When the star team with hundreds of millions of dollars brought in by coach Erik Ten Hag failed to make any mark, it was Harry Maguire who became the one to solve the scoring problem for the “red devils”.
Maguire (middle) has become a hero for Manchester United at this time – Photo: REUTERS
On the morning of October 25 (Vietnam time), MU beat Copenhagen 1-0 at home to rekindle hopes of getting a ticket to the Champions League group stage.
Lucky
Before this match, Erik Ten Hag’s team had no points after two losing matches.
In the Premier League, the Dutch strategist joined the group of coaches who are estimated by bookmakers to soon lose their seats. Therefore, the reception of Copenhagen became one in a series of “rescue Ten Hag” campaigns.
And just like what happened to the previous two coaches Ole Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick, every time MU encountered difficulties, they would “lose their breath” with very lucky wins.
The recent 90 minutes at Old Trafford ‘s home field on the morning of October 25th were typical. Despite playing at home against an opponent far inferior in strength, MU did not show any positive features on the offensive front.
In the middle, the duo Amrabat – McTominay could not control the ball. As for the attack, the trio of Antony – Rashford – Hojlund only brought all the home team’s efforts to a dead end.
MU’s most dangerous opportunities mainly come from long passes. And even when they penetrated the opponent’s defense, their strikers were not sophisticated enough to convert opportunities into goals. Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Copenhagen created even better opportunities and was not inferior in terms of position.
Hero Maguire
When the team is deadlocked, high ball situations are often the only opportunity. And Maguire became a hero for MU in such a situation. He rushed in to head home Eriksen’s accurate cross, scoring the only goal of the match.
And that was the third match in a row that Maguire was allowed to start, and played the full 90 minutes. It has been a long time since the former captain of MU regained this privilege. Fans certainly haven’t forgotten the first time Maguire was allowed to play this season. That was 23 minutes in the loss to Arsenal in round 4 of the Premier League. And as usual, he became the object of blame.
It is true that Maguire did not play well in that match. Just like during the past two years, the English midfielder has never been a defensive leader like what “Red Devils” fans expected. But does Maguire deserve to be blamed for all the blame at Old Trafford?
