Club football is back and Manchester United take on Burnley tonight in the EFL Cup. In this game preview, we’ve identified five things we want to see from the Red Devils in their first post-World Cup game.
1. A victory
A victory for United would take them to the quarter-finals of the competition. With Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs already out and one of Man City and Liverpool also sure to return home, the Red Devils should have every chance of reaching the final and possibly taking home some silverware for the first time since May 2017. , more than five years. behind.
For this reason, we expect Erik ten Hag to take today’s match very seriously and field a strong team.
2. Domination and authority
Many players should return from the World Cup with confidence. The likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford all received praise for their performances in Qatar and it is important that they bring that form back at club level. United have had some horrible defeats in the EFL Cup in recent years and this time around we want to see a dominant performance with as little drama as possible to properly prepare the team for the Premier League resumption on Tuesday.
3. A good performance from Harry Maguire
As mentioned, that Team of the Tournament award for Maguire must now translate into club form. Assuming he plays tonight, he must be flawless and show everyone that he can still be a great asset for United.
4. An opportunity for Zidane Iqbal
Iqbal was outstanding for United on the pre-season tour and shone again on the mini tour in Spain during the World Cup break. The League Cup is the perfect vehicle to introduce the Iraqi to competitive first-team football and we hope to see him get minutes to his credit.
5. Improved Anthony Elanga
Assuming Jadon Sancho is still absent, Elanga is likely to play some role in this match, even if it’s coming off the bench. He needs to produce. With the January window drawing near, another lackluster performance could be the last straw in what has been a disappointing season and Ten Hag could decide to loan him out for six months.
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