Manchester United will be looking for three points when they travel to face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off the back of a 2-1 win over Chelsea, Man United will be hopeful that they can build a winning streak, particularly against a vulnerable Brentford that sits 17th in the league at present.
While Brentford seem ripe for the plucking, there are some important tactical decisions that Ruben Amorim will have to employ if he hopes to help United come away with the win.
More urgency
There was one area where Amorim criticised his team following the Chelsea win, and that was their failure to put the game away. As he mentioned, United were aggressive early on but lost their edge as the match wore on.
And he was right.
This has been an issue that United fans have become all too familiar with. While the team did well to go two goals up in the first half, the visitors almost found their way back into the match after clawing a goal back. From then on, Chelsea seemed the likelier of the teams to score.
This is a flaw in mentality that United need to overcome, especially when facing a struggling team like Brentford, where it’s easier to become complacent.
Amorim will need to take responsibility and ensure his team understand the importance of maintaining their forward momentum where possible.
No more set-piece flaws
Yet another issue that United fans have grown all too accustomed to is the club’s knack for conceding from corners and set pieces, which happened again against Chelsea.
It’s clear that Altay Bayindir is struggling to command his box, meaning that perhaps the time has come for Amorim to give Senne Lammens a chance to prove his worth.
Still, as Dimitar Berbatov pointed out, if United had stopped the initial cross, so too would they have prevented the goal that followed.
Ultimately, United’s defenders switch off all too often, and this is a nasty habit that must be rectified.
If United can tighten up at the back and maintain positive momentum throughout the match, then they could secure a comfortable win over Brentford that will see them rise further up the Premier League table.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
