Why Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia will give Tottenham Hotspur a torrid time

Antonio Valencia

In Manchester United’s thrilling 5-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Germany this week, there were several stand-out displays. Although veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs and the in-form Wayne Rooney took most of the plaudits, Antonio Valencia was at his unstoppable best down United’s right-hand side.

Valencia tormented Leverkusen’s make-shift full back Emre Can all night, regularly getting to the by-line, managing to put 11 crosses into the box. He is always a fantastic outlet for United’s midfielders to find because the Ecuadorian is very reliable when in possession and can run at high speeds with the ball at his feet.

His style was perfect for United’s game-plan on Wednesday. They were very compact defensively and sprung into life when they won the ball back from the Germans. If there is such a thing, Valencia is deployed as a defensive winger the majority of the time at Old Trafford, due to his ability to track back and help his team out in deep areas of the pitch when the opposition are attacking. He proved his worth to the team in Germany, winning 100% of his tackles and making two clearances.

But he is capable of springing into life when United win the ball back too and that is exactly what he was able to do against Leverkusen as the Red Devils showed how lethal they were on the counter-attack.

However, before the midweek game, Valencia had struggled to find his best form so far this season. The Ecuadorian has managed to create just nine chances in the league. Even Nani (10), who has played half the amount of games, has made more goal-scoring opportunities.

The wide-man has struggled to beat his man too, with Premier League left-backs seemingly aware that he likes to kick the ball down the line and run after it, without much variety. He has won just 44% of his take-ons this season, showing that he needs to start running at defenders rather than trying to have a race with them all the time.

But like Leverkusen, Tottenham will have a make-shift left-back playing rather than a natural one. Jan Vertonghen has filled the void left by the injured Danny Rose this season and United will be looking for Valencia to keep up the form he showed in Germany in midweek. He has the ability to give the Belgian a torrid time on Sunday because he can be unplayable if he gets up to full speed with the ball at his feet. Watch out for the tussle between Valencia and Vertonghen, as it has all the ingredients to be a key battle at White Hart Lane this weekend.