The future schedule of the international competition seems to be a good opportunity for Manchester United to open the scoring mode, but the result is both surprising and not surprising to The Red Devils fans.
Unexpectedly, in three consecutive games, he lost to Championship side Middlesbrough, the FA Cup was tragically eliminated, and drew with Premier League vice-captain Burnley, as well as the middle and lower team Southampton, conceding four precious four points in a row.
But in three bad games, showing a lack of trust in the attack, a lack of control in the midfield, a lack of stability in the back, all the problems of Manchester United are faintly visible, so that the results are also excusable.
Forced by the pressure of fighting for 4, Lonnick sacrificed the strongest lineup, which was both helpless and compromised
The last round was forced to draw 1-1 by deputy squad leader Burnley, so that Manchester United's efforts to squeeze into the top 4 were instantly offset, coupled with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the few rounds, Lonnick knew that there was no room for mistakes at home against Southampton.
Therefore, the return to the 4231 formation familiar to the players, the re-start of C Ronaldo, the reappearance of the "618 combination" of B Fee + Pogba, all the elements not only show that Lonnick is eager to win the game, but also somewhat helpless and compromised.
Winning the game is a necessity of the situation. The job of interim manager, for Lonnick, is equivalent to a part-time job, and entering the club's management at the end of the season is his main job at Manchester United. Therefore, although Lonnick does not have the pressure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to compete for the championship, as the time of taking over the team accumulates, Lonnick is more and more aware that even if he works part-time, the goal of fighting for 4 cannot be won, which is likely to affect the subsequent main business and the support of all parties.
The situation has led to the helplessness to seek compromise. From the failure of the change of 4222, to the obstruction of C Ronaldo's acceptance of the substitute, and then to the failure of the winter window reinforcement plan, after the "three fires" of Lonnick's appointment were all extinguished, the only choice seemed to be helplessness and compromise.
The result of the compromise means that Lonnick needs to face it again and send away Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's old problems. Especially if there are no new stimuli in the winter window.
Familiar recipe, familiar taste, Lonnick is overwhelmed
Against Southampton, whether it's a 1-1 score, or the course of the game, or even key stats, it's almost impossible to find much difference from what Solskjaer has suffered this season. In other words, the problems on Manchester United's 3 lines are almost the same recipe, the same taste. This is well evidenced by the red devils fans walking out of the lost figure of the game.
1. Lack of trust in the front. Manchester United's attack in the first 20 minutes still let the fans see a positive signal, and the left and right connections between Rashford and Sancho also brought a good start to Manchester United. But from leading the score to being equalised, United's attack gradually lost mutual trust after frequent fruitless returns.
In the opening stage, Sancho and Rashford flew on both wings, and C Ronaldo was contained in the middle. The simultaneous power of the 3 o'clock in the front court led to the opening of the attacking position Southampton defense full of holes. As Southampton contracted the defence, United's attacks began to become simple and inefficient. There are 2 key stats that are a good testament to the change in United's attacking options.
United had only four cross attempts in the first half, and by the second half the number of crosses had risen to nine, while the number of crosses in the whole game was only 2, with a success rate of 15%. Such changes have greatly reduced the efficiency of United's attack, thus providing confidence in Southampton's counter-attack.
In another statistic, United missed three scoring opportunities in the first half and one in the second half. After frequent fruitless returns, the trust between United's attacking players also declined, resulting in the attack becoming simple and simple. Ronaldo's continued goal drought seems to be evident.
2. Lack of control in the midfield. Pogba's ability and attitude have always been a double-edged sword for Manchester United. Pogba, who has returned from injury, has undoubtedly contributed to the offensive end, but the defensive gap left by Pogba's side seems to be impossible to cover by Scott McTominay alone.
When Pogba participated in the attack, only Scott McTominay was left to take on a single back, so when the attack was launched, Southampton would have difficulty speeding up United's attack as long as it limited McTominay's turnaround transition, and once the ball was cut, Southampton's counter-attack threat was even more obvious.
The moment United conceded the ball, it further reflected Pogba's double-edged sword effect. From the picture, it can be clearly seen that Pogba is out of position at the back, and the defensive coverage of Wheat's single back is difficult to make up in time, so Southampton's simple cooperation completely penetrates the Manchester United defense and completes the equalizer.
3. Lack of stability in defense. In the last 10 games of Manchester United, only 2 have completed clean sheets, and the remaining 8 games have lost 9 goals, such a defensive posture has created a big blow to the core of the defense and the psychology of captain Maguire. What is even more difficult for Maguire to accept is that the turnaround of the aircraft carrier has become more and more a bug for opponents to score points on Manchester United.
In this game, after Maguire lost his position, he forcibly sought physical confrontation + stampede, although the referee opened the net with "unintentional" stampede, but it is foreseeable that Maguire's struggle will continue.
The season impact is coming strongly, and Lonnick's time is running out
Faced with four consecutive points conceded by weak teams, the problems have been repeated, making the grim situation of Manchester United's struggle for 4 obvious, but more urgent is the strong attack of the impact phase of the season.
The next two league rounds may be Ronnick's last chance to adjust the team. A week later, Manchester United's schedule is terrifying, with two legs in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, and the league successively competing against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and other strong players, which will undoubtedly be the last sprint moment of the season for Manchester United.
How far can the Champions League go? Can Battle 4 survive? For Lonnick and Manchester United, time for adjustments is really running out!