Manchester United vs Club America: 5 talking points

Manchester United faced Club America at the University of Phoenix Stadium on 19th July. United opted for a mix of youth and experience, naming a strong side from the players available. Mourinho started with Lee Grant in goal, with the new signing looking good in a couple of occasions under pressure.

The first half ended with the score at 0-0 with both sides having their share of chances. Club America took the lead via a fiery header from Henry Martin in the 59th minute, but Juan Mata equalized for United, abet fortuitously, 12 minutes from time. The game ended 1-1 with 16-year-old striker Mason Greenwood leading the line for Manchester United

United started the brighter of the two sides, with youngster Demetri Mitchell, who started on the left wing, threatening the opposition defence on a couple of occasions. Martial was busy early on and after one of his shots sailed wide, saw another of his attempt saved by Club America goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin.

Mata even hit the bar in the first half. After going behind in the second half, United tried hard for a goal and during one such attack, Hererra’s header off a Chong cross came off the upright and Mata converted home, through the legs of the replacement goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez. United had 6 corners and 5 shots, with 1 of them on target. They also had 52% possession.

The game had a lot of highs and lows and we look at 5 important talking points from the game:

#5 Bailly is indispensable for United in defence

Manchester United v Club America - International Champions Cup 2018

Even though he was caught off guard for the Club America goal, Bailly had a pretty solid game and looks set in the center of the Manchester United defence. United have to be careful to keep him fit and give him a consistent partner.

Mourinho has said that the 4 who started the game in defence, i.e., Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Shaw, would be the 4 that start the game against Leicester. Apart from Smalling, this would probably be the first choice defence this season.

Mourinho should look to capitalize on Lindelof’s fine showing in the World Cup and once he returns from his 3-week layoff, draft him alongside Bailly in the center of defence as soon as possible.

#4 Luke Shaw looks in good shape

A lot has been said about the England youngster over the years. He was about to hit a higher gear cement and his place in the team before he broke his leg in September 2015. Then his relationship with his Manager strained when Mourinho publicly bashed him.

Last season was one to forget and pictures emerged during the offseason that showed an out of shape Luke Shaw. But contrary to all reports, Shaw has come back stronger. While he is not at his full fitness yet, he looks sharp and there was a lot of desire in his performance against Club America.

Pre-season friendly matches are never the games to draw conclusions from, but Shaw looked full of running and intent. Maybe, if he holds on to his form and gets a bit of consistency with a run of games under his belt, he could have a good season. Looks like Mourinho’s tough love is taking shape after all.

#3 The right wing is still a weak point

United do not have an established name who could make it work in the right wing and that is the truth. Mata started there against Club America, but his lack of pace was evident all through the game.

Valencia looked good on the overlap on a couple of occasions, but you could see that with a good right winger ahead of him, the United Skipper could have an even great impact on games.

There is a whole dimension to United’s game missing due to that one glaring gap and Mourinho and Woodward should address the issue before the end of the Pre-Season. That would give the new signing time to get the partnerships right before the season starts. United’s performance next season will depend a lot on who plays consistently in the right wing for them.

#2 Andreas Pereira will be an option this year

Pereira started the pre-season friendly against Club America in a deep-lying role. Ander Herrera and young Scott McTominay were his midfield partners. It shows that Mourinho has identified Pereira as a midfielder and does not seem him as a winger or in a front 3 role.

While this would mean that United are not looking at any other midfield options in the transfer market, with Fred already in their kitty, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Pereira gained valuable experience playing at Valencia last season and will be a useful addition to the team.

While he will not be breaking into the team immediately, his performance against Club America was full of composure and calm. He looked exceptionally good under opposition pressure and circulated the ball well through the defence and the midfield. He also combined well with Hererra and attempted cute balls into the forward line.

With more game time and regular interactions with the team, Pereira will only get better and might even replicate the form Scott McTominay showed last season.

#1 Tahith Chong looks like a future Super Star United should hold on to

Tahith Chong is already a Superstar. He is the reigning Jimmy Murphy youth Team Player of the Year, and he is coming off a stellar season.

Chong came on as a sub, replacing Antony Martial, in the game against Club America and immediately showed his talent. His pace and skills is not unknown to people who have followed his game last season, but he announced himself to the world and many people would have taken notice.

The most assuring thing was that Chong looked completely at home at the one position that is the Achilles heel for United – the right wing. He mixed his game well with pace and skills and the only thing he lacked was the body strength to hold the ball. He was brushed aside easily on more than a couple of times and his lean frame requires some muscles to play in the physical premier league.

Mourinho has acknowledged this fact and looks to have him play 20-25 minutes of every preseason game. He also mentioned that Chong’s lack of physic might be the only reason that the youngster is not a choice in the first team immediately but remains hopeful of his participation in the cup games.

However, years ago, a certain young Cristiano Ronaldo was of the same lean frame, being brushed away by defenders in every game. It shows the greatness and resolve of Sir Alex Ferguson that Ronaldo transformed into the most feared footballer in the league soon. Chong has the support of the same United back room that shaped Ronaldo, so it is time Mourinho put some more faith on the youngster.

Edited by Zeeshan Ali