29/10/2017 13:36, Report by Joe Ganley
OPINION: UNITED PASSED THE TOTTENHAM TEST
Jose Mourinho had wondered aloud about his team's “aggression” and “motivation” after the defeat to Huddersfield Town. Against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, his players responded defiantly.
Manchester United might have played more scintillating football this season. The Reds might have scored more goals and attacked with more brio. But Mourinho's men have not fought harder to win a game than on Saturday afternoon against Mauricio Pochettino’s obdurate Spurs side.
Anthony Martial’s 81st-minute goal was enough to condemn the visitors to a first defeat on the road this season but, in truth, United had a hard time in the attacking third. Who wouldn’t against a team featuring, to use Jose Mourinho's post-match quote, the best central defenders “we have in Europe”.
Pochettino’s team came close to outplaying Real Madrid in the Bernabeu earlier this month, and spanked Liverpool 4-1 at Wembley last week in front of a record Premier League crowd. In Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier, they have some of the most physically imposing centre-backs around.
Romelu Lukaku was isolated for long periods, and Marcus Rashford often reduced to chasing lost causes in an attempt to pressure the opposition and get involved in the game. But what United lacked in penetration, the players more than made up for with intent, commitment and desire. Almost everything that was lacking against Huddersfield – energy, speed, attitude – was there at Old Trafford by the bucketful, and in awful conditions that almost exactly replicated those at the John Smith’s Stadium.
In sleeting, swirling rain, United out-fought and out-ran the side that has been the hardest-working, hardest-running outfit in the league over the last two seasons. Towards the end, Eric Bailly, clearly lacking match fitness, could be seen dolefully bowing his head before embarking on yet another sprint, as if attempting to ignore the lactic acid building up in his muscles.
Phil Jones and Chris Smalling hurled themselves into battle wherever necessary, putting their bodies on the line to show that they meant business; to show that they didn’t lack that aforementioned motivation or aggression.
Arguably United’s outstanding performer on the day was Ashley Young who, let’s not forget, did not start playing regularly at left-back until his late 20s. Up against the stocky, tireless Spurs right-back Serge Aurier, Young chased and harried all afternoon, winning headers and tackles he had no right to.
Meanwhile, on the bench, as the game ebbed towards its final quarter, the manager used his substitutions not to buttress United’s defence and protect David De Gea, but to replace the tiring Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan with more energy and more attacking threat. Jesse Lingard and match-winner Martial were enlisted and both caused problems. The message was clear: let’s keep attacking.
Concerns might still remain around United’s ability to break down well-organised defences: Martial’s goal came from a long, speculative ball downfield from De Gea, which enabled the forwards to capitalise on the vacant area behind Tottenham’s centre-backs. But when teams sit deep and deny that space, more nimble and intricate play will be required.
But after Liverpool and Huddersfield there had been two more pressing questions. Were United willing to go for the throat against the very best teams in the league in order to win the high-profile contests? And did the players have the stomach and thirst to scrap when the rain was falling and the tackles were flying in? In the second half on Saturday, the Reds answered those questions, and their manager, emphatically.
The opinions expressed in this article are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.
