On Sunday, Manchester United finally managed to seal their first win of the season against a poor Queens Park Rangers side. Buoyed by the glamour of the new additions, United cruised to an easy victory. However, the result wasn’t the best thing to emerge from Sunday’s encounter at Old Trafford, the football that Manchester United played was a joy to watch. Amongst the incredible attacking display and creative passing, the player who stood out most was Daley Blind.
Before the match on Sunday, there was a lot of talk about how Manchester United would line up, however very little of that excitement was centred on Blind. But after watching his performance one has to wonder why there was not much hype about the Dutch international. He may not carry the superstar reputation similar to that of Falcao or Di Maria, but he could prove to be a key player if United are to turn around this appalling start to the season.
In the game against QPR, Daley Blind put in a tenacious performance. From the attacking point of view playing 112 passes – already the fifth most passes in the premier league this season according to squawka.com- he created multiple chances and even proved he can shoot, with a long range effort late in the second half. Furthermore, he showed his worth at the back, QPR struggled to get the ball past Blind, who cut out pass after pass with conviction. Moreover, he offered a reliable outlet for the defence, who looked much improved and settled while playing four at the back.
As the season progresses it will be interesting to see if Blind can continue with these types of displays and truly make his mark on this Manchester United team. It will be crucial for United to have a metronomic and reliable central midfielder, who can add some much needed stability to a position where United need it the most. Blind is ideal as he can cover the defence and command the midfield. One of the main issues United have suffered in recent years has been bridging the gap between defence and attack. On Sunday, Daley Blind appeared to have the ability to be the much needed link which will afford United’s array of attacking talent the chances they need.
The key thing for Manchester United is that they need Blind to be able to display this type of performance against the bigger teams, as this is when he’ll be needed the most. If Manchester United are to challenge for a top four finish this year they will have to beat much better sides than QPR, and for that they’ll need Daley Blind.
Although Blind won’t snatch the headlines like Falcao, Di Maria and Rooney will, he can become a crucial and integral player. At £14million Blind is a bargain compared to some of the figures United have paid, and if he continues as he has begun Daley Blind could prove to be worth every penny.
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