Angel Di Maria Masih `Tumpul` Tampil Perdana di MU
Angel di Maria Makes Debut in United`s Goalless Draw with Burnley
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
Burnley (B2B) - Mantan gelandang Real Madrid Angel Di Maria bergabung di skuad Manchester United (MU) gagal membawa timnya meraih kemenangan setelah bermain imbang tanpa gol melawan Burnley, Sabtu malam (30/8).
MU harus kehilangan poin penuh secara beruntun, termasuk kali ini di kandang pendatang baru Liga Primer Barclays, Burnley.
Kenyataannya, peluang MU mencetak angka sangat kecil sekalipun memiliki Di Maria, lalu Rooney dan Juan Mata yang turun bermain sepanjang pertandingan. Jonny Evans dan Antonio Valencia melakukan kesalahan cukup fatal. Sementara David de Gea harus melakukan beberapa penyelamatan dari serangan Clarets, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Di Maria yang bermain di lini tengah bersama Juan Mata, nampaknya masih jauh disebut sebagai pemain terbaik MU. Sejak awal pertandingan, ia seakan terpinggirkan karena Burnley memegang kendali pertandingan.
Kurang dari tiga menit pertandingan berlangsung, Burnley mendapat kesempatan mencetak angka dan nyaris mendapatkannya. David Jones mampu mengecoh De Gea melalui tendangan melengkungnya, namun bola membentur mistar gawang dan memantul ke luar lapangan.
Tak lama berselang, Burnley mendapat kesempatan kedua mencetak angka saat Evans melakukan kesalahan yang hampir sama seperti yang dilakukannya di MK Dons pada Selasa lalu. Namun gagal.
Kemudian, Di Maria seakan mendapatkan kekuatannya. Sebuah umpan matang diberikan Di Maria pada van Persie, namun upaya ini gagal membuahkan gol.
Sepanjang pertandingan Burnley terus melihat sisi yang lebih berbahaya. De Gea harus menangkis tendangan berputar Jones dari jarak dekat.
Nampaknya harapan MU membuahkan gol berada di pundak Di Maria. Ia terus berupaya menyerang pertahanan Burnley. Tak lama, ia kembali memberi peluang bagi MU melalui tendangan yang diberikannya pada van Persie, namun kembali gagal.
Sementara di lini tengah, Fletcher, nampak semakin terisolasi.
Di akhir babak pertama, MU bermain sedikit lebih menekan. Ashley Young terjatuh di dekat kotak pinalti, karena tekanan yang diberikan Kieran Trippier. Namun wasit menyatakannya bukan sebagai pelanggaran.
Setelah pembukaan pertandingan yang membosankan pada lima menit babak kedua, MU menciptakan beberapa peluang bagus, namun kembali gagal membuahkan gol. Dean Marney berhasil menangkis tendangan van Persie.
Tak lama, Di Maria nampak mengalami masalah pada kaki kanannya dan harus mengalami perawatan. Beberapa saat kemudian Van Gaal memutuskan untuk menggantikan Di Maria dengan Anderson.
Sementara itu, van Persie kemudian digantikan oleh Danny Welbeck di lini depan.
Kurangnya konsentrasi MU di lini belakang nampaknya menjadi kekhawatiran terbesar Van Gaal. Valencia secara sembarangan menendang bola ke tepi gawang sendiri.
Saat peluit panjang berbunyi, tak ada satupun gol tercipta, kedudukan imbang 0-0.
Burnley - Not even the deployment of Manchester United’s most expensive signing of all time could garner the Premier League giants a first league win at newly-promoted Burnley, as their season-opening swoon wore on with a 0-0 stalemate Saturday afternoon.
Angel Di Maria, the winger signed from Real Madrid for some $100 million on Tuesday, looked worth the outlay as he roamed widely from a central position and forged most of what little danger United produced. Yet not even he could run United through their gears as they looked incapable of ratcheting up pressure or picking apart their opponents yet again.
Newish United manager Louis van Gaal looked on, aghast, as his side once again failed on a number of fronts. Just as in the astounding 4-0 midweek loss to third-tier Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup – admittedly with a very diluted team – United’s three-man back line looked frightfully fragile, committing turnovers on the ball in their own third and botching simple man coverage.
Further up the field, meanwhile, United struggled once more to take hold of the midfield or to get much service to strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The latter was a total non-factor in the game while behind him, playmaker Juan Mata had practically no impact either. Burnley, to their credit, played with an unfettered ambition, knowing full well that this United side is ever so vulnerable.
In just the fourth minute, United’s Phil Jones committed silly foul at edge of own box and bundled over Lukas Jutkiewicz. Then, Jonny Evans continued his horror form from the midweek game by giving the ball away – for the first of several times. David De Gea saved Jutkiewicz’s shot well.
Di Maria made his first major contribution after a quarter of an hour when he dispatched van Persie from very deep. Goalkeeper Tom Heaton got big and just nicked the Dutchman’s fine finish for a fine save.
That’s when Burnley grew emboldened. David Jones ripped a shot at De Gea, who only just saved it, and Scott Arfield headed over on a cross from yet another turnover. On the brink of half-time, Kieran Trippier seemed to shove Ashley Young over in Burnley’s box. The United attacker didn’t ask for a penalty though and he wasn’t awarded one either.
The second half was as entertaining as the first, as both sides refused to seize the game. At the hour mark, Di Maria created a chance. The ball eventually fell to van Persie, whose shot was blocked just in front of the line. Then he got a header, which he nodded just over.
Rooney got perhaps United’s finest chance of the day, as he was left unmarked at the far post on a corner, but he headed well wide, a wasted chance symbolizing United’s afternoon. Because luck proved as elusive as form. This was especially true in the 87th minute, when Ashley Barnes clearly handled a Young shot in his own box during a late United offensive. Referee Chris Foy saw no penalty in it though.
Three games into their Premier League season, having faced modest opposition in Swansea City, Sunderland and Burnley, United have just two points. Their tailspin garners speed.
