Lessons learned from Derby County vs Manchester United
United need to get Anthony Martial 1-on-1 more often
Anthony Martial put in another Man of the Match performance on Friday evening as he terrorised Derby’s Cyrus Christie all night. As soon as he got isolated one-on-one with the defender the Frenchmen always looked the favourite to come out on top. This is something that Louis van Gaal’s team should use to effect more often when struggling to open up teams as they have multiple times this season.
Bayern Munich use a tactic with Arjen Robben where he holds out wide while Bayern overload one side before finding him with only his defender to beat. This is something United must look to emulate with Martial as he has the ability to get past defenders of any calibre and, as shown in the third goal on Friday, he has the ability to create goals as well as score them.
Daley Blind should be utilised as a ball-playing defender much more
Daley Blind had another impressive game, and without United lining up with a real ball-playing midfielder, he took it upon himself to be the instigator of most attacks. Most importantly, a high number of those passes were between the lines. This was evident in the lead up to his goal. He started the attack from the back before venturing into the box to finish off from a Jesse Lingard cross.
Manchester United’s utility man has the passing ability which not many defenders possess, especially in the less technical Premier League. United need to make more of an advantage when Blind is building from the back to take advantage of the free man in midfield.
Fellaini should not start another game for Manchester United
Yet another dismal display from the Belgian. He simply cannot perform as one of the double pivots in this 4-2-3-1 formation that Louis van Gaal has been favouring in the recent months. Fellaini yet again distributed the ball poorly, showcasing his limited passing range. It is surprising that the manager has decided to stick with him due to his poor ball retention which clearly clashes with the team’s philosophy.
Fellaini has to be dropped from the starting XI next game if Michael Carrick or Bastian Schweinsteiger are fit enough to start. He must be limited to an impact substitute role if United want to start playing the more attractive football that the fans are crying out for.
Varela and Borthwick-Jackson Deserve to stay in the starting XI
The two young full-backs had a solid game again at the Pride Park stadium, often providing penetrating runs when overlapping Jesse Lingard. Bothwick-Jackson added another professional performance to go along with his cameo against Liverpool two weeks ago. With the numerous injuries that United have in those defensive full-back positions Varela and Borthwick Jackson have easily done enough to keep those positions occupied rather than Van Gaal experimenting “non-specialists” filling in those positions.
Rooney still possesses that magic touch
While Manchester United have not yet turned over a new leaf in 2016, Wayne Rooney does seem to be reinvigorated. He’s now scored six in his last six, and the wonderfully curled effort against Derby shows the England captain still has the quality to produce these moments of magic that glittered the early years of his career. The way United are playing, they may need their talismanic striker to produce a few more this season if they want to have any chance of having a successful campaign.
