Manchester United vs Tottenham | Three Players Need to Step up Tonight

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur, Man United

In a crucial Premier League tie, Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford this evening. The fate of both the club’s top 4 objectives depend on the outcome of the match. United right now are in a crisis. Daily reports of unrest and upheaval come from within the dressing room and the club as a whole.

The Red Devils find themselves stuck in time as they fail to deliver on the pitch. Following a disappointing draw against relegation battling Watford, an inexcusable show of poor character against Manchester City resulted in a wave of diatribe aimed at United’s players as they failed to put up a fight in their loss on derby day last weekend.

Manchester United players dejected — (Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Leadership, character, collective effort, and discipline, amongst other traits, is available in meagre quantity throughout the squad. The team, unsurprisingly, continue to fail to sustainably improve as they aim for a top-four place at the end of the campaign.

The club’s fan base continues to be rife with division and elitism. But a common denominator amongst all remains their growing disdain towards the current crop of players. Many of the players’ characters on the pitch and places in the line-up are under scrutiny by the majority of the fan base.

Now, the club finds itself in a difficult position but continues to deflect and ignore the scornful criticism aimed at its collective functioning. They have witnessed the glaring differences in the management and structure of them and their city rivals last weekend. Now it remains to be seen if the United board and current management can strive to take football-motivated decisions over the remainder of the season.

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno is amongst the fan favourites, but he is currently going through a rough spell of form. Fernandes continues to disappoint with his overall performances despite providing vital contributions on his day. The team has shown significant improvement under Ralf Rangnick when compared to their displays under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s. But an inconsistent string of results, combined with repeated errors and mistakes suggest a downward trajectory for the club until the end of the campaign.

Bruno Fernandes is amongst the team’s most reliant figures. But he, himself, continues to display questionable performances whilst failing to rise to the occasion when needed by the team. No doubt, the Portuguese talisman remains the team’s most creative outlet.

Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, Tottenham — Image obtained via (marca.com)

However, his failure to display composure alongside his questionable decision-making in the final third has shone light upon his inadequacies in recent months. Still, with the team in a dire state, the 26-year-old midfielder emerges amongst a handful of players capable of contributing to the club’s improvement over the coming weeks.

Bruno Fernandes significantly impacted the team’s performances in a positive way following his arrival at United in January 2020. The attacking midfielder is certainly capable of mobilising the United squad in displaying a coherent and redemptive performance against Tottenham.

Given United’s need to develop and strengthen their collective mentality, a compelling performance from Bruno this weekend could be the deciding factor in the team’s potential to improve over the remainder of the campaign and finish in top-four.

Raphael Varane

Undeniably the team’s most reliable defender, Raphael Varane’s injuries continue to plague the team performances. However, the Frenchman continues to lead by example on the pitch. He is amongst only a handful of the current crop of talent having won major honours across the continent. Varane has shown immense consistency but has been a victim of the team’s weak mentality throughout the season.

He missed out on the Manchester derby last week. The Frenchman’s absence was veritable as United struggled to coordinate and organise their defensive duties diligently. He has been hampered by injuries, but when present on the pitch, he has ensured that United remained compact in defence.

Varane is expected to retain his place in the Manchester United line-up against Tottenham. His leadership and organisation will be key to United’s defensive display this evening. He is not amongst the most vocal figures on the pitch but the Frenchman will be expected to deliver a commanding performance against Spurs.

Harry Maguire

Regarded amongst the worst players to have ever captained the club, Harry Maguire’s career at United has continued tracing the downward curve. He has failed to deliver stand-out performances. He has proven to be amongst the weakest links in the United squad.

The Englishman has found himself lacking the desire and ingenuity required of a captain, especially at a club like Manchester United. Yet somehow, he continues finding himself starting the majority of the games for the Red Devils.

The English media continues to blatantly ignore his string of poor performances. Maguire remains amongst the most scrutinised player by United’s fan base. Held accountable for a casual lapse of concentration against City last weekend, Maguire found himself at the centre of the verbal abuse aimed at the club following the result.

He has shown little to no leadership on the pitch throughout his tenure as club captain. The England international will be hoping to contribute to the team’s prospects over the remainder of the campaign.

Absurd as it may sound, the Englishman is capable of leading from the front. He has shown glimpses of his leadership qualities in earlier campaigns for club and country. Manchester United need a resurgent performance and a victory against Tottenham. All eyes will be on Maguire, with many expecting him to display an iota of leadership in front of a tempestuous Old Trafford crowd on Saturday.

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