On September 7 local time, The Guardian stated that although Manchester United's four new attacking players possess remarkable individual abilities, they currently lack sufficient chemistry and attacking cohesion. Cunha, playing as a false nine, must adapt to Bruno Fernandes occupying his familiar area. Mbeumo prefers cutting inside, and Rashford's breakthrough play has consistently failed to create threats, causing the team to dominate possession but struggle to truly break down opponents.

Here is The Guardian's analysis:

"Tunnel vision" gives Mbeumo a few seconds of intense focus. He completely ignores his red-shirted teammates around him, while Everton's blue-shirted players appear to be lined up as escorts. In team sports, this might be considered selfish, but sometimes the most satisfying thing is precisely this "selfishness" – when the ball nestles in the goal, Manchester United also rejoices in this singular focus and purpose.

These are Manchester United's four new attackers. Rashford played for Barcelona last season, but since the others have played together for a year, they should have stronger chemistry. Bruno Fernandes, as the number 10, is the attack's initiator, while Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo, and Rashford attempt to brew a complex "formula" to unsettle defences through individual skill, tactical freedom, and intuitive collaboration. However, this formula is far from perfect currently.

For this system to work, everyone must understand their own responsibilities and those of their teammates. When football is played at the high speed of the Premier League, even the smallest doubt can kill an attack before it starts. Instinct is a crucial part of every striker's arsenal, but ironically, this instinct needs to be developed through playing together on the pitch for a long time – it does not emerge automatically just because a player is expensive.

Flexibility can be a potent weapon, dazzling opponents: they must constantly think about whom to mark, and a momentary lapse in concentration can leave them caught out by a sudden run from a player. This is the idea Carrick is currently implementing by using Cunha as a "false nine", allowing the Brazilian to move freely and find positions where he feels he can cause the most damage.

At Wolves, Cunha preferred to drop deep and operate in deeper positions. He is very good at curling shots into the far corner from 20 yards after a short dribble. This was actually his ideal way of playing at Manchester United, but now Bruno Fernandes occupies the familiar area that Cunha thrives in, forcing Cunha to change his playing style. At the same time, Manchester United lacks a player who can consistently threaten the last line of defence.

Mbeumo likes to cut inside from the right, and he is not particularly comfortable with the style of charging down the wing on the outside, reaching the goal line, and then searching for teammates. Rashford, by contrast, is more capable of breaking down defenders from both flanks. In this match, he put emergency defender Merin Ruller in danger: the English striker burst from a standing position, relying on his explosive power to get past his opponent. But such moments are uncommon.

Although Manchester United had more possession and often pressed Everton in their own territory, Pickford was not truly threatened for long stretches. Although Bruno Fernandes played confidently in this match, he could not always provide the spark that would change the game or deliver the ball to teammates in better positions, because teammates were not always where he expected them to be, and sometimes they did not read the captain's intended runs. Misdirected passes happened far too often – whether it was passing into empty space with no one to receive it, or simply passing the ball out of play. Manchester United has similar problems. This is hardly a masterpiece of precision.

There were moments in the second half when everything clicked. Rashford sent the ball to the far post, Mbeumo headed it to Bruno Fernandes, whose volley then struck the crossbar – this happened in the 48th minute, and it showed how the relationship between Manchester United's attacking players seemed to be gradually building. But such combinations were too few, and the entire front line lacked sufficient impact.

Given Mbeumo's goal in the 47th minute, this should have provided the much-needed confidence boost, but the expected effect did not materialise. They remained a quartet of attackers operating on moments of brilliance rather than sustained pressure and game control. With Cunha as the central striker and the team lacking a focal point in attack, Everton was not truly worried for long, until Šeško came on as a substitute.

Šeško came on and became the focal point in attack that the team had lacked. His goal came from a typical clever pass by Bruno Fernandes: the captain sent the ball to a teammate making an overlapping run, who then perfectly delivered it to the 6-foot-5-inch (approximately 1.96 metres) tall Šeško, who headed it in. This was an almost perfect and simple combination, as if from another era, yet still effective today.

This attack was built on everyone knowing their role and executing it perfectly, while also knowing where everyone else would be at that crucial moment. Bruno Fernandes could anticipate Luke Shaw bursting into space on the wing, and Shaw did not need to think about where Šeško would be to receive his pass.

A positive aspect of the second half was that it demonstrated Manchester United's flexibility. They can change their playing style during the match to see whether opponents can adapt in time. When opponents are already tired of one way of playing, switching from speed and movement to physical confrontation is not always easy to handle. The starting players brought complex attacking methods, while Patrick Doku and Šeško brought a more direct approach.

Bruno Fernandes, Mbeumo, Rashford, and Cunha are all top players – their track records prove it – but outstanding individual ability does not always mean they can form a cohesive whole. As they spend more time playing together, the four will gradually understand each other's characteristics, and playing twice a week will also help them build rhythm.

If the team's attacking cohesion does not improve, then Carrick has good reason to activate a more direct Plan B that is less "fashionable".

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com