MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 6 SURPRISE FAILS MOURINHO AGAINST SPURS

MAN U, were host to SPURS in this week’s MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. It was a very high energy and keenly contested encounter, with MAN U, starting with a high press and very positive play approach.

Against any of the big 6 teams, MOURINHO always comes up with a very significant tweak to his usual approach, and more often than not, it works for him. This time, after warming the defense line up, on what looked like a back 4 system, he set up with not just a back 3, but used HERRERA as one of the 3 CENTERBACKS. He pushed ANTONIO VALENCIA and LUKE SHAW high up the pitch which put SPURS under enormous pressure. He placed POGBA to join MATIC deep in the midfield to track DELE ALLI and ERICKSEN.

Obviously, this unset SPURS and forced them into errors, on one occasion DANNY ROSE was pressured into a misplaced back pass, LUKAKU rounded the keeper but failed to give UNITED the lead. United ended the first half with nothing to show for their impressive attitude and display.

Expectedly, SPURS turned up the second half with different ideas, and in the 55th minute took the lead through HARRY KANE header from their first corner of the game, followed by a LUCAS MOURA brace to seal the win. The second half highlighted the frailty in UNITED defense. ERICKSEN explored the space left by look SHAW to provide the 2nd goal and the 3rd came from a miscommunication in UNITED defense between HERRERA and SMALLING.

With this result UNITED is sitting 13th on the table having lost 2 of their first 3 games and SPURS are 2nd behind LIVERPOOL , and ahead of CHELSEA and WATFORD respectively as the 4 teams with 3 wins out of 3 games so far.

MATCH STATS.

Analysis by
Reginald Uche.