United need to go back to basics to find form again

Manchester United's 5-2 defeat to Wolfsburg continues worrying slide for Marc Skinner's side

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On Wednesday night, Manchester United suffered their first defeat in the Champions League, losing 5-2 to Wolfsburg.

This is United’s third defeat in four games in all competitions following a humiliating loss in the Manchester derby and defeat to Aston Villa. It’s fair to say the positive mood amongst the fan base has taken a big dent since the team returned from the international break one month ago.

Despite still being in fourth place in the Champions League table and still inside the top three in the WSL, there are some worrying signs starting to appear in recent performances. How does Marc Skinner and the team stop this recent slide and try to end the calendar year with some positivity?

Absence of Tullis-Joyce

Against Wolfsburg, United were plagued with defensive errors. The absence of Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who suffered a fractured eye socket in training ahead of last week’s victory over PSG, Safia Middleton-Patel kept her place in goal.

After a solid but untested debut last week, the young Welsh international showed her inexperience in the clash last night.

It was United who took the lead inside 15 minutes after some brilliant play from Melvine Malard to set up Fridolina Rolfo. However, a couple of minutes later Middleton-Patel misplaced a clearance straight into the path of Wolfsburg’s Ella Peddemors to make it 1-1. Then, 20 minutes later, what looked like a routine ball into the box for Middleton-Patel to claim, she managed to misjudge and it sailed in at her far post, giving Peddemors her second and Wolfsburg a 2-1 lead.

While these goals you can look to the keeper to do better, defensive errors weren’t just limited to Middleton-Patel. Wolfsburg’s third came from Julia Zigiotti Olme giving possession away too easily inside United’s half, with Jayde Riviere also doing the same for Wolfsburg’s fifth goal of the night.

It was a poor night for the whole backline with Dominique Janssen and Maya Le Tissier also misplacing passes inside United’s own half and giving up big opportunities.

The defensive side of the team looks a shadow of what it was in the first few games of the season. United only conceded four goals across their first 10 games in all competitions, but they’ve let in 10 in the past four fixtures alone.

These are mistakes we weren’t seeing earlier in the season and a big part of that is likely down to the absence of such a top-level keeper behind the defence.

Having a goalkeeper of Tullis-Joyce’s ability breathes confidence into those in front of her, and the back five had built up such a strong resilience in the early part of the season.

While United have two very good goalkeepers who are the understudies for Tullis-Joyce in Middleton-Patel and Kayla Rendell, they are both inexperienced at this level. In the last couple of games we are noticing the confidence and robustness that Tulls-Joyce brought to the whole team, and the impact of her absence.