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May 18th , 2024

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Oti Rubben

A year ago

WITH A 10-SECOND EIGHT-PASS SEQUENCE, MANCHESTER UNITED DISPLAYED THEIR NEW LOOK.

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Sports

A year ago

Man United played better as the game went on, reaching their best in the first half, notably the 26th minute, which led to Leicester's victory. 

Martinez finds Fernandes

Fernandes is located by Martinez 

The "ole"ing was a spontaneous lyric performed by Manchester United supporters at Leicester. That is unusual, especially in the 26th minute of a 1-0 victory. 



United deserved it for the abrupt and unexpected sequence, which allowed spectators to have a brief glimpse of the identity Erik ten Hag is trying to establish in an eight-pass, ten-second move played fully within United's third. 


Anthony Elanga saw the ball drop, moved Luke Thomas aside, then turned to face his own goal before passing it to Diogo Dalot. United played as though their uniforms were Dutch orange after that touch.


Dalot first moved the ball ahead to Christian Eriksen, who then passed it to Lisandro Martinez, who lofted it into Bruno Fernandes for a short flick to Tyrell Malacia (this is when the "ole"ing started). Eriksen is touched once, Martinez is touched twice, and Fernandes is passed through Malacia's legs. 



Dalot, a player whose role in the United team is evolving, raised his hands and brought them together in response to Martinez's ball that went by five players from Leicester. 


Only after Danny Ward successfully stopped Eriksen's strike did Leicester get the ball back. For 38 seconds, United controlled the ball and moved it from back to front with a command that hasn't been seen in years. 


Three of Ten Hag's acquisitions took part in the six-man routine, which was no accident. Martinez and Malacia have replaced England internationals who were the standout center-back and left-back at last year's European Championship. Ten Hag preferred Martinez over Pau Torres in part because of his distribution. 


Regarding United's advanced play, Ten Hag said, "Yes, I have seen some fantastic stuff." "It goes beyond specifics. I can see construction approaching. It's encouraging to see that we are building. 


"We need to do it and become better every game. That entails practice on the field, practice on film, and practice in games. 

Dalot and Eriksen were quality at Leicester

At Leicester, Dalot and Eriksen were excellent. 


"It involves formation, drawing lines, and selecting the appropriate course of action. The right choices were made. But we are also moving forward without possession. Although we have a solid foundation, there is still much room for progress." 


Eriksen was named the game's best player, and having the opportunity to watch him regularly in person serves as a reminder of why Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer contacted Eriksen about joining United. 


It seemed fitting that Eriksen, the Dutchized Dane, was at the center of United's Total Football, directing Martinez to find Fernandes and repositioning himself to create space for Malacia to pass the ball.


With Eriksen in possession, United were at their most dangerous against Southampton, and he played a larger role in a more forward-thinking effort against Leicester. 


Once more, defensemen were the outstanding starters. Raphael Varane, who Ten Hag last week called "immense," has been imperious and virtually impregnable since his reinstatement. With Varane on the field for 315 minutes, United has only let up one goal. 

Varane and Dalot celebrate at full-time

Varane and Dalot enjoy a full-time celebration. 

Martinez is clearly feeling his impact. At Brentford, Ten Hag made a mistake by picking Martinez and Harry Maguire; the former was hooked at halftime, and Ivan Toney took that as a "compliment."


Ten Hag experimented idealistically with a strikerless formation in the opening defeats, which exposed Martinez to Brentford's punishing power players. Ten Hag was not sufficiently pragmatic in his selections. The best center back to represent United since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic is Varane. That has become very clear during the past two weeks. 


Maguire's downgrade for Liverpool's victory was anticipated as early as five days before the match, giving Martinez plenty of time to work out a deal with Varane. Martinez can communicate well in English, but Varane's proficiency in Spanish is thought to have facilitated their budding relationship. 


At the King Power Stadium, Dalot initiated the move that Jadon Sancho finished, and he wheeled down the wing in delight.The Portuguese player also helped Fernandes at Southampton and forced the clumsy own goal against Brighton. 


Dalot produced two opportunities for goals per game on average in the first four games, more than any other right-back in the Premier League, and his crucial pass average was on par with Trent Alexander- Arnold's. 

Dalot, Martinez and Varane have been in form since they first started together against Liverpool

Since they began together for the first time against Liverpool, Dalot, Martinez, and Varane have been on form. 

Dalot won 3.5 aerial duels while recovering an average of six balls per game in defense. The quantity of sprints he completed over the past two years reflects his increased fitness (46 in the first three fixtures).


Dalot's personality is in line with defensive personalities Jose Mourinho has prized throughout his career, even though it wasn't immediately apparent in his first season as a teenager, and the Roma coach wanted to loan Dalot last season. Dalot now celebrates goal kicks with Martinez and is just as fired up in warm-ups as he is during games. 


Patrice Evra remarked, "Lisandro Martinez is a pit bull; he's going to give his life and that's what we need." I've played alongside players like Lucas Bernardi, Paulo Dybala, Gabriel Heinze, Carlos Tevez, and they all play with a fierce intensity as if they are going to war.


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