xG today after his sub:
United 2.19 - 0.11 Southampton
2nd half possession - 66% - 34%
Made a huge impact to our general play
United 2.19 - 0.11 Southampton
2nd half possession - 66% - 34%
Made a huge impact to our general play
11
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 48
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 2
-
Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
He's moving up in my estimates slowly but surely. There's a little bit of a player that's inside, who could be waiting to burst out and become a monster. I just have that feeling.
Neither Hojlund nor Zirkzee look like scoring much but Zirkzee's link play is considerably better and that is a good enough reason to play him.
He was playing like covid era Martial tonight. That deftness combined with the speed of thought, in addition to using his body to shield the ball quite well. Obviously he's not as quick as Martial was but he's as big as most CBs and he's beginning to use his size quite well.
That's the best bit of striker play we've seen for a long while. In terms of linking up play anyway.
Just a worry how awkward he looks in front of goal. You can see he's very little confidence when it comes to that crunch moment.
Just a worry how awkward he looks in front of goal. You can see he's very little confidence when it comes to that crunch moment.
I would just work on his conditioning
It's as simple as that really.
Pass a ball into him and chances are he'll control it and move it on and he's big enough to battle defenders for long punts up the field.
Pass a ball into Hojlund and chances are it'll cannon off his foot and if he does control it, he can't use it effectively.
Zirkzee has more chance of getting us up the pitch. Hojlund almost always gets us pinned back.
To think he got booed off in 5 months and other guy can't trap a ball in 18 months but gets all the leeway. Changed the game and enabled us to push higher up the pitch. Hojlund was slightly better than usual but was still killing 90% of the attack until he was subbed.
Great response to getting booed off by a bunch of idiots a couple of weeks ago. Much better player than Hojlund.
Far from convinced about him but thought he was decent tonight and should start Sunday.
Just hope he can keep this up in the next game.
Fair play to him though, his hold up play got us going.
Fair play to him though, his hold up play got us going.
I swear he’s technically gifted, like just wallop the ball mate you can do it. Have a go son.
Infuriating when he gets those 1v1 situations and just never looks for a second like he wants to try and score. It’s nice having an intelligent player but he’s too far to that side
Was excellent against arsenal and excellent today.
Surely must be first choice now not sure what else he can do.
Surely must be first choice now not sure what else he can do.
That was his best performance by far. Held the ball up really well, passed and moved it along quickly and effectively and some lovely deft touches.
He enables us to get higher up the pitch quicker and was very intelligent in his passing. Deserves to start ahead of Hjoland against Brighton.
If he could get a few more shots off on Sunday that would be great!
He enables us to get higher up the pitch quicker and was very intelligent in his passing. Deserves to start ahead of Hjoland against Brighton.
If he could get a few more shots off on Sunday that would be great!
Very good cameo from Zirkzee today. Definitely think he starts Sunday
I was in the stretford end when he carried the ball to the edge of the box , he never ever looked like he was going to put it in the net
But his link up play was excellent
Strange time to come and post this . Zirkzee changed the game when he came on we actually looked we had a player up top to link with
His severe lack of pace puts a ceiling on how much we can expect from him. Several times today he got the ball, created space for himself, and had acres ahead of him, but the defender he just passed would catch up to him immediately. It was almost comical. He’d never be able to make the run that Hojlund made in the first half after which he set up a great chance for Garnacho.
Having said, he has better ball control, links up better with others, and his positioning is a lot better than Hojlund.
Very good performance today!
Having said, he has better ball control, links up better with others, and his positioning is a lot better than Hojlund.
Very good performance today!
Still convinced that if you merged him and Hojlund together we'd have the perfect forward. He certainly is producing better the things Hojlund is struggling at, but he still lacks the fitness, pace, power and overall athleticism that Hojlund has, which I think could be a problem long term.
Did really well when he came on and helped to change the game though, played well when he came on vs Arsenal too. Deserves to start on current form
Did really well when he came on and helped to change the game though, played well when he came on vs Arsenal too. Deserves to start on current form
I don't see how it's possible really.
His goalscoring record is poor even before joining us.
And he's very, very slow.
Those 2 facts eliminate the possibility him from becoming an elite attacking player. He does show some promising signs in terms of his link up play, but he needs to be far more consistent with that. He's also had some shockers where it looks like he can't control a ball to save his life and give it away every time he's received it.
He can maybe be a useful squad player if he sharpens up his game a lot, but he's never a starting centre forward for a side winning the PL/CL. And the idea that he can play as a 10 in this system I just don't buy either, he's been worse whenever we've tried it so far.
This.
Literally did more in the first five mins he came on than Højlund did in 45mins. Also want to say I’m a fan of Højlund but the difference in play was very noticeable.
He was better than he has been.
He was better than Hojlund.
He's not good enough to start for United.
He was better than Hojlund.
He's not good enough to start for United.
Excellent today. Reminds me of Firminho at Liverpool, in the sense he's never going to be prolific goalscorer but links up the play brilliantly and can make those around him better, allowing them to run off him and score more goals.
He isn't the quickest pace wise which lets him down at times, but other than that for a big guy he seems very agile and has great feet.
Has to be given a run of starts over Hojlund now.
He isn't the quickest pace wise which lets him down at times, but other than that for a big guy he seems very agile and has great feet.
Has to be given a run of starts over Hojlund now.
That has been true, but (other than the Newcastle game where he was played as a #10 in a team that was getting completely overrun) he hasn't started a game in a while. With his last few sub performances probably being his best, the hope is that he's starting to get used to the English game and we might start seeing it from the start now.
Fingers crossed, anyway.
I agree I can't see him as a #10, but he can potentially work as a #9 as long as the other attackers (the #10's and the wingbacks) are regularly making the right runs around and behind him. Kind of like what Firmino was doing when he had Salah and Mane on either side, just with less workrate but better hold-up play. Or like Martial at his best. He's the focal point in the middle, holds off the defenders and then unleashes the other attackers.
Not saying he will do it, but that's the way it might work.
We play better when he's in the team. He can carry the ball forward, lay it off, and link up play.
It's just that most of the time when he's played well and shown that intensity it's been as a sub.
It's just that most of the time when he's played well and shown that intensity it's been as a sub.
Our expectation levels are that low that we're literally praising multi million pound players for doing the basics. Him nor Hojlund are good enough to be our main number 9. I do prefer Zirkzee out of the two though. Shields the ball better and brings others into play better but let's not kid ourselves on either. They're both not good enough for a top premier league side (of which we're aiming to get back to being).
Much better performance. This was similar to his performance vs Southampton again earlier in the season where his hold-up and link-up play was superb.
Amorim needs to realise that he cant play Bruno Fernandes as 10 when playing Zirkzee up top.
* it makes our attack lopsided where the only width comes from the opposite side because bruno is not a winger
* Zirkzee is not a clinical striker but more an interlinking forward so the more clinical players have to come from outwide like Amad and Garnacho trying to finish chances whilst Zirkzee interlinks them.
* Playing Bruno as a 10 results in us having 8 defensive players when you include the CDM double pivot and considering Zirkzee isnt clinical; this makes his game void of choice.
* Him being able to play creatively with creative players getting the ball to him will suit him and the first xi better.
* it makes our attack lopsided where the only width comes from the opposite side because bruno is not a winger
* Zirkzee is not a clinical striker but more an interlinking forward so the more clinical players have to come from outwide like Amad and Garnacho trying to finish chances whilst Zirkzee interlinks them.
* Playing Bruno as a 10 results in us having 8 defensive players when you include the CDM double pivot and considering Zirkzee isnt clinical; this makes his game void of choice.
* Him being able to play creatively with creative players getting the ball to him will suit him and the first xi better.
Hair looks pretty silky to me
He was vital because he won most first balls and allowed Amad, Garnacho and Bruno to move forward. And he actually looked fairly comfortable against their defender who bullied Hojlund out of the game before that.
It actually looks like he is physically stronger than Rasmus. Also he has better sense of positioning to attack the ball. Hojlund always hugs into the defender, instead of pushing him away and stepping towards the ball.
It actually looks like he is physically stronger than Rasmus. Also he has better sense of positioning to attack the ball. Hojlund always hugs into the defender, instead of pushing him away and stepping towards the ball.
He is going bald so not much point now.
That was the Zirkzee I saw play for Bologna under Motta last season. He is never going to be a lethal goal scorer but his link-up and hold-up will be very useful if we can surround him with some goalscorers. Although, first he needs to replicate the performance from last night to the games he starts. Needs to show the same intensity and desire from the get go when he is starting games. His all-round game is much much better than Rasmus and would help us keep the ball more and in the attacking third if he can show what he showed last night.
Ideally, he should become the starter and Rasmus should come off the bench against tired defenses. Though, has to do it from the start when the game is more compact and the opposition midfielders and defenders are fresher.
Ideally, he should become the starter and Rasmus should come off the bench against tired defenses. Though, has to do it from the start when the game is more compact and the opposition midfielders and defenders are fresher.
Changed the game for us. He's guarding of the ball and hold up is very good and with the lack of those qualities with Hojlund he really imposed himself and we looked more dangerous as the 2nd half went on. He seems to be adapting to the PL with the way he plays and works. Deserves a start on Sunday really.
I think the Newcastle game, followed by Arsenal, has made him stronger mentally. He was good yesterday and changed the game. He was going strong on duels and his hold up game helped us alot.
So seems the tough love gave him a bit of a kick up the backside. Almost as if the snowflake meltdown over the Newcastle incident was an overreaction.
I would describe that performance as a Nicolas Jackson performance. Ugly but very effective.
I would describe that performance as a Nicolas Jackson performance. Ugly but very effective.
Looked fine and the type of striker that could work in this system. But needs to start scoring too. We can't rely on the wide players to score all the goals. Mainoo/Ugarte aren't going to get us many either.
He’s got a little bit of momentum back, time for a start or two to see if he can kick on.