Manchester United win 4-1 after Liverpool hammering - my thoughts

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This was their first appearance after Manchester United were beaten a record-equaling 7-0 by Liverpool last Sunday. That was a game to quickly forget - although painfully hard. Yesterday was their Europa league last 16 fixture against Real Betis. We know that United always struggles against team from Spain. Once Betis equalized 1-1 at half time, that ugly history against Spanish opposition was about to rear its head again. But that was not going to be! Second half goals from Antony, Wout and Fernades ensured the old Trafford outfit won with a healthy margin to take to Spain.

Observations with regard to this performance and Sunday

While the team, supporters and management have moved on from that embarrassing performance against Liverpool, the reality remains that it has gone into the books and wont be erased. Regardless of its effect on the league standings or Liverpools top 4 hopes, the bad record will always be referenced. Now comparing this 4-1 Europa league victory and their Sunday capitulation, here are four of my observations:

• The manager picked the same Team: In the wake of that 7-0 defeat by Liverpool, some managers would have benched certain players that are supposed to be the main problem in the team. But Ten hag showed he was a top manager by sticking to the same. That could have backfired if the result or performance went bad again. But then, it was a great choice.

Having the same team out for this game actually have a lot of positives. The one thing it does is to reassure the players that their coach has confidence in them. This belief is very important to how each player cope after such a dismal outing as that. It surely gave them the motivation to go out there and prove what they are capable of.

Another great thing about fielding the same team is that they have the opportunity to correct their mistakes right away. The coach must have given them instructions and corrections. They should have seen with they did wrong and how to get it right. So it took just 4 days for them to make amends, and reward put a smile on the faces of their fans and manager.

• Dalot is a weak link: The coach might have reasons for selecting each player, but I think that Dalot needs to really work on various aspects of his game. Personally I do not feel at home with his style of defending, always giving the attacker a yard of space or two is not the right way to defend. Against attackers with speed, you have no chance because they will always have that space to dribble or put in the crosses. Obviously that was what we saw against Liverpool and in the first half against Betis.

The manager probably noticed that weakness and rightly replaced Dalot with Wan Bassaka. Wan Bassaka is great in one-on-ones and always gets his tackles right. Going forward too, I would pick him in place of Dalot. Both of them needs to work on their crosses though. Right backs in the modern game should be able to go forward and put get crosses.

• Degea is still shaken: Maybe it does not call for alarm, but Degea made some errors in this 4-1 winning game which I believe a top stopper shouldnt. During the game, his ball distribution was sometimes questionable. In one instance, he gave away the ball to an opponent in the 18 yard box and that could have led to conceding a goal.

I think Degea needs some rest. He has put in appearances more than most other players in the team. I think he needs some rest. The second keeper needs to have a little more chance so that Degea can recover and rest. Minor appearances like the ones we saw in the 4-1 winning against Betis are indications of physical tiredness or stress.

• Fernandez and Antony improved their game: These two players definitely listened to the manager after their 7-0 dismantling by Liverpool. On the part of Fernandez, he focused more on his game than in his usual complaining. He influenced the game especially in the second period. It was not surprising that he was on the scoresheet. Fernandez is a talented midfielder and has lots of potential. I also commend his defensive work in the game which was absent in the Liverpool game. Tracking back helped the back 4 do their work well.

Antony is another standout performer in the game. This guy is a talented winger, but his defensive duties were zero in the Liverpool game. He did not help the right back and the result was one to forget. But in this win against Betis, he vastly improved that aspect of his game. Again, trying to score from his position with his preferred left foot has not gone down well always. But in this game, we all saw what he has been trying to do. With more effort and determination, he and other team members should be able to do well in their positions and help the team avoid terrible defeats like the one against Liverpool.

Conclusion

Manchester united players provided a perfect response after that Liverpool game. While the team as a whole improved, some of the players have work to do as pointed out. Overall, it has been a great season for them. This is the manager's first season and already, we have seen a lot of positives. They already have won the Carabao cup and if they continue to work harder, they will probably win more trophies.