Manchester United collected their second Premier League win in a row, after beating Brighton and Hove Albon 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. It was the match that made fans realize how good Victor Lindelof could become and how ineffective Manchester United forwards have been in that match.
However, we could have seen a couple of other things as well. There were talks in recent months about how Phil Jones has improved drastically and how Juan Mata is not making enough influence on the way Manchester United play.
Still, some things are being taken for granted, because of the regularity with which they occur. Take David De Gea as an example. Or Nemanja Matic. These two players are doing great job constantly since the start of the season. Sometimes we do not even really see it.
David De Gea Impressive As Always
And we should. We all know David De Gea is a brilliant goalkeeper who does great for the Reds. He conceded his first open-play Premier League goal at Old Trafford in 2017 just last weekend against Newcastle, after all. And he did well against Brighton too, making two saves and earning another clean sheet.
Amongst the Premier League goalkeepers that have played more than two matches this season, De Gea is in seventh place for the number of saves made per 90 minutes. He had 38 shots saved (2.9 per 90). He is only behind goalkeepers conceding many more shots than Manchester United – Nick Pope of Burnley, Lukasz Fabianski of Swansea, Wayne Hennessey of Crystal Palace and so on. For example, Ederson had the least amount of work to do, with mere 1.3 saves per 90. This really tells a lot about Manchester United allowing plenty of shots, but also about De Gea’s qualities.
The Spaniard’s consistency has been much appreciated so far and hopefully defenders in front of him will make sure he has less work to do in the coming weeks. Especially since matches against Arsenal and Manchester City are approaching.
Matic’s Importance Cannot Be Overstated
The media and pundits have been talking about Nemanja Matic for months now. Yey, it still looks like it is not enough. Simply, the Serbian midfielder is doing incredible job in the middle of the park, sitting in front of the back four.
At Stamford Bridge, his departure was explained by the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko. But with former Monaco midfielder’s performances recently, that is not a reason good enough. However, that is Chelsea’s loss. Matic is doing great for Jose Mourinho and his silent work has made fans appreaciate him.
Matic played every minute in the Premier League and there is a good reason for that. He gives balance to this team, something they very much need, especially since Manchester United lack it in other areas of the pitch.
He is doing great on the ball, playing safe. Matic makes 1.5 dribbles per 90 in the Premier League and also losses possession 0.9 times per 90 minutes. That can give security to the players around him. Paul Pogba is only one of Manchester United players able to roam around more often, knowing he is behind him.
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