If you tune in to watch Manchester United at the moment, you could be forgiven for mistaking what you are watching for an abstract reenactment of Jekyll and Hyde. For a period, you may witness a team that look capable of beating anyone, exuding positivity through sheer dominance. In an instant, however, frailties can be exposed and the team don't look quite the package anymore.
For United fans, it is becoming a familiar story. On one hand, there is signification of progress compared to the dark latter stages of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, with the presence of phases that one may be enthused by now making up a healthy portion within near enough every match. By contrast, the swift switching between a side that look like a title contender and a side who seem as though they are battling relegation provokes widespread unease, especially given the prestige of the football club. One minute you can be preparing to revel in glory, whilst a split-second later you are hit with sinking demoralisation. That’s the life at the moment.
Almost three weeks on from their last Premier League outing, where a last gasp Marcus Rashford goal saw his side steal the shares off top four rivals West Ham United, those from the red side of Manchester made the short trip to Turf Moor on Tuesday evening.
Ralf Rangnick's side returned from the winter break 'the hunted', ahead in the battle for fourth place - even though some of those behind have games in hand. Meanwhile, Burnley, at the foot of the table, are very much acting as chasers of those ahead.
United had been left to rue missed opportunities as FA Cup fourth round action signified the return from the winter break over the weekend prior to the ongoing midweek Premier League fixtures, with Rangnick's men seeing 30 attempts go begging en-route to a pitiful defeat against Championship side Middlesbrough on penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo accounted for one-third of those shots yet failed to execute find the net even once, including from a first half spot kick.
Come Tuesday, for the first time in his tenure, Rangnick named Ronaldo on the bench. Bold. Was his performance against Middlesbrough at contributing factor? Maybe. Probably. But, having turned 37 years old at the weekend, and no matter how much it seems his body is a temple, it also seemed logical to simply protect the player after playing 120 minutes only four days earlier. It made sense to, instead, opt for the fresh legs of Edinson Cavani.
"Today it will require a lot of sprinting, chasing balls, a lot of fight for second balls," Rangnick justified pre-match. "This best fits the profile for Edinson Cavani, which is why he starts."
It was a wet and windy setting at Turf Moor - typical of Burnley, you may say, as they partook in their 5,000th football league match. In their absence from top-flight football, some argue night-time trips to Turf Moor are the new ‘cold , wet nights in Stoke’. That was certainly the case on this bitter Tuesday night.
As he has often been vocal about of late, Rangnick, as expected, started with his now-trademark 4-3-3 system, which often translates to a 4-2-3-1 when defending. Against one of the league's most physical sides, aided by six-foot-six Wout Weghorst leading the line, it immediately seemed of great efficiency that the physical presences of Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba were utilised to supplement the defence out of possession.
Pogba was making his first league start since getting sent off against Liverpool in October. "Fred tested positive so it was clear he would play from the start," Rangnick said.
When attacking, somewhat unusually, the left side was occupied by Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho as opposed to Pogba and Rashford (across the midfield and attack respectively). After all, Sancho was purchased to fill the vacancy on the right flank, whilst Rashford has particular expertise in cutting inside onto his right foot from the left hand side. Meanwhile, some of Pogba’s strongest performances have come on the left side of a midfield three, none more so than alongside Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera under previous management. Nevertheless, Rangnick will have had his reasons. He is the man in charge after all.
It took barely over 10 minutes for United to justify the manager's chosen setup. Rangnick's side started with real authority, which promptly came to avail as Raphael Varane converted for his first United goal with a header having peeled off James Tarkowski following an excellently-placed Fernandes freekick delivery.
It was a rare set piece goal for United, but a VAR review ensued. A decision took what felt an eternity to make, throwing into doubt whether there was any clear and obvious error. Eventually, Mike Dean was prompted to look at the pitchside monitor and the goal was ruled out after Harry Maguire was deemed to have interfered with play in an offside position.
There was logic about the ruling out of the goal, with a combination of an illegal block and the offside against Maguire culminating in the alleged offence. However, Jay Rodriguez was unlikely to intervene anyway, regardless of the Maguire block. Meanwhile, it also seemed the United man was actually initially pushed into the offside position by an opposition player.
Coincidentally, as against Middlesbrough, the video assistant referee was Stuart Atwell.
There was, at least what felt like, more adversity for United to overcome. The response, frankly, was prompt, positive and quite brilliant.
Pogba initially won a header from a long David de Gea ball forward, with Fernandes spreading to Rashford, who had switched to the left testament to the fluidity of Rangnick's system, first time on the volley. Luke Shaw provided an overlapping run reminiscent of last season, cutting the ball back to Pogba, timely positioned to beat Nick Pope with assurance from inside the box after arriving late.
384 days on from the last time he found the net in the Premier League, Pogba was back on the scoresheet.
United were in a real groove, dominating in the final third and dealing Burnley's defence a real headache. The ball was turned into the hosts' net for a third time but, for a second time, the decision was overruled. On this occasion, it did not necessitate a VAR review. But, the disallowance was all the more mystifying.
The move was, again, slick and one that epitomised United's attacking poise, a continuation of the buildup display against Middlesbrough on Friday. Rashford was back on the right yet involved again, as was Shaw - accompanied by Sancho in the buildup on the left. Shaw delivered a deep cross to pick out Rashford, who's knock back into the danger area was subsequently bundled by Ben Mee into his own net. However, the linesman ruled Pogba to have used excessive force in a tussle with Erik Pieters as the ball was delivered, even though the left back was devoid of any appeals.
It looked a soft ruling against Pogba, and officiating inconsistency was proven moments later as Rashford was denied a penalty for an even more forceful bout of contact, grounded by Tarkowski. United felt hard done by, with two goals disallowed following on from the controversial Middlesbrough goal that was allowed only a matter of days before.
"It really surprised me he flagged when the ball was in the net," Rangnick said post-match, arguing, "Had he really seen the foul? The first I can understand why it was disallowed, it was a hard one, but the second I cannot understand."
Despite the frustration of the pair of disallowances, United's venom didn't subside and Burnley were continually pinned back. There was considerably threat coming from United's progressive approach from deep, with plenty of forward passes greeting a number of runs in behind a typically stern back line.
United looked like they genuinely had a plethora of ideas in possession, operating with cohesion superior to that displayed for the majority of recent times. Pogba’s presence back in the midfield was refreshing and likely a key factor in the developed cohesiveness within the side, with his calming yet controlling presence dictating the tempo from the middle of the park.
Another invaluable asset to the side was Shaw on the left, integral to most attacking passages with his reignited final third quality. He was massively involved in everything good on the offensive side of things throughout first half. He was making forward runs galore, underlapping and overlapping to get into crossing positions and create opportunities, such as for the goal that did stand. He was combining effectively with the interchanging Rashford and Sancho, with the latter arguably United's brightest spark, often aided by Shaw's presence. There was real purpose about the left back's game, which was refreshing given his struggles so far this season.
Following on from his contribution with balls played across in the leadup to the latter two United goals (the second of which was chalked off), Shaw could, and probably should, have been rewarded with a second assist. Having underlapped on this occasion, his delivery met Cavani, with a sigh of relief for the Burnley back line as Pope scrambled to spectacularly deny the Uruguayan.
There were, regretfully, some shades of Middlesbrough. As the break approached, you wouldn't have been surprised to see United three or four goals to the good, such was the standard of their creation once more. However, on this occasion, finishing lapses were arguably less severe and possible officiating mishaps were costly. The execution was far from perfect, but better from a team that had grown decidedly sharper and more disciplined in their overall game.
Confidence was noticeably rising, with free flowing invention growing more and more prevalent. There is no fear to take players on and shoot, which was especially good to see from Rashford and Sancho given their lacks of confidence through phases of the season. The intensity was more sustained, with pressing and closing down on display from every individual in a functioning unit.
United's free-flowing creation was forcing Burnley to often defend for their lives, with Pope required to be on top form. The home side occasionally attempted to break away, but United had all the answers in all departments and led with a dominant performance into the break.
United looked settled throughout the first half, though the restart following the juncture couldn't have been more paradoxical. Burnley absolutely flew out of the blocks, promoting a frantic start to the second period. Within what felt an instant, Burnley had capitalised and United found their lead gone.
It was initially far to easy for Ashley Westwood to play a pass into Weghorst through a gaping hole in the United midfield, who was initially afforded too much space to control. The Dutch striker absorbed pressure from the committed McTominay and Maguire to turn and engineer himself even further space, with Jay Rodriguez able to charge into the space left vacant by the United captain. The recovery pace was insufficient, with Shaw busting a gut to cover but Rodriguez ultimately beating a helpless De Gea, stemming from Maguire's initial misjudgement. It was Burnley's first shot of the match.
The conversation was becoming more and more similar to that against Middlesbrough. The parallels were uncanny. The decisions against United in the first half had been unfortunate, but other chances should have been taken and the game should have been near enough out of sight. The narrative was one of deja vu.
Burnley had upped the ante to a large extent, with their intensity levels above ample and a drastic improvement compared to that of a flat opening period. Where they fell behind in the first half, the Clarets were beginning to win a majority of second balls. United's composure had gone walkabouts as Weghorst forced De Gea into making his first save of the match. The game had transformed.
Whilst his side looked lost, Sancho continued to act a figure of promise and confidence for United. Since the winter break, he has looked reinvigorated. Amidst notable regression from his side, he maintained a willingness to get on the ball and try to make things happen. He was playing more passes into the final third than any other player on the pitch - an encapsulation of his positivity. He was recurrently looking as though he could really make something happen, lively and energetic throughout. He was taking players on, showing both his creative and skillful edges, none more so than through a double nutmeg. Opposition players were being tormented. He is starting to grow into more and more of a threat as his adaptation continues.
Sancho wasn't going to be able to do it alone, though. He was the only United player really offering anything at all, with the team that performed so well as a collective through the opening 45 minutes looking more and more out of sync. Comparative to the first half, United were struggling to push out and were hemmed back. Mind, Burnley's attacking output is the second-worst in the Premier League.
Typified by his part in the United concession, an off the pace Maguire was centre of his side's issues. He looked short of any focus, with his positioning awry, misjudgments rife and decisions poor. Against West Ham prior to the winter break, there was marked improvement as Maguire was reintroduced following a layoff; against Burnley, however, he looked lacklustre. A booking which, on another day, could have been a dismissal for Maguire being the last man epitomised his performance, with an air of sloppiness and almost laziness as he easily allowed his man free of his control.
It took until the halfway point of the second half for Ronaldo to limber up at last, with Cavani largely inefficient aside from the occasional first half moment of involvement. Towards the time of his withdrawal, the striker grew essentially illusive in what became a graveyard shift. It was a marker of United's decline as they ran out of steam excessively prematurely.
Those on the pitch had been a shadow of their first half selves, performing in only the most sporadic of surges.
Some more consistent nullification and counteraction of the Burnley threat did ensue as the half slogged on, with Rashford once driving from back on the left hand side and creating for Varane to produce a deft flick and force a save from Pope. As in the first half, no matter the personnel, United were beginning to punish right back Connor Roberts down their left hand side, with Shaw also delivering for Ronaldo to glance a header wayward.
With United regaining their poise somewhat, applying greater pressure again, Rangnick opted to go all guns blazing. McTominay was replaced by Jesse Lingard, with Pogba dropped to the deeper midfield role with attacking onus instilled. It was brave, and trusting of a somewhat dysfunctional defence. The attacking charge was further reinforced as Anthony Elanga replaced Rashford with around five minutes to play.
Still, United looked void of ideas and exuded extreme panic. They had thoughtlessly resorted to crossing the ball at every given opportunity, but even Ronaldo stood barely a chance against one of the league's most aerially-dominant sides. United knocked on the door as the final whistle loomed large, but the urgency came far too late and the barricade of bodies prevented any distinct progress. The first half's improved decision making was out of the window, and it was costly.
Again, United had failed to sustain a full 90 minutes of quality. The storyline was all so scarily similar to that against Middlesbrough. Some aspects of matches, particularly the first half at Turf Moor, provide a display of genuine quality. However, there appears to be some form of mental fragility when it comes to sustaining a high level, especially when facing up to adversity.
United ended Tuesday's affair with 64% possession and 22 shots having created 19 chances, though they were almost matched in the second half by Burnley's nine attempts. An epitome of the downfall.
Over their last 210 minutes of football, United have had 52 shots themselves compared to 15 conceded, however they have scored and conceded twice. Again, it underlines a matter of wastefulness, further exacerbated by the fact only three goals have been scored in the last 300 minutes of football.
Since beating Newcastle 4-1 in early September, United have only won 12 of 28 matches. Back-to-back draws in regulation time against Championship opposition and a relegation hardly display an upward trajectory.
As much as decisions maybe didn’t go United’s way in the first half against Burnley, it was ultimately another self-inflicted dropping of points. It is always self-inflicted. You have to capitalise where possible, where opportunities arise and you are in control. United are not doing so at the moment. They are dominating yet still failing to win. Burnley were subsequently consequently allowed back into the game through United's own lapses and points were dropped.
"Under normal circumstances we should have been two or three up at half time," Rangnick said. "It should have been more than 1-0. Today, we scored three goals - I cannot blame the team for not scoring."
"We knew they would come out in the second half in a more aggressive way and the only thing I can complain the team about was we were not aggressive enough in the first 20 minutes of the second half. We were playing tiki taka football in our own half and were not direct enough. We had the counter attack, but gave the ball away too easily in their box."
"If you look into the whole game we dominated for most of it. Winning one point is not enough and frustrating again."
Where previous weaknesses are being eradicated, former strengths are suffering regression. Every dropped point for Rangnick and his side from here on in could be vital for the club's top four bid. Whilst others around are suffering similar lapses against beatable opposition, United still have every other member of the traditional 'big six' to face in the coming months.
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