Quite a dominant performance really.
Yeah we actually played a good game.
There were also noticable features.
The back 3 for this game was Casemiro Martinez and Varane/Lindelof.
We also maintained a more regular pressing style that didn't require the team to change shape, so there were less gaps on the outside. In the first two games, there was a bit too much fluidity at times at the back and up front, today we had a bit more structure.
Our issues up front still remain our greatest weakness. Martial was his usual average self. he's also clearly lost pace, so there's not much he's offering. Antony offered some flair, but his attacking involvements had limited impact. We were still relying on the midfielders to create on their own for the front 3. Rashford didn't really have a great game, but even without that his impact was there to be seen. We need or other attackers to match or even come a lot closer to matching what he brings, because at times it feels like a deadzone. AWB has improved so much and would benefit from having a wide partner who actually had the intelligence to combine effectively. People have always blamed AWB for this on the right flank, but its quite clear Antony is acutally the issue here. Today he managed to mix things up on a few occasions and those moments showed how impactful that right flank could be if he did it more often.
It's good to know that Amad and Rasmus will be coming back to the team soon. We need performing attackers, we currently don't have that. That's why its no surprise we had no goals or assists from Martial and Antony. It's difficult to score goals when your attackers don't even try to anticipate opportunites.
It's also clear that we're still working ourselves out. Shapes have been changing and we're trying to get the right balance and structure. We've only had one result blip despite being a bit scattered to start the season. It's quite clear preseason wasn't effective for us this year, both tactically and fitness wise