Manchester United have lost to Real Sociedad 1-0 tonight in what started and ended as a very disappointing game.
In the first half, both teams struggled to get a hold of the ball, with United having four shots to Sociedad’s three.
In part, this lack of control came down to Fred, who was tested in a more advanced role by Erik Ten Hag, playing alongside Eriksen as number 8’s. The Brazilian struggled with his passing, giving the ball away on multiple occasions. This may have been down to a lack of vision limiting his options, in which he often played directly in the direction he was facing rather than moving into space.
Casemiro also had a hard time on the ball, though he became slightly more tidy in possession as the game went on. Aside from an unfortunate nutmeg that would embarrass even the best of players, Casemiro defended his back line well in the number six role he knows so well.
Said backline needed this defending, as Harry Maguire captained the side for the first time since the 4-0 Brentford loss, and compared to that game, he didn’t look much better. It is safe to say that he is not good enough for Manchester United.
There seemed to be an overall lack of cohesion in the side, in which the players had difficulty in reading each other. This is expected to an extent following multiple changes to the starting eleven, but was disappointing to see regardless.
When talking about the players that featured tonight, it is hard not to mention the questionable substitutes from Erik Ten Hag. When Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes warmed up at half time, you could feel a sense of hope that the second half was going to be better- until we saw it was the largely trusted duo of Eriksen and Dalot who came off. This was followed by substitutions later in the second half, removing Elanga and Antony from the field after what were decent displays from the wingers.
Real Sociedad’s goal came from a penalty when a shot deflected off Martinez’s thigh onto his elbow. As mentioned in the commentary, this should not have been given, displaying yet another example of when referees, alongside everyone else, seem to not know the ever changing handball rule.
One of the only encouraging signs came later in the game, when David de Gea finally came off his line to successfully stop a clear goal scoring opportunity from the Spanish side.
Overall, tonight was a poor performance at Old Trafford, undoubtedly a 90 minutes United fans wish they could get back.
