Rematch: The debut was the best, with Manchester United's first game being successful and the Red Devils beating the Premier League side in a dual-core configuration
On 13 July, the first warm-up match of Manchester United's summer training season officially began. At the end of the 90th minute, they won 2-0 against Leeds United to claim their first win of the season. Manchester United had a good advantage in the game, shooting 11-7, possession was also the advantage, and there were many chances on the side with 70%. At the same time, the overall performance of the team is relatively good, and it can maintain basic stability at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, without too many inexplicable mistakes.
The efficiency of creating opportunities and seizing opportunities is also relatively high. This is gratifying, but more importantly, the new signings in the team have shown good competitive form in the game, especially Mason Mount, who has worked very hard and his enthusiasm has been recognized by the manager and fans. At least at this point, Ten Hag was right to buy him.
In this match, Mason Mount had a total of 6 confrontation attempts, 4 of which were successful. After stealing the ball, they created good offensive chances and also found two chances in the back insert to threaten the opponent's goal. The success rate of 43 passes is close to 85%, which can be said to be in line with people's expectations.
As a striker, Mason Mount covers almost every inch of the box, from midfield to the box. It can be said that it is very hard, and the technical feature on which it became famous is the style of the free man in the front court. After joining Manchester United, the changes he was expected to bring to the United squad were concentrated on this point, and it was clear that he got off to a good start in the 2-0 win over Leeds. Blending his style of play with Manchester United, guaranteeing more opportunities to switch between attack and defence, is what Ten Hag has shown to be using.
At the same time, in the attack, especially in the local organization process, there are more points to help teammates sort out the line of passes, to create chances, and also to allow Manchester United to avoid mistakes in some small spaces. After Sancho and Anthony broke into the depths last season, they always encountered the dilemma that no one could pass on, so they had to fight alone and encounter many mistakes; Mount's response can solve the problem well.
On paper, Mount can also share the organisational pressure of Bruno Fernandes well, after all, multiple passing points greatly affect the opponent's defensive energy and will also bring more teammates open opportunities. This is also the key to Manchester United's next tactical research, how to play the double point advantage and strive to achieve the 1+1>2 idea.
However, Mount's ability to seize opportunities does need to be improved. For example, in the process of shooting. If you have a better teammate's running line, you should pass the ball instead of choosing to shoot; There is also teammates in the back, especially full-backs, to be run-in. It also appears slightly more in terms of the number of lost possessions, with a record 10.
However, this is only the first game, and Mason Mount's enthusiasm and overall help to the team's offensive performance were recognized by the media, and he was also given a good rating of 7.5 points after the game. From a tactical point of view, Mason Mount plays like Bruno Fernandes, who has just joined Manchester United, and he is more like the No.8 playmaker as the No.10 or No.11 position he was asked to at Chelsea, as I mentioned above.
If Mason Mount and Bruno can be handled well, then United will have two reliable passers and playmakers, and their overall attacking efficiency will inevitably improve a lot in the game. And although Bruno and Mount are not defensive players, their enthusiasm, especially in high-pressure fighting, is still very sufficient. If you can hold this forward level and rely on motivation to suppress the multi-faceted defender pass, it will also be very helpful for the team's defense. It can create a lot of opportunities to run back, help defenders get valuable time to deploy, and reduce the possibility of the opponent counterattacking and creating threats.
Beyond that, United's real problems focus on the lack of a reliable pivot. Ten Hag should convince the top management as soon as possible to buy a centre-forward, which is also their priority. Otherwise, even a few more Bruno and Mount etc., will not be enough.