Analysis: Everton 1 Manchester United 0

Premier League, Monday 20^th August 2012

A fixture away to Everton is always tough, but when you have to travel to Goodison Park on the opening day of the season, without 4 central defenders, that toughness is dramatically increased. In a nutshell, United struggled to penetrate the Everton defence successfully, whilst coming under severe pressure because of the towering display of Marouane Fellaini. Here is some brief analysis on the fixture:

Fellaini Rules

Marouane Fellaini was the absolute star for Everton on Monday night. He won almost everything in the air, and his powerful headed goal was typical of his display. From a United point of view though, it is worth noting how we could’ve nullified him.

Firstly, Fellaini had one of the games of his life. He was nigh unplayable. But more importantly from a United perspective, you might say he had it easy. When collecting long balls he cleverly positioned himself in the triangle between two midfielder-turned-defenders in Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick, and the diminutive Tom Cleverley. Had Rio Ferdinand been at centre-back, the ever-impressive aerially Rafael at right-back, and the tall Michael Carrick been pushed to centre-midfield, the threat of Fellaini may have been lessened. He carefully avoided Vidic most of the game, the only player I can recall winning a header against him. Let us not forget that a United defence not ravaged by injuries would’ve coped much better, and perhaps put us in a position to get something from the game rather than be constantly battered by Fellaini’s presence.

New Attack

United lined up in a somewhat new formation, with Scholes and Cleverley sitting in midfield, Nani and Welbeck wide, and Kagawa behind Rooney. It is fair to say the attack didn’t gel against Everton however it did show promise. Kagawa played some very nice touches, and Cleverley’s midfield energy was welcome. Rooney was poor throughout, and offered little in the way of running, making it very hard for Kagawa or the wide players to create. Danny Welbeck looked isolated out on the left despite cutting in well on a few occasions; let’s hope playing out there doesn’t restrict him. Some of the one-touch passing and possession play was very encouraging for the future, but this new-look attack could certainly do with more movement if it is to succeed in scoring goals and be more than a pretty little passing routine. We could also learn from Everton in their pressing game if we are to win the ball back more quickly and more often, something essential if we are to counter-attack and shut out teams. Unfortunately on Monday, Scholes’ early yellow card and Cleverley’s naivety in defending contributed to a struggle in winning the ball off Everton. It is lucky we are very good at keeping it.

Going Forward

David de Gea pulled off a string of superb displays building on the back of last season. It seems we have a very good keeper for years to come. Kagawa’s debut was also full of promise, as was Cleverley’s display. As the United defenders begin to return, and the new-look attack starts to gel, expect some much better United performances than we saw at Everton.

Ratings

De Gea-9*, Valencia-6, Carrick-5, Vidic-6, Evra-6, Scholes-5, Cleverley-7, Kagawa-7, Welbeck-6, Nani-5, Rooney-4
Subs: Young-5, Anderson-6, Van Persie-6

*Man of the match