Manchester United lost their second consecutive match on Saturday night, after a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in FA Cup quarterfinal. It was far from a good performance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team in what was undoubtedly the worst performance from Man United since his appointment as caretaker manager.
Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota scored in the span of five minutes to give Wolves a two-goal cushion, before Marcus Rashford scored deep into the stoppage time to make it 2-1 Wolves.
No Urgency For Man United
One of the most obvious things in this match was that the urgency lacked in the way Man United played. The Devils had a lot of the ball, with Wolves mostly sitting deep and not much came from that ball possession. Man United seriously lacked creativity and Nuno Espirito Santos drilled his team perfectly into making the opponent to go from side to side, unable to attack through the middle, which made United look toothless.
Romero Important Even In Loss
Sergio Romero got his chance in FA Cup once more and he did not disappoint. The Argentina international was definitely not happy with two goals conceded and a loss to go with it, but in a couple of situations it looked like Man United could have conceded a couple more goals if it was not for his good reactions. With the FA Cup gone, this could have been his last Man United game, if the rumours are true of him leaving the club this summer.
Man United Need A Right Winger
One thing we knew from before, but this match made it even more obvious. Man United once again opted for a 4-3-1-2, with two defensive midfielders and two attacking ones, behind a centre-forward pairing, which is a good option when having a team like this one, but Solskjaer is often using it because of the lack of options at right wing. Juan Mata often played in that role, but that is not his natural position and he was unfit this time to play. Man United will need a reinforcement in that position during the summer, as this is a problem for at least the last two years.
Poor Attacking Quartet
Paul Pogba did not have a good game, Anthony Martial did not either, Jesse Lingard likewise. Rashford did score late on, but he will not be happy with his performance either. So the attacking quartet was far from their best in this match. This was probably Pogba’s worst match since Solskjaer’s arrival, while the other three disappointed with their lack of creativity and ability to change the course of the match. Romelu Lukaku was missed, as he was in amazing form, but nevertheless, all four of abovementioned players will be expected to return to their previous levels after the international break.
No Reason To Panic
And the most important one – Man United did lose twice in a row but this is not a reason to panic. The team is in Champions League quarterfinals and in really good chances of reaching the top four in Premire League. Both of those things were unthinkable three months ago and the Devils are on a good course. This two-week break was much needed.
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