Against the league-bottom Norwich City, United finally won, and with Ronaldo's hat-trick and power to turn the tide, the team seemed to see a glimmer of hope of returning to the top four. However, in the good situation of leading 2-0 at home, norwich actually pulled two goals in a row, and even at one point may have conceded the third goal. When De Gejanin can kick the ball off the sideline and not pass to Maguire in a safe position, perhaps within Manchester United, confidence in his own backfield has also been lost.
01. Can't defend anyway: Lonnick let go and attack
After 32 Premier League games, United conceded 44 goals, the most of the top 8 teams and almost doubled the top 3 teams. Facing Norwich, who is the bottom of the league, Lonnick put up an all-offensive lineup, and even pressed the team high at the beginning, so he opened the record first.
Erlanga assisted Ronaldo after breaking the ball to give the team a 1-0 lead. I have to say that after the team invested enough troops on the offensive end, C Luo's ability to seize opportunities is still reliable.
However, such a kick is risky, because The Manchester United centre-back cannot adapt to such a force. When Maguire came to such a high position, it actually left a lot of hidden dangers.
The key problem is that United do not have a defensive midfielder in this game, and Maguire's turning and landing are too slow. When this wave of scrambling failed to get the desired result, Norwich played a counterattack, United's defensive position was very scattered. Both full-backs were pulled inwards, but Pogba fell to the right-back position, and Finnish striker Pukki walked the Outside Oftres to find an opportunity.
You can't say that Maguire's rush is wrong, this is the overall tactic that Manchester United set up from the beginning. The problem is that if Maguire can't make his own side form a shooting opportunity, the opponent's counterattack can find the loophole of Manchester United. Pogba went to the wing, the Red Devils midfield was empty, and Maguire turned too slowly to land. Puke overtook Telles from the flank and got the chance to face De Gea, but was fortunately defused by the Spanish goalkeeper.
From 2-0 to 2-2: United really can't defend
United invested a lot on the offensive end of this game, but the holes on the defensive end were even bigger. After playing the high intensity of the opening game, as the physical strength declined, the frontcourt force became weaker, and the problem of the backcourt could no longer be covered up.
Therefore, facing the first-to-last team, there will be the embarrassment of not being able to hold the 2-0 lead.
Because United's full-backs stand tall, once the forward rush can not suppress the opponent's direct ball in the backfield, then Norwich can frequently pass the ball behind Maguire, and every forward insertion seems to have gained.
The quality of the cross was not high this time, but it still gave the United defence a wake-up call.
United started in the middle of the first half and the disconnection became more and more serious. The problem is that after the front court is tired, or after the two-goal lead is a bit lax, the team-mates at the centre-back can't stand up, allowing Norwich players to easily pick up the ball and pass the ball. In particular, United use two assists full-backs, who stand very high, further amplifying the space around Maguire.
This time Purkey stepped forward behind Maguire and took advantage of his slow turn to get a chance. A clever pass was sent to the back post, and Dowell scored to close the gap.
This loss of the ball, Maguire's "aircraft carrier turn" is naturally a big problem, but Pogba in the back position also has the problem of watching the ball. After all, Maguire turned slowly, and Pogba was not a flexible type either. Bringing the two of them closer to the central axis is a lack of careful consideration in the use of coaches.
Including United's equaliser shortly after the start of the second half, it was still because Pogba and Maguire both had the flaw of turning too slowly. Dowell could easily pick up the ball in United's midfield and Puki could hit The Maguire wing-backs can't return.
With this goal, will Maguire feel like he is "back to the pot"? Insufficient coverage at the back, weak full-backs, Maguire once again "aircraft carrier turn", Finnish striker Puki changed the score to write a 2-2 draw,
In the second half, United even shot fewer than Norwich, which is indeed a very embarrassing thing for the home team. The key problem is that after the decline in physical fitness in the front and the lack of pressing, United's midfield is like letting opponents walk through the street.
03. Ronaldo "small victory" Maguire: So what about the next time?
This game can be said to be a "small victory" over their own defensive line by the Manchester United forwards. The situation of an easy 2-0 win at one point almost turned into a situation in which the side was overturned.
Does Maguire also have grievances in his heart? Pogba doesn't turn around much faster than I do? So this time his "Chinese Kung Fu" made the French midfielder hang up, which is also ridiculous.
After seeing that B Fei had made a mistake in retracting the ball this time, almost allowing Norwich to achieve a 3-2 big turnaround in the next game, Lonnick finally couldn't sit still, and arranged for Nemanja Matic to play at the back to replace Jesse Lingard, and finally let the team's midfield line relatively stable.
Stabilizing their worries, Manchester United patiently looked for opportunities on the offensive end, and Ronaldo once again stepped forward at a critical moment, scoring with a direct free kick to help United win this crucial battle 3-2.
The results of this round of the Premier League are all good news for Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have lost the game, and they are thrilled to win the first place in the Premier League, and finally see a glimmer of hope of returning to the top four.
However, in the table, Manchester United are still three points behind Tottenham Hotspur and, with one more game, the same points as Arsenal. Considering that the team will face 3 consecutive days and 1 match in the next few days, away to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, the prospect of competing for four is still bleak.
In the current defensive line, conceding goals is a predictable result, but the 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is difficult to replicate the magic of the hat-trick every game.
After all, in the 51st minute of the second half, the data given by the director was that Norwich city had a 2% chance of winning, and Manchester United was as high as 85%. As a result, after 3 seconds, the opponent used the space on Maguire's flank to allow Puki to equalize. Norwich are the bottom team in the Premier League after all, so Manchester United can still make up for it. Follow-up Liverpool and Arsenal, I am afraid it is not so easy to deal with.
A few minutes after Ronaldo scored the third goal, this time when United won the ball at the back, De Gea looked at the same unguarded Maguire, or "resolutely" turned around and kicked the ball out of the sideline, which may be a great irony.
If your teammates lose trust in you, it's going to be a terrible thing.
Conclusion:
If Maguire's excellent performance last season is the cornerstone of the team's runner-up in the league, this also has a lot to do with the protection of the midfield and the strength of the full-backs.
With different coaches and different tactical systems, Manchester United, which focuses on attack, will continue to amplify Maguire's cumbersome shortcomings. Without a defensive foundation and the goal efficiency of the front line is not stable enough, it is not surprising that Manchester United has reached the current predicament.