What a start to pre-season…
Manchester United comfortably defeated Liverpool out in Bangkok on Tuesday, running out 4-0 winners in a very fascinating game.
United fans will be reluctant to get carried away by the impressive victory, but it must be good for morale, while Liverpool fans will be ignoring social media for the next 24 hours or so.
Here are five talking points that we took away from the pre-season game.
Man United vs Liverpool talking points
Jadon Sancho
Sancho is clearly a confidence player, and Ten Hag will know now that one of his most most important tasks is to ensure that the Englishman is feeling good going into the new season.
His little touches and through balls have always been there, but a nice finish against Liverpool is what he was lacking for a lot of last season. If he gets off to a good start, he could be one of United’s most important players.
United’s youngsters
In the second-half, on the 60th minute, Liverpool called upon their stars. Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Andy Robertson came on, among others, to take on United’s youngsters for the most part.
The second-string United side held their own, and showed that whether they are asked to stick around this season or to head on loan, they are not going to be pushovers.
Facundo Pellistri getting on the scoresheet is particularly exciting, given his recent international performances for Uruguay.
Luis Diaz
There weren’t many positives for Liverpool on the day, but Diaz was certainly one of them. He showed that he belongs in that front three, despite the incredible level of competition among the forward players.
He is so dangerous, and he is likely to score a lot of goals this season, while Liverpool’s other attackers will benefit from his movement.
The curious case of Eric Bailly
There is a genuine case to be made that Baily is United’s best defender, and he showed in the second-half that he can offer something nobody else in the United squad can.
A stunning counterattack involving @EricBailly24 and @AmadDiallo_19, finished in style by @FPellistri07 ⏩😍#MUFC || #MUTOUR22
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 12, 2022
The only problem is his injury record. He is undeniably better than Harry Maguire, but Maguire is fit and ready to play in virtually every single game.
Either way, Ten Hag should either come up with a plan to use Bailly as much as possible, or sell him for a decent fee.
Anthony Martial
United fans have been here before. Martial has looked like this before. Sharp, electric and aggressive. The problem is that it almost never lasts.
He looked like a proper striker today, but United fans will be really apprehensive about getting too excited, as Martial’s attitude has never been as good as it should be.
But if Ten Hag can get him purring, and playing like he did today, you never know…
The press 👊
The finish ⚡️Love this from you, @AnthonyMartial 😎#MUFC || #MUTOUR22
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 12, 2022
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