Manchester United stumbled on their biggest test yet under Ruben Amorim, as set-pieces proved to be their undoing in their 0-2 defeat at Arsenal.
It was a performance where building blocks were clear to see, a discernible structure and identity in place, but just not enough fluency that comes with playing and training together.
Before the game, Ruben Amorim’s team selection drew some raised eyebrows, like the exclusion of in-form Amad from the starting XI or the dropping of both of the previous match’s goalscorers.
Still, Amorim has been staunchly committed to getting all his players fit and accustomed to this system so this is clearly a risk he believes will pay off in the long term.
Most importantly, the players who haven’t started have made a positive impact off the bench in every game so far.
Barring against Arsenal…
Roy Keane goes off on ‘shocking’ Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford was coming off of scoring a brace vs Everton where, even though his general play left a lot to be desired, he hit the mark when it mattered.
He is clearly a confidence player who looks and plays well when he’s feeling better and Amorim has been challenging him constantly to be better.
Rashford answered the call vs Everton but if that game was a huge high, his appearance off the bench vs Arsenal was the extreme opposite.
He repeatedly gave the ball away under little to no pressure, conceded the corner from which Arsenal scored their second, and failed to make inroads with the ball.
Roy Keane, doing a watch-along for the game on The Overlap, called him out for his ‘shocking’ display as he gave the ball away again-
Keane said: “Since Rashford’s come on, his general play as a footballer is shocking! Have United’s subs given them anything since coming on? He has been just so sloppy with the ball.”
To Keane’s point, United’s subs, except Amad, hurt the team’s ability to keep the ball and create chances instead of aiding it, with Zirkzee not much better vs Arsenal.
Marcus Rashford vs Arsenal was emblematic of his Man Utd career
In many ways, Rashford going from one extreme of the performance spectrum to another in two games within four days is emblematic of his career as a footballer.
It is always a huge high that promises a world-class player followed by periods of frustration and falling way below expectations.
That is why his ceiling has always been that of a good player capable of great moments instead of a bonafide player to build a team around his world-class talents.
Barring a hot streak under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rashford’s whole career has been one prolific season followed by an absolute abomination where he doesn’t even look like Premier League quality, let alone a world-class one.
At 27, it is hard to argue that that lack of consistency can be ironed out and the only hope is that Amorim will be able to extract better performances out of him by managing his games and mental state.
His performance against Arsenal was a reminder that similar issues still plague him.
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