I decided to place a bet on Burnley to be winning 2-0 at HT (55.0 Betfair)
and also to be winning at HT and FT (17.5 Betfair) for €4 each as I thought it
was likely that Burnley would show the ambition and motivation to play (as
Company is their manager and these are likely his characteristics) and that
they might catch Man United cold as they had been playing regularly and
winning, while the United line-up was going to be a mix of players who went to
the WC and players who didn’t and that those players might take time to get
their match’s sharpness back.
In the end, United won 2-0. Both sides are similar number of chances but the
Players who played in the World Cup scored the goals and made the difference.
We are learning more about Ten Hag style of play and he is showing to me
that he is a cautious manager who values stability and lowrisk-taking.
It is also interesting to evaluate the mood of the team now that Ronaldo has left.
This will likely give some players more freedom to play. Rashford looked like
he is realising the chance to step up. Meanwhile, the opposite might be the
case of Sancho, whose career is starting to stagnate. It will be also
interesting to see if Ten Hag gives Fernandes more freedom to get into the box
and score. United are going to be short on goal threats, so he and Rashford
will need to contribute.