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#4 Manchester United have got to start matches well now
There is something that has been synonymous with United ever since the days when Sir Alex Ferguson was at the helm of things. The team might go a goal down, but their spirits were always on the rise. They always found a way to claw back in the game and snatch away the three points eventually. Whilst the current team seems to be doing the same, it is more because of their constant poor starts to matches.
It always takes around half an hour or a goal from the opposition for this United team to play according to their potential. While a wakeup call once in a while is good enough, Mourinho’s players have been doing so continuously for some time. They seem to start matches off-guard, lose possession, mess up passing moves and accordingly concede a goal out through a defensive lapse of concentration.
It is shambolic that despite having probably the best custodian in European football in their ranks, United have managed to keep only a single clean sheet in their 11 Premier League matches so far. The defensive drawbacks are far too visible, and though Victor Lindelof has put up an impressive display in the last month or so, there seems to always be a sense of doubt and loophole when they are pushed behind by the opposition’s frontline.
United have notched impressive comebacks against Newcastle United, Chelsea and now Bournemouth in the last few weeks. However, the game against Juventus was a testament to the fact that they will not always have the opportunity to find their way back into the game. The manager and the whole set up need to work on how to maintain a consistent intensity and concentration throughout the course of ninety minutes. Because, as Ander Herrera very maturely said after the match, United need to become a ‘whole game team’.
