Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure will bring plenty of welcome change for United, with one of the most exciting prospects the possibility of Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho becoming more regular parts of this side. Amidst a calamitous showing against Watford, the sporadic pair shone during and ultimately conjunctly catalysed a more auspicious phase of the match from their side.
Lets start with Van de Beek. He was utterly fantastic having come on at halftime. Solskjaer’s reluctance to play him throughout his tenure has been completely startling, never more so than on Saturday afternoon. The Ducthman again proved he has real heart from the instant he stepped onto the pitch, with his character through sheer endeavour whenever he is granted opportunities a real gift.
Five minutes was all it took for Van de Beek to score his second ever United goal after having been introduced, proving an epitome of his expertise by way of movement. The navigation of the space to be able to find himself free to head into the open net displayed a real specialty of his. To score only moments after his introduction was a massive statement. For Van de Beek to have scored the last goal of Solskjaer’s reign is rather fitting given his confusing negligence.
The technicality the midfielder offered after being introduced to the fray was really vital to the collective resurgence the team displayed for a period, with his influence on the overall quality of the side absolutely invaluable to everything good that happened for United. He dictated the game in a way nobody else managed with his tidiness in possession, adding a significant extra creative element going forward. The game flowed far better with Van de Beek almost as the linchpin within the second half system, with huge positive impacts in progression with his exceptional vision and consequent passing range. On top of his goal, he could actually have picked up at least a pair of assists with his intricacy when linking with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (and Jadon Sancho as I'll get onto).
When Harry Maguire was dismissed, the Dutchman was really forced to become the main midfield man as Nemanja Matic had to drop deeper into the defence. He adapted pristinely and thrived still. Both the attacking aspects and defensive elements of his game excelled throughout his time on the pitch, with three chances created yet four ball recoveries and a pair of tackles within his 45 minutes on the pitch.
It was a statement piece.
Van de Beek wasn't the only fringe player (who shouldn't remotely be a fringe player) who really made a point at Vicarage Road despite the crushing result. Many thanks to some classy combinations between himself and the Dutchman throughout the second half, Sancho really stood out amongst an admittedly bad bunch. The pair's performances really were the epitome of Solskjaer’s incompetent use of a squad consisting of a staggering plethora of world class personnel.
The link between the aforementioned pair was sensational, with both players very much on the same wavelength given their conjunct technical prowess. A point was proved by the two. Van de Beek was really able to get Sancho into the game, and both cooperated to influence proceedings in a really prominent manner.
I’ve already focused on the impact of the midfield man, so I’d like to detail Sancho’s ascendancy down his natural right flank. The summer signing was so direct on the side he is far more accustomed to playing on, with numerous crosses delivered to troubling the hosts' defence. Unfortunately, a number of good deliveries were squandered by his teammates. However, it was his pinpoint cross which led to Van de Beek's goal following Ronaldo’s cushioned header. It was a really exciting performance from Sancho again as he grows more accustomed to the English game.
A sign of things to come under a new man in charge? We can only hope.
Comments