Manchester United suffered through yet another disappointing afternoon as they fell to a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
It was a challenging afternoon for Ruben Amorim’s men, given the wave of injuries and illness that hit his camp. As a result, the bench was filled with academy players, with Victor Lindelof as the sole substitute who has actually amassed Premier League experience.
While Man United showed sparks of promise, the team’s finishing was yet again of a poor standard, with just six of their 16 shots finding the target.
It was this issue that prevented United from clawing their way back into the game after going behind just 13 minutes into the encounter.
For United legend Dimitar Berbatov, however, it was the team’s defence that let them down, especially when failing to defend James Maddison’s goal.
“It’s a great save from Onana, to be honest,” Berbatov said of the initial save by the United keeper following Heung Min-Son’s initial shot before continuing: “But the reaction from the defender is basically, none because it’s really difficult and Maddison is lively, on his toes, anticipating the game, reading the game, where to be.”
“I think that communication between the defenders in United’s backline is crucial, and I don’t think it’s at the level that it should be,” Berbatov continued.
“If you see someone free, tell your colleague, ‘push wide, go cover him.’ Son was like two minutes alone, and nobody saw that.”
“And because of Son – it’s not a great shot on the ball – but still, that started from there,” the retired Bulgarian striker concluded.
Berbatov’s observation seems like something that Amorim and his coaching staff should have been paying attention to, yet this issue remains unresolved.
United have struggled at the back throughout the Premier League campaign, with recent performances showing no signs of improvement.
The team has conceded seven goals in their past five league matches, slumping to three losses and managing two wins.
If Amorim hopes to improve United’s fortunes in order to save some face as the business end of the season approaches, he would be wise to heed Berbatov’s words in order to patch up United’s weaknesses.
Featured image Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
