Harry Maguire’s messy display against Sheffield United perfectly mirrored his team’s inconsistency | OneFootball

It was another uncomfortable night for Manchester United fans as Erik ten Hag’s side fell behind twice before emerging 4-2 victors over Sheffield United on Wednesday evening.

Bottom of the Premier League, Sheffield should have been easy pickings, especially at home. Still, Man United continued their erratic form, making life difficult for themselves after failing to capitalise on their dominance.

If there was one player whose performance was an accurate representation of the team’s inconsistency, it was Harry Maguire.

The only fit regular centre-back that United had at their disposal, Maguire was effective in defence to a limited extent. He made one tackle and a solitary clearance while blocking two shots.

Unfortunately, he proved ineffective on several occasions when it came to marking, with Sheffield’s Ben Brereton Diaz slipping past the defence twice to put two goals past United. The away team’s striker came close to scoring his hat-trick when his shot deflected off Maguire’s leg and onto the upright.

Defensive inconsistency aside, Maguire was strong on the ball, winning all five of his duels for the evening. Still, he lost possession 10 times; another example of United’s inconsistency at the back.

Making 111 touches, Maguire exhibited impressive passing ability, completing 92 of his 101 passes for a 91% accuracy. Three of his seven attempted long balls reached their target.

Surprisingly, Maguire was also highly involved in United’s attacking buildups, taking a shot and also winning a penalty that Bruno Fernandes put away.

Maguire’s highlight of the match came in the 42nd minute, when United were 1-0 down. Showing great awareness, the centre-back raced into the box during a counter, getting himself on the end of an Alejandro Garnacho cross to score a header.

It was this moment that ultimately helped United to claw their way back into the game.

While inconsistent in defence and struggling to mark his opponents, Maguire still proved to be an asset at times, scoring for his team and winning a penalty.

Still, such inconsistency is not a welcome sight for a team that appears unable to keep a clean sheet regardless of the calibre of their opposition.

Clearly, Ten Hag needs to make changes to United’s defence as performances remain inconsistent.

(Stats via Sofascore)

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