In the last game of the league campaign, MUFC got the job done at was what has become a bit of a bogey ground for the team in recent years.
0–2 at Brighton is a great way to finish the season and gather momentum moving into that FA Cup final.
Erik ten Hag will be delighted with this result with there being a fair few positives to take from it.
1. False 9
I think this is a pretty obvious one but is actually a tactic that came out of the blue despite the manager having used it before.
Nobody saw Erik ten Hag using a false 9 in the last two games given that he does have a striker available.
But what we can’t complain about is that it worked.
Between Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay against Newcastle and Brighton, they did a decent enough of a job up top. This must have confused the two oppositions as they definitely wouldn’t have been prepared for that.
Bringing Rasmus Hojlund off the bench was also correct by the manager as he had two very big impacts once he entered the field by scoring in both substitute appearances.
What this tactic also did was rest a player who’s played a lot in Hojlund but also sort of strengthen the midfield as both Fernandes and McTominay are midfielders by trade.
Making the centre of the park more compact meant less room and space for Brighton and Newcastle to play through us.
Yes, the Seagulls and Magpies did have a few good chances but United weren’t as open we’ve seen throughout the season.
Could this false 9 tactic be used in the final against City though? Erik ten Hag hinted at it with his post-match comments when asked about this question:
“The manager and the coaching team has a luxury problem, which is good. I think both formations (4–2–3–1 and false 9) can be a success because as you know, we can play the setup in the Etihad where we were a threat I think with the movement in behind.
But with Rasmus Hojlund in this form, it’s absolutely a consideration and a thought for us to consider. Let’s have the thought but I also want to say to you that you don’t only need 11 players in a final. It’s a tough final and you need a bench as well.”
I think we have a good chance of seeing Bruno and McTominay start up top again with Hojlund coming off the bench when looking at these comments. These last two matches may have been in preparation for City with ten Hag wanting to see whether it can work or not.
2. Players returning and returning to form
It was good to have players back. It’s a bit weird as more often that not, the opposite is happening.
Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Marcus Rashford all made their way back to the pitch with the Argentine starting after he came on towards the end of the win over Newcastle.
We’ve seriously missed the likes of Martinez and Varane in particular as they are the heart of our defence. The two of them make such a difference and just knowing that they’re there, makes us all feel a lot more confident and comfortable about our back line.
While Rashford has been poor, just having him available is a boost because it gives us another option. He also has a good record against City who he scored against in the 3–1 loss at the Emptihad.
Both Martinez and Varane looked good and with them back, it means Casemiro moving into his CDM role. The Brazilian had his best performance for United in a long time both at centre-back and in midfield. This good performance was signed off by an assist for Dalot. I gave Casemiro my MOTM.
Rasmus Hojlund came on and scored 2 in his last two so he too, is in good form.
With the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot (who also had a fine game), there are several positives to look at in terms of players before heading to Wembley.
3. Good changes
I liked the substitutions that the manager made and I think they were spot on both in terms of who he took off and the impact those that came on made.
Lisandro Martinez was coming back from a long layoff and couldn’t play the full 90 so needed replacing but managed to get a good hour in ahead of this Saturday. Bruno Fernandes was on a yellow card so there was no need to risk him getting sent off and missing the final.
Once Rapha Varane came on, that pushed Casemiro into his preferred CDM role where we will most likely see him play against City. Having been at CB for so long, he needs to get accustomed to his holding role once more. It was also good that Varane got minutes under the belt as well.
And that for me was more important than anything. Get players who need the game time on the field and rest to those who needed time off.
4. Rasmus Hojlund
I mentioned how the changes affected the team with one major substitution being a greater influence than the rest.
I’m sure Hojlund wouldn’t have been too happy with having to start on the bench again but sometimes, being benched can push a player further as it gives them that drive to improve so as to get their spot in the starting lineup back.
Perhaps that’s what we saw because in his last two appearances, the striker came on with this energy and determination to showcase why he should be starting.
The Dane was dropping deep, moving out wide, holding the ball up well, linking with his teammates well and gave us something different up front.
A tiring Brighton couldn’t handle Rasmus who eventually went on to score the second and his second in two games. Both a similar kind of finish as well with his weaker right-foot.
In this goal, Hojlund displayed once more, his ability to run at defenders and take them on before finishing off the chance. The reports about teammates not wanting to pass to him have been dismissed after these 2 goals.
In saying that though, there was still a lot to be done by the striker as it wasn’t a simple tap-in after great work by the rest of the team.
He had to do a lot of work himself before he got his 16th goal of the season.
What I liked about this strike was that he was a little selfish which is something you need as a number 9 and is something that I’ve criticized him for in the past because he can be too much of a team player and not take it on himself.
With this goal, he had both Garnacho (to his right) and Casemiro (to his left) who were open and would’ve had a simpler opportunity to score but Hojlund said ‘NO, not today. This one is mine.’
He made the right choice in the end.
But do these last two games indicate that maybe Hojlund is an impact player? Is he better coming off the bench? Or is it simply him showing that determination to go and prove himself?
I also think that having some time off with some rest has helped him as well because he has played quite a lot of football this season.
Rest is important for players. Maybe that was all he needed.
5. Too sloppy
This was the one negative from the performance on Sunday and is an issue we’ve faced throughout the season.
United have this tendency to switch off and lose focus stupidly putting the team in a spot of bother.
This sloppiness occurs all over the pitch and is something that ten Hag would want to get rid of before facing City as play with this lack of concentration, we will be punished.
In defence, United can look very unorganized and all over the place with players caught out of position allowing oppositions to have easy routes to goal.
Brighton ought to have scored at least 2 goals in that first half when looking at some of their opportunities but thanks to poor finishing, good saves, and clearances off the line, United managed to keep the game level.
Even when attacking, lack of control of the ball, loose touches and poor passes mean a good scoring chance is gone. McTominay’s opportunity in the first half where he was played through by Bruno probably should’ve been scored or at least been on target.
He skied it because his touch was weak and pushed him wider than he would’ve liked.
It’s these stupid, unnecessary cockups that makes the difference. If we want to beat City, this sort of thing has to be eradicated from our game.
Background image: Rasmus Hojlund and Diogo Dalot | Image credit: Getty Images via Eurosport