The Premier kicks off
If the first outing in the Premier League is anything to go by, Manchester United have some work to do.
Against Fulham, who themselves looked a bit disorganized, United squeaked home. Just, as the score sheet suggests.
It was left to their new signing from Bologna. Joshua Zirkzee to save the blushes. While the men in red did dominate large swathes of the match; the woes from the past were evident. Wasteful in front of goal, they lacked that finishing touch. Bruno Fernandes was denied twice by Bernd Leno, while Mason Mount shot wide once.
The defense was caught out by the speed of Adama Traore with his pace, and United were lucky to get away. Tete’s edge of the box curler needed Onana to bring on a good save.
The advent of Garnacho and the new boy Zirkzee did spark some sharp moves. Ten Hag might be tempted to start both next time around, and they surely sharpened the moves in the Fulham half. It was Garnacho who crossed to find Zirkzee, and a somewhat lucky poke from the new boy eluded Leno, and with 3 minutes to go, United had managed to start with 3 points.
As for Fulham, they might be ruing their chances. Emile Smith Rowe in new colors after his move from Arsenal was given acres of space, and Andreas Pereira was able to cross almost unhindered from the flanks. Harry Maguire and Martinez were left to intercept these crosses. All it needed was one of the passes to find its target, and United would have been in trouble.
Manchester United have a lot to do.
Ten Hag has a lot to do; his team needs to rediscover their goal-scoring boots to keep up with the big guns, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool. They definitely will be left languishing if they are not able to better their 57 goal kitty of the entire last season.
The first match is always a bit about nerves, and the United fans will be hoping that they get something to cheer about as the season unfolds.
The Premier League has kicked off, and the weekends are going to be busy for some months from now.
