Ángel di María seems an uninterested bystander at Manchester United

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/mar/10/angel-di-maria-manchester-united-arsenal

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Manchester United’s defenders have committed some shocking errors this season, but the manner of the two concessions in Monday’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Arsenal must have been particularly alarming for Louis van Gaal. The problems originated from United’s right flank, where they struggled all evening.

The most dangerous player in the opening minutes was Alexis Sánchez, fielded on the left of Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 system. Up against Antonio Valencia, a winger who has been fielded at right-back remarkably frequently considered he has never looked remotely comfortable in that role, it looked set to be a mismatch, especially after Sánchez cut inside easily for the game’s first half-chance. Valencia did indeed struggle, although not entirely because of Sánchez, who faded from the game.

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Valencia received little protection from Ángel di María, which is surprising given the £59.7m signing is generally considered a hard-working, energetic player capable of contributing defensively. That’s why José Mourinho appreciated him so much at Real Madrid, for example, and it’s difficult to understand why Di María has turned into an inconsistent, uninterested winger having previously been a hungry box-to-box player who sacrificed himself for the team. Whatever the reason, it gave Manchester United a big problem down his flank.

The Arsenal left-back, Nacho Monreal, started to charge past Di María regularly and eventually opened the scoring with a cool finish. Di María must take his share of the blame, failing to retreat 10 yards to get goal-side of Monreal as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dribbled through the centre, but equally confusing was what happened beforehand. Chris Smalling found himself badly out of position, closing down Monreal near the touchline, which left Valencia to cover in the centre and Smalling to wander back, leaving the right-back zone exposed. It was an incredibly poor goal to concede, though Monreal deserves great credit for his positional bravery and his impressive near-post finish against David de Gea, who later made a couple of outstanding saves to keep United in contention.

Monreal was less impressive defensively. He wasn’t helped by Sánchez – who, in stark contrast to Di María’s lethargy, often seemed too determined defensively, closing down in central positions and therefore leaving Monreal as exposed as Valencia. It was clear Monreal was uncomfortable against Di María’s pace: Manchester United’s equaliser came from a Di María cross, after he cut inside on to his left foot in a typical manner and whipped a perfect cross on to the head of Wayne Rooney.

Monreal stood off and the obvious criticism is that he should have been getting tighter and showing Di María down the line on to his right foot. However, two incidents later in the first half demonstrated how Di María could sprint past his man with ease – first, after a sublime first touch, Rooney clipped the ball into his path, although Di María refused to shoot first time. Shortly afterwards he had a decent chance from a Valencia lob, forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a smart stop at the near post. This was United’s best spell but they failed to make the most of these opportunities.

The second half’s two key incidents also came from Manchester United’s right-hand side, too. First, Valencia woefully under-hit a back-pass and allowed Danny Welbeck to sprint past De Gea for the winner. Such an obvious individual error can hardly be blamed on tactical factors, although it was a reminder that Valencia remains an incredibly nervous right-back.

Then, Di María’s two bookings in quick succession – one for simulation, another for dissent – came when he cut inside and went to ground easily under pressure from Aaron Ramsey. There may have been a tug from the Welshman but Di María’s insistence on throwing himself to the floor, rather than staying upright, summarised the sense of laziness from him in recent weeks. He was taking the easy option, rather than having the confidence to shoot from a dangerous position on the edge of the penalty area.

The depressing thing for Van Gaal, of course, is that these problems down the right aren’t the extent of the difficulties evident last night. Luke Shaw was outpaced repeatedly by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half, Smalling and Jones performed poorly in the second half, and Daley Blind needed Michael Carrick to be introduced for United to get a grip on midfield. De Gea and Rooney should be sure of their places but in between it’s difficult to find a single Manchester United player who is undroppable, and this is still an alarmingly chaotic side for a manager considered such a master strategist.