Ruben Amorim couldn’t buy a win as Manchester United manager, but he appears to have laid out the blueprint for how to beat his former employers.
In the club’s final pre-season game, Michael Carrick’s men were undone by AC Milan’s 3-4-2-1 set-up, the defensive unit all at sea as the Serie A side ran out 4-2 winners.
It’s fair to say it was a similar, worrying story to kick-start the new Premier League campaign, with newly-promoted Hull City, themselves utilising a back five, deservedly taking the points following an abject display from the visitors.
Found wanting at the back and so limp in attack, amid a shambles in between, it really couldn’t have gone much worse for the Red Devils as they fell to a desperate 2-0 defeat.
What went wrong for Man Utd vs Hull City
Would it be fair to say everything?
That recent Milan loss was brushed off as no mere concern, with the flat, dour nature of United’s display having been explained away by the squad being intent on avoiding injury ahead of the season opener.
There is no excuse then for what transpired this time around, the Red Devils looking off the pace right from the word go, caught on their heels by a buoyant Hull side.
All the talk this summer has been about strengthening the midfield, but it was not a positive first competitive outing for Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, the pair both replaced late on having been given the round around by Matt Crooks and Regan Slater.
There are already ominous signs regarding both ends of the pitch too, with the backline unable to deal with almost everything that came their way in that first half.
An early warning from Oli McBurnie was not heeded as Semi Ajayi and then Nobel Mendy saw the hosts race into a two-goal lead, with questions beginning to be asked of just why the backline hasn’t been strengthened this summer.
In attack too, while the visitors were without Amad, there should have been enough quality on the park regardless. Instead, only Bryan Mbeumo really ever tested opposition ‘keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, albeit with even the Cameroonian having been largely aimless otherwise.
Only half-time substitute Marcus Rashford really looked like making an impact after the break, a damning indictment of the rest of the forward line and in particular, Patrick Dorgu.
Why Dorgu wasn’t the only man to blame against Hull
The first two games of Carrick’s tenure saw Dorgu get on the scoresheet in style against Manchester City and Arsenal, the young Dane looking to have finally found his groove in a new left-wing role following an initially bumpy ride during Amorim’s tenure.
Even so, there had been an expectation that the 21-year-old would eventually return to his prior left-back berth, yet Carrick has persisted with Dorgu on the flanks in pre-season.
It would be wrong to suggest he ripped it up over the summer, however, with the manager’s faith in him proving misguided, resulting in a deserved half-time withdrawal in favour of Rashford against the Tigers.
An asset on the counter-attack against the likes of City and Arsenal, Dorgu just isn’t the man to break down a low block, so careless in possession as he lost the ball seven times from just 20 touches, winning just one of his seven duels to boot.
Not a good day for the former Lecce man, but in terms of what actually cost United, the defensive line requires even greater scrutiny, particularly fellow youngster, Ayden Heaven.
Man Utd vs Hull – Player Ratings | |
|---|---|
Player | Rating |
GK – Lammens | 7 |
RB – Mazraoui | 5 |
CB – Maguire | 6 |
CB – Heaven | 4 |
LB – Shaw | 5 |
DM – Santos | 6 |
DM – Tielemans | 5 |
RM – Mbeumo | 6 |
AM – Fernandes | 5 |
LM – Dorgu | 4 |
ST – Cunha | 5 |
Subs: Rashford (7), Sesko (5), Mainoo (5), Lacey (N/A), Dalot (N/A) | |
There’s plenty to like about the 19-year-old centre-back, having shown glimpses of his quality over the last 18 months or so, yet it was a surprise to see him given the nod over Leny Yoro, following a standout summer for the Frenchman.
The decision not to utilise Lisandro Martinez made sense considering he’s only just returned following his extended post-World Cup break, yet the drop in quality was stark as Hull exploited Heaven’s shortcomings.
The former Arsenal starlet notably lost McBurnie at the back post for the opener, as the striker’s rebounded effort eventually made his way to Ajayi.
That set the tone for his afternoon in general, in truth, the teenager losing 54% of his total duels, while failing to register a single tackle.
Like Dorgu, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Heaven replaced at the break, with Yoro and Martinez watching on, and while United didn’t concede again, the backline didn’t look comfortable throughout the 90 minutes.
Heaven, who lost possession eight times, also struggled when playing out from the back at times, with the experienced Harry Maguire arguably proving United’s biggest threat alongside him, the veteran regularly bursting forward from deep.
It may feel harsh to pinpoint the two youngest members of the starting lineup, in Heaven and Dorgu, yet after so many millions spent, so much investment, should they really be considered first-choice options?
Dorgu’s wayward performance in attack was at least resolved swiftly at the break, but the woes of the backline, which Heaven was central to, ultimately proved crucial in an alarming start to the season.
Let’s hope this is merely a wake-up call for Carrick, the players and the board.
