My Verdict on West Ham 1-1 Man Utd
This game was huge. We finally had the chance to go on a five-game winning streak. I can’t even remember the last time we saw five wins in a row. It feels like ages ago. We were facing West Ham United, a team fighting relegation. When you see a team fighting for their life at the bottom, you usually feel confident. I thought we could go to the London Stadium and get the job done.
Apart from Summerville, who is an amazing winger for them, I wasn’t really concerned. But there was one thing making me nervous. The low block.
The Low Block Problem
Whenever we play a team that sits back and lets us have the ball, we tend to do bad. I wanted to believe this was just an issue under Amorim and that it wouldn’t happen with Carrick. But honestly, Carrick hasn’t really been tested like this yet.
You might say, “What about Spurs? We had loads of possession there.” But against Spurs, Romero got a red card. It was 11v10. That doesn’t really count as a fair test. When it was 11v11 against West Ham, playing with possession was a struggle. It proved that the problems are still there.
That Social Media Noise
I was so ready for that five-game win streak just so that “United Strand” guy would finally cut his hair. To be honest, I hate that big social media pages and the media talk about him. We should focus on the team, not him. He is just farming views with his haircut antics. I kind of hate that character. The more we ignore him, the better.
Unchanged XI: Playing it Safe?
Carrick went with an unchanged 11 again. I get it. He is sticking with what works. But many United fans, including me, have seen a pattern. We wanted to start Mazraoui at right-back and Sesko up top.
Mazraoui is more technical than Dalot, which helps against teams that sit deep. And Sesko? He is a massive aerial threat. When teams sit back, we need to put crosses in. Sesko is good in the air. But we stuck with the same team and had to see how it panned out.
A Boring First Half
The game started close. Summerville, who I wanted to watch closely, almost hit a perfect shot from outside the box. Lammens had to make a big save jumping wide to stop it.
Then there was Wan-Bissaka. Of course, he always finds form when he plays against us. Bruno sent a corner to Shaw, who hit a good shot, but Wan-Bissaka was proactive and saved it. I feel sad for Bruno. Last game he gave a great cross to Sesko who missed, and now Shaw gets blocked. Bruno is just unlucky at this point.
The rest of the half was open but boring. We had possession but didn’t make much of it.
The Shaw Mistake
The second half started dull again. Then came the 50th minute. Diouf hit a long cross towards the half, just clearing the ball. Shaw and Martinez were running back with Bowen close to Shaw.
The perfect scenario? Shaw attacks the ball and clears it. instead, he waited for the bounce. Big mistake. Bowen won the ball, headed it to Soucek, got it back on the right wing, and put in a fast, low cross to the near post. Soucek put it in. 1-0 down to a relegation team.
Yoro: The Bright Spot
After they scored, West Ham went tight and compact. We struggled. But at the back, we saw why Yoro is rated so highly.
We got caught on the break twice. First, Callum Wilson tested Yoro. Yoro defended well. Then Adama Traore tried to confuse him with fake shots, but Yoro stood his ground and defended perfectly.
I feel these moments put pressure on Carrick. Yoro should be starting the next game. He has the pace and is good on the ball. He lacks the aerial threat Maguire has, but he can work on that. I would love to see a Martinez and Yoro partnership against Everton.
Saved at the Death
We had a moment where I got super excited. Mainoo put a cross in and Casemiro scored, but it was offside. Then Bruno put a good cross in for Zirkzee, who missed a close header. We started putting more crosses in because that is the best way to attack a low block.
Finally, at 90+6, Amad got the ball. He passed to Mbeumo on the right wing. Mbeumo crossed it into the box, and it fell to Sesko. He finished it perfectly. An inch-perfect finish.
Sesko saved us at the death. We didn’t get the five wins in a row, and we have to keep hearing about that guy’s haircut, but at least we didn’t lose.
Next Up: Everton
For the Everton game, I would love us to start with Mazraoui, Yoro, and Sesko. It will be a close game. They have players like Ndiaye who will give us a good fight.
Till next time, YANITED YANITED YANITED.
UNITED SCRIPTED. 
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