Manchester United drew 2-2 with Burnley in Darren Fletcher’s first match as a caretaker manager.
Burnley led at half-time after a cross took a wicked deflection off Ayden Heaven. Fletcher made smart tactical adjustments at the break and Benjamin Sesko scored twice to put the Red Devils ahead within 15 minutes. But Man Utd once again conceded after getting themselves ahead after a screamer from Jaidon Anthony.
Man Utd will be happy with the comeback in the second half. But there will be disappointment after another match where one point could have been three.
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In this article we’ll cover
Burnley’s compactness in the first half
It’s difficult for a new manager to immediately go away from a tactical style when coming in at short notice. Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3/3-5-2 has been embedded into Man Utd for better or worse. But Fletcher utilised the 4-2-3-1 that had been introduced sparingly in recent times. Still, Scott Parker smartly frustrated Man Utd for much of the first half.
Bruno Fernandes was deployed in his favoured role higher up the pitch but Burnley were smart in marking off the middle. It took some time for Man Utd to find joy as they mainly responded to Burnley’s goal in the first half with set-pieces and crosses.
It goes to show that Man Utd’s problems were deeper than Amorim’s formation and style of play.
Fletcher’s aggressive adjustments
In the second half, Man Utd gained control of the match and were well worth their lead. Matheus Cunha dropped closer to Fernandes, allowing the Red Devils to overload the centre of the pitch with four players. The inclusion of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte freed up Cunha and Fernandes to occupy the half-space.
For both goals, a Man Utd midfielder dragged a Burnley defender out of the back five creating space in behind. First it was Fernandes who went wide then peeled off into the half-space in between the full-back and centre-back. When Casemiro found him for a pass, Fernandes was able to slip Benjamin Sesko through on goal.
These are the positions you want Fernandes to be in. He found more joy as Cunha’s presence in the middle gave Burnley an extra man to focus on.
With Man Utd pushing on, it was a similar story when Ugarte pushed up on Burnley’s defence and dropped off to recieve a pass from defence turning it around to Patrick Dorgu so he could cross for Sesko to finish.
Although the aggressive pressing left Burnley with space in the middle, Man Utd progressed the ball much quicker. The Red Devils went close on a few occasions, with Cunha having an effort cleared off the line and Shea Lacey hitting the bar in the second half.
Man Utd sloppy after leading again
The difference in Man Utd once they’re chasing a goal and defending a lead is huge.
You can point to matches against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. And Bournemouth. And Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United. Where the hard work done to gain the lead is quickly undone by Man Utd dropping back, allowing the opposition to pounce.
The game shifted after Man Utd’s second goal. Lisandro Martinez allowed Anthony space to shoot from the edge of the penalty area and arrow the ball into the top corner.
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Man Utd clearly possess an attack good enough to score goals and hurt teams. They are the third top-scorers in the league. However, they seriously struggle with maintaining the levels of intensity it takes for them to score.
Fernandes’ subsitution in the second half coincided with the team’s drop off in attack. The talisman is crucial to the team, but has been nursing a hamstring injury. Man Utd need other players to step up and grab games by the scruff of the neck
Heading into the final 25 minutes, Man Utd had run out of ideas. The good work they had done to regain the lead once again went to waste. Shea Lacey going close from an incredulous distance was an isolated highlight.
This has happened too many times this season to be a freak occurrence. It’s something Man Utd will need to work on, and could rue at the end of the season if they miss out on the Champions League.
It has been a turbulent and drama-filled week. Although Fletcher brought a more aggressive and refreshing approach with smart in-game tweaks and early substitutions of academy players, Man Utd still dropped more points from winning positions. The Red Devils have played Wolves, Leeds United and Burnley and only have three points from a possible nine.
Although Man Utd have absentees at the Africa Cup of Nations that they are clearly missing, there will be nothing but frustration after more dropped points.
It may be a new era with Amorim sacked, but it’s more of the same problems.
