Manchester United managed to win their third consecutive Premier League, beating Watford 4-2 on Tuesday evening. It was a match filled with nice goals and moves, but it was also the match made for learning new things.
The Reds were 3-0 up in the first half, but the match was not an easy ride for the rest of it. Watford worked hard and performed admirably and Manchester United should learn things from that.
However, that is not even close all. It was obvious how good a game Ashey Young had or how much can Anthony Martial contribute to this side. Yet, there are more lessons for Jose Mourinho and his team. As well, there are probably some new questions appearing.
Romelu Lukaku or Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Two months ago, no one even tried to muster these words. Do Manchester United need to make changes up front? Romelu Lukaku has been in poor form recently. Even though he created a goal for Martial, proving again he can do other things too, the Belgian will always be judged by the goals he is scoring.
And right now, he is not doing that. Well, technically he is, because of a goal scored in a 4-1 win against Newcastle last weekend. But Manchester United need to him score constantly and against big sides, as well. Lukaku scored only once in the last seven matches, a goal every five hours and 15 minutes of football. That is not good enough.
Of course, strikers tend to go through rough spells. It happens to every striker in the world and this is not a tragedy. Yet, Mourinho now has Zlatan Ibrahimovic at disposal and he should start thinking about giving him a start soon. That might be a wakeup call for Lukaku.
Should Jesse Lingard Play More Often?
This is a question that comes to mind after every good display by a Manchester United player that is not starting regularly. And it is a fair question. But a fair answer would still be – no. Yes, Lingard was phenomenal against Watford and he might get more chances now.
However, he is not to be expected to become the player we have seen dance past Watford defenders the other night. And he does not have to be that player. Lingard is not a youngster anymore. He will turn 25 very soon and he has specialty of his own. He is a great squad player, very useful to change things around and he likes playing big matches. Manchester United plan on playing more of them in the coming years, too.
Manchester United With Nemanja Matic Are A Different Team
Or should we say “Manchester United without Nemanja Matic is a different team”? The Serbian had to come off after 54 minutes during the Watford match due to a minor injury. It might have just been a precaution, especially since United were 3-0 up.
Yet it became quite obvious how chaotic their display became since Matic got substituted. Man United became sloppy and less well-organised. Watford exploited that with two goals in quick succession and Mourinho will be even more grateful for having the Serbian in his team.
People sometimes do not even realise he is there, but Matic is proving to be hugely important player for this team.
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