West Brom 2 Man Utd 2: Five talking points including Saido Berahino, Robin van Persie and United's defence
Manchester United scored a late equaliser through Daley Blind in an entertaining 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday Night Football. Adam Bate was at the Hawthorns to see it and picks out five talking points that emerged from the game…
Tuesday 21 October 2014 15:59, UK
West Brom led twice through fine goals from Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino but each time were pegged back by equally impressive strikes from the visitors. Marouane Fellaini finally found the net for United with a superb finish before Daley Blind’s measured effort secured a point.
It was a game that offered an intriguing contrast between the form of the opposing strikers as well as further emphasising the continued problems in United’s back line…
United’s shaky defence
Louis van Gaal was emphatic afterwards in his insistence that United had been the better side at the Hawthorns, citing the number of opportunities his team had created and the volume of possession they'd enjoyed. But the conclusion was obvious. Dominating the ball and the chances will not guarantee success while United continue to defend this poorly.
The problems were manifold. In an attempt to share the responsibility between his players, Van Gaal made the legitimate point that his team must defend better from the front – and it’s true this was a collective failure. But there were also individual errors all over the pitch with his back four particularly culpable.
Phil Jones was alarmingly slack in his use of the ball, while the gap between Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw was exploited time and again in the first half - including for Sessegnon’s opener. Shaw, in particular, had positional problems without the ball and was wasteful with it. As for Rafael on the opposite flank, it was the Brazilian who played Berahino onside for Albion’s second.
Baggies boss Alan Irvine admitted that he had looked to exploit United’s weakness, claiming that when an opponent plays as open as Van Gaal’s side they can be punished when they lose possession. It’s something other managers will have spotted too and with Chelsea and Manchester City up next, a defensive display similar to this one could prove disastrous.
Berahino for England?
Albion deserve credit for having the quality to capitalise on the lack of cohesion in United’s defence and much of that was down to the performance of Berahino. The youngster looked sharp throughout and showed an impressive ability to mix up his movement between showing for the ball into feet and looking for the run in behind. Clear opportunities were at a premium but the menace was there and when the chance did come he took it beautifully.
Indeed, it is extraordinary how composed the 21-year-old is in front of goal, showing an almost unnatural calmness for a player of his age. A fine penalty taker, Berahino seized his one-on-one chance against David de Gea in similar style and an England call-up would now seem inevitable.
Roy Hodgson’s decision to let Berahino help the Under-21s reach next summer’s European Championship in the playoff against Croatia was understandable, but with the next England get-together not far away, the player can surely expect to be involved with the seniors. Rickie Lambert is yet to score in 11 appearances this season. Meanwhile, Berahino is already in double figures for club and country.
Van Persie struggling
The contrast between Berahino and the striker at the other end of the pitch was also marked. And for all RVP’s pedigree, the Dutchman did not come out of the comparison too favourably. In fact, that economy of movement that was so celebrated when he was at his lethal best now feels like it might just be the beginnings of an inexorable decline.
There have been some suggestions that Va
