On the evening of February 12, 2022, Beijing time, in the 25th round of the Premier League, Manchester United was forced to draw 1-1 by Southampton at home to Old Trafford, and once again missed a great opportunity to grab points. On another level, the Red Devils after Ronnick took office performed poorly in the weak brigade scoring period in January and February. The FA Cup was eliminated 1-1 Middlesbrough on penalties, 1-1 by bottom side Burnley, and the match was drawn by Southampton in the second half. Further ahead, there is a 2-2 Aston Villa, and Manchester United are caught in the invincible circle of weak and weak.
Moreover, United's weakness on the offensive end and the players' continued sluggish performance have put fans in question the future of this team. It is reported that many players in the dressing room believe that Lonnick is not suitable to continue to be the team's manager next season, he is more like a team adviser or director, and the players are more inclined to let Pochettino run the team.
In this game, Ronaldo started the game, but still failed to score, the whole game played very hard, which is also the longest goal drought in 13 years, as many as 6 games. You can say that Ronaldo is old and it is normal for his competitive state to decline, but Manchester United's tactical system and the support given to him by his teammates are also very painfully low.
As for Maguire's poor, fans are also there for all to see, the decline, the defensive habits are not good. Although United had two offside goals blown in this game, Maguire also escaped red dot. In addition to Maguire's own decline, the head coach also has certain problems with his positioning and arrangement. Today's United have serious problems at the back, with Scott McTominay and Fred not doing a good job of supporting the Red Devils midfield, while Pogba and B Fee are midfielders who need someone to stand behind them. Well, the problem is, Maguire needs more up-and-grab pressure at this time to help the back get more counter-snatching rights in the midfield.
This is not what Maguire is good at, slow turns is his biggest weakness, once passed, behind him is the situation where teammates play less and more. We can learn from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's game against Nuno Hotspur before the class, which was also one of the few thought-provoking games for solskjaer. He changed his habits of 4231, played three centre-backs, and achieved good results. This is actually worth referencing, Maguire needs a defender to assist in the defensive position, Lindelof is a good choice, and then Varane as the all-round center-back of the sea god needle, so that the defender line does not look so crotch-pulling.
But Lonnick's high-level pressing system did not change the formation and tactical system, more like a continuation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's content. Over time, without the support of achievements, the fatigue and dissatisfaction of the players will become more and more. As you can see, Sancho's form is indeed getting better and better, but when Pogba and B Fei are on the field at the same time, McTominay's single back cannot reach the kante-level coverage area, and a vicious circle allows Maguire's weakness to be infinitely magnified.
After the game, rival coach Hasenschüttle also said that United had done a poor job of retreating after losing the ball and that we could find a breakthrough from here. It's no secret anymore, as the unique attributes of some players in United's squad make some players feel overwhelmed and overwhelmed in the process of retreating. Fans have also suggested that if they want to make a substantial change, the team needs to bring in top backs like Rice, rather than spending a lot of money on the attacking line.
I also believe that the coaching team is not a fool, the choice of central defenders has always chosen Maguire can only show that other central defenders are even worse than him, then, change the team or introduce reinforcements This is a problem that the coaching team should think about. Otherwise, while the Manchester United title is hopeless, it will be farther and farther away from the Champions League zone!