Football 
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Horse Racing Mikael Silvestre explains Man Utd’s Defensive Improvement
Manchester United have gone from strength to strength in recent weeks and are now 4th in the Premier League, level on points with 3rd-placed Newcastle.
Despite not having his preferred CB duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, Erik ten Hag still steered Man Utd to a clean sheet against Bournemouth in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.
To discuss this uptick in defensive performances, we had a chat with a man who played in the heart of Man Utd’s defence for nearly a decade, and won five Premier League titles, Mikael Silvestre.
In this article:
- Explaining Defensive Improvement
- Harry Maguire Form
- Can Wan-Bissaka Displace Dalot?
- Who is United’s Most Important Defender?
Explaining Defensive Improvement
Silvestre elaborated on what has impressed him about the Red Devils’ defence and that having two World Cup winners in defence is a big plus. He cited their improvement in 1-v-1 situations as well as the support the defence gets from their teammates.
“First of all, in a 1-v-1 situation, the United defenders are much more solid and aggressive. And then as a unit, when they’ve played with the same back four for a series of games, they’ve shown that they are harder to beat than in previous seasons.”
“It’s not only the back four, I think everyone is committed to the defensive tasks which wasn’t the case earlier.”
“You have two World Cup winners (Martinez and Varane) in United’s defence, so it’s not bad.”
Harry Maguire Form
Harry Maguire has had his detractors, owing to some costly mistakes he’s made in his Man Utd tenure along with his mammoth transfer fee (estimated £80 million). But he started alongside another forgotten man, Victor Lindelof against Bournemouth and steered them to a clean sheet.
Silvestre expressed that while individual errors should be pointed out, it makes more sense to judge the entire defensive unit at this level.
“I think in most games, the mistake starts with either the ball being given away or maybe an opposition attacker is making the difference in a 1-v-1 or 2-v-1 situation.”
“So, from time to time it is one player’s responsibility that you can point out but at that level, I think overall it’s more the collective work that is very important because during the course of the season, you have so many games that if the back six plus the goalkeeper are strong, you have a good chance to reach your objective.”
Can Wan-Bissaka Displace Dalot?
Another forgotten United man who’s come good recently has been Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The former Crystal Palace man has been relegated to the bench by Diogo Dalot this season. But in the latter’s absence, he’s stepped up.
Silvestre, while impressed by AWB’s attitude, still maintains that Dalot is a better option at right-back.
“It’s hard when you don’t play, to keep your fitness levels, your spirit up. But I think the fact that he had time to work with the team during the World Cup was beneficial for him. It allowed him to play on the same level as everyone else when the league restarted. He took advantage of that and his performances have been good.”
“I still think Dalot will have the nudge but Wan-Bissaka is showing that if he has to start any game.
“Wan-Bissaka is very good in 1-v-1, he showed it against Raheem Sterling at Man City last season.He lacked a bit of consistency and going forward, he doesn’t have the same flair as Dalot in the last third. I think he can push the capacity to run up and down the pitch.”
“In the last third, Dalot is more predictive and efficient but Wan-Bissaka is a different type of player and he can definitely compete with Dalot for the rest of the season.”
Who is United’s Most Important Defender?
When asked about who United’s most important defender is, the former French international said that he cannot point to one person. He praised the entire unit, saying that unlike Liverpool or Man City, United’s defensive depth is very important for their objectives.
“I don’t want to single out one player because they’ve all played their part. Even Wan-Bissaka, who’s not been playing, came and did the job. I think they’re all important.”
“Also because in the middle of the park, the two CBs, they for a unit. It’s not at like Liverpool where you have van Dijk or at City, where Ruben Dias last season was imperious.”
“So at United, the obvious ones would be two World Cup winners Varane and Martinez but the thing is that Harry and Victor, whenever they played, despite some early shakiness for Harry, now I think their confidence is back.”
“With the amount of games they’re playing, everyone is important.”
