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Manchester United produced a dismal defensive performance as they were thumped 3-0 by Liverpool on Sunday.
While it may have been a friendly match, this loss was no less bitter, putting a dampener on the end of Man United’s pre-season tour of the US.
The final score did not tell the full story, with United taking 18 shots compared to Liverpool’s eight. It also just so happened that Liverpool’s goalkeeper made eight saves, keeping out several solid shots by United.
Unfortunately, United’s defence was their weak spot, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka proving to be one of the weakest performers on the night.
Following Fabio Carvalho’s 10th-minute opener, United fell further behind when Curtis Jones got on the end of a slick through ball to slot his chance into the net. While Wan-Bissaka was tasked with marking Jones, he struggled to keep up, enabling the Liverpool midfielder to simply direct the ball goalward as he comfortably got a foot on it.
In the 61st minute, Wan-Bissaka was at the centre of United’s defensive flaws yet again. After Andre Onana superbly saved a threatening shot, the rebound fell to Konstantinos Tsimikas, who Wan-Bissaka was tasked with marking. Tsimikas was able to easily turn the ball into the net, leaving the United right-back for dead.
Wan-Bissaka did show some physical prowess, winning five of his eight ground duels. He was also only dribbled past once throughout the encounter.
The full-back’s passing game was largely on point, with 29 of 37 passes finding their target for an 78% accuracy. On the other hand, he missed his only long ball of the match while completing only one of three attempted crosses.
Notably, Wan-Bissaka managed to produce two key passes, however, neither of these resulted in any final product, with United unable to score throughout the match.
The English defender had an average game when looking at his defensive actions. He made two tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. Although a fair amount of defensive involvements, Wan-Bissaka unfortunately slipped up at crucial moments to allow Liverpool to score.
One major area for concern was that Wan-Bissaka lost possession on 12 occasions, which is even more troubling considering that he got just 57 touches throughout the match.
With Wan-Bissaka potentially departing for West Ham this summer, it appears as if his mind is already no longer with United. Perhaps it would be smarter for United to avoid playing him if he is indeed destined to depart this summer.
(Stats via Sofascore)
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