After a 0-0 draw against Liverpool, Manchester United fans have not been very happy. The result was not a win against the great rival and the display was not good enough. It was as if everyone wanted Manchester United to become Premier League champions by mid-October.
That was never going to happen. It is a long season. Jose Mourinho and his players won a point away from home against their biggest rival. It is not necessarily a poor result. The display might have been, but it is now an occurrence that keeps happening. Mourinho’s Man United still has not won a match played straight after the international break.
His players looked tired compared to Liverpool. They were sluggish and some of the other factors did not help either, mainly injuries. However, this is not a terrible result. Manchester United have drawn just two of their eight Premier League matches so far. They have won every time they played at Old Trafford and have scored many more goals than they were used to last season.
Lack Of Options For Man United
Therefore, Man United fans should not be too worried. Mourinho obviously lacked options in midfield. He had to go with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera and when he wanted to make changes in the second half, he was unable. Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini are all injured and Mourinho was stuck.
The Portuguese said after the match Matic got tired in the second half, which was expected after two grueling World Cup qualifiers he played in previous eight days. Mourinho could not change things around and try break Liverpool’s midfield. After all, Jurgen Klopp was the one who played with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum for the whole 90 minutes, making sure his midfield was physically stronger than usual.
A Very Different Context Than Last Year
It should not be mentioned that things are different than last year. After a 0-0 draw in mid-October 2016, there was exasperation about Manchester United. The manner in which the point was secured was even worse, with the Devils often defending with all of their 10 outfield players.
That draw last year also came after poor September results and a previous 2-1 loss to Manchester City. Now, things are very different. Man United were cruising past rivals. They scored four goals in six matches since the start of the season. Romelu Lukaku and the co. are now winning points against weaker sides with more ease than last season.
Liverpool seemed better than they played during September. Klopp eased the pressing to make sure his team was more defensively sound and that is why all of his changes came at the front of the team. Dropping two points at Anfield is far from end of the world.
Now, Huddersfield Town await Man United after the Benfica clash in Champions League and that should be a great opportunity to continuing in the same manner the team has started the season. A strong performance would erase all the doubts after this goalless draw.
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