Manchester United defeated FC Copenhagen in their Champions League midweek match, but if Andre Onana hadn’t saved a penalty kick in the final seconds of play, the outcome may have been even worse.
Perhaps Erik ten Hag needs it as the spark to carry on with this winning streak. He will need everything to go his way in this afternoon’s matchup against Manchester City in order to secure a victory over the Premier League leaders.
Not all of the United starting lineup, most notably Sofyan Amrabat, took advantage of their opportunities to score against the Danish team, though.
In the matchup with Copenhagen, Sofyan Amrabat fell short.
Despite being used in the middle of the midfield with Scott McTominay in midweek, the Morocco international was unable to make an impact on the match.
The five-foot-eight liability only participated in the first half of the match; in that time, he lost possession five times and only took 32 touches despite completing 89% of his passes.
Manchester United’s perspective on Christian Eriksen’s sophyan amrabat
Additionally, Amrabat lost just two duels and was dribbled past one. As the second half approached, it became evident that Ten Hag needed to make a move, and he substituted Christian Eriksen.
With a strong performance in the last half-hour, the Dane showed that he might have started, and on the strength of that showing, he ought to be unleashed against City this afternoon.
Christian Eriksen should start the match against Manchester City because
Throughout his time on the pitch, Eriksen finished with a greater pass completion percentage (90%) and more touches (36), demonstrating his increased threat level going forward.
Eriksen not only managed to find the back of the net once against Copenhagen, but he also created one significant opportunity, produced one crucial pass, and completed one of two successful crosses.
In comparison to Amrabat, he was far more proactive, and this will be crucial if United hopes to defeat City tonight. Journalist Connor Aspinall praised the £150,000-per-week star as “magic” for his contribution to the Red Devils’ winning performance in their most recent game.
Clearly demonstrating his value across Europe’s top five leagues, the former Inter master currently ranks in the top 1% for assists (0.36), the top 10% for progressive passes (7.52), and the top 18% for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.34), when compared to positional peers playing at a similar level over the previous 12 months.
This should be sufficient for Ten Hag to be unleashed in the starting lineup this afternoon; yet, in his Premier League career with United and Tottenham Hotspur, he has also collected seven assists and five goals against City.
Because of this, putting him with McTominay might be a surefire way to win their biggest game of the season.
If the Old Trafford team wins, their winning streak may continue and they would gain confidence. If they lose, though, it will be back to the beginning.
