Sunderland 1-2 Man Utd: Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Adnan Januzaj

Two troubled clubs, Manchester United and Sunderland, played at the Stadium of Light in a close encounter that saw a sturdy Sunderland defence being edged out by a flash of brilliance from a certain United player.

The match itself played out just the way the Red Devils have been playing this season – non-combative midfield and a lack of creativity that has been plaguing the team was there for all to witness – but it was a certain Belgian (no not the big one), who took centre stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Adnan Januzaj, the 18-year old Belgian who has been a constant source of excitement and enthusiasm from the training grounds at Carrington.

TEAMS

Manchester United Starting XI

Sunderland Starting XI

SUNDERLAND PLAYS BOLD

The first 35 minutes was an exciting period where Kevin Ball, Sunderland’s caretaker manager, used an aggressive tactic on United who were constantly harried and hustled.

Carrick in particular was yet again the fulcrum of all the opponent team’s pressing. Lee Cattermole became a key player for Sunderland during this period where he did not allow Rooney to move between the lines.

He was a constant source of irritation for both Rooney as well as Nani and intercepted many key passes made by the Men in Red. United on the other hand started in a tepid manner making more passes sideways rather than penetrate the opposition in any manner.

Altidore was the focal point of all the Sunderland long balls as Giaccherini tried to link up with him and Gardener. To Sunderland’s delight they were gifted with a goal in the opening 5 minutes as Vidic mistimed his clearance from inside the box allowing the ball to come off Jones’s feet directly into the path of Gardener who was more than happy to oblige with a shot into the net.

Almost immediately afterwards, Sunderland somehow then messed up a second chance as Craig Gardner tackled Phil Jones to create a 3-on-1 chance for the hosts, but took too long to get his cross in and allowed Jones to get back with a recovering tackle.

United were playing pretty abysmally, with Vidic in particular a surprising and standout disaster, and while they got forward plenty, such forays were limited to hoofing aimless crosses into a crowded Sunderland box.

Adnan Januzaj was the only bright spark in taking people on and trying anything other than the obvious and routine, but the closest even he got was a wide effort from the edge of the area.

David De Gea had to rescue United on one occasion where Giaccherini almost scored for Sunderland with a wonderful header matched by an equally wonderful reflex save by the United No. 1. It was so good that Peter Schmeichel in his half time analysis called it, “one of the best saves I’ve seen in the Premier League”.

SECOND HALF – THE JANUZAJ SHOW

Adnan Januzaj

The second half saw a more determined United showing with a somewhat rectified defence. Adnan Januzaj, having been given a surprise start by David Moyes, had been pretty impressive till now albeit with moments of selfishness.

Till now, United were struggling to do anything meaningful inside the Sunderland box but it was soon to change. Patrice Evra, for once decided to change his tune and give a meaningful pass into the box which was met by a calm side foot finish by Januzaj who demonstrated the use of his weaker right foot.

Shortly afterwards, Januzaj’s moment of brilliance came, as Nani’s floated pass out wide, headed on by John O’Shea, was met by an incredible volley from Januzaj, powering the ball into the bottom corner with a Van Persie-esque technique to put his side into the lead.

This was enough for Moyes as he soon subbed in Welbeck and Valencia and played out the match for a 2-1 win. It was not spectacular, it was not even good, but United did the job and for the moment Moyes has earned himself a moment of respite.

IMPRESSIVE JANUZAJ – PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

The article is just not going to be complete without an analysis of the newest addition to the ‘Impressive Man United debutantes’ list which includes the likes of Van Persie and Wayne Rooney. His first half performance was giving an indication of a selfish and immature youngster who was out to impress for his contract. However, the end result was anything but. He sure as hell must have added a few zeroes to his prospective contract though.

His willingness to go 1-on-1 with the defenders and breaking the shape of the defence with his cut-ins sure was a breath of fresh air to an otherwise tedious United wing.

Januzaj – All passes

Nani – All passes

His passes above in comparison to Nani show the kind of player he is. He may be compared to Ryan Giggs and his volley may have been like Van Persie, but Januzaj is a through and through modern inverted winger who makes the crosses only when he sees the chance. Otherwise, he depends on his nimble footwork and his quick pace to outwit his opponents.

It maybe early days but the result of one youngster could force the United manager to assess his options among the youth, particularly with regard to Zaha who had an impressive pre-season. Kagawa was yet again ignored by the manager and the rumours of his winter transfer seem more than just idle milling of rumours.

All in all, David Moyes must be commended for taking a calculated risk of playing Januzaj, but that does not give him any excuse for the shambolic performance against a side that is currently sitting at the bottom of the table with only 1 point.