In the first game of 2022, Manchester United lost 0-1 at home to Wolves, and lost two games in the first game of the New Year in the past three years, equalizing the previous 23 years, which shows that the team is still in the water. This is not only the first defeat of interim manager Ronnick since taking office, but also the first time in 42 years that Old Trafford has been conquered by Wolves, and the first time the Red Devils have lost at home to this opponent.
Another stat shows that United have kept clean sheets at four Premier League home games this season, matching the entire 2020/21 season. After the game, Lonnick admitted to being extremely unhappy with the team's performance: "I was very disappointed, just like the players. We know it could be a complicated game because Wolves play five and the midfield is flexible. In the first half, we struggled. We made too many mistakes on the pitch, many of them unforced mistakes, and took the initiative to hand the ball over to the opponent. Naturally, it didn't make our job any easier, and then, in the end, I was replaced by a three-centre-back. With 35 minutes in the second half, we had more control and unfortunately missed the opportunity to score first. I've always been clear that if you go ahead, you're going to win this game."
Lonnick admits he has had problems at United. "Today, our question is similar to what happened three or four weeks ago when I came to the team. Whether with or without a ball, it is not easy to grow a type of DNA. A few years of racing proves that we still have a lot of steps to do." He said, "We didn't play well, both individually and collectively. In the first half, there was a big problem in preventing the opponent from moving away from our goal. When we conceded a goal in the second half, we had plenty of players in the penalty area, Jones released the cross from the other side, but there was no one in front of the box to protect the landing point, which has allowed us to concede too many goals this season. Moutinho actually stopped the ball and shot without any pressure, and we were deeply disappointed in the result and performance. Not only did we not defend our opponents, but we also wasted our chances and could only admit that our opponents deserved to win."
Explaining why bruno Fernandez had chosen to replace Mason Greenwood, Lonnick said: "The score was still 0-0, Mason was good, but I had to make a substitution. I didn't want to take any of the six men out of the front, but I had to decide whether to replace Edinson or Mason, and in the end I chose to replace Mason. Bruno also had a great chance and almost took the lead."
Now, although Manchester United still has fewer matches, in terms of theoretical points, it has lagged behind Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, completely losing the initiative to compete for the fourth place in the Premier League. Lonnick has publicly admitted that he can't be sure to be in the top four to get a ticket to next season's Champions League.
"I can't make any guarantees." Lonnick said, "Looking at today's performance, if I say that Manchester United will be in the top four at the end of the season 100%, I don't know if people will believe it. For me, the key is to take the next step and get better. I know it may be hard for you to accept that, but today's game tells us a harsh reality and United still have a long way to go."
Still, Lonnick believes United are still on the rise: "Wolves are the best opponents we have ever met, so we had more trouble in today's game than before. We couldn't push it at all, the team tried but couldn't contain the other side, they played better than Manchester United. I don't want to talk about the individual performance of the players, it's a matter of the whole team as a whole, and there is no point in talking about individual performance. We have to analyze every game comprehensively and so far we have scored 10 out of 15 points."
If there is any highlight of this game for Manchester United, then apart from goalkeeper De Gea, it is England centre-back Phil Jones, who has played for Manchester United for the first time in 708 days! Jones made his debut in the Premier League for Manchester United in 712 days, setting a record for the longest gap between two league appearances for a player who has not left the team in the middle of the game.
However, the data shows that the "Flying General" won 7 times in 8 confrontations, regained the ball 7 times, blocked the shot 3 times, broke the ball 2 times, and the pass success rate was as high as 90%, and there was one pass. The British media summed up Jones's stunning performance in one sentence: "It seems that he never left."
In the first half, Jones also completed a counter-attack in the offensive three zones, which surpassed all 6 midfield teammates. Lonnick also praised: "His attitude does not need to be doubted, because I have seen training. If you consider that he has not played in two years, this game can be said to be very good."