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Manchester United welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Saturday, sitting just above them on 8th, with just one more point on board. But Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have already stopped City in their backyard this season and have lost just one of their 5 Premier League games. United, as such, cannot be complacent now.
The two sides have met 98 times in total, with Manchester United having the upper hand with 48 wins. The last time these two met was in 2012, when United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, thumped Wolves 5-0. Interestingly, Wolves have not won at Old Trafford in almost 38 years.
Kevin Friend, who has already overseen United’s first loss of the season at Burnley, will be in charge on Saturday, and the Red Devils will be desperate to ensure that result is not repeated. Ahead of the game, we take a look at 5 points to look forward to when United meet Wolves.
#5 Will Luke Shaw continue to impress?
Luke Shaw played every minute of United’s Premier League games before the international break. However, he picked up a head injury while on duty with England and was rested for the win over Watford as a precaution. He returned to the team in the Champions League win against PSV and looked fit and ready. However, whether Mourinho will be willing to use him in twice in a space of 4 days remains to be seen.
Luke Shaw has been fantastic for Manchester United this season. He has completed 227 passes, the second highest in the team after Paul Pogba, even though he played a game less. He also has the second most touches in the ball for his club so far – 344, and only Pogba has had more touches in the team. Shaw has been impressive while going forward, recording 8 shots, the third most in the United team and the second in the whole league among defenders. 4 of those shots have been on target and he has already scored a goal. He has also attempted 9 crosses.
Defensively, Shaw has been a revelation. He has 5 interceptions, 7 tackles – highest at United, and 14 clearances. Manchester United’s left side has been strong in attack as well as defense and much of the credit, deservedly, goes to Luke Shaw. As such, it will be interesting to see if the English left back starts again and if he does, fans will have their hopes and expectations resting on him.
#4 Can United keep a clean sheet?
Manchester United managed their first clean sheet of the season against Burnley FC in their 4th game of the season and as of now, it remains their only clean sheet in the League so far. In the midweek, United managed to secure a clean sheet against PSV and now the defense seems a little bit more balanced. There are still a few errors left in there, but hopefully, things will get better with each passing game. Much of the improvement has been achieved because Mourinho has stuck to the same back two for the last 2 League and 1 midweek European games.
Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof are perhaps the most unconventional central defensive pairing, but they have worked well together because they have a strong adaptive backbone despite the differences in their playing style. Lindelof is the better of the two with the ball and has the intelligence that Mourinho likes in a defender. And Smalling has the experience and the hardcore defending that completes the pairing. However, there’s another aspect of United’s defense that has been overlooked recently – David De Gea.
Despite having only 1 clean sheet in the league so far, De Gea has made 11 saves, only one less than Alisson who has 3 clean sheets and 3 more than Kepa, who has 2 clean sheets. De Gea’s start to the season has been hampered with United’s defensive complications, but the current Golden Glove winner is slowly coming back to his A game and another clean sheet right now would do him wonders.
#3 How will the midfield fare in Matic’s absence?
Nemanja Matic complicated matters when he picked up a red card in the game against Watford and as a result, will not be available against Wolves. Mourinho has recently altered the Serbian’s position, opting for Fellaini in the deep lying midfield role and playing Matic higher up in the pitch. This has helped United to have a better support to their attacking quartet, because Matic has been able to influence the game from further up in the opposition half.
Having Fellaini has provided an added stability to the shaky defense and Mourinho has basically tweaked the double pivot role to give Matic greater freedom in attack. Matic has obliged and has even strayed into the penalty box on occasions. The Serbian’s good close control, first touch and aerial prowess has worked to United's advantage so far. Perhaps the most benefitted has been Paul Pogba, who has found a wonderful supporting pillar by his side and as a result his game has improved.
But even when playing in an advanced role, Matic had not forgotten his defensive responsibility, tracking back rigorously and trying to win the ball back from higher up in the pitch. As such, his absence comes at a crucial time for United. Ideally, Herrera would be a perfect cover for the Serbian, if Mourinho sticks with Fellaini in the deeper role, but the Portuguese has confirmed that the Spaniard is still recovering from injry. However, Mourinho could also team up Pereira and Fred with Pogba, since it is a home game. McTominay remains another option, but the youngster is now further down the pecking order.
Whoever comes in, will have big shoes to fill, but a wonderful opportunity to impress the gaffer. How United copes with their midfield marshal’s absence will go a long way to determine the outcome of the game.
#2 Will Alexis Sanchez have an impact?
Sanchez had a great pre-season and a good first couple of games, but, surprisingly, has faded since. The Chilean was expected to become United’s star player by now, however, saying that he was sporadically good would also be an exaggeration. Sanchez has picked up an assist and has worked well with Lukaku, however, his goal scoring form has taken a hit since moving to United.
Whereas both Lukaku and Pogba have 15 shots in total, Sanchez has registered 8 shots in the league so far. Both Lukaku and Pogba have 9 shots on target, Sanchez has only 3. The Chilean could have picked up a few more assists had his team mates not been so wasteful, but without his goals, Sanchez is a player who comes across as frustrated and sulky. Sanchez has had most touches among the forward players in United, however, while he has built a strong partnership with Luke Shaw, his understanding with his other teammates is yet to flourish.
In a season where none of United’s wingers or supporting strikers have been able to impress, the onus had been on Sanchez to create a distance between him and the other and cement his place in the team. Unfortunately, he has not been able to do that and in recent games he has not been too effective. A reason for this could be that he has not been receiving the ball too much with the goal in his sights, because he has been asked to track back often. It is something that Mourinho needs to focus on, because to have a good season, Manchester United will need a lot of goals from Sanchez.
#1 Can Lukaku continue his scoring form?
Lukaku has had a strong start to the season so far, scoring 4 goals, registering 15 shots, 9 of which has been on target. For a fruitful season, Manchester United need Romelu Lukaku to be in record breaking goal scoring form. While Pogba, Shaw and Smalling have contributed in front of goal too, Lukaku has scored half of United’s goals this season and with the other forward players having a dry run so far, Lukaku knows that United are counting on him more than ever now. However, it is not just the Belgian’s goal scoring form that has impressed everyone. In truth, Lukaku has improved his overall game and is a more complete player right now.
The Belgian’s first touch has improved from last season and he looks hungrier and fitter than before. He has also switched well so far with the front three, taking up position on the left to allow Lingard to come inside. Lukakuhas been dragging away defenders to make space for Pogba to run into and has been dropping down to allow Sanchez to come inside. The Belgian has also shown desire while tracking back and defending set pieces, while his power and speed during United’s counter attacks is simply terrifying.
It is important for Lukaku to continue his goal scoring form to boost his confidence and also improve his overall conversion rates. Against Wolves, United will be counting on Lukaku to find the back of the net again. The Belgian will also be hoping to have a good game, get his goals and stay in the run for the golden boot.
