How necessary is Weghorst for Man Utd?
Weghorst joined Man Utd on a six-month loan deal, as a backup for striker Anthony Martial. But after more than a month, he has played 768 minutes for the "Reds", more than the French striker this season.
There are those who fear that the Dutch striker is not suitable for Man Utd's level. However, coach Erik ten Hag is not among them. "Weghorst brings many benefits to the team," he said after the win over Leicester on February 19. "Since having him, Man Utd's attack is more dynamic and pressurized. We have improved the game thanks to him."
Former defender Gary Neville also thinks Weghorst is doing what "Man Utd players have not done in the last few seasons", which is trying to defend from a distance by putting pressure on opponents. "Weghorst is appreciated by his teammates for that work," Neville said. "But at the end of the season, people will only judge him based on his attacking quality in big games. We'll see what he can do."
Weghorst's position has changed since last week, when Ten Hag used him as an attacker behind Marcus Rashford, drawing Barca 2-2 at Camp Nou in the first leg of the Europa League play-off round. The 31-year-old striker continued to play in this position against Leicester. In both games, he failed to score and squandered many chances. Getting a 1.97 m tall striker deep to receive and distribute the ball seems unreasonable. However, Weghorst did a good job of this, receiving the ball with his back and dealing cards to his teammates.
Midfielder Bruno Fernandes is often uncomfortable when pressured from behind, so he chooses to hit the ball with one touch behind. And Rashford, although he has improved his ability to kick back, still prefers to receive the ball in the face of the goal.
It doesn't make much sense for a 1.97m-tall striker to drop deep to claim the ball to his feet, but Weghorst's ability to receive the ball with his back to goal makes him a good central focus for long passes. .
If Weghorst plays better on the ball or runs faster, he can continue to play as a striker. But the position to kick back seems to be the most suitable for the ability of the striker who is on the payroll of Burnley. And Ten Hag is trying to maximize what he did in his six months at Old Trafford.
An important point Ten Hag appreciates in Weghorst, is his ability to "make the players around him play better". The Dutch international's ballless moves exemplify Ten Hag's words.
Weghorst's run in this situation can be natural, not intended to create space for Fernandes. But such a ball is appearing more often under Ten Hag. Last season, Man Utd lacked a striker who often ran to suck the opponent's defense like that.
Weghorst's simple work helps Man Utd solve problems in attack. The tall striker may not have all the qualities to make the team's ideal striker, but he is proving to be the right backup.
Weghorst got the job done against Leicester, with six shots, five successful aerials and creating a scoring opportunity. In addition to defending from a distance, he also contributed directly to the defense with two valid runs from behind, and three fouls from long distance.
What the numbers cannot show, the naked eye is also easy to see. Early in the first half, he picked up the ball on the inside left side, quickly returned it to Fernandes and then moved up to receive the ball back. Weghorst was only one beat behind in this situation.
At the end of the first half, he was slower than center-back Wout Faes, so he lost the ball. The Dutch striker immediately ran back to regain the ball on the right. Early in the second half, Weghorst took three blocks to catch the ball before he could finish in the penalty area, ending with an inaccurate hook.
Man Utd's first goal against Leicester came from Weghorst's attempt to steal the ball. Coach Jurgen Klopp also used Roberto Firmino to play this role, to make it easier for teammates to steal the ball in the opponent's feet.
Weghorst is somewhat clumsy, but wins the trust of his teammates through selfless runs. The last 10 minutes of the match against Leicester when the score 3-0 was arranged, the Man Utd player put the ball in return for him to score but failed.
Weghorst can be rated 6 out of 10 for the performance against Leicester. His misses against Barca or Leicester could have made it difficult for the home team, because anyway fans expect the striker to know how to score. But by this time, the Weghorst test was starting to work.
