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It is certainly no secret that Manchester United have started well under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Their form has been amazing, winning all the games they have played under the new caretaker manager. The Norwegian tactician has certainly brought order and swagger back to how United play.
Against Tottenham, the team will face its most difficult challenge since the appointment of Ole Gunnar as manager. The teams they have faced so far have not put up a strong challenge as compared to what is expected of Tottenham.
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It can be said that the team has largely been comfortable thus far.
This however doesn’t take away from the fact that the players have looked more confident and assured under the Norwegian manager. They have been playing with all the confidence you expect of Manchester United players. When they walk onto the pitch, they look like they want to win the match, rather than looking defeated as they were under Jose Mourinho.
David De Gea has continued to shine between the sticks, Paul Pogba finally looks like a world class midfielder, and Marcus Rashford is finally blooming. Of course, there have been other top performers in the team as well.
Against Spurs, they will all have to bring their A game, and look to continue their winning form. A win against Spurs will send a strong statement throughout the league that Manchester United may be truly back.
Here are five players that need to be on point if the team is to secure a win against Tottenham Hotspur.
#1 David De Gea
David De Gea has really been a revelation since he joined Manchester United a couple of years back. He stood tall even when the team looked very much in disarray after Sir Alex left the club.
Against Tottenham, the Spaniard is expected to play a huge role for the team. Tottenham will not shy away from putting up attacks against Manchester United; De Gea will need to be alert throughout the game. If United are to come away from this fixture with something, then David De Gea will definitely have a huge say.
#2 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is finally coming alive for Manchester United after struggling since he joined the club. The change to how he approaches games can well be attributed to the influence of OGS.
After only four games, Paul Pogba has looked rejuvenated and capable of being the player Manchester United can build around. His huge potential is starting to show as he has been bossing games from midfield under the Norwegian manager.
Tottenham will have taken note of this, and if Pogba can continue with the same form we’ve seen off late, he will be a menace for Spurs.
He has become an out & out/box to box midfielder (with defensive burdens taken off), he can now influence games more often. With Jose Mourinho, the tactics were rigid and Pogba looked restricted.
He couldn’t push forward as much as he wanted, and that derailed his progress immensely. Under Solskjaer, he has already scored 4 goals and contributed 2 assists in just 4 games.
#3 Marcus Rashford
What a revelation Marcus Rashford has been this season. Manchester United fans knew all about his huge potential, but he simply wasn’t living up to expectations under Mourinho. This season however, the young Englishman has been showing that he is finally ready to knuckle down and secure that striker’s position full time.
Even before the sacking of the Portuguese manager, Jose Mourinho had words of praise for the young Englishman, and even favoured him over Romelu Lukaku. This was testament to the trust Rashford had behind the scenes.
With Ole Gunnar taking over, Marcus Rashford has hit the ground running, and is now averaging a goal every other game. Tottenham defenders will have to be mindful of the young Manchester United forward. Also, he has shown that he can really be a danger from set pieces, and Tottenham will not want to concede many around their box.
#4 Ander Herrera
Another player liberated by the Norwegian tactician is Ander Herrera. Under the previous boss, he was mainly used as a destroyer, someone who was assigned to mark out the opposition’s dangerous player. He did that job exceptionally well that many teams would know what to expect when they saw him line-up for United.
Under Ole Gunnar however, he has been freed to show off his technical ability, as well as cover for the marauding full-backs. Ander Herrera is quite good with the ball as you’d expect from a Basque player.
He’s now finally showing it with the kind of passes he has been picking, especially when turning defence to attack. This has enabled him to contribute 2 assists, and a goal under Solskjaer.
Against Tottenham, he will be expected to continue covering for the fullbacks whenever they venture forward. He will also be the one who wins a number of balls in the midfield, and will look to transition as quickly as possible.
With Tottenham’s high press game, Ander Herrera will want to catch them out a number of times, and kill off the game early.
#5 Victor Lindelof
Still on players liberated by Solskjaer’s non-rigid style of play, Victor Lindelof has certainly been one of the beneficiaries.
The centre back is pretty good with the ball at his feet, and that has begun to show finally. Jose Mourinho once dropped Pogba to the defence because he needed an outlet there, and his centre-backs couldn’t pass well. That was despite having Lindelof on the bench.
Under Ole Gunnar however, the Swede is finally showing that he is capable of doing what Mourinho thought he couldn’t. Most teams that have come against Manchester United under Solskjaer have been surprised when the Swede has stepped into midfield and picked a pass. It has been unexpected, and most teams have been caught out.
If the midfield ever gets overwhelmed and can’t spot a pass to the forwards, then Victor Lindelof will surely be instrumental if United are to pick a win. But that hasn’t been the only thing that has changed, he can also defend quite comfortably.
He’s finally proving why United paid all that money to get him from Benfica.
