THE visit to West Ham, where Manchester United play on Sunday, was a disaster last season. United lost 3-1 and support for Jose Mourinho plummeted. He’d gone for 3-5-2 with Scott McTominay, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling at the back. Was it any wonder that the visitors were 2-0 down at half time? It was the fourth different formation in seven games, the sixth different defensive combination in seven matches – and you could make that eight if you included the reshuffles for Young Boys away in Bern and Derby at home in the League Cup.
It was poor at West Ham the previous season too, a dire 0-0 draw, but at least Mourinho’s side kept a clean sheet. The Portuguese was expected to sort out the defence and he did in his first two seasons as United conceded only 29 goals and had the second best defence in the league in ‘16-17. The problems were all at the other end. Only in his third term did the defence start leaking.
After the defeat at the London Stadium last September, United sank to tenth after seven games, with 13 goals conceded – 1.8 per match. That’s a goal per game more than the team are conceding in the league this season.
A settled defence is making a difference. United have kept three clean sheets from their six games so far. Only one team has scored more than one against United. Four managed it in the first nine games of last season.
No team has conceded fewer than United’s four goals, no team has kept more clean sheets. Statistics can be distorted at the start of the season and it’s unlikely that United will have a better defence than Manchester City (and several more teams) at the end of the season, but they do have that after five games.
Had Luke Shaw not become injured, United would have fielded the same back five for every league game. As it is, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan Bissaka have played every game. The team have deployed the same 4-2-3-1 formation in every game. The players like this. They feel an increasing togetherness and see distinct signs of improvement.
There will be many challenges ahead and this team isn’t close to the level of City or Liverpool yet, nor is the football as entertaining as sides of yore, but this has not been the start to the season that some feared. United are not 19th placed Wolves – who some United fans predicted to surpass them this term – with no league wins.
Four of those five defenders have put their names to United contracts in the last few months. Harry Maguire and Wan Bissaka when they signed, while Victor Lindelof and David De Gea (finally) have signed new deals. This should all be welcomed, as should the contracts which the club expects to complete with younger players including Mason Greenwood.
United fans are buzzing off Greenwood’s goal against Astana, buzzing too off the atmosphere created by 2,000 home fans in L stand on a night where the stadium could have been excused for being flat. The three summer signings have been the club’s best players so far this season. That bodes well for future recruitment. Underperforming players have been let go with no regrets from Solskjaer.
Before he saw his former Leicester teammates who had a night out in Manchester after their game at Old Trafford last week, Maguire showed why he was bought for such a vast fee. He plays like a leader for a team which was lacking them. He’s honest and insightful when he talks. He doesn’t sugar coat the deficiencies of a team in transition and has highlighted the lack of ruthlessness against Southampton and the sloppiness on the ball against Leicester, but he’s rightly talked up the solid defence. He’s got a good sense of humour about him too and thanked the 3,100 travelling Leicester fans for the (negative) welcome they gave a man who served their club so well and made them a fortune. He is the only defender who talks like a Manchester United captain.
“He's a leader in the dressing room – by performances, presence, stature and behaviour,” Solskjaer agrees. “He's a character that you'd say you'd like to follow. Some are technical leaders, some are leaders by voice and he's got the lot really.”
A similar result to last result at West Ham will hammer the confidence which is building in baby steps, but positives are plenty. Fred, who hasn’t done close to enough so far, put in good performances against Leicester and Astana. Marcos Rojo, written off even by many of his own fans, was waiting for his chance to start a game and took it when he did. He’ll push to be left back with Shaw or Young out and there wouldn’t be huge concern if he played there. Youngsters are getting chances.
West Ham have enjoyed a good start to the season and, like United, are on eight points after five games with two wins and two draws. They’ve not lost since the opening day of the season, either. A win there might be a bridge too far for this Manchester United side still missing key players but this week has been a good one for the club still trying to get back onto an even keel before it can, hopefully, kick on.
