There was a moment late at Old Trafford that the problem of Ruben Amorim illustrated. Manchester United Spits Rasmus Hojlund did not succeed in holding up the ball while he ricoched it. When it arrived at Joshua Zirkzee, he still had the pass.
Hojlund should lead the line. Zirkzee is supposed to be a ball player. That is the lack of trust in the two – Strikers United has paid a combined fee of more than £ 100 million for in successive summers – Amorim has both fallen against Crystal Palace.
Their cameor from the bank explained why, but it is a damn indictment that the United coach Kobbie Mainoo, a teenager of beforehand, felt in advance, represented the better option. Palace's own real striker, Jean-Phillipe Mateta, won the game.
In a sense, the situation is worried for all three young players of United. Mainoo was only pushed into action there because Amorim stated that he “is struggling to defend in midfield” – Bruno Fernandes forced himself to adapt to that deeper role.
Mainoo briefly enjoyed it, created one chance and went close to another in the early stages. It was enough to persuade Amorim to claim that the Mainoo experiment had worked. It was a particularly optimistic interpretation of events.
“We had games without connections and with difficult to give the ball in the last third part. We did that today, create opportunities. Kobbie gave us connections and they found it difficult to find the player to press. The idea Worked at that time, “he claimed.
There was some truth. Mainoo completed 14 steps in its 70 minutes on the field, only two shortage of Hojlund's seasonal height of 16 when playing full matches against Newcastle and West Ham. The DANE is often unable to detach himself from his marker.
Nevertheless, while Marcus Rashford was on his way to the exit, it meant that United operated with a front three of which Alejandro Garnacho has the most top flight career goals – a total of 13. Such as for Hojlund and Zirkzee, neither of them scored since before Christmas .
It is perfectly possible that the problems at United are systemic, that Amorim's entire way of playing contributes to the struggles of the team and even undermine the most deadly strikers. But with so little pedigree in attack, can someone really be sure?
Hojlund scored nine Serie A goals in his 32 games for Atalanta, Zirkzee 13 in its 53 performances for Bologna. United gambled in great potential, but the decision to turn to Mainoo instead suggests that Amorim will not be willing to wait an indefinite period of time.
Garner's death for Everton
The seasonal injury from Orel Mangala against Brighton offered a chance for James Garner in the midfield of Everton and he grabbed that opportunity in style with an impressive version in the 4-0 victory of the Toffees at Leicester in Goodison Park.
This was Garner's first start since the beginning of October after a back problem and it came in his favorite position. His previous two Premier League-Starts was on right back under Sean Dyche this season. He is a good crosser and can do that work.
But the midfield enables Garner to show the full reach of his possibilities and his through -pale animal for Beto's second goal was the pass of the game. “I thought James was doing great,” said Everton manager David Moyes afterwards. “His pass for the goal was fantastic.”
In the six Premier League matches that were played on Saturday, no player created more opportunities than Garner and nobody made it throughout the weekend. That transient capacity adds a dimension to the midfield of Everton that they certainly missed without him.
Moyes will now want to keep him fit. “I was a bit worried that he played as long as he did, because I just need him to be right and to get through and that was his first game,” he said afterwards. “I thought he was doing great and I was happy to have him back.”
Cunha's importance for wolves
Matheus Cunha sealed the victory of Wolves on Aston Villa and sold Ezri Konsa de Dummy before crashing the ball in the lower corner of the net. The announcement that he has signed a new contract puts an end to his transferaaga – at least until the summer.
The quality of Cunha separates wolves from their relegation rivals. He has 11 goals and four assists in the Premier League. Only six players were directly involved in more goals in the competition and all play considerably higher on the table for clubs than wolves.
His relationship with Vitor Pereira suffered when the head coach interviewed his body language against Chelsea and another inhibited the performance against Arsenal to wonder where the head of the Brazilian was. The real Cunha returned to Villa.
Pereira has adjusted his positioning and moved Cunha deeper in an attempt to open wolves a little less than they had been under Gary O'Neil. It is a movement that is aimed at sharpening, but it means that Cunha gets even more on the ball.
He had 55 touches against Villa, more than every Wolves player. Many came in his own half, but Cunha's power to wear the ball – his total surrender of 4.54 kilometers this season ranks him seventh in the Premier League – means that he can still influence there.
All smiles at the end, rebuilt bridges and a transformation of a mood, Cunha now seems to be satisfied to concentrate on wolves for the rest of the season. Good news for people at Molineux. A major problem, people suspect, for the survival perspectives of Ipswich and Leicester.
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