S Poddar
While Joshua Zirkzee’s first performance in a Manchester United shirt didn’t quite become the dominant display Erik ten Hag might have wished for, it was still enough to grind out a hard-fought victory and place a base for what everybody hopes turns into a revival at Old Trafford. The Dutch striker, who United signed this summer from Bologna, made his mark when he netted a winner in a very tight 1-0 win over Fulham, which seemed to give a glimpse of clinical finishing so much needed at the club.
Ten Hag isn’t stupid, then, so will know that parallels with a difficult start to last term—when they left it late to see off Wolves in a season that would end meekly in eighth—are something he will want to avoid. Thus, with the arrival of Zirkzee, and an afternoon that was supposed to signal a more cohesive team, a new United era started under pressure but ended with a sense of relief and optimism as the 87th-minute goal brought the Stretford End to life.
Zirkzee, wearing the famous No. 11 shirt, made up for lost time when linking superbly with fellow substitute Alejandro Garnacho to break the deadlock. Both players entered the arena on the hour mark, by which time United were in charge but unable to find a way through. Ten Hag, whose performance has been called into question during the last two seasons as the results haven’t been very convincing, was rewarded for his decision to throw on the young players.
While there has been a certain amount of physical renovation work undertaken this summer at Old Trafford, with refurbishment to the stadium perhaps symbolic of a new beginning, for Ten Hag, what really needed to change was on the pitch. A team did come out of that refurbished tunnel and show glimpses of the “United Way” that the manager is trying to instill, but a lot remains to be done to take the club back to its glory days.
In the crowd, co-owner Avram Glazer was spotting and England’s interim manager Lee Carsley, who would have been interested to see if United could turn the corner post their worst-ever finish in the Premier League. The last competitive game United played was the FA Cup victory. A result that was followed by two successive positive outcomes in the league, but the momentum of the team had drained due to the long summer break. Zirkzee was supposed to signal a new future for the club, alongside Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and the injured Leny Yoro.
United’s attack showed early promise, with Amad Diallo preferred to Garnacho on the right wing and making a distinct impression due to his tricky feet in the box. But his claims for a penalty after he was challenged by Fulham’s Antonee Robinson were waved away, a reminder that United’s wing play, though dangerous, has to be more decisive.
The domination of possession was there, but familiar finishing problems persisted. No surprise, really, as this team scored just 57 league goals last term. Those finishing issues reared their head, the most notable being two clear misses from Bruno Fernandes, both saved by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. There was also a well-struck effort from Mason Mount that was saved, but these chances did show the real need for more composure in the final third.
Defensively, there were many occasions United was indebted to some critical last-ditch interventions from Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez, denying their ex-player Andreas Pereira from laying the ball on for his teammates to get into a scoring position. As comfortable as Fulham seemed playing counter-attacking football with the pace and power of Adama Traoré causing problems, they did generate work for United’s new goalkeeper André Onana. However, the back four held firm, with Mazraoui adding to a promising debut in the 4-0 win over Southampton.
Ten Hag had expressed his misgivings at his team’s readiness for this and, sure enough, those fears were realized in the low energy levels United showed towards the end. Casemiro, controlling midfield, was tiring, and more space opened up for Fulham to exploit. The introductions of De Ligt and Jonny Evans, the experience of the latter, did much to shore things up at the back and see out a clean sheet.
Zirkzee’s late goal not only revived the spirit of the Old Trafford faithful, thereby securing a very vital three-point win for Ten Hag and his team, but it was far from convincing. The victory offers a vital platform from which to push on. Quite frankly, the real challenge is how United can keep up this pace without repeating what hugely derailed their season a year ago.
As the final whistle blew, there was a sense of relief but also an acknowledgement that this was just the beginning. New signings offer much-needed optimism on what they can bring, but if Manchester United really wants to turn the page and start climbing once more up the ladder in English football, consistency is a must. For now, at least, Zirkzee’s debut has given supporters a sign that good times are on the horizon.
