A week is a long time in football, and while things aren’t all rosy just yet, Manchester United are in a much better spot than they were this time last week.
Erik ten Hag’s side blew Southampton away 3-0 on Saturday and then utterly dominated Barnsley 7-0 in the League Cup last night in what could have easily been a banana skin fixture for the Premier League outfit.
Now, as the Tykes ply their trade in the third tier of English football, United fans can’t and won’t be getting too carried away with the result, but given how poorly the start of the season has gone, it’s still worth celebrating.
There were a number of good performers on the night who have otherwise been underwhelming so far this season, but with a far more challenging test against Crystal Palace to come on the weekend, Ten Hag must immediately drop one of his goalscorers back to the bench.
Antony's game in numbers
Yes, Brazilian winger Antony should be dropped from the starting lineup ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash, despite looking alright against Barnsley.
The former Ajax ace was brought into the team last night in place of the exciting Amad Diallo, and to his credit, he did make an impact.
In addition to winning and scoring his penalty, the 24-year-old took 90 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 90%, played two key passes, took four shots on target, completed one dribble, and made one interception and tackle to boot.
However, there were still signs of the same frustrating player in his performance to go along with everything he did well, as he lost the ball 13 times, and despite taking so many shots on target, he couldn’t convert any of them in open play, which could help to explain his 6/10 match rating from the Manchester Evening News Samuel Luckhurst.
Moreover, playing well against a team from League One and a team that just gave Manchester City a run for their money in the top flight are two very different things, and the São Paulo-born wideman hasn’t shown enough quality since joining to warrant starting against the Bees.
Appearances
84
Minutes
5119′
Goals
12
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.20
Minutes per Goal Involvement
301.11′
For example, in his 84 games for the club following his £81m move two years ago, the 16-capped international has scored just 12 times and provided five assists. This means he’s averaged a goal involvement once every 4.94 games, which isn’t good enough, and as such, he should be dropped.
Who should replace Antony
So, for what is already a must-win game against Crystal Palace on the weekend, if United want to keep pace with their top four rivals, Ten Hag should look to bring Marcus Rashford back onto the left wing, move Alejandro Garnacho to the right and start Joshua Zirkzee as the recognised number nine.
Now, starting with the two wingers, and after they both scored last night, they’ve more than earned their place in the lineup and looked far and away United’s most dangerous players on the pitch.
Moreover, while the Argentine wonderkid has looked good from the first game of the season, the Englishman struggled at first, but with three goals in two games, he seems to have found some form. So, the manager should under no circumstances look to take him out of the team and risk derailing what could be the start of a comeback for Rashford.
Zirkzee, on the other hand, has endured a slightly mixed start to life in England.
He scored the winner against Fulham on the opening day but has since failed to add another in his subsequent four appearances.
However, he has had opportunities in each of those games, and the fact that he keeps getting himself into goalscoring positions is encouraging, and with more experience in the first team, the goals should hopefully start to come.
Ultimately, Antony did reasonably well against Barnsley, but he’s shown in the past that he struggles against tougher opposition, so Ten Hag should start Zirkzee up top, Rashford on the left and Garnacho on the right for the game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Alongside Rashford: 109-touch "monster" may have revived his Man Utd career
The experienced veteran was superb for 90 minutes.
ByJack Salveson HolmesSep 18, 2024