Newcastle Expose United: Carrick Doubts, Bruno’s Record Chase, and Malacia’s Struggles
Pre Match Nerves and Lineups
I was not feeling confident about playing Newcastle away. Some United fans were very confident before the match. I was not one of them. Newcastle are a solid team. For me, they are one of the most physical sides in the Premier League. Playing them away from home is always a big task.
They were without Bruno Guimaraes, Woltemade, and Schar. That was a good thing I guess. It gave us a slight advantage. But Newcastle are still a strong team. I thought a win would be really tough and I would have definitely taken a point.
United started without Diogo Dalot. I felt that was a good decision after his bad performance last week. Newcastle started strong. The game felt like it would be a tough one right from the start because we totally lacked sharpness on the ball.
The Midfield Battle and Referee Drama
After a few minutes, the game felt fast paced, but nothing was actually happening. It was a physical game with very few openings. It turned into a low or mid block game for both teams. We really felt like we were struggling. These are the games where your midfield needs to be the difference. Sadly, we had absolutely no legs in the middle with Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo. Even Mainoo has felt a bit slow and out of sharpness in the last few games.
The match was just a mix of slow, physical back and forth moments. The referee was gifting fouls and yellow cards left, right, and center. He was slowing the pace of the game down quite a bit. It was not terrible, but it just completely kills the momentum.
Scouting Tonali and Hall
Because the game was not very fun to watch, I focused my attention on Sandro Tonali. We were linked with him recently. He was playing so well. His long passes and alertness were brilliant. He is not the fastest or rapid like Baleba. However, he is not slow either. I think his pace is right around the same level as Declan Rice or Aurelien Tchouameni. He is fairly okay in terms of pace.
But honestly, it is not just about pace. Casemiro is probably the slowest defensive midfielder in the Premier League right now. What matters is how you defend the spaces. Yes, you need a decent amount of pace, and that is exactly why I want a replacement for Casemiro. Tonali has that required pace. He defends large spaces well and has a very good IQ for defending.
Another player who did really well was Lewis Hall. He was so good on the ball. His movement is amazing. What a player he is. I would love him to be our starting left back. But we stole Benjamin Sesko from Newcastle recently. Newcastle were eyeing Sesko and we got him instead. Because of that, talking to Newcastle about signing Tonali or Hall would be very tough. They would never want to sell those two to us for a reasonable price.
Crazy End to the First Half
Mainoo had a good shot in the first half from outside the box. One thing I noticed recently is that Mainoo is starting to take one or two shots from outside the box per game. It is not a bad thing at all. He is not like Ugarte who shoots aimlessly. Mainoo actually takes decent shots and they do a good job.
At the 46th minute, a fairly amusing scene happened. Anthony Gordon squares the ball off to Jacob Ramsey inside the D. Lammens tries to charge the ball but does nothing. Jacob Ramsey tries to make the most out of it and dives. After a few minutes, the referee shows him a second yellow card for diving and he is sent off. As a United fan, I feel it was a bit harsh. There was the slightest of touches and contact by Lammens, even though the ball was already away. But I will take that advantage. Another 10 man game against an opponent. I personally wanted to see how we would do against a full Newcastle eleven. These games are good to check how Michael Carrick does against tough opponents. But I figured it was Carrick’s lucky day. After a man down, we probably should win.
Then, at the 45+6th minute, Casemiro has the ball. Gordon comes from behind, presses him, and steals the ball away. He carries the ball towards the box. Bruno tracks him. When Gordon is inside the D, Bruno tackles him. Bruno misses the ball and gets a straight red. To be honest, Newcastle deserved it. They were good in the first half and went a man down earlier. Some might say it is harsh, but Gordon did so well to win the penalty. Gordon shoots down the middle. Newcastle go 1-0 up.
I felt United could still get a point or probably even win because Newcastle were a man down. Anyway, in the additional minutes of the half time, United wins a foul in the attacking third. Mazraoui goes down after a harsh tackle. Bruno takes the freekick. He sets it up for you know who. It is always Casemiro. Goal. 1-1. Bruno is now at 14 assists with 8 games to go. He can match Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry who hold the 20 assists record in one season. He needs 7 more to break their record. Oh boy, I want that so bad. Bruno deserves it so much. My take is that he is still a very underrated player. He has never won a league title or a big trophy like the Champions League. Breaking this record would force people to respect him more.
Second Half Slump and Malacia’s Struggle
At half time, it was 1-1. I felt we could win it since Newcastle were a man down. But the second half felt completely out of control. We were not sharp at all. It honestly felt like we were the team playing with a man down. Newcastle played with high intensity and looked match fit. We clearly did not.
After the 50th minute, the game started to become very boring. Gordon had a big chance for Newcastle but missed the target. Leny Yoro had a header saved by Ramsdale. Late in the second half, Joshua Zirkzee hit an amazing shot but it was stopped by Ramsdale. The keeper had cat like reflexes and felt in the mood to keep that one point.
Then Tyrell Malacia came on. He looked so out of pace and completely out of fitness. Even watching him felt weird. Everything about his run and his stance was weird. He used to be rapid and I do not know what happened to him. No wonder he never starts or gets minutes anymore. Newcastle went on a counter attack. Malacia was tracking them but he just did not look fit. He was sprinting but it felt totally off. William Osula goes past Malacia, enters the box from the right wing, and hits one of the sweetest strikes. Newcastle 2-1.
The Verdict and Villa Next
I do not want to say anything else. It feels sad, but I think Newcastle truly deserved to win. The difference in match fitness was visible. We did not play for a week and we still struggled massively. Serious questions need to be asked to the fans, the supporters, and the upper management. Anyone who thinks a manager like Michael Carrick is what United needs long term is wrong. I am totally against it.
Next up is Aston Villa. That is a strong opponent, but we play them at home. They also play in Europe midweek and have to travel. I totally feel we should win this game. Plus, we tend to do well against teams that play a high press and try to play out from the back. Villa will not respect us as much, and we will most likely do them some damage. We as United fans expect to win this after such a horrendous performance against Newcastle.
Till next time. YANITED YANITED YANITED.
UNITED SCRIPTED. 
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