Manchester United 0-0 San Jose Earthquakes: 5 Talking Points

Manchester United played San Jose Earthquakes in the second game of their pre-season tour, at the Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara. It would seem that the game had failed to generate much excitement among spectators and fans in the United States, as the stadium looked less than half full and it is not hard to guess why.

San Jose Earthquakes are currently languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer. Everyone probably expected United, even without a host of stars, to blow away their opponents. But the Major League side had other ideas.

Mourinho started with the same back four and goalkeeper as the previous game, while drafting in youngster James Garner to join Herrera and Pereira in the middle, as Scott McTominay started from the bench. Up ahead, a lot was expected from the blistering front three of Sanchez, Martial and Chong.

Sanchez looked lively in his first pre-season game, while Chong had a quiet afternoon. But Valencia had to leave the pitch early due to a suspected calf injury, something that will have Mourinho worried.

Bailly should have scored in the first half when his header from close range went off the bar. That and another header from Scott McTominay in the second half were the closest United came to scoring, in a game where they hardly created any chances.

On the other hand, San Jose were unlucky not to score, when Timothy Fosu-Mensah made a goal-line clearance with Lee Grant beaten in the second half. In the dying minutes, San Jose’s Yeferson headed the ball into the crossbar. The game ultimately ended 0-0, a lacklustre display of football from Manchester United.

Even though it was just a pre-season game and a lot of players were missing for the Premier League side, there will be a lot of things that would be of concern to Jose. The thing which will worry him the most is how United failed to score a goal against the side currently bottom of the MLS.

The pre-season has not been going too well for Mourinho and he will be hoping for a quick change of luck in the next game. More than anything else, pride will be at stake then. As United prepare to face AC Milan next, on 25th July, we take a look at five talking points from the game against San Jose Earthquakes.

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#5 Lee Grant is not here to just make up the numbers

Lee Grant was the surprise addition to the Manchester United squad from the transfer market this season. He had been the second choice to Jack Butland in a Stoke side who were relegated last season.

He had played just 5 times in the whole season. But in the 2016/17 season, Grant played 30 games for Stoke City and ultimately won their player of the season award. And in his two games with United in pre-season, Grant has shown just why Mourinho went for him. He has displayed composure and good goalkeeping abilities and looks to communicate well with his defence.

His ball distribution is also tidy and he looked decent in possession. True, he will not be dislodging De Gea, or even Romero any time soon, but he will be pushing them and he brings a wealth of experience with him which will be priceless for De Gea.

Just like the game against Club America, Grant showed great shot-stopping skills in United’s second pre-season game, diving with great fluidity to save Tommy Thompson’s hammering long ranger. Yes, he was lucky not to concede just a few minutes before full time and Fosu-Mensah did bail him out in the second half, but you want your Goalkeeper to be lucky. And United have not conceded a goal as long as Grant has been on the field, in the two pre-season games.

Lee Grant will certainly have a role to play next season. He will not be getting too many games, but you can rest assured that he will make the most of every minute he is granted on the pitch.

#4 Lack of creativity in the team

Mourinho started with the same 4-3-3 formation that he used in the first game. Manchester United had 571 passes with 85% accuracy. But they were quite slow in possession. Even with the pace of Martial, Sanchez and Chong up front, United lacked speed in their build up.

Everyone took time on the ball and the transition from midfield to attack was not as fast as it should have been. But what came as a surprise was that when things didn’t work out, Jose did not try a change in formation, neither did he try to spice things up.

It is true that Valencia’s calf injury did jeopardize United’s game, yet Mourinho did little to counter the adversity. He could have brought in Fosu-Mensah, but opted for Darmian, probably preferring calmness and solidity in defence over speed and fluidity in attack.

Pre-season games do not have any importance apart from building momentum before the start of the league, but against a seemingly harmless opponent, it would have been nice to see Jose try out something different. He could have switched to a back three, played Mata through the middle, maybe could have moved Martial back to the left wing – the possibilities were endless. But sadly, Jose seemed content with the way things were.

Another glaring fact was the lack of creativity in this team. Sanchez tried a bit too much, but could not inspire. United were not creative enough, there were very few chances in the whole game and to think that they should rely on Paul Pogba alone for creativity is a dangerous proposition.

#3 United need someone to step up in absence of Lukaku

Goal scoring was a problem for United for the whole of last season and apart from Lukaku, there was no one prolific enough. So, in absence of the big Belgian, the pre-season was the perfect chance for someone else to step up. Martial had his chances and will continue to get more of them in the pre-season, but his finishing has been poor.

A lot was said of Alexis Sanchez after the Club America game and how he could change the dimension of this United team, but the truth is, even though he looked lively, apart from that one free kick, the Chilean did not look like scoring either. United will most likely not have Lukaku in their ranks all through the pre-season and as such, they desperately need someone else to step up and take responsibility for scoring goals.

This will also help them in the long run, because even though they have a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal, apart from Lukaku, no one excels in the number 9 role, so in event of an injury to their number 9, Manchester United could suddenly look blunt in attack. Since he is short of options in pre-season, Mourinho will be wise to start Sanchez through the middle against Milan and hope that the Chilean can conjure up something.

On the other hand, United also need goals from the midfield, something they were missing last season. While Pogba, if he stays, will be expected to take over that responsibility in the wake of a fantastic World Cup, United also need Hererra, Mata and Co to use the pre-season and improve their goal-scoring abilities.

#2 The Martial saga could hurt United

What has happened to Martial? It does seem that the rumours are true and he has actually handed in a transfer request! Martial looked disinterested, to say the least, and seemed to have his head somewhere else. And Mourinho has not been making matters easy by playing him in the number 9 role.

Martial can never expect to dislodge Lukaku as the main man, as the number 9, at United and as such, his only chances are at the left wing, where he is pretty good. Ideally, Mourinho should have used these pre-season games to build up the confidence of the Frenchman and give him adequate game time to flourish, to find his foothold on the game again.

Martial had been on fabulous form until Sanchez’s move, which adversely affected his game. Since Martial and Sanchez are two very different players and bring different things to the game, they can be used in different strategies against different opponents.

Martial does not look good as a number 9. He does not hold the ball well and is not too effective with his back to the goal. His finishing has also deteriorated, may be due to lack of confidence and he should stick to what he is good at – running at the defence and tormenting wingbacks with his speed and skill.

If Jose desires to keep him at United, he should immediately bring Martial back to the left, where he can stretch the game and show Sanchez that selection for the left slot is not confirmed, yet.

But if in the event that all of United’s efforts go in vain and Martial has his heart set on leaving, the club will have to decide whether it will be wise to hold on to him and also, the message his departure would send out to the young footballers everywhere about Manchester United as a club.

#1 Andreas Pereira is going from strength to strength

If there is any consistency to United’s two games, it has to be Andreas Pereira. The Brazilian has linked well with Ander Hererra and the intelligent Spaniard seems to be guiding the youngster well. Pereira has continued where he left off against Club America and seems so completely at ease that he is getting rave reviews.

His all-round game is gathering pace, even though his lack of speed is a concern. But that has not held him back, as he has been United’s best player on the pitch for the second game running. He has mixed his game beautifully, excelling at both short and long balls and has been tracking back to do the dirty work without complaining.

Playing alongside Hererra has given him a lot of confidence and he is not afraid to try the optimistic balls once in a while. He has an eye for a pass and his corners have been pretty good. Pereira was quite effective while closing down the opposition and protected the ball well. His all-round decision making was fantastic, doing exactly what was necessary all game, rarely making mistakes even under pressure.

Even though Mourinho will not be pleased with United’s performance against San Jose, Pereira’s consistency and continued development will be his only consolation. He should be the first name on the team sheet against AC Milan and if Pereira keeps up the good work, United fans can expect to see a lot more of him this season.