Y&Z PERSPECTIVES

Y & Z United Perspectives

by Kevin, Justyn & Wayne Tabone

With the Supporters’ Club’s doors closed, the Tabone boys are now missing going to the club big time. With the current state of affairs, one can only wish that the day when we would be able to make this trip together again will return soon. We hope that if United manage to get to the level of winning trophies, we would to be able to celebrate winning trophies together again at the club.

What were the factors in your opinion that transformed Manchester United from a team lingering above the relegation zone at the beginning of the season to a team sitting at the top of the Premier League table?

Wayne: I think that the introduction of new signings made the difference. Alex Telles was a great signing not only directly but also indirectly, in the sense that Luke Shaw isn’t certain that he will be in the starting 11 and has to work harder. In midfield the improvement of Scott McTominay made a huge difference as he is an affective player both in attacking and even defensively. Ole even thought about the experience needed for younger players therefore bought Edinson Cavani, apart from also adding a quality player. Ole has now also taught the players how to play true football with his new tactics.

Justyn: At the beginning of the season, I think that Manchester United really suffered from the fact that the team had no pre-season. The team didn’t have a lengthy break due to being in the Europa League. So it was always going to be the case that the team would start slowly. Having said this, after a few games the team started picking up points and game by game the team starting taking shape and have some sort of fluidity. Moreover, other teams in around us started dropping points which helped our cause. As the season developed, Manchester United were finding different ways to win albeit most of the time, especially away from home, coming from behind. One might say that this is a coincidence however, the players really showed perseverance and belief. I think these two qualities have been a big part of Manchester United’s turnaround.

Kevin: I refuse to look at the league table until match-week 10 is played. This is something which I’ve done for quite a long time. This aside, one also has to consider what has happened this season, with the pandemic. Surely this made season 2020/21 even more particular than any other season. You had teams playing less games than others, you had teams playing more regularly and you also had stadiums with no supporters, which meant that home and away matches were no different from one other. Having said all this, I could see there was an improvement as the season wore on. The one factor which I would point towards, would be that Ole now has a squad that are fighting to be in the starting XI. This ensures that whoever is playing keeps himself on his toes to perform, knowing that the ones on the bench are eager to take their place. The classical example explaining what I’m saying would be the left back position – Alex Telles’ arrival surely had an effect on Luke Shaw’s performances.

This Premier League season surely has a record of surprise results. Do you think that the fact that there are no supporters in the stadium is one of the reasons behind some of these very unpredictable, crazy results we witnessed this season so far? Are there any more factors you can think about?

Wayne: In my opinion, I think that supporters play a huge part in the game and even more for such a big club I think that this affects us as a team both in a bad way but also as a good way. The bad thing is that players might experience lack of support but this will also happen to other clubs therefore the opposition might have lack of confidence. Other factors might be that maybe because there are many games that are squashed into each other, some players may lack stamina to maintain their levels.

Justyn: I do think that the fact there are no fans in the stadium has contributed to some shock results. The fans boost the home side when they are in a difficult moment during the game. Fans give that extra push and are indeed the 12th man on the pitch. However, I do not think that this is the only reason for these shock results to occur. Another reason for this in my opinion is the fact that teams are having to play so many games in so little period of time. Players are facing a very hectic schedule and that will take its toll on the players’ body and mental strength. Moreover, I think that teams are experiencing more injuries than normal because of this and surely doesn’t help the clubs’ cause.

Kevin: Definitely! I used to have so many discussions on this point with both Justyn & Wayne. They both used to tell me that the home factor is not as effective as I make it out to be. Well, now we have the proof. As can be seen in the below table showing the statistics for the last 3 seasons, there has been quite a drop in the home wins and also an increase in the away wins.

Season Home Draw Away 2020/21 37% 23% 40%

(up to Gameweek 23)

2019/20

(Full Season) 45% 24% 31%

2018/19

(Full Season) 47% 19% 34% Another factor would also have to be the number of games played in such a short space of time. Managers have to rotate, not only to replace injured players, but also to keep the team as fresh as possible. The intensity with which the game is played today means that a player is not just a player but also an athlete. And an athlete would only be able to perform if his muscles are given the proper rest time.

Notwithstanding the hype when we signed him and the unquestionable quality of Donny Van de Beek, he does not seem to be able to cement a first team place. Why do you think he is being left so often on the bench?

Wayne: I think that Donny Van de Beek is a great player but like most players, I think he needs time to adapt to the intensity of how the games are played in England. This same thing also happened to Fred where in the beginning he was struggling but this season he has been phenomenal. The Netherlands player is also used to a club playing very simple football and not to the style that Ole wants his team to play and so I think that this must have affected him. Also, in his position there are very good players such as Paul Pogba as well as Bruno Fernandes.

Justyn: Donny Van de Beek is undoubtably one of the hottest midfield prospects in the world and he has shown what he can do at Ajax both in the Champions League and in the league. I do not think that Manchester United bought him out of desperation and the club does see a future for him in a Manchester United shirt. However, at the moment he hasn’t been able to show his capabilities. When he has played, he didn’t really do enough to merit his place in the starting XI. One of the reasons why he is not playing much is that Solskjaer seems to see him as a number 10. Obviously Bruno at the moment is irreplaceable and Solskjaer doesn’t seem to want to play him in the middle of the park. This could be because he doesn’t really trust his defenders as much. Solskjaer always seems to play two defensive midfielders there at the moment, however that has been one of the downfalls the team has had during the season. We do not have that creative spark from the midfield and in Pogba’s absence I think that Van de Beek is more than capable to fill his role.

Kevin: I have no doubt in Donny’s abilities though when we had signed him I had originally questioned his positional play. He seems to be able to find space out of nowhere but the problem I see is that when he’s on the ball he plays the simplest of balls, more often than not, to the same player he would have received the pass from. I am no technical expert and in my humble opinion I would put this down to a completely different system he used to play in the Ajax team. Also, having to sit so many times on the bench does not make life easier to Donny. Performing is not like a switch which you can turn on and off whenever you like. There are players who would want a run of consecutive games before hitting good form. Maybe this is what Donny needs, though with Bruno’s form this is going to be difficult.