Early in the second half on Sunday Diogo Dalot made a clean tackle to dispossess an Arsenal player, only to run the ball inadvertently out of play. It was the sort of jangly, awkward run down the wing an amateur footballer makes towards the end of a five-a-side kickabout, where the spirit is willing, but the body fatigued.
Dalot’s first touch into open space saw the ball bobble off his weaker left foot, and his momentum meant his right couldn’t recover quickly enough to stop the ball from running out for a throw-in.
The 25-year-old reacted to his blunder by shaking his head and tracking back to defend the throw, while close to 3,000 Arsenal fans laughed in derision.
It was a moment that could have seen Dalot retreat into himself. Instead, five minutes later, he was bursting down the left wing before digging out a cross for Noussair Mazraoui on the opposite flank to volley on goal. It would take an expert save from David Raya to send the shot wide of the post, but there was something to the movement for United fans to hang their hats on.
A counter-attack that saw one United wing-back tee up another. A chance made possible by Dalot pushing his previous mistake aside and deciding to be brave when his next big moment arrived.
It was the sort of decision — and the sort of football — for which Ruben Amorim wants his team to strive.
Dalot shields the ball from Leandro Trossard (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
The head coach has described his players as “nervous” and “anxious” in the past, but United are at their most affecting when players opt to be brave. Confidence has been a problem for this squad throughout this season with players finding it hard to adjust to their new coach’s tactical demands and settle into a rhythm. When United are bad, they play with a hesitancy on the ball and an unevenness without it.
It was evident again on Sunday, with Arsenal fans behind Andre Onana’s goal jeering his every goal kick in the first half in the hope he might shank his passes. Amorim’s side are viewed as vulnerable, fragile, gettable — a collection of underperforming players who will play to a lower standard once an opponent gets under their skin. Force them into making some mistakes in the first half and, by the second, they’ll be making unforced errors.
Recent seasons have seen United build up footballing blunders like compound interest.
Arsenal hoped they could sledge, bully and press United into submission across a turgid first half, only for Bruno Fernandes to give his side the lead with a well-taken free kick just before the half-time whistle. A generous distance on Arsenal’s wall and Raya’s odd positioning helped, but United’s captain had the talent and the confidence to punish them. From there, an exciting second half was ensured.
If that hesitancy and unevenness accompanies United when they are bad, when they raise their levels then their approach is laced with courage and a sense of determination that resonates.
Manchester United fans protest before kick off (Andy Barton / SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
On a day when thousands of United fans protested against the club’s ownership, United players put together a second half worth chanting about. Ten minutes after Dalot’s cross to Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee attempted to back heel an effort past Raya. “If I can see it, I can believe it,” goes the motivational phrase, and Amorim’s United often need one good passage of play before they are encouraged to try to string together another.
When they rallied, they rallied well. Christian Eriksen and Casemiro’s midfield combinations may not be what they were in 2022-23, but they found glimmers of goodness, making tackles and keeping the ball moving where they could. Ayden Heaven — signed from Arsenal’s academy in January before being thrust into United’s first team in March — looked a promising option on the left of a back three when introduced for the second half.
It was not a perfect second half. There is still a talent gap between United and the better teams in the country and, while the spirit of these players can be willing, their bodies can fatigue quicker than those of the opposition. Declan Rice’s 74th-minute equaliser was borne from a defensive effort that was sat a fraction too deep and a fraction too slow to react to Jurrien Timber’s work in the final third.
Rasmus Hojlund might have found a late winner if he had the confidence to shoot first time when gifted a guilt-edge opportunity on the edge of the Arsenal box. The 22-year-old’s decision to take a touch to steady himself allowed a recovery tackle from Rice. Much has been written about the striker’s lack of service, but the confidence seen in goals against Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen in 2023-24 has ebbed away.
Hojlund has a goalscoring talent. He needs to find the courage to push those skills to their limit once more.
Hojlund might have won the game late on (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“I think we are starting to believe more during the games where we feel comfortable,” said Amorim when asked about his side’s confidence issues. “You feel: ‘I can do this, we are okay’, and then we are growing in confidence during the game. Not so much in the beginning but during the games — I felt that also in Spain (against Real Sociedad in the Europa League).
“During the games, we increased the confidence and the quality of our game.”
Last-minute saves from Raya to stop Fernandes meant Amorim’s men registered another 1-1 draw against Arsenal, albeit one without the cathartic penalty shootout provided in the FA Cup in January. Still, this result saw the head coach combine his preferred tactical style with some of the “classic recipes” for nullifying the North London side.
It nearly yielded a victory. Early goals help United generate positive results. The next challenge will be how they bounce back from early wobbles. A crucial Europa League second leg awaits, but this draw could help calm some playing nerves ahead of Thursday.
There are glimmers — infrequent and often frustrating — of what Amorim would ideally want to do at this club. His team is low in confidence, but at its most dangerous when players opt to play with courage.
(Top photo: Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
