Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer looks to have gotten a new set of “wheels”.
His United side easily dispatched Chelsea 4-0 on the opening weekend of the new season.
While there were a lot of standout performances, all eyes were on new boys Aaron Wan Bissaka and the world’s most expensive defender Harry Maguire – and of course, they lived up to the hype.
The Red Devils claimed an emphatic opening day victory against rivals Chelsea, a game which carried so much pressure for both sets of players and managers with interesting narratives building up to the fixture.
Chelsea had a better start to the game but Manchester United were able to weather the storm thanks to some good defensive work from the United back line.
Eventually, United were able to get a grip of the game and score four goals to dispatch Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
New signings Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka made excellent debuts in their first game for the club. There was also a debut goal late in the game for Daniel James who came on as a late substitute.
One of the major talking points building up to the game was how the new signings would fare on their United debuts, especially Harry Maguire who became the most expensive defender in the world last week. And he didn’t disappoint.
It was the kind of performance United fans have been praying for – his aerial presence, quick interceptions and ability on the ball were on full display in a game which will surely shut down any debates over his £80m transfer fee.
The same conversations were had when Van Dijk moved from Southampton to Liverpool for £75m, but the Dutchman’s influence on the Reds’ defence has only proven that you get what you pay for.
The 26-year-old was good on the ball, strong in the air, and clean in the tackle on debut. He also looked to gel well with partner Victor Lindelof in their first game together as a unit.
He showed no signs of feeling the pressure of playing in Old Trafford or his price tag.
Rather he seemed to embrace it which is a good sign for United fans everywhere.
Harry Maguire's game by numbers vs. Chelsea:
86% pass accuracy
72 touches
7 clearances (most)
4 interceptions (most)
2 blocked shots (most)
1 chance created
1 clean sheet
0 fouls committedWorth every penny. ? pic.twitter.com/zrP9IIkA4D
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 11, 2019
The transition was easier for Wan-Bissaka due to all the attention on the Englishman and this naturally helped ease the pressure and settle him.
Not to mention that he also had an exellent pre season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka made more tackles (3) than any other Man Utd player in the first half vs. Chelsea, with no player dribbling past him.
Look out, here comes the Spider-Wan ? pic.twitter.com/XN6TI0V9fx
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 11, 2019
One thing people often forget is that these players have played in the league before so it is still the same “atmosphere” for them.
Their familiarity with the league will make it easier for them to deal with the pressure that comes with playing for a bigger club in the same league compared to a foreign player coming into the league.
It’s easy to get carried away with the win but it’s only early days and anything can happen in a long and arduous season.
But as good starts go, the new boys have impressed and Maguire, in particular, is already looking like the leader United have lacked in recent years.