Key occasions
12 min A graphic on Sky Sports activities present that United have had 80 per cent of the possession to date. That’s barely shocking – it has felt nearer to 60/40.
10 min McTominay has been fairly superior for United, whose form is nearer to 4-1-4-1 than the anticipated 4-2-3-1. He’s within the Georgia Stanway function, with Fred enjoying Keira Walsh.
9 min Fred provides the ball straight to Trossard on the sting of the United space, however redeems himself with an essential, if determined deal with. It’s been a brilliant sufficient begin at each ends.
7 min: Fernandes misses an ideal likelihood! United needs to be forward. It was a pleasant transfer, with Sancho poking a beautiful go into the world for McTominay. His shot was blocked and ricocheted in the direction of the unmarked Fernandes, 15 yards out. He leathered it into orbit.
5 min “Far be it for me to argue with accepted logic however didn’t United hand over like 60 targets final 12 months…” says Jason Graff. “Unsure that has a lot to do with Ronaldo and would appear to be a barely greater downside.”
No person mentioned Ronaldo was the solely downside.
4 min Maguire arrows a pleasant crossfield go out to Rashford on the left. He cuts inside, makes use of the overlapping Shaw by not utilizing him after which tries to string a go into the world. It’s minimize out by Caicedo.
2 min Brighton are enjoying with Caicedo and Mac Allister because the deeper central midfielders. Lallana and Gross are behind Welbeck.
Trossard hits the aspect netting after 15 seconds! Dalot dithered on the ball and was robbed by Trossard, who ran after the free ball and shinned it into the aspect netting from a decent angle. De Gea had it lined.
1 min Peep peep! After the gamers on either side take a knee, Adam Lallana will get the match below means.
An emotionless Erik ten Hag walks out of the tunnel, waves to all corners of the bottom after which high-fives Fred the Purple. And why not. Godspeed, Erik.
“A penny for the ideas of van de Beek,” says Yash Gupta, “who isn’t even most well-liked by his previous supervisor now and has bought an extra participant to compete for a spot within the group.”
I haven’t a clue what’s occurred there. Loads of people saying he was by no means that good within the first place, however I’m not having that.
With ten minutes to kick off, let’s have a reminder of the groups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1) de Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Eriksen.
Substitutes: Heaton, Malacia, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Garner, van de Beek, Elanga, Garnacho, Ronaldo.
Brighton & Hove Albion (doable 3-4-2-1) Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster; March, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Trossard; Gross, Lallana; Welbeck.
Substitutes: Steele, Lamptey, Colwill, van Hecke, Mwepu, Mitoma, Undav, Maupay, Sarmiento.
Referee Paul Tierney.
“Marko Arnautovic is the good signing,” writes Arsenal supporter Neill Brown. “I can’t consider a participant extra suited to one in all Roy Keane’s ‘You are able to do that at different golf equipment however that is Manchester United’ post-game rants.”
Christian Eriksen will play as a false 9 in the present day. Erik ten Hag has simply confirmed as a lot in his pre-match interview.
[Ronaldo] is working actually arduous to get to the fitting health ranges. It’s going to take time – he solely began pre-season final week. He’ll do every thing to get there as quickly as doable.
The striker shall be Christian Eriksen; he has executed it earlier than and can play that function. I need us to be collectively, as a group – it’s crucial factor, each sport.
It’s a troublesome opponent. They play respectable soccer and may play totally different programs. I actually like them.
On-the-nose temper music
“Hoping for a greater begin for Erik ten Hag, to date he has dealt with the media properly,” says Sandeep from India. “One factor if I need to name out for Purple Devils world wide then it’s this: we have to have persistence. Previous glory is obscuring current chaos, coupled with crap recruitment and board-level indecisiveness.
“If we would like good soccer then we have to persist with Erik with lots of persistence; there is no such thing as a in a single day glory in soccer. Give him the ability to bulldoze over the issues, even when that first downside is Ronaldo. Hoping Erik stamps his authority on this evolution.”
I imply, I agree with every thing you say. However have you ever heard of this factor Twitter?
United to signal Arnautovic?
I’ll degree with you: I didn’t see this coming. My intuition is that it’s fairly a intelligent thought within the circumstances, although I’d need to give it some thought some extra earlier than meting out judgement on a well-liked web discussion board.
“That’s an fascinating line-up by Graham Potter,” says Kári Tulinius. “I are likely to assume Brighton play higher with Maupay within the aspect, however Welbeck is actually a greater finisher. I’ll admit that the existence of Moisés Caicedo had utterly handed me by, to the purpose that once I noticed his title on the group sheet I believed I had missed that his namesake Felipe had signed for the Seagulls.”
I believe Caicedo was coveted by just a few golf equipment, together with Man Utd. I do know what you imply, although – Brighton have the glad behavior of signing unknown gamers who’re actually bloody good.
“Hello Rob,” says Ian Copestake. “Does the bench Ronaldo is on have weights, a squat rack and an influence cage?”
No, however you possibly can nonetheless order Huge Macs on Deliveroo. They’ll ship to the dugout.
The groups in (doable) formation
Manchester United (4-2-3-1) de Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Eriksen.
Substitutes: Heaton, Malacia, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Garner, van de Beek, Elanga, Garnacho, Ronaldo.
Brighton & Hove Albion (3-4-2-1) Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster; March, Lallana, Caicedo, Trossard; Gross, Mac Allister; Welbeck.
Substitutes: Steele, Lamptey, Colwill, van Hecke, Mwepu, Mitoma, Undav, Maupay, Sarmiento.
Referee Paul Tierney.
Staff information: Ronaldo on the bench
With Anthony Martial injured, Erik ten Hag has most well-liked Christian Eriksen to Cristiano Ronaldo. Meaning
both Marcus Rashford or, extra seemingly, Bruno Fernandes
Lisandro Martinez additionally makes his debut, whereas Tyrell Malacia is on the bench. There aren’t any new signings within the Brighton XI, however Levi Colwill and Deniz Undav are among the many subs.
On Ronaldo
Two items, one conclusion: get rid.
The group information will drop shortly, and I suppose all eyes shall be on the function of this fella. D’you reckon he ever fancies a Huge Mac? Apparently you possibly can even get them delivered as of late.
“Don’t look again, look ahead”
I don’t learn about you, since you gained’t return my calls, however I’m a fan of Erik ten Hag’s jib. (And sure, I recognize the identical was true of Louis van Gaal and Ralf Rangnick.)
Season preview: Manchester United
Season preview: Brighton
They’ve misplaced two of their higher gamers, Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella, however the membership is so properly run that no person is critically fearful about the way it will have an effect on them. In some ways they’re a mannequin membership – the antithesis of United.
Preamble
Howdy and welcome to a brand new season of English soccer’s most addictive cleaning soap opera. Some good new characters have been launched to Manchester United, however the viewers are getting a bit bored of recurring storylines about laboured recruitment and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sufficient of that more and more tortuous metaphor, a minimum of till they signal as much as All or Nothing. Welcome to Manchester United v Brighton, Erik ten Hag’s first correct sport as United supervisor. He’s the fifth man to take the job full time since Sir Alex Ferguson implored everybody to stay by United’s new supervisor 9 years in the past, and his first pre-season has been a blended bag.
On the sector, it was gently encouraging. They scored some lovely, Ajaxy goals, and some of final season’s underachievers seemed reinvigorated. Off it, via no specific fault of ten Hag’s, it’s nonetheless a circus. That is one in all his largest challenges: in an age when – and the way this shames us all – what occurs off the sector is commonly extra essential than what takes place on it, he wants to revive primacy to the precise soccer.
Every thing factors to 10 Hag being a top-class coach, so he ought to have the soccer lined. It’ll take time, although – final season, United’s worst since 1988-89, shall be lurking within the gamers’ unconscious, ready to emerge quicker than you possibly can say “right here we go once more”. A 12 months in the past they had been dreaming of the title; in 2022-23, fourth place is the promised land.
Such negativity feels inappropriate, on in the present day of all days, however the temper across the membership stays fairly febrile. The simplest solution to change it, now and eternally, is to play good soccer and win video games. If United do this, ten Hag shall be high-quality. If not, the cleaning soap opera will get even trashier.
Kick off 2pm.
