Yoro and Ugarte were the best. Man United's grades for the match against Wolves from Dailysports
Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
Manchester United's big rebuild continues. Before today's game, the Devils lost very unpleasantly to Bournemouth (to be fair, Bournemouth have been separated this season). And then today...
The Devils played terribly today. Alejandro Garnacho created the highest xG - 0.06! By comparison, Hwang Hee Chang, who scored a goal for the Wolves, has 0.55. The same old problem continues - no one seems to be looking to attack the opponents penalty area.
Amorim immediately said he needed time to get the team functioning. In parallel, there is a big rebuild from Jim Ratcliffe. But how long will this rebuilding take? When will Manchester United get playing time?
It took Arteta 3 seasons before the team could compete for the APL title. Will Ratcliffe and Amorim be able to cope quicker? But perhaps the big question is, will Amorim get sacked early?
A separate talking point today was Mateus Cunha's goal from a corner. Onan was quite brazenly clamped down and deprived of any opportunity to fulfil his functions. Is such a thing even in accordance with the rules?
But let's better talk about the heroes of this match.....
Anthony
Perhaps, Antoni should only come on as a substitute. Just in the previous match he came on as a substitute and showed a very inexpressive game against Tottenham. But when Antoni comes on as a substitute, he immediately switches into top gear and imposes a high intensity of the game on the opponent.
Most importantly, he moves forward uninterruptedly, looking to break through the opponent's defence and into the penalty area. This is exactly what the Devils lack, who almost never enter the opponent's penalty area. So even if statistically Antoni doesn't show any special game, the mere fact of his presence (again, if he came on as a substitute) already makes things better.
Manuel Ugarte
Ugarte earned a spot on the list of the best for his overall workload. He's credited with 8 defensive actions (fifth among the two teams in that metric), 4 ball returns, 5 teclos, and 7 won one-on-ones (best among the Devils and second among both teams). To put it simply, Manuel is excellent in the centre of the pitch, providing solid cover for the attacking group if they lose the ball.
Diego Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui
Firstly, these players have equally performed well today. Secondly, in Amorim's system, the edge defenders, who are the de facto midfielders, fulfil an important role. They are tasked with advancing the ball through the second zone, bypassing the crowded centre. Both of them end up working along the whole side, doing a wide range of work: passing into the final third, supporting the attacking group, counter-pressing and getting back to the defence in time. Both players consistently have the highest number of touches: 75 for Noussair, 70 for Diego (and in between them Maguire with 72). In other words, they are the players who are involved more intensively than any other.
Worth mentioning
We've written before that Bruno Fernandes is the foundation for all the Devils' attacks. But Bruno's main problem is his absolute inability to play in defence. The Reds captain often throws himself recklessly into one-on-one battles, which makes him very easily beaten in them. Today it led to two yellow cards.
Player ratings for the match
- Anthony - 7
- Garnacho A. - 5
- Dalot D. - 7
- Diallo A. - 6
- Eriksen K. - 6
- Zirkzee J. - 6
- Yoro L. - 7
- Casemiro - 7
- Onana A. - 6
- Maguire G. - 7
- Mazraoui N. - 7
- Martinez L. - 6
- Mainoo K. - 6
- Ugarte M. - 7
- Fernandes B. - 5
- Hojlund R. - 6
