The two consecutive draws after the international match not only made Manchester United passive in the situation of competing for 4, but more importantly, the sprint stage of the season was about to strike strongly, which also meant that the time left for Lonnick to adjust the team was running out.
In the last round of the league match against Brighton, C Ronaldo and B Fee scored goals, Pogba sent an assist, no doubt giving Ronnick a lot of comfort, at the same time, Maguire led the defense, to achieve a long-lost clean sheet, which made Ronnick even more overjoyed.
Therefore, against the backdrop of the upcoming Champions League knockout round against Atletico next week, the Rose derby against Leeds United in this round, whether it is to grasp the 4 initiative or increase the team's self-confidence, will be a crucial game for Manchester United.
From the points ranking, although Leeds United is currently in 15th place, Leeds United, led by Bielsa, who has the title of "madman", is not afraid to compete with any opponent, and Manchester United is no exception.
Putting aside the results of the game, from the data of this game, it is clear how difficult the game against Manchester United has been. With a shooting ratio of 16-15, a possession rate of 54.2%-45.8%, and a passing success rate of 77.9%-72.6%, a few key statistics, the leader is actually Leeds United, which ranks 11 places lower than Manchester United.
Facing an opponent like Bielsa, Lonnick knows the importance of getting off to a good start. Therefore, compared with the starting lineup of the previous round against Brighton, Lonnick has made targeted fine-tuning while retaining most of the starting lineup for this game.
Pogba's start meant Lonnick wanted to control the midfield and thus avoid Leeds United from upsetting the game in the opening stages. And Lingard's starter, the bigger meaning seems to be to prepare for the next series of vicious battles.
Pogba executed Lonnick's tactical intentions well in the first half, not only keeping the midfield organized, but also contributing well on the offensive end. In the cross, long pass, and dribbling several key data, Pogba handed over 100% successful answers.
At the same time, 2 feet formed a key pass for the shot, almost fed the goal to the mouth of C Ronaldo and B Fei, but unfortunately C Ronaldo was close to the goal to send the ball into the arms of the goalkeeper, and B Fei's scrubbing shot was ruthlessly rejected by the goalkeeper. If both scoring opportunities had been seized, United would have been able to win almost the entire first half.
Fortunately, Manchester United's efficient attack of 9 shots on goal and 5 shots in the first half was still exchanged for two head hammers from Maguire and B Fei. The 2-0 lead basically made Longnick's tactics effective.
However, for Bielsa, two goals conceded is far from enough for Leeds United to give up resistance, and Manchester United have always had a preference for not playing downwind balls this season.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Leeds United, who were behind the score, frantically counterattacked and began to score goals. Rodrigo's fairy ball, Rafinha's back-point wrapping, instantly rewritten the score to 2-2, a situation that was both unexpected and familiar to Red Devils fans.
But this time, Lonnick seems to have learned enough lessons in similar games in the past. Whether it is the timeliness of the adjustment or the pertinence, Lonnick's clear purpose can be clearly felt.
After the equalizer, the predictable Leeds United counterattacked more violently, and Lonnick realized that the decisive moment was coming, so he removed Pogba and replaced fred with a more mobile one, on the one hand, to better protect Scott McTominay defensively, and on the other hand, Manchester United's attack needed to be more direct.
Lonnick's adjustment was a miraculous one, and fred scored a powerful shot 3 minutes after his debut, giving Leeds a head-on blow. Another replacement, Erlanga, who came on as a substitute for Jesse Lingard, also used a goal to completely kill the suspense of the game in the 88th minute.
In addition to these two miraculous substitutions, it is worth mentioning that in the case of Manchester United's 3-2 lead, Lonnick replaced the dismal C Ronaldo and replaced Varane to strengthen the defense. It is clear that Lonnick has understood that instead of currying favor with Ronaldo's fans, it is better to score 3 points safely.