Manchester United defender Harry Maguire expressed his frustration regarding the team’s lack of intensity against Newcastle United
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire believed that his team lacked high intensity and tempo against Newcastle United. United lost the Premier League game 1-0 against the Magpies at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
Newcastle dominated the Red Devils as United failed to get out of their half in the majority of the game. The whole United team struggled to keep up with the pace and tempo of Newcastle as they kept bombarding forward.
Maguire made many crucial tackles and blocks as the sole performer who could return home with his head held high. The England international played alongside Luke Shaw as the surprise centre-back pairing for the game. Even though United had Raphael Varane available to play, the Frenchman remained an unused substitute for the night.
Speaking to the reporters (h/t Manchester United’s official site), Maguire admitted that the team needed to be more aggressive. He said:
“We’ve got to play with a lot more intensity and tempo. We’ve got to win more duels – I feel that in the first half, we lost far too many duels; every 50-50 we got beat in. We’ve got to be aggressive, we’ve got to play on the front foot, we’ve got to play at a big tempo, and we just didn’t do that well enough tonight.”
The Red Devils almost scored an equaliser during the final stages of the game from a shot by Antony. However, the ball hit Maguire on its way into the net with the 30-year-old being in an offside position.
United manager Erik ten Hag appointed Varane alongside Lisandro Martinez last season when he took over the managerial post. Maguire made few appearances last season and suffered further humiliation by losing the captaincy during the summer.
However, the Englishman opted to fight back for the starting role this season instead of leaving the club. The 30-year-old has been one of the best performers for United this season and deservedly earned the manager’s faith.
Unfortunately, Maguire’s performances are not enough to stop the inconsistency and struggle that has tormented United this season. The Red Devils have lost 10 games in all competitions so far this season with a congested fixture period ahead.
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United need to build consistency and dominance to challenge for the top-four position in the Premier League. Maguire made valid points as his team lacked the conviction to win their duels and challenge Newcastle’s intensity.
