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Manchester United had to wait till the 87th minute to find the breakthrough and it eventually came from debutant Joshua Zirkzee as the Red Devils opened the new Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win against Fulham on Friday.
Erik ten Hag’s were deserved winners and were by far the better team but the Dutchman will be far from impressed with his team’s finishing.
Against Manchester City in the Community Shield last week, the 20-time English league champions should have scored multiple times but for some profligate finishing from the forwards.
And it persisted against the Cottagers as Bruno Fernandes spurned a couple of glorious chances while Mason Mount and Alejandro Garnacho also missed easy chances.
False nine system
Ruud van Nistelrooy, an ice-cold finisher in his days at Old Trafford, will be working day in and day out to try and improve this aspect in the weeks to come.
The new false nine system being played by the Dutch manager with Rasmus Hojlund out injured has resulted in a lot of ball possession but the team keeps lacking that focal presence upfront.
Fernandes, Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford took turns playing up top and there were lots of decent build-up play with the Portuguese often finding himself running behind the backline.
While he is great at manipulating space, an out-and-out striker could have broken the deadlock earlier considering the chances that were created.
The former Bologna star scored a clever winner but he is not a No 9 and the manager might be forced to keep playing this way for some more time.
The hosts had 14 shots while enjoying 55 percent of the ball and Ten Hag will be hoping his team can handle the absence of the Dane and the new Netherlands star can make his presence felt up top.
The former Ajax boss changing the team’s philosophy into one which relishes keeping the ball has been a joy to watch as compared to last season and it has suited one player in particular.
EtH’s new system suits Casemiro
Casemiro, one of the biggest disappointments from last season, has started the new campaign in great fashion which will be a huge relief for the manager.
A few of his passes were breathtaking while he covered space much more effectively, highlighting that a full pre-season has done him a world of good.
Noussair Mazraoui also enjoyed a great debut while Harry Maguire’s display was another bonus with the Englishman thwarting a Fulham counter-attack on his own.
More difficult matches are coming up and it will be interesting to see how the manager sets his team up. Hopefully, Zirkzee can be ready to start and the team can now improve their finishing which will be key in the big games.
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