was to be sold by the Portuguese manager, but the Dutchman has partnered Bailly seamlessly in defence, hardly putting a foot wrong. He has compensated for his lack of physical presence with his tactical intelligence, bringing calmness to the centre of the back line. Chris Smalling, who has been out due to injury and suspension, will have to work hard to win back his place in the team.
Herrera continues to impress under Mourinho
United were expected to start with Carrick in the midfield after Mourinho’s comment about the Englishman being the player to provide a shield in front of the defence. Instead though, Herrera and Fellaini were started together as the midfield pivot. The Spaniard was deployed as a deep midfielder ,while Fellaini played in an advanced role.
Herrera had a good first season but later became isolated under Louis Van Gaal. However, he has started the season well and looks to be a player who can perform for Mourinho. He kept things tidy, played some delicious forward balls to create chances for his teammates, and looks like he can be modified to play as a deep lying midfielder under the new manager.
Martial-Shaw linkup will take time to shine
It was a great sight for United fans to have Luke Shaw making his first Premier League start since his horrific leg break last season. The young defender was rusty though, and showed some poor positioning at times. He also lost his man for Bournemouth’s only goal in the second half. It’s to be expected that he will gain form with some matches under his belt.
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He formed a decent partnership with Memphis Depay in a short time last year on the left flank. Mourinho favours Anthony Martial on the left as the Frenchmen was United’s best outfield player last year, and he was decisive against Bournemouth, racking up two assists. The linkup play between Shaw and Martial was weak though, and it will take time for the duo to get their understanding together and form a formidable partnership.
Rooney the weak link in United’s attack
Manchester United were not in the best attacking shape in the first half. They did create some decent chances but the build up was often disrupted by Wayne Rooney. The captain, as he has always done down the years, appears to be starting the season slowly, and he was poor against Bournemouth despite scoring the team’s second goal.
He slows down the tempo of the attack and at times his touch lets him down. United’s attacking quartet is shaping up well with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Martial, and Juan Mata or Henrikh Mkhitariyan, along with Rooney. It will take time for them to gel but by the looks of it Rooney seems to be the weak link in the attacking four.
Darmian should be worried about his future at the club
Antonio Valencia looks to be a man rejuvenated under Mourinho. The Ecuadorian was impressive against the Cherries and kept on bombing forward along with doing his defensive duties perfectly. He played a crucial role in the second goal of United’s goals.
Matteo Darmian, on the other hand, missed out on the squad for the second game in a week. The Italian should be worried about his future at Old Trafford as he looks now to be third choice right back- reports are that Timothy Fosu Mensah has agreed a new deal with the club and will understudy Valencia. Darmian started strongly last year and was first choice in the right back position, but as the season went on his form dipped. It looks like he is not in Jose’s first team plans after not being selected for two consecutive matchday squads.