5
Manchester United came from a goal down to claim a point against fierce rivals Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday.
Under pressure, Ruben Amorim opted to start conservatively and dropped Joshua Zirkzee to the bench despite his goal against Wolves last time out.
It was clear from his approach that the head coach, without the services of his best strikers, was desperate to return to Manchester with a point to their name while playing his brand of football.
He had to throw his plans out the window when the home side took the lead in the 62nd minute.
Joshua Zirkzee changed the game
No sooner did the ball go in than the Portuguese tactician moved to the back four and brought in an extra striker in the form of Joshua Zirkzee.
And that substitution worked almost immediately, as the visitors equalized within three minutes and the Dutchman grabbed the assist.
His perfectly weighted through ball found Matheus Cunha, who shot the ball home. The ex-Bologna top man could have grabbed a few more assists, but both chances he created failed.
In his 27-minute cameo, the Dutch international completed 14 passes, including five balls played into the final third.
| Minutes played | 27 |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Precise passes | 14/20 (70%) |
| Opportunities created | 2 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.15 |
| xG + xA | 0.15 |
| Imagination points | 4 |
| Defensive contributions | 0 |
| Touches | 22 |
| Touches in the opposition box | 1 |
| Goes to the last third | 5 |
| Accurate long balls | 0/2 (0%) |
| Expropriated | 0 |
| Tackles | 0 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Chargebacks | 0 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Ground duels won | 0/1 (0%) |
| Won aerial duels | 1/2 (50%) |
| Was polluted | 0 |
| Commit violations | 1 |
match statistics via fotmob
He had a total of 22 ball contacts, one of which was in the opponent’s penalty area (all statistics via photomob).
Playing two strikers close together really pushed back Leeds, who didn’t know whether to keep their hands off the super sub or press him.
Sends a message to Amorim in a timely manner
The 24-year-old avoided almost all challenges with ease, holding the ball very well, while his creativity came to the fore and continued to play cutely through balls.
As he continues to be linked with a return to Italy, United’s number 11 seemed to give Amorim a timely reminder of his qualities.
Certainly, he can still use Joshua Zirkzee after January. Considering how thin the squad is, keeping the versatile forward on board seems like the best way to go, especially after missing out on Antoine Semenyo.
The head coach now knows how to best use him, but whether he will adjust his system again for the next match against Burnley remains to be seen.
Feature image Molly Darlington via Getty Images
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