Manchester United’s frailties were laid bare after an encouraging three games under Ruben Amorim as Arsenal beat them 0-2 at The Emirates.
Set-pieces is a word that will be used a lot at Carrington in the coming week or so after Arsenal used them fully to take all three points.
Outside of that weakness, Man Utd performed decently, showing signs of structure and identity and stifling the opponent’s threat from open play, especially before the first goal.
A large part of it was down to a clear organisation and structure and the man responsible for all of it on the pitch had his brightest game yet.
Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, speaks with Matthijs de Ligt of Manchester United as he applauds the fans after the Premier League m...
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Matthis de Ligt vs Arsenal
As said above, United defended well from open play regardless of the personnel at the back. Tyrell Malacia did well on his Premier League return, Noussair Mazraoui played another new position and excelled, while Harry Maguire dominated his duels.
Amidst all that and more, as Leny Yoro made his Man Utd competitive debut, Matthijs de Ligt stood out as one constant who turned up big time.
It was an all-action defensive display for the centre-back, as he repelled everything in sight and defended assertively on the front foot.
He finished the game with six defensive actions, three recoveries, and winning both of his duels attempted while never being dribbled past.
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Even on the ball, as United tried to maintain possession to frustrate Arsenal, he was a key cog in the buildup. De Ligt completed 49/54 passes and almost scored too with a brilliant header.
It was as complete a performance as it comes from a centre-back whose team has just lost 0-2 so even though the result is bad, he can hold his head high and look forward to better games in the future.
De Ligt has scored previously for United and been at the end of better results than this one but considering the circumstances and the opposition, it is his brightest game yet in United colours.
Matthijs de light turning up for Man Utd
The days of Matthijs de Lift being dropped from the national team and being replaced by Harry Maguire at Old Trafford look like they were a long time ago.
The Dutchman has shown great resilience and determination to return from those setbacks as a much better player and more importantly, a leader at the back.
Putting his injury worries aside, he has emerged as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Ruud van Nistelrooy and now under Amorim.
The latter is even more impressive considering how insistent the Man Utd manager has been on rotating heavily so everyone gets fit to contribute.
De Ligt has started every game so far for Amorim, being one of the few players in the team having done so. Part of it is down to injury worries around him but it’s a testament to his own effort that he’s stood tall and injury-free.
One purchase from Bayern Munich in the summer is already a bonafide bargain in Noussair Mazraoui. Fortunately for United, the other one is also on his way to joining Mazraoui.
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